Brown Line Vineyard-Listen to Talks

Hayley and Vince cue up some community comments and questions from our last three weeks discussing how Attachment Science can help us improve our relationships with God.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Mother's day is, perhaps, just the occasion to talk about trying to intentionally replace mixed-message, shame-inducing images of God with consistent, loving, mothering images of God. Vince continues our series applying Attachment Science to spirituality.Submit questions about attachment → https://forms.gle/BCB2RavyeFat5XQn8Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Continuing our look at how Attachment Science can help us improve our relationships with God, Hayley and Vince turn our focus to anxious insecure attachment. (Art by Laura Porter for verywell.com)Submit your Attachment Questions! → https://forms.gle/BCB2RavyeFat5XQn8Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

We begin our look at how the framework of Attachment Science can help us improve our images of God, and, in turn, our relationships with God. First up, a focus on shut-down (or avoidant) insecure attachment with God.Attachment Question? Submit at:http://brownlinechurch.org/attachment Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

We can tell intuitively that the most dominant stories framing our lives everyday are too empty and too unjust to be what life is all about. AND we can also tell intuitively when a story comes along that does capture what life is all about! Vince presents the New Testament's story of The Resurrection as one such story...Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

In the face of hopelessness, is there only strength and weakness? Are values and virtue not worth standing for? Vince closes our effort to give up “giving up” (for Lent) with some encouragements beyond our modern pulls toward nihilism. (Art by Morgan Sorensen @see_machine)Good Friday RSVP → https://calendar.app.google/7X6ht3rZj5aSwQaj7Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

What do we do when we know we need communities and institutions to lean on, but they let us down? Hayley and Vince continue our Lenten tradition of giving up (for Lent) hidden beliefs that cause us to give up. (Art: Ethiopian Icon of Jesus washing disciples' feet)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Continuing our Lenten tradition of giving up hidden beliefs that aren't serving us, Vince explores how basically all working people today end up believing "it all comes down to me", and offers the story of Jesus being tempted in the desert as inspiration to not give up. (Photo by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

This week, for our Lenten tradition of giving up hidden beliefs that aren't serving us, we're finding language for our numbness in the book of Ecclesiastes, and finding help for our weary, modern "selves" in the stories of Jesus' healings.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

For our BLC Lenten tradition, join us in giving up hidden beliefs we hold (religious and secular) that aren't serving us. This week: how the Hebrew Bible's Ecclesiastes captures our modern feelings of meaninglessness when we unconsciously believe everyone gets what they deserve.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

The modern world doesn't stop for a random Wednesday in the Church Calendar. If you're on the go, let us help you mark Ash Wednesday with this guided prayer.

Hayley and Vince re-load a Bible study on the oft-misused references to spirit and flesh in the New Testament, as they continue modeling the use of two strategies for cultivating life-giving faith in the face of modern confusion, injustice, and burnout. Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Hayley and Vince talk more about the two "untangling" strategies people in BLC tend to find helpful for cultivating life-giving faith in the face of modern confusion, injustice, and burnout. This week's Bible study to see our strategies in action: New Testament passages about Jesus dying for our sins.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

There are multiple good strategies for cultivating life-giving faith in the face of confusion, injustice, and the demands of modern life. Hayley and Vince describe two strategies they tend to hear people in BLC share about.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Bringing to a close our focus on "Neighboring" (loving our neighbors as ourselves), Vince interviews his old friend Hannah, a community organizer with Chicago's ONE Northside.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

On the weekend we remember Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the US, we look to be inspired by perhaps his most enduring contribution to theology: "the Beloved Community".Please fill out out NEIGHBORING AID FORM!https://forms.gle/Vr99uKVLFb42pnYp8Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

To neighbor well (to love one's neighbor as yourself) requires a mature handling of personal responsibility, rather than hard and fast rules. Hayley and Vince share from their experiences and from the Christian tradition along these lines. (Photo: Derick Mckinney on Unsplash)Please fill out out NEIGHBORING AID FORM!Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

