The Practice Podcast

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. 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 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/

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 fasting and how it softens our hearts to experience the hidden hunger and thirst for God in our lives. 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/

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 explored Philippians 2:1-11 and Paul's instruction to have the same mind as Jesus, living a life of self-emptying, self-giving love. Then, we crafted experiments to practice this Lenten season. This week, let's begin practicing our experiments. If you couldn't be with us, we would encourage you to watch or listen to our time and craft an experiment. 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/

The majority of our journey in 2025 will be oriented toward the presence and work of Jesus that we see in the Gospels. We begin this journey with the help of the church calendar, celebrating and reflecting on some key moments in Christ's story. This week, Dr. Gary Burge guided our reflection on the Transfiguration of Christ. In this Gospel moment, the veil between heaven and earth grows exceptionally thin, and the Biblical story from the exodus to the resurrection is tied together. This kind of encounter with Jesus can carry us through the often troubling times in which we live. 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/

In this series, we will be sharing why we are leaning on the Apostles' Creed as the Order of Faith (commonly known as a Statement of Faith) for our church community. What does the creed say? What does it mean? And how does it influence what we do as a church community? This is going to be an important series for our community. This week, we considered the third movement of the creed. Jason invited us to reflect on the work of the Holy Spirit. 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/

In this series, we will be sharing why we are leaning on the Apostles' Creed as the Order of Faith (commonly known as a Statement of Faith) for our church community. What does the creed say? What does it mean? And how does it influence what we do as a church community? This is going to be an important series for our community. This week, we considered the second movement of the creed. Bill invited us to consider the person of Jesus, his divinity and his humanity.   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/

In this series, we will be sharing why we are leaning on the Apostles' Creed as the Order of Faith (commonly known as a Statement of Faith) for our church community. What does the creed say? What does it mean? And how does it influence what we do as a church community? This is going to be an important series for our community. This week, we considered the first movement of the creed. We recognize that belief is more than intellectual agreement, but involves trust and a “readiness to act as if what we believe is true.” (Dallas Willard) God, the Father almighty is a personal, relational God, who invites us to live in relationship and find the life of love, joy, and peace that we desire in our Creator. 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/

The majority of our journey in 2025 will be oriented toward the presence and work of Jesus that we see in the Gospels. We begin this journey with the help of the church calendar, celebrating and reflecting on some key moments in Christ's story. This week, Mimi Dixon invited us to consider the temptation of Jesus. What were the temptations that he faced, how do we face those same temptations, and how can we turn our attention to find rest and freedom from the depth of God's love and goodness? 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/

The majority of our journey in 2025 will be oriented toward the presence and work of Jesus that we see in the Gospels. We begin this journey with the help of the church calendar, celebrating and reflecting on some key moments in Christ's story. This week, Kirsten invited us to consider the question, "Who are you?" As we celebrated the baptism of Christ, we explored how this moment answered the question about Jesus, and what we too can learn from his baptism. 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/

The majority of our journey in 2025 will be oriented toward the presence and work of Jesus that we see in the Gospels. We begin this journey with the help of the church calendar, celebrating and reflecting on some key moments in Christ's story. This week (Epiphany Sunday), we considered the story of Epiphany. What do we to see in the visit of the Magi and Herod's terrible respond to the birth of Christ? How do we see our own stories reflected in Epiphany, and how are we being invited to encounter Jesus more deeply in it? 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/

In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God's story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. In the last two years, we have walked in the beginning (Genesis 1-11), the blessing(Genesis 12-50), the exodus, the