Talking With God

If you’ve spent any time around faith communities, you know that prayer is something that gets

mentioned a lot. And yet, few topics induce a sense of intimidation or guilt more than prayer: What do I say? Where do I start? Where do I find the time? And there are deeper questions: Is God listening? Does he want to hear what I have to say? What if I’m too angry to pray? Or just discouraged because it didn’t seem to “work” the last time? Even if you feel comfortable praying it’s a struggle to find the time; how can I possibly add one more thing into my day?

The Bible offers a vision of prayer that is far more natural, attainable, interesting, and fulfilling than what many of us have imagined. Rightly understood, prayer becomes less like crossing things off a grocery list, and more like sharing a leisurely breakfast with a good friend. It’s not just talking at God or to God, but with God about our lives and the lives of those we love. Along the way you can discover that instead of a burden, prayer becomes a gift—a means of deepening a friendship with God.

This takes time… and trust… and honesty… and consistency. But it doesn’t need to be intimidating. There are no special formulas or techniques, just learning to be mindful of God’s presence with us. Following the example of Jesus, we too can learn the habit of praying more naturally, meaningfully, and regularly.

In learning to “talk with God” we want to do more than learn about prayer, but to actually pray more. Each week, we’ll offer practical exercises to try during quiet moments of reflection as well as on a commute, while caring for a child, or even in the middle of a fight! Our hope is that prayer will become a more natural part of your day; and not only will your outward circumstances change, but also your inward sense of intimacy with the God. Join us for this series as we seek to deepen our own friendship with God, the One who made us and loves us, by simply talking with Him.

All the Earth is Waiting

How To Be Here

The people of God live between two worlds or realities. As God’s people, we belong to a new kingdom and way of life. We await with confidence the fullness and consummation of God’s rule that will one day be our reality. At the same time, because that day has not yet dawned, we live as strangers…exiles…far from home. We have a promised inheritance, but it has not yet been passed on to us. Given the mission Jesus gave the church: “you will be my witnesses”, God does not want us to withdraw and separate from society while we wait for His return and establishment of His kingdom, but rather we are to stand firmly, pointing to the possibility of a different way of life.

But waiting far from home brings challenges. We are to live in this world, yet model through our lives something entirely different. From our ethics to our interactions, to even how we handle opposition and persecution, we are to be a people who follow the example of Jesus who “entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly.” This ten-week series on the book of 1 Peter seeks to answer the questions, “How are Christians to live in our world? How are we to interact with society? Where are we to be different? Where are we to adopt the norms and cultures of society, so that we may gain a hearing in an increasingly hostile world? What will we need along the way in order to be successful in this?”

The series seeks to give us the mindset and tools of what it means to live as God’s elect exiles, far from home, but true to Jesus’ example in a way that becomes a compelling and alluring witness to the world of the goodness and mercy and grace of God. We may feel we are in a new place as a church with an increasingly hostile culture. But we have been here before. This little book can help us find our way again.