99 CHURCH

We all inherit a mixed bag from our family of origin. There are unhealthy things we've inherited, but there are also beautiful things as well. This week, we talk about generational blessing, and how God gives us agency to decide what legacy we want to continue or create for our family and the next generation.

Our lives are shaped by invisible scripts—messages we believe that have been formed by past experiences, that affect how we live today. But what if some of these scripts aren't true? Together, we ask God to help us confront the lies we've believed and embrace the better story He is writing for our lives.

We are haunted houses. How many of us live in the present haunted by the ghosts of our past? Who we are is shaped by where we come from, especially our family of origin. But here's the good news: your past doesn't have to define your future. With Jesus, we can face our ghosts, break old patterns, and step into a better future—together.

On Good Friday, they killed off the main character. Jesus was dead in the tomb. And all hope was lost. We find the church of Philadelphia in a very similar place. They were tired and weak, unsure of what the future held. But underneath the surface, resurrection and life were coming. Jesus, who holds the keys to life, has come to make all things new.

There's something about the church in Laodicea that makes Jesus so sick, that he's about to spit them out of his mouth. Which begs the question: What kind of spirituality makes Jesus want to vomit? One of the greatest struggles we face here in the West is the temptation to become lukewarm followers of Jesus. How do we break out of autopilot and live life by design, and not by default?

There's a kind of death that's deeper than physical death. A kind of death that corrodes you from the inside out. Many of us have the appearance of life, but we're actually dead within. This was Jesus' rebuke to the church in Sardis. What characterizes the "Living Dead?" And how do we tap into the life that Jesus promises us?

How often do we try to influence and control God? How often do we use the name of Jesus to fulfill our own plans, agendas, and dreams? All of us have experienced the subtle temptation of manipulation in our relationship with God, with others, and even with ourselves. This week, we read through Jesus' letter to the church in Thyatira.

There's a kind of fatigue that attacks the body. But there's another kind of fatigue that attacks the soul. Often times, our lives are far too busy and noisy for us confront our weariness. But the invitation of Jesus is to a life marked by rest. This week, we explore the spiritual practices of silence and solitude.

The church in Pergamum was known for their loyalty to Jesus. But although they never renounced the name of Jesus, they restricted the influence of Jesus on their lives. Slowly but surely, they were tempted by the surrounding world to compromise. We face the very same temptation today, specifically in relation to money, sex, and power. This week, we read Jesus' letter to the church in Pergamum.

It's very easy here in the West to organize our lives around the avoidance of suffering. But suffering is inevitable. The question we have to ask isn't: how do we avoid suffering at all costs, but how do we remain faithful to Jesus in our suffering? This week, we read through Jesus' letter to the church in Smyrna, the suffering church.

In the first of seven letters written to the churches in the book of Revelation, we see Jesus affirming the hard work, good deeds, and perseverance of the Ephesian church. But there's one thing he holds against them: they have forsaken the love they had at first. This isn't just a message for the church in Ephesus, this is a message for us today: You are faithful, but you are loveless. This week, we explore Jesus' call for us to return to our first love for him and for one another.

One of the more recent shifts in how we think about sexuality here in the West is that sex has been disconnected from gender. The majority of the church, however, still believes that marriage and sex should only be between a man and a woman. This week, we explore some of the misconceptions we have when we talk about gender and sexuality in the church, as we try to uncover God's heart for sex.

We continue our conversation about sexuality and faith. We explore the major shifts we've experienced here in the west in how we see and approach sexuality, and what Jesus' vision for sexual formation is in the midst of our culture.

Many of us in the church struggle to live with a healthy, holistic, anxiety-free vision of our sexuality as it relates to our spirituality. But how does God actually feel about sex? And how are we called to engage our sexuality as a follower of Jesus? This week, we explore what sexuality is and how it is a vital part of our spiritual formation.

We all want to be happy. We all want to live fulfilled lives. The problem is, we often misunderstand what will bring us true happiness. Jesus tells us that happiness comes from generosity. That is, when we give ourselves, to those we love. This week, we explore the fourth and final movement of becoming the Beloved: Given.

We are all wounded people. To be human is to experience pain and suffering in life. Usually, our knee-jerk response to pain is to avoid it, or deny it, or distract ourselves from it. But as the Beloved, we are called to claim and embrace our brokenness. What if brokenness is just as intimate a part of our being as our chosenness and our blessedness? This week, we explore the movement of brokenness in our journey of becoming the Beloved.

What does it mean to be blessed? When we think about the people in our world who are most blessed, who do we picture? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus radically redefines what blessing means and who are truly the blessed ones. This week, we dive into the second of four movements in our journey of becoming the beloved: blessed.