To be alive today is to be in a continual state of having your conscience pricked, for worthy reasons! Vince shares how prayer has helped him wisely and compassionately navigate that reality.Please fill out out NEIGHBORING AID FORM!https://forms.gle/Vr99uKVLFb42pnYp8Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Hayley's reflection after our community's unique take on the traditional Anglican "Lessons & Carols" service. (Art by Lauren Wright Pittman)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

The commodification of the stories we return to every Advent can neuter their power to frame the good life for us, so this week enjoy a fresh imagining of the Mary & Joseph relationship (and some original art) from open and relational theologian Jonathan Foster.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

For the second Sunday of Advent, Hayley reflects on the beauty of slowing down and the gift of the tender mercy of God. (Art: Jesus Offering the Light, 2004, by Jyoti Sahi)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

A big financial update on our church (it's good news!) and a time for questions about the financial side of running our church. All are welcome to listen, whether you consider yourself a stakeholder in BLC or you're just curious how this church does "family conversations". Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

A panel from BLC's Solidarity Team invite the whole church to build more communal bonds. (Photo: Tim Dennell, via Flickr)NOVEMBER FINANCIAL BOARD LETTER → http://brownlinechurch.org/board-letter-2024 Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

For the Sunday before American election week, Vince offers some final odds and ends, with the hope to meet some of the various needs people in our community may feel: encouragement, comfort, hope, a fire lit under us, a fire put out in us before it consumes us, or maybe just some learning. (Image by Element5 Digital on Unsplash) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

“And who is my neighbor?” Led by the work of Kaitlin Curtice, Hayley discusses how an indigenous vision of kinship can help us navigate the 2024 election season. (Art: Alanah Jewell)Living Resistance book study sign up → http://brownlinechurch.org/small-groups Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Hayley and Vince continue our series of messages for election season 2024, discussing how democracy needs healthy religion, visiting the Hebrew Bible's book of 1 Kings, and imagining how to live as a "hopeful skeptic" beyond the binary of cynic or optimist. (Art: woodcut by Kreg Yingst)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Did you know there's an election coming up? For our first election season message, Vince brings us to maybe THE Jesus teaching from the Sermon on the Mount: Love your enemies.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Vince reflects on the Biblical story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10, as he shares some stories from his Sabbatical. (Art: Mary and Martha, by He Qi, 2014)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

To wrap up our series on Embracing Beliefs, Carri shares about their experience as a hospital chaplain. Hayley and Carri discuss the sacred nature of carrying grief and witnessing beauty. Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Carol joins Hayley as they talk about God's faithfulness in Carol's life. How does the steadiness of a loving God guide us as we navigate inevitable pain and loss? Financial Board Letterhttp://brownlinechurch.org/board-letter-2024Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resourcesDonate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Brad joins Hayley as they discuss the way mystery calls us beyond ourselves. How does experiencing love, beauty, and community shape us and help us live more meaningful lives?Financial Board Letterhttp://brownlinechurch.org/board-letter-2024Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resourcesDonate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Teel joins Hayley as they discuss the role of music in community and spirituality. How do we hold things loosely when it comes to our view of worship?Financial Board Letterhttp://brownlinechurch.org/board-letter-2024Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resourcesDonate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Hayley introduces our series of summer messages on embracing beliefs. What beliefs have shaped your understanding of God and community? How can our beliefs contribute to goodness in the world?Financial Board Letterhttp://brownlinechurch.org/board-letter-2024Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resourcesDonate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Vince doesn't have any pithy, Instagram-ready one-liners for us this week, but he does have some pastoral encouragements for the summer before he's off on Sabbatical.Financial Board Letterhttp://brownlinechurch.org/board-letter-2024Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resourcesDonate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Hayley and Vince tell stories about the value of being rooted in an open community and the power of rituals in everyday life. (Image from @scotthepainter)Financial Board Letterhttp://brownlinechurch.org/board-letter-2024Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Our celebration with some personal stories and a brief message on how churches embracing Pride today can find a powerful Biblical parallel in the early church's embrace of the Gentiles (Art: Peter in the house of Cornelius, by Gustave Doré, 19th century)FINANCIAL BOARD LETTER 2024:http://brownlinechurch.org/board-letter-2024Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resourcesDonate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

