Living in fear and worrying about what might happen is probably not what Jesus had in mind when he said he came to give us a full life. So what can we do? How can we experience freedom from those things that can cripple us? This week we will explore what Jesus has to say and see some practical ways to put fear, worry and anxiety in their rightful place.
Dashboard Confessional
Life is emotional - full of ups and downs, joys and disappointments. But how we respond to those ups and downs is different for all of us. For some, it can wear us down while for others it can feel like an opportunity. Sometimes our emotions can be all mixed up. So how can we make sense of them? How can we experience a full life with our mixed emotions? Over the next four weeks, we are going to explore the promise that Jesus gives us life in all its fullness and the part our emotions can play in that.
Sometimes it can feel like our emotions are calling the shots. When we are happy we can get through the day with energy and enjoy it. But when we are down and sad, we might struggle to make it to lunchtime without a cloud hanging over us. But what are our emotions trying to tell us? Should they be our guide or are they something else?
Seeing Your Calling Clearly
Calling. It's a word used in the church and society alike. Many of us spend a lot of time trying to figure out what our calling is. Are we meant to work in an office? Or go be a missionary overseas? How do we know what our calling is? What is it that makes our calling unique? Together we are going to explore how we can see our calling clearly and how knowing it makes life so much simpler.
Seeing Others Clearly
Do you ever jump to conclusions about people? If you're human you probably have. You see someone dressed a certain way or doing something you don't agree with and you develop thoughts about them. It's a very human thing to do, but too often our vision of other people, especially ones we don't know is distorted. So how can we see others clearly? Not surprisingly Jesus has a lot to teach us about this.
Seeing Jesus Clearly
An old man with a big grey beard floating on a cloud in a white robe. Sometimes our pictures of God are a little bit different than the truth about God. Sometimes our experiences and upbringing can make it difficult to see God clearly, but when we can see God clearly we can really see ourselves. So how do we know what God is really like?
Seeing Yourself Clearly
Self awareness is one of the most powerful tools we can have but unfortunately, it is missing from many of our "toolboxes". This week we explore how self-awareness is a gift from God that enables us to clearly see all aspects of our life, and to see how something someone wrote 2000 years ago can help us see ourselves clearly today.
The new year provides each of us with an opportunity for new possibilities bringing its own set of successes and challenges. Over the next four weeks we are going to be exploring how to see ourselves, God, and others clearly so that we can take our next steps and so that we have a great 2020.
See and Tell
What do you do when you eat a great meal? Or when you receive a great gift? What about when you get a promotion? Or buy a new car? Chances are that when something good happens to you, you want to tell others about it. But what if you saw the most fantastic thing of all? What would you do next?
The Cover of Darkness
Sometimes life can feel dark. Bills pile up, relationships are broken, loved ones leave us, natural disasters, economic crisis, it can all be so overwhelming. It can feel like Darkness is covering us. Sometimes we need to be reminded that when it feels like darkness covers, God is with us and his light can not be extinguished.
It Comes From Within
Sometimes Christmas can get tangled with good things that were never intended to be bad. Take gifts, for example, to give gifts is a great thing, and we all love to get gifts. But sometimes what is good can shift and we can become selfish, or ungrateful. When we are thinking just about ourselves and what we want we tangle Christmas into something it was never meant to be.