Deep down inside, there's a part of us that longs to be picked, chosen, and in essence, seen, known, and loved. To become the Beloved, we first have to know that we are chosen. Long before our parents, our friends, our peers, or anyone in our world picked us, we were already chosen by God. But how do we live from our chosenness? How do we embody it in our everyday lives? This week, we dive into the first of four movements to become the Beloved.

With every new year comes new resolutions. But instead of forming resolutions around activity, what if we formed them around identity? Instead of asking, "What do I want to do?" we asked, "Who do I want to become?" This week, we look to writer and theologian Henri Nouwen, to guide us on our journey of becoming, as we center our lives on one word that captures the heart of our faith: Beloved.

When most of us read the story of Zechariah, we assume that his muteness was a punishment for his unbelief. But what if silence wasn't a punishment from God?What if it was a gift? What if silence is an invitation for us to experience God in greater measure?

Many of us have lost the wonder of the Christmas story because we've sanitized all the humanity out of it. We don't see the fear in the eyes of a Middle Eastern teenager dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. We don't picture Mary hunched over the side of the road, throwing up because of morning sickness. We don't imagine baby Jesus, fresh out of the womb, covered with goopy fluids, blood, and hair. God isn't afraid to get messy. And we see this no more clearly than the way He chose to enter our world, through the womb.

There is faith after doubt. We conclude our Falling Upward collection by talking about some helpful ways to get us started on our journey of rebuilding and reconstructing our faith.

In the last decade, the term "deconstruction" has spread through the church like wildfire. And depending on who you talk to, or how your social media feed is curated, that's either a good thing or a bad thing. Deconstruction has become a buzzword, that often says more about the person using it, than what it actually means. What is deconstruction? Is it something to be feared or embraced? This week, we explore the deconstruction phenomenon in the church and how God calls us to respond to it.

In the wake of another volatile, polarizing election, many people are feeling anxious, sad, angry, and troubled. But often times, church seems to be the last place we want to go when we're carrying these things. Perhaps it's because we've lost confidence that the church can be a place where we can mourn and sit in our sadness without someone trying to rally us out of it in the name of Jesus. This week, we explore the spiritual practice of lament, as we make space to process our grief with God.

The Kingdom of God doesn't come pre-assembled. It's built up brick by brick, stone by stone, person by person. Paul says we are living stones, building up the house of God. What does it look like to be a living stone? This week, on this very special 6-Year Anniversary Sunday, Pastor Mickey shares his heart for our community in this season.

Sometimes, we make the mistake of thinking faith and certainty are the same thing. But there's a kind of certainty that becomes the opposite of faith, even a sin. It's the kind of certainty that needs to desperately hold onto our pre-conceived beliefs about God, rather than being open to what God is doing or saying. This week, we continue exploring doubt, as we talk about the sin of certainty.

Many people who enter seasons of doubt often feel like they're outgrowing faith. But what if you're not outgrowing faith, but growing out of one stage of faith into another? This week, we explore Brian McLaren's "Four Stages Of Faith Development," as we try to make sense of our journey through faith and doubt.

We don't talk much about doubt in the church. Yet, the reality is, many followers of Jesus wrestle with doubt every single day. Doubt is often seen as the opposite of faith, but what if it's actually a key component of faith? What if doubt isn't an enemy of faith, but a companion of faith? This week, we begin a new collection of teachings exploring doubt, and how it can actually teach us more about God.

Ephesians 6:10-24 We conclude our journey through the book of Ephesians by wrapping up our exploration of the Armor of God. How do we stand firm in the face of life's circumstances? How do we defend ourselves against the attacks of the enemy?

Ephesians 6:10-24 Have you ever found yourself unprepared? Paul closes his letter to the church in Ephesus with an exhortation to be prepared, standing firm against the schemes of the enemy by putting on the armor of God. This week, we explore the significance of these pieces of armor and what they represent in our lives of faith.

Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-9 This week, we explore the passage in Ephesians about submission, slavery, and patriarchy. If there was any passage in the New Testament that looks like a walking red flag, this is it. But what might we find if we look past the surface? Is there a way of understanding this text within its context that helps breathe life into our lives today?

Ephesians 4:25, 29-31; 5:6 In 2016, Christian alternative band King's Kaleidoscope released a song that stirred up controversy among Christians, leaving fans divided. On the song "A Prayer," the F-word was used two times. Christians were outraged and it sparked an interesting conversation in the church about language. Is cussing a sin? What does Scripture say about profanity? Or on a deeper level, what kind of language should followers of Jesus use or not use? This week, we explore the power of our words and how God calls us to use them.

Ephesians 4:26-27 Anger is a something we all experience, yet rarely talk about. Especially in the church. We think that Christians aren't supposed to get angry, so we end up suppressing our anger in the name of Jesus. But anger untreated, almost always causes us to make a mess in our lives, leaving a trail of destruction and casualties along the way. How do we deal with anger in a healthy, mature, and Christlike way? This week, we explore what Scripture has to say about anger.

Ephesians 4:17-32, 5:1-20 As we walk through life, how often do we find ourselves reverting back to our old selves, living as who we were before we were made new in Christ? In today's passage, Paul exhorts us no longer walk in our former identity, caught up in the ways of the world. But how do we put on the new self? How do we allow resurrection life to flow through us?

Ephesians 4:11-16 When we think of the word “ministry,” we tend to think of it as something reserved only for those work in the church. We see the calling of pastors, missionaries, and worship leaders, as more sacred and holy than the calling of baristas, coders, and artists. But all of it is sacred and holy to God. Ministry is the birthright of the entire body of Christ, which includes all of God's people. And we're all called to participate in it. This week, we explore the fivefold gifts, as we learn about the different ways we can express the ministry of Jesus in our lives.

Ephesians 4:1-16 How do we grow up in faith? How do we mature into Christlikeness? In today's passage, Paul drives home the point that you can't be spiritually mature alone. God's answer for our immaturity is the body of Christ. But how do we cultivate spiritual friendships that help us grow? This week, we talk about the types of friendships we need in order to mature.

Ephesians 3:14-21 One the core questions we must ask ourselves on our journey of faith is: How do we get what we know about God in our heads down into our hearts? In today's passage, Paul models for us a way to pray that helps us not just get the Gospel known, but get it lived.

Ephesians 2:11-3:13 The world today is just as divided as ever before. We create ism's and phobia's that categorize people as the "others" to be avoided. But the Gospel calls us to something different, something more. Paul makes the case to the church in Ephesus that Jesus' finished work on the cross has destroyed every wall of hostility that divided us, from Jew to Gentile and beyond. This week, we explore God's heart for unity among diversity in the body of Christ.

Continuing the theme of spiritual maturity, Dan Fang reflects this week on some of the biggest barriers we might face in our spiritual growth. Especially if we've been Christian for many years and notice that we still seem to be “stuck” in the same place, or still drinking the spiritual milk referenced in Hebrews 5, it may be worth evaluating whether any of the following barriers to spiritual maturity need to be addressed. They include church hurt, our environment, busyness, distraction, and isolation.

Ephesians 2:10 Have you ever found yourself asking: "God, what is your will for my life?" Some of us hear that God has a plan for our lives and it doesn't feel like a blessing, it feels like a burden. We live anxiously because we're afraid that we'll make a wrong turn and veer off of the will of God. But God doesn't call us to live that way. This week, we explore God's will for our lives and what it means that you and I are God's poem.

Ephesians 2:1-10 When we talk about living, what we're often talking about is existence. But when God talks about living, He's talking about something so much more, an abundant life. But there are three enemies of the soul that keep us from the life God promised us: the devil, the flesh, and the world. How do we overcome these enemies to truly live? And perhaps more importantly, what has Jesus done so that we can have life to the full?

Ephesians 1:15-23 Paul continues His letter to the church in Ephesus with a prayer. He prays that as follower of Jesus, we would know these four things: to know Him, to know the hope to which we were called, to know the riches of His glorious inheritance, and to know the immeasurable greatness of His power. What would our lives look like if we truly knew these things? How different would we walked in the same power that raised Jesus from the dead?

Ephesians 1:3-14 Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus opens with an epic prayer. It's a prayer that celebrates the bigger story within which every one of our stories is a part of. We come to find that this story is not so much about what we have to do to get into God's good graces, and more about what God has done to welcome us into His blessing.

Ephesians 1:1-2 We begin a new collection of teachings on the book of Ephesians. Ephesians opens our imaginations to what growing up and maturing in Christ could look like. While the church in Ephesus got off to a powerful start, we later read in Revelation that they had lost their first love along the way. We seem to know far too much about how love starts, and very little about how it might continue. How do we recapture first love? And how do we sustain and grow in love on the journey of life?

Can you think of a time in your life, when someone showed up to give you the strength you needed to carry on? When the early Church gathered, their time together was marked by a supernatural encouragement. People walked away strengthened and filled with the courage to live into their destinies. What would it look like to be a community that embodies encouragement? Recorded live from Belong Retreat.

At the core of every human being is the longing to be fully known and fully loved. In the garden of Eden, humanity was naked and unashamed before God and before one another. But because of sin, we often find ourselves hiding and afraid from community. This week, we explore how the Johari Window could be a powerful tool in helping us reclaim our humanity in community, allowing ourselves to be fully known and fully loved.