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.
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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/
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.
Dostoyevsky once said that “beauty will save the world.” This week, Rick Callahan invited us to consider how Jesus’ call to be Salt and Light echoes the call for Christians to fill the world with Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. While many of us find it easy to focus on the first two, it’s not always clear where Beauty fits in. Rick helped us explore how doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God (Micah 6:8) can make the world a more beautiful place, helping us live into Jesus’ command to be Salt and Light in a world desperate for healing and transformation.
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, Rebecca Moss led us in an exploration of Jesus’ upside-down vision of the kingdom through the opening words of the Sermon on the Mount. How might the “Beatitudes” invite us into a deeper understanding of true flourishing and challenge us to believe in goodness, even when it leaves us vulnerable?
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/
Parables are a significant part of Jesus’s teaching. These brilliant stories paint a picture of life in the kingdom, teaching us about God, ourselves, and the Lord’s presence and activity in the world. But they are not easy. Rather than give us simple platitudes and truisms, Jesus challenges us with parables. They are intended to draw us in. Jesus wants us to wrestle with them, to walk around with, meditate and have conversations about them.
In this series, we will dig into the context of parables from Luke’s Gospel. We will consider the picture Jesus is painting of God’s kingdom, and we will engage these stories through the spiritual practice of visio divina (with some original art from our community).
This week, we contemplated the Good Samaritan. Nicole invited us to consider how inheriting eternal life is not a transactional box to check, but an ongoing invitation to love.
We practiced visio divina together with this painting.
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/
Parables are a significant part of Jesus’s teaching. These brilliant stories paint a picture of life in the kingdom, teaching us about God, ourselves, and the Lord’s presence and activity in the world. But they are not easy. Rather than give us simple platitudes and truisms, Jesus challenges us with parables. They are intended to draw us in. Jesus wants us to wrestle with them, to walk around with, meditate and have conversations about them.
In this series, we will dig into the context of parables from Luke’s Gospel. We will consider the picture Jesus is painting of God’s kingdom, and we will engage these stories through the spiritual practice of visio divina (with some original art from our community).
This week, we contemplated the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast. These parables remind us of the slow, unexpected, often hidden work of God's kingdom in the world, and they extend an invitation of hope. We can know that even in the bleakest of times, God is present and working. Even in the trials, we can lean into God and be formed to be like Jesus.
We practiced visio divina together with this painting (and artist note) from the artist Dawn Haecker.
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/
Parables are a significant part of Jesus’s teaching. These brilliant stories paint a picture of life in the kingdom, teaching us about God, ourselves, and the Lord’s presence and activity in the world. But they are not easy. Rather than give us simple platitudes and truisms, Jesus challenges us with parables. They are intended to draw us in. Jesus wants us to wrestle with them, to walk around with, meditate and have conversations about them.
In this series, we will dig into the context of parables from Luke’s Gospel. We will consider the picture Jesus is painting of God’s kingdom, and we will engage these stories through the spiritual practice of visio divina (with some original art from our community).
This week, we examined a parable that is often misunderstood, the parable of the widow and the unjust judge. Hitch helped us to consider its framing around prayer, the parable's focus on injustice, and the question of faith. In the end, we are reminded of "how much more" our Father in heaven will give to his children who dwell in the kingdom.
We practiced visio divina together with this paining from the artist Ronnie Farmer Jr.
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/
Parables are a significant part of Jesus’s teaching. These brilliant stories paint a picture of life in the kingdom, teaching us about God, ourselves, and the Lord’s presence and activity in the world. But they are not easy. Rather than give us simple platitudes and truisms, Jesus challenges us with parables. They are intended to draw us in. Jesus wants us to wrestle with them, to walk around with, meditate and have conversations about them.
In this series, we will dig into the context of parables from Luke’s Gospel. We will consider the picture Jesus is painting of God’s kingdom, and we will engage these stories through the spiritual practice of visio divina (with some original art from our community).
This week, we explored the Parable of the Minas (Talents). Ruth invited us to consider the questions this parable invites us to ask. Do we trust our King, Jesus? Do we know who he is, and do we trust he will do what he says?
We practiced visio divina together with this painting from Grace Pouch.
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/
Parables are a significant part of Jesus’s teaching. These brilliant stories paint a picture of life in the kingdom, teaching us about God, ourselves, and the Lord’s presence and activity in the world. But they are not easy. Rather than give us simple platitudes and truisms, Jesus challenges us with parables. They are intended to draw us in. Jesus wants us to wrestle with them, to walk around with, meditate and have conversations about them.
In this series, we will dig into the context of parables from Luke’s Gospel. We will consider the picture Jesus is painting of God’s kingdom, and we will engage these stories through the spiritual practice of visio divina (with some original art from our community).