What does it look like to have pictures of fathering that are rooted in tenderness instead of power and control? How can this tenderness then inform our view of God? Hayley reflects on what it means to call God Abba Father.FINANCIAL BOARD LETTER 2024:http://brownlinechurch.org/board-letter-2024Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Vince shares one of his biggest personal lessons in solidarity, and brings our theme “from charity to solidarity” to a close by talking about a very important challenge to making that mindset shift: guilt.

What's the distinct help that prayer offers to the building of a solidarity economy that works for all of the 99% of people who have to work for a living, and not just a few at the top? Hayley and Vince discuss through the lens of the Church Calendar's celebration of Pentecost. (Icon Art by Kelly Latimore)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Like Jesus, we can be thoughtful about what images we let (and don't let) form our personal images of God. In our current moment of global war crimes, mass economic exploitation, and collective deconstruction of versions of faith that no longer work for people, we need mothering images of God more than ever before. (Mosaic: Jesus as Mother Hen -- Dominus Flevit Church in Jerusalem)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

The usual way Americans interpret Jesus' parables is surprisingly weird. Continuing our series "From Charity to Solidarity", Vince explains with a look at Jesus' Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard from Matthew 19-20. (Illustration by Lauren Rolwing for The Southeast Center For Cooperative Development)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Hayley and Vince dig deeper on how a solidarity mindset is distinct from a charity mindset, with a focus on the role and promise of community. (Illustration by Lauren Rolwing for The Southeast Center For Cooperative Development)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Join our church in dreaming together this spring about a more profound, more connecting, more sustainable way to address economic suffering and struggle in our country. Vince sets the table for this ongoing project teaching us about the God of Solidarity, who calls us toward the same mindset. (Illustration by Lauren Rolwing for The Southeast Center For Cooperative Development)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Jumping off of our community's discussions and comments over the last couple months, Hayley reflects on our Lenten practice of trying to give up unhelpful and incomplete beliefs.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Easter's celebration of Resurrection isn't about elevating Jesus above all, like an authoritarian emperor. It's a vision of hope and justice to lift up ALL people, that begins with Jesus, and moves forward by the power of persuasion, not force.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Our church's tradition on Palm Sunday, beginning Holy Week's re-telling of the last days of Jesus' life, is to talk about the Cross. This year, Vince talks about the way Jesus' death on the Cross can help free us from cycles of revenge and retribution, and encourages us to give up the popular American belief known as Penal Substitutionary Atonement.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Does Christianity have to be the only game in town for it to be anything worthwhile? Or can Christianity be a distinct, important contribution to the world — worth giving your life to — AND other world religions also have truthful, ultimate things to offer the world too?Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

The idea of "eternal conscious torment" disgusts, and even traumatizes, many. Unfortunately, it feels like it is synonymous with Christianity, even though it is (gasp!) not in the Bible! Hayley and Vince point us toward alternative Christian beliefs about eternity and morality.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Our wider culture's good response to self-punishing versions of religion is to focus instead on self-care. Hayley highlights the helpfulness of that, and yet also wonders if it is incomplete, before suggesting an alternative aim we might make our goal, from deep in the Jesus tradition.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

Hayley and Vince kick off the Lenten season sharing several ways BLC hopes to help you (and your friends/family/roommates) live with intentionality and meaning over the next 40 days, without feeling exhausted or burdened.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate

We tie up various loose ends and respond to some outstanding questions after leaning into the discomfort of talking about suffering for the last month. (Art: "Sorrowing Old Man At Eternity's Gate" by Van Gogh)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate