The Practice Podcast

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/

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/

The music, scripture, prayers, teaching, and practice of our liturgy tells a story about who we are and what we believe. Liturgy forms us, but it is not meant to stay within the walls of a Sunday service. The story we rehearse together is meant to be lived out in the ordinary moments of our lives. So, it is good to remember why we do what we do and consider if our liturgy is forming us to become more like Jesus. We are not called merely to rehearse the liturgy. We are called to live it. In this series, we will explore how the liturgy we practice together shapes us. We will take a closer look at elements of our worship gatherings and ask what kind of story they are inviting us into. Then we will consider how we might live out that story in the small moments of our everyday lives – so we may be formed by Jesus to be like Jesus for the sake of the world. This week, we considered the practice of confession. Recognizing how confession is a practice of surrender which free us to live in the truth of our identities as God's beloved children. 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/

The music, scripture, prayers, teaching, and practice of our liturgy tells a story about who we are and what we believe. Liturgy forms us, but it is not meant to stay within the walls of a Sunday service. The story we rehearse together is meant to be lived out in the ordinary moments of our lives. So, it is good to remember why we do what we do and consider if our liturgy is forming us to become more like Jesus. We are not called merely to rehearse the liturgy. We are called to live it. In this series, we will explore how the liturgy we practice together shapes us. We will take a closer look at elements of our worship gatherings and ask what kind of story they are inviting us into. Then we will consider how we might live out that story in the small moments of our everyday lives – so we may be formed by Jesus to be like Jesus for the sake of the world. This week, we explored three questions about liturgy. Why do we intermingle prayers and scripture with song? How does this form of worship help us show up as we are with one another? How does it recalibrate us to the way of Jesus and remind us of who God is and what God has done? 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/

The music, scripture, prayers, teaching, and practice of our liturgy tells a story about who we are and what we believe. Liturgy forms us, but it is not meant to stay within the walls of a Sunday service. The story we rehearse together is meant to be lived out in the ordinary moments of our lives. So, it is good to remember why we do what we do and consider if our liturgy is forming us to become more like Jesus. We are not called merely to rehearse the liturgy. We are called to live it. In this series, we will explore how the liturgy we practice together shapes us. We will take a closer look at elements of our worship gatherings and ask what kind of story they are inviting us into. Then we will consider how we might live out that story in the small moments of our everyday lives – so we may be formed by Jesus to be like Jesus for the sake of the world. This week, we considered the invitation of generosity. We explored the radical love and grace of God, and how our identity as children of a generous God invites us to embody that generosity to the world. 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/

We live in a world that prioritizes the tangible and practical, but what if there were practices that opened us to another way of seeing the world? What if God is inviting us to kingdom lives, encountering and walking in God's loving and active presence in all things? The sacraments are an invitation to do just that. In these holy practices, the kingdom of heaven breaks into our world in a tangible way. God is profoundly present in the most ordinary elements of water, bread, and juice. Baptism and communion are more than mere symbols. They are a visible sign of God's active presence in all things. They are a mysterious place where we encounter God's grace. And they invite us into an intimate relationship as they embody God's sacred, loyal love to creation and our commitment to find ourselves in God's salvation story. In this series, we will explore a sacramental way of life and walk intentionally through the waters of baptism and sit at the banquet feast of God's holy communion table. This week, we consider the central practice of all our gatherings, the communion table.  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/

We live in a world that prioritizes the tangible and practical, but what if there were practices that opened us to another way of seeing the world? What if God is inviting us to kingdom lives, encountering and walking in God's loving and active presence in all things? The sacraments are an invitation to do just that. In these holy practices, the kingdom of heaven breaks into our world in a tangible way. God is profoundly present in the most ordinary elements of water, bread, and juice. Baptism and communion are more than mere symbols. They are a visible sign of God's active presence in all things. They are a mysterious place where we encounter God's grace. And they invite us into an intimate relationship as they embody God's sacred, loyal love to creation and our commitment to find ourselves in God's salvation story. In this series, we will explore a sacramental way of life and walk intentionally through the waters of baptism and sit at the banquet feast of God's holy communion table. This week, we explored our doctrine of baptism. We shared how we as a community view this sacrament and then practiced in our very first baptism service!  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/