This week, we explored the Parable of the Sower. Our new friend, Bethany Tippin, invited us to consider the soils, and the invitation to yield to the wise and generous love of God.
We practiced visio divina together with this painting from Bethany.
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/
Parables are a significant part of Jesus’s teaching. These brilliant stories paint a picture of life in the kingdom, teaching us about God, ourselves, and the Lord’s presence and activity in the world. But they are not easy. Rather than give us simple platitudes and truisms, Jesus challenges us with parables. They are intended to draw us in. Jesus wants us to wrestle with them, to walk around with, meditate and have conversations about them.
In this series, we will dig into the context of parables from Luke’s Gospel. We will consider the picture Jesus is painting of God’s kingdom, and we will engage these stories through the spiritual practice of visio divina (with some original art from our community).
This week, we considered the Parable of the Great Banquet. How does this party demonstrate the incredible grace of God and invite us to respond? And where do we see ourselves in this story? How do we want to imagine ourselves in God's kingdom but when it comes down to it, we want little to do with it? As Dr. Burge asked, how do we say yes to God but refuse to show up?
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/
Parables are a significant part of Jesus’s teaching. These brilliant stories paint a picture of life in the kingdom, teaching us about God, ourselves, and the Lord’s presence and activity in the world. But they are not easy. Rather than give us simple platitudes and truisms, Jesus challenges us with parables. They are intended to draw us in. Jesus wants us to wrestle with them, to walk around with, meditate and have conversations about them.
In this series, we will dig into the context of parables from Luke’s Gospel. We will consider the picture Jesus is painting of God’s kingdom, and we will engage these stories through the spiritual practice of visio divina (with some original art from our community).
This week, we considered the Parable of the Lost Sons and invited the Holy Spirit to teach us the "merciful wideness of God's Fatherly love." How is God calling us to let go and embrace the compassionate parent this parable shows God to be?
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/
At the heart of the gospel is a story of Christ's redeeming work. How we understand this story impacts who we understand God to be, how we see ourselves, and how we relate with God. In this series, we will consider what Jesus accomplishes in his life, death, and resurrection, and we will seek to live in the fullness Christ’s atoning work.
This week, we reflected on the atonement story that invites us to consider the life of Jesus in addition to his death and resurrection. How does the heart of God expressed in Christ invite us to be formed by God to live a cruciform life like Jesus?
This practice is a part of our series, Stories of Atonement.
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/
At the heart of the gospel is a story of Christ's redeeming work. How we understand this story impacts who we understand God to be, how we see ourselves, and how we relate with God. In this series, we will consider what Jesus accomplishes in his life, death, and resurrection, and we will seek to live in the fullness Christ’s atoning work.
This week, we reflected on the atonement story that invites us to consider the life of Jesus in addition to his death and resurrection. How does the heart of God expressed in Christ invite us to be formed by God to live a cruciform life like 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/
At the heart of the gospel is a story of Christ's redeeming work. How we understand this story impacts who we understand God to be, how we see ourselves, and how we relate with God. In this series, we will consider what Jesus accomplishes in his life, death, and resurrection, and we will seek to live in the fullness Christ’s atoning work.
This week, we reflected on a story of atonement grounded in Christ's victory. How have we expereinced Christ's victory in our lives, and how do we long to live more deeply in his victory of sin, death, and the evil one?
This practice is a part of our series, Stories of Atonement.
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/
At the heart of the gospel is a story of Christ's redeeming work. How we understand this story impacts who we understand God to be, how we see ourselves, and how we relate with God. In this series, we will consider what Jesus accomplishes in his life, death, and resurrection, and we will seek to live in the fullness Christ’s atoning work.
This week, we considered the Orthodox story of atonement. Jesus in his life, death, and resurrection is victorious over the evil one. This story invites us to consider God’s great love which leads to the Lord:
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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 guided practice is a part of our series Stories of Atonement. At the heart of the gospel is a story of Christ's redeeming work. How we understand this story impacts who we understand God to be, how we see ourselves, and how we relate with God. In this series, we will consider what Jesus accomplishes in his life, death, and resurrection, and we will seek to live in the fullness Christ’s atoning work.
In this examen practice, we reflect on the work of Jesus. How might we rightly see sin as a tragedy and experience Christ's atonement as a restoration of intimacy and union with God?
This practice comes from the second week of the series.
At the heart of the gospel is a story of Christ's redeeming work. How we understand this story impacts who we understand God to be, how we see ourselves, and how we relate with God. In this series, we will consider what Jesus accomplishes in his life, death, and resurrection, and we will seek to live in the fullness Christ’s atoning work.
This week, we reflected on a story of atonement rooted deeply in love. How might we, like Julian of Norwich, see sin as a tragedy rather than a crime and experience the atonement, like Father Richard Rohr, as a restoration of intimacy and union with God?
