The Practice Podcast

Walking in the Resurrection: Thomas and Our Doubts

Jesus's resurrection from the dead that first Easter morning changed everything. He began his ministry by announcing the arrival of the kingdom of God, and in his death and resurrection he defeated the powers of sin. Yet, we still live in a world consumed by darkness. We suffer, we grieve, we lose hope. The kingdom of God is a present reality for us now, but not all of God's promises have been fulfilled. We live in the tension of the "already, but not yet." In this series, we will be exploring the time between Jesus's resurrection and Pentecost, in some traditions called Eastertide.  We will consider how these stories and experiences inform our lives as we continue to live in the reality of God's kingdom having arrived, yet not in its fullness. How are the different stories reflected in our own lives? What do these stories teach us about living in the "already, but not yet" tension? This week, Rebecca Moss explored how our doubts can be an invitation to an authentic, resilient faith in Jesus. We looked at the story of Thomas, in the Gospel of John, and how Thomas's doubts and later profession of faith help us understand our own doubts and uncertainties as we live in the tension of the "already, but not yet" reality of God's kingdom. The life of faith is an invitational one, able to hold a space for our believing and our questioning and doubts.  For additional resources, visit our website. If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the Core Team. If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at https://thepracticechurch.com/give/

Easter Sunday

Alleluia! Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! This week we remember and celebrate Christ's victory over death when he rose from the tomb that first Easter morning.  This week, Jason led us through the story of Mary Magdalen at the tomb, encountering the risen Jesus. Mary, initially, does not recognize him because she had a limited picture of Jesus as the Messiah. Jason invited us to consider, what gets in our way of recognizing Jesus in our own lives?  When we encounter grief, pain, loss, unfulfilled expectations or when our days simply feel like we are "living on the verge of tears," Mary's story reminds us that God is very present with us. We are invited to look for Jesus in our grief, sorrow and disappointments.  If you are interested in the guides we shared in the gathering, you can find them here: Breath Prayer Scripture Memorization Examen If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the Core Team. If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at https://thepracticechurch.com/give/

Defaults: Examining our Pictures of God

C.S. Lewis once said that our ideas about God are not "divine ideas." As much as we'd like to believe that our views of God are always biblical, we all bring assumptions and default beliefs to the table through our lived experience. Our culture, relationships, childhood hurts, and even our churches can all wrongly influence and shape our beliefs about who God is – often without us even realizing it. Rather than following  the one, true God, we end up worshiping a God shaped by our own experiences.  In this series, we'll examine some common default views of God many of us carry – often unconsciously – and ask whether they tell the whole story. We'll invite God to shatter some of these false images to make way for a clearer view. And as we do, we'll pray to be reshaped into the kinds of people who don't project our fears onto God but rather reflect God's wisdom and ways into the world.   This week, we considered how we respond once we have recognized our default pictures of God. How can we move toward God so our pictures can be re-formed and grounded in a truer, more beautiful picture of who God actually is? If you are interested in the guides we shared in the gathering, you can find them here: Breath Prayer Scripture Memorization Examen If you would like to practice a reflection on our pictures of God here is one we did in Practice Tables  If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the Core Team. If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at https://thepracticechurch.com/give/

Defaults: Examining Our Pictures of God

C.S. Lewis once said that our ideas about God are not "divine ideas." As much as we'd like to believe that our views of God are always biblical, we all bring assumptions and default beliefs to the table through our lived experience. Our culture, relationships, childhood hurts, and even our churches can all wrongly influence and shape our beliefs about who God is – often without us even realizing it. Rather than following  the one, true God, we end up worshiping a God shaped by our own experiences.  In this series, we'll examine some common default views of God many of us carry – often unconsciously – and ask whether they tell the whole story. We'll invite God to shatter some of these false images to make way for a clearer view. And as we do, we'll pray to be reshaped into the kinds of people who don't project our fears onto God but rather reflect God's wisdom and ways into the world.   This week, we explored the role of expereinces, emotions, and explanations in our default pictures of God. How do they shape meaning in our lives and impact the way we relate to God? If you would like to practice a reflection on our pictures of God here is one we did in Practice Tables  If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the Core Team. If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at https://thepracticechurch.com/give/

Defaults: Examining Our Pictures of God

C.S. Lewis once said that our ideas about God are not "divine ideas." As much as we'd like to believe that our views of God are always biblical, we all bring assumptions and default beliefs to the table through our lived experience. Our culture, relationships, childhood hurts, and even our churches can all wrongly influence and shape our beliefs about who God is – often without us even realizing it. Rather than following  the one, true God, we end up worshiping a God shaped by our own experiences.  In this series, we'll examine some common default views of God many of us carry – often unconsciously – and ask whether they tell the whole story. We'll invite God to shatter some of these false images to make way for a clearer view. And as we do, we'll pray to be reshaped into the kinds of people who don't project our fears onto God but rather reflect God's wisdom and ways into the world.   This week, we considered how our stated beliefs about God can differ from the default beliefs that drive our actions and relationship with God.  If you would like to practice a reflection on our pictures of God here is one we did in Practice Tables  If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the Core Team. If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at https://thepracticechurch.com/give/