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We live in a world of contradictions. We are spiritual beings in earthly bodies. We are loving creatures in a hateful world. We are designed for relationships but religiosity surrounds us. What do we do with all this tension? We are called to be people of substance yet we are surrounded by shadows. Well, God calls us not to shy away from the shadows but to enter into it. In fact, God calls His people to enter into the tension that is this world, to not ignore or run away from the contradictions but to live in it and to be a light in the darkness.Join us on Sunday March 19 as we explore what it means to live in the shadows as people of substance. Colossians 2:16-23

Let’s be honest, if you’re a spiritual person or a person of faith, you’ve had your fair share of doubts. Everyone doubts sometimes. So the question should not be whether or not we should doubt, The question should be what should we do with those doubts. Surprisingly, God is not only comfortable with our doubts, God actually welcomes them. One thing is for certain, doubt can either bring us closer to God or push us away from God; but doubt will certainly never be neutral. The passage we observe today shows how even heroes of faith can doubt sometimes.Doubt keeps us honest. Doubt keeps us humble. Doubt keeps us hungry. Luke 7:18-23

Everyone waits, but not everyone intentionally waits. When we wait with intention, God works within us to help us heal, grow, and move forward in our spiritual lives. This is what Lent is all about, intentional waiting.

This Sunday we do a deep dive into the role of “shadow work” and examining ourselves as an imperative to healthy spirituality based on Psalm 139:1-15.

What does healthy spiritual growth look like? When I was younger, I thought it was as simple as reading, learning, and remembering. Now I’m realizing that growth is a constant process of knowing and unknowing, learning and unlearning, taking in and sending out. Join us tomorrow as we discover what “Grow Thyself” actually looks like. Based on 1 Corinthians 13:9-13

What’s the relationship between belief and works? Well, that’s the difference between an active faith and passive belief. We see this everywhere, not just in Christianity. Some might passively believe in social justice and easily talk about it and share it on social media, but how are they actively faithful about it? Some might passively believe in equity, but how are they actively faithful about making it a reality? Faith in God is no different; but if we start by observing our faith in God, it spills over into every other area of our lives.

Perhaps you have heard the expression, “When God closes a door, He opens a window.” But is that always true? If you go looking for that quote in the Bible, you’ll be looking for a long time because you won’t find it in there. But every open door offers new opportunities for the people of God to grow, connect, and love.

What does it mean to have an “open spirit”? Interestingly, I think it might be easier for some of us to recognize when someone has a “closed spirit.” Having an open spirit is essential in recognizing the constant work that God is doing in and around us. It also allows us to receive the blessings God desires to give; sadly, the blessings of God are readily available for all people, many just don’t have spirits open enough to notice them.

The road of life can introduce us to some unexpected people, new experiences, and profound challenges. However, there are many ways many tend to avoid these people, experiences, and challenges along the way. They avoid unexpected people by surrounding themselves with people just like them. They circumvent new experiences because they stay in their little socioeconomic silos. They rarely confront profound challenges because they remain shelters and complacent. But who’s really paying the consequences in the end? When we don’t embrace unexpected people, new experiences, or profound challenges, our worldview remains narrow and we cease to grow.

One of the Four Core Values of Perch.Church is open-mindedness. We believe that in order experience healthy and holistic spirituality, open-mindedness is absolutely essential. But the concept of openness is important in terms of being open to opportunities, relationships, and other spiritual practices. In short, if we are not open, we are not growing.