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 guided practice is a part of our series Stories of Atonement. At the heart of the gospel is a story of Christ's redeeming work. How we understand this story impacts who we understand God to be, how we see ourselves, and how we relate with God. In this series, we will consider what Jesus accomplishes in his life, death, and resurrection, and we will seek to live in the fullness Christ’s atoning work.
In this examen practice, we reflect on the substitutionary work of Jesus. How have we seen Christ at work in our lives, and how do we long to experience his healing more fully?
This practice comes from the first week of the series.
At the heart of the gospel is a story of Christ's redeeming work. How we understand this story impacts who we understand God to be, how we see ourselves, and how we relate with God. In this series, we will consider what Jesus accomplishes in his life, death, and resurrection, and we will seek to live in the fullness Christ’s atoning work.
This week, we look at the substitutionary nature of the atonement. We reflect on the legal view of the atonement (penal substitutionary atonement), and consider the alternative view of medical substitution.
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/
In this series, we will spend time exploring three miracles from the Gospel of Mark. Mark tells these stories as a way of revealing the identity of Jesus, but they are more than intellectual proofs of his divinity. These miracles beg for a response. We hope walking in these stories will be more than a learning experience. Our prayer is that we might encounter Jesus in all his creative, restorative love, and maybe even catch a glimpse of the miraculous work of Christ in our lives.
This week, we explored the story of two miracles. While on his way to ultimately raise a little girl from the dead, Jesus heals a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. Nicole invited us to explore this story and consider how we are longing for the healing, restorative power of Jesus to flow into us. Especially as we walk in the in-between of this life.
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/
In this series, we will spend time exploring three miracles from the Gospel of Mark. Mark tells these stories as a way of revealing the identity of Jesus, but they are more than intellectual proofs of his divinity. These miracles beg for a response. We hope walking in these stories will be more than a learning experience. Our prayer is that we might encounter Jesus in all his creative, restorative love, and maybe even catch a glimpse of the miraculous work of Christ in our lives.
This week, we explored the story of Jesus calming the storm. Joan invited us to open ourselves to encounter Jesus and allow him to expand our image of God. How is he with us in the storms of life, and how might Jesus bring peace to our souls even in the midst of the storm?
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/
In this series, we will spend time exploring three miracles from the Gospel of Mark. Mark tells these stories as a way of revealing the identity of Jesus, but they are more than intellectual proofs of his divinity. These miracles beg for a response. We hope walking in these stories will be more than a learning experience. Our prayer is that we might encounter Jesus in all his creative, restorative love, and maybe even catch a glimpse of the miraculous work of Christ in our lives.
This week, we explored the story of Jesus casting demons out of a man in Mark 5:1-20. We noticed how the picture being painted by Mark is far deeper and more nuanced than a simple exorcism. How does this story relate to our world and the systems of injustice and oppression? How are we being invited to respond?
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/
On Easter Sunday, we gathered to celebrate the risen Christ and consider how the garden of resurrection is the central scene in the story of creation. We examined the stories that shape us, the stories from our culture and the stories of our lives, and we considered how the resurrection is an invitation to be shaped by a deeper story, one that draws us into new life.
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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/
As we walk through the season of Lent, we will craft and practice experiments in living a Jesus-shaped life. We live in the influence of a world teaching us to put ourselves first and seek our own safety, comfort, wealth above all else, but the Christ Hymn in Philippians 2 teaches the way of Jesus is one of self-emptying, self-giving love. How can we engage the traditional practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as a way of opening ourselves to be formed by Jesus to be like Jesus for the sake of the world?
This week, we considered the practice of prayer. Rebecca invited us to consider the space from which we pray. How can we pray from a secure place of belonging, a place of resting in God's love and delight in us? And how might this prayer free us to put others first and follow the way of Jesus in self-emptying, self-giving love?
For additional resources, please 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/
As we walk through the season of Lent, we will craft and practice experiments in living a Jesus-shaped life. We live in the influence of a world teaching us to put ourselves first and seek our own safety, comfort, wealth above all else, but the Christ Hymn in Philippians 2 teaches the way of Jesus is one of self-emptying, self-giving love. How can we engage the traditional practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as a way of opening ourselves to be formed by Jesus to be like Jesus for the sake of the world?
This week, we considered the practice of almsgiving. The way of Jesus draws us into a life of practical, embodied love that doesn't focus on our own gain but the good of those on the margins.
If you have not yet crafted an experiment. It is not too late. You can find the handout here. We also want to experiment together in community. You can form your own group for this experiment, or we would be happy to help you get connected. Whether you form a group or would like help, will you let us know here? This will allow us to send some reminders and help support you along the way.
For additional resources, please 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/