We live in a world that prioritizes the tangible and practical, but what if there were practices that opened us to another way of seeing the world? What if God is inviting us to kingdom lives, encountering and walking in God's loving and active presence in all things? The sacraments are an invitation to do just that. In these holy practices, the kingdom of heaven breaks into our world in a tangible way. God is profoundly present in the most ordinary elements of water, bread, and juice. Baptism and communion are more than mere symbols. They are a visible sign of God's active presence in all things. They are a mysterious place where we encounter God's grace. And they invite us into an intimate relationship as they embody God's sacred, loyal love to creation and our commitment to find ourselves in God's salvation story. In this series, we will explore a sacramental way of life and walk intentionally through the waters of baptism and sit at the banquet feast of God's holy communion table. This week, we considered the tremendous love of God incarnate in Jesus. 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/

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) Since the very beginning, God's dream has been to dwell with His creation— to walk with us, to speak with us, to share life with humanity. During Advent, we remember the God of the universe who broke into the human story with a tangible, in-the-flesh presence—entering our world to rescue and restore us to this original vision of Immanuel, God with us. In this series, we'll explore how Jesus brings hope, peace, joy, and love into the everyday places of our living, breathing lives. Through the practice of Immanuel Journaling, we will learn to recognize his nearness and listen for the ways we are invited to embody God's presence in the world. This week, we considered the tremendous love of God incarnate in Jesus. 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/

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) Since the very beginning, God's dream has been to dwell with His creation— to walk with us, to speak with us, to share life with humanity. During Advent, we remember the God of the universe who broke into the human story with a tangible, in-the-flesh presence—entering our world to rescue and restore us to this original vision of Immanuel, God with us. In this series, we'll explore how Jesus brings hope, peace, joy, and love into the everyday places of our living, breathing lives. Through the practice of Immanuel Journaling, we will learn to recognize his nearness and listen for the ways we are invited to embody God's presence in the world. This week, we considered the invitation to a kingdom joy that is relational, responsive, resilient, and reconciling. 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/

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) Since the very beginning, God's dream has been to dwell with His creation— to walk with us, to speak with us, to share life with humanity. During Advent, we remember the God of the universe who broke into the human story with a tangible, in-the-flesh presence—entering our world to rescue and restore us to this original vision of Immanuel, God with us. In this series, we'll explore how Jesus brings hope, peace, joy, and love into the everyday places of our living, breathing lives. Through the practice of Immanuel Journaling, we will learn to recognize his nearness and listen for the ways we are invited to embody God's presence in the world. This week, We considered the invitation to recieve the peace of wholeness and restoration offered in Jesus, so that we might join the Spirit bringing wholeness and restoration to this broken world. 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/

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) Since the very beginning, God's dream has been to dwell with His creation— to walk with us, to speak with us, to share life with humanity. During Advent, we remember the God of the universe who broke into the human story with a tangible, in-the-flesh presence—entering our world to rescue and restore us to this original vision of Immanuel, God with us. In this series, we'll explore how Jesus brings hope, peace, joy, and love into the everyday places of our living, breathing lives. Through the practice of Immanuel Journaling, we will learn to recognize his nearness and listen for the ways we are invited to embody God's presence in the world. This week, We considered the invitation of scripture to find our hope in our relationship with Jesus. 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/

During his ministry, Jesus repeatedly referred to himself as the Bread of Life. His words would have stirred echoes of the Torah: "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." Just as bread sustains the body, the words of the LORD nourish the soul. Yet, Jesus's teachings were not always easy to digest. His words could be unsettling and paradigm-shifting, turning long-held beliefs on their heads. Some who heard him turned away. But Simon Peter recognized the truth. When others left, he confessed, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" In this series, we will dive deep into one of Jesus's most famous teachings, the Sermon on the Mount. We will consider how these words of life nourish us, even as they challenge us, and how we might apply them to our lived stories today. This week, we considered Jesus's teaching about the narrow and wide roads. 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/

During his ministry, Jesus repeatedly referred to himself as the Bread of Life. His words would have stirred echoes of the Torah: "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." Just as bread sustains the body, the words of the LORD nourish the soul. Yet, Jesus's teachings were not always easy to digest. His words could be unsettling and paradigm-shifting, turning long-held beliefs on their heads. Some who heard him turned away. But Simon Peter recognized the truth. When others left, he confessed, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" In this series, we will dive deep into one of Jesus's most famous teachings, the Sermon on the Mount. We will consider how these words of life nourish us, even as they challenge us, and how we might apply them to our lived stories today. This week, we considered Jesus's invitation to a genuine personal relationship with the Lord on prayer. 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/

