Make room for the presence of the One who brings peace on earth through this listening practice. Only when we shift our focus from gaining glory to giving glory, is when we can start to experience deepest joy and true peace.
Spend time with the Prince of Peace today! Jesus is Peace not because He prevents us from ever encountering darkness, but because He joins us in it.
Spend time in God's presence today through this guided prayer. Hope is the courage to rearrange our lives for a promise we haven’t yet seen.
Spend time with Jesus as you listen to this guided prayer. Advent reminds us that Hope is not naïve. Hope is not passive. Hope is rebellion—a fierce, steady, defiant trust that light is coming.
There's a lot of talk lately about what a woman's role is in God's Kingdom. The Nazarene Church has commissioned women to use all their gifts since it's inception in 1895. On this episode, Pastors Alanna, Katie, and David unpack the theology behind why we ordain women and how we can reclaim God's original vision for gender equality as we live in this world He's redeeming.
In addition to healthy soil and roots, we need to have a favorable climate in order to grow effectively. The climate of our tree positions our lives to be transformed by the Holy Spirit and to start producing fruit. We create a healthy climate when we participate in practices and rhythms that form us into the likeness of Christ. The closer we get to center (Jesus) the more fully alive we become...but the more costly the journey can be. VIEW THE GATHER GIVE & GROW MODEL
At New Life, we are all about living fully alive in Jesus...but what do we actually mean when we say that? Join us as we unpack how we live fully alive by encountering the Gospel of Jesus and learning to walk in His ways.
No tree can thrive without healthy roots. Today, we discuss our Nazarene roots as a church as well as some of our personal roots that have shaped our faith and lives. While it may be a lesser known denomination, the Nazarene church has a rich history and theology that speaks to our real life experiences.
A healthy tree begins with healthy soil. That is why the New Life "tree" (and our lives) is firmly planted in the soil of scripture. The story of God revealed in the Bible is what nourishes us and sustains us. Join us as we talk about who we are as a church and as a people, starting with the rich soil of God's Word.
We each were given a name at birth. Some have meaning. Some just sound cool. However, the Holy Spirit gives us Gospel names; names that have great meaning to meet the needs of others we encounter. Our Gospel names can change based on the daily assignment the Spirit has for us. May we have eyes to see others and prophetically become what people need from Jesus that day. This is a topic we started to explore at our Crew Rally, but thought it would be a great conversation for people to pon...
As we come out of the summer season and into the business of fall, how can we effectively make that transition? From floating on rafts to deadlines and to-do lists? The fall transition can be stressful, but it can also be an opportunity to recalibrate our rhythms and prioritize what's important.
The FRUIT of the Spirit and the GIFTS of the Spirit are expressed, practiced, and refined all WITHIN community. As our culture becomes more and more transient and superficial the kind of biblical community described on the pages of scripture begins to fade from our collective memory. While we may desire this type of life-giving community, the art of cultivating and sustaining these deep roots can elude us.
The Holy Spirit is just as present and active in times of suffering as He is in times of triumph. In fact, when we can learn to pray for God to redeem the pain rather than simply remove the pain, is when we can really see signposts of God working through our suffering, for the sake of glory and goodness for others.
Believers live in the tension between knowing Jesus was all about sharing the Good News of His Kingdom while also feeling like "evangelism" is a bit icky. However we ALL are sharing a Gospel: our favorite restaurants, workouts, books, ways of eating, etc...the question is WHAT Gospel are we sharing. Let's have a conversation about how we can be His witnesses in a way that is Holy Spirit led and full of hope, authenticity and love. Watch Video Podcast
Divine healing is a sign of the kingdom, not the substance. It's a taste of fullness of life that is to come. It should be something we yearn for and also a regular part of church ministry...while also keeping in mind that healing this side of eternity is always temporal. Our real hope comes in the kingdom that is breaking through and will one day be here in its fullness! Watch Video Podcast
Prophecy... a gift of the Spirit that has been often hijacked by culture and made to be something it's not. While it is amazing and beautiful when God chooses to speak specifically and intimately to an individual through another believer, this should be an ordinary occurrence in the life of the Church, simply a byproduct of spending time in the Spirit, discerning God's voice. Watch Video Podcast
Discernment is the gift and practice of attuning to God's voice amid the competing counterfeit noise. If we have such a hard time hearing it, why doesn't God just yell instead of whisper? Let's have a conversation about how we can recognize God's voice as we learn to walk in step with the Spirit. Watch Video Podcast
When it comes to our understanding and experience with the Holy Spirit, we usually swing between 2 sides of a pendulum: either we seek after the GIFTS of the Spirit over and above His presence...OR...we diminish the miraculous gifts usually out of fear of their wildness. Both are about trying to control something (someONE) that cannot be tamed. Watch Video Podcast
Throughout scripture, the Holy Spirit is represented by water and a dove...bringing healing, power and order from darkness and chaos. Join us as we discuss the importance of venturing beyond the "safety" and control of the riverbank and wading into deeper waters as we surrender to the life-giving current of the Holy Spirit. Watch Video Podcast
Often we read the pages of Scripture and the lives of the Holy Spirit empowered disciples don't always match up with our day-to-day lives. If we are also living with the Holy Spirit inside of us, why is there such a gap? Join us as we start a journey to discover how to close this gap and live a story closer to the story we see play out in the Word.