During his ministry, Jesus repeatedly referred to himself as the Bread of Life. His words would have stirred echoes of the Torah: "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." Just as bread sustains the body, the words of the LORD nourish the soul. Yet, Jesus's teachings were not always easy to digest. His words could be unsettling and paradigm-shifting, turning long-held beliefs on their heads. Some who heard him turned away. But Simon Peter recognized the truth. When others left, he confessed, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" In this series, we will dive deep into one of Jesus's most famous teachings, the Sermon on the Mount. We will consider how these words of life nourish us, even as they challenge us, and how we might apply them to our lived stories today. This week, we considered the oft quoted but hard to understanding teaching of Jesus concerning judging. How does this teaching invite us to a life of humility, and what practice does Jesus invite us into to cultivate kingdom humility in our lives? 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/

During his ministry, Jesus repeatedly referred to himself as the Bread of Life. His words would have stirred echoes of the Torah: "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." Just as bread sustains the body, the words of the LORD nourish the soul. Yet, Jesus's teachings were not always easy to digest. His words could be unsettling and paradigm-shifting, turning long-held beliefs on their heads. Some who heard him turned away. But Simon Peter recognized the truth. When others left, he confessed, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" In this series, we will dive deep into one of Jesus's most famous teachings, the Sermon on the Mount. We will consider how these words of life nourish us, even as they challenge us, and how we might apply them to our lived stories today. This week, Mike Erre invited us to consider how Jesus' illuminates the difference between an abundance mindset and a scarcity mindset. Rather than living split between what we treasure and what we possess, Jesus' invitation allows us to live with our whole hearts. Having faith in Christ will not make us immune to losing what we enjoy, but our faith in Christ should actively disciple us away from anything we make of ultimate importance above his kingdom life. If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the Core Team.

During his ministry, Jesus repeatedly referred to himself as the Bread of Life. His words would have stirred echoes of the Torah: "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." Just as bread sustains the body, the words of the LORD nourish the soul. Yet, Jesus's teachings were not always easy to digest. His words could be unsettling and paradigm-shifting, turning long-held beliefs on their heads. Some who heard him turned away. But Simon Peter recognized the truth. When others left, he confessed, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" In this series, we will dive deep into one of Jesus's most famous teachings, the Sermon on the Mount. We will consider how these words of life nourish us, even as they challenge us, and how we might apply them to our lived stories today. This week, we listened to Jesus's critique of the Pharisee's righteousness practices of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, and we considered our own practices. Are our practices training us in the love of God and neighbor, or are we training in the love of self? 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/

This is a reflective prayer practice that helps us respond to the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 5:43-48 to love our enemies. Here we specifically apply Jesus's teaching to our political enemies. How can we humbly recognize where we might be wrong? How can we acknowledge the virtue on those with whom we disagree, and how can we--with the help of Jesus--see those on the "other side" as beloved bearers of God's image? This practice flows from Justin Giboney's teaching on 10.05.2025 and practices offered by the AND Campaign. 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/

During his ministry, Jesus repeatedly referred to himself as the Bread of Life. His words would have stirred echoes of the Torah: "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." Just as bread sustains the body, the words of the LORD nourish the soul. Yet, Jesus's teachings were not always easy to digest. His words could be unsettling and paradigm-shifting, turning long-held beliefs on their heads. Some who heard him turned away. But Simon Peter recognized the truth. When others left, he confessed, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" In this series, we will dive deep into one of Jesus's most famous teachings, the Sermon on the Mount. We will consider how these words of life nourish us, even as they challenge us, and how we might apply them to our lived stories today. This week, Justin Giboney challenged us to pursue, find, and embody a love supreme, and to walk in the indescriminate love of God that extends to all people, even our enemies. 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/

During his ministry, Jesus repeatedly referred to himself as the Bread of Life. His words would have stirred echoes of the Torah: "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." Just as bread sustains the body, the words of the LORD nourish the soul. Yet, Jesus's teachings were not always easy to digest. His words could be unsettling and paradigm-shifting, turning long-held beliefs on their heads. Some who heard him turned away. But Simon Peter recognized the truth. When others left, he confessed, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" In this series, we will dive deep into one of Jesus's most famous teachings, the Sermon on the Mount. We will consider how these words of life nourish us, even as they challenge us, and how we might apply them to our lived stories today. This week, Jason walked us through Jesus' teaching on the Law. He reminded us that the Torah is not a set of legal rules, rather it is a vision for how to live into an entirely new Kingdom. The grace of the gospel isn't to set us free from obeying hard teachings, it is to give us a new heart so we might obey with our full selves. Jesus came to give us to transform us from the inside out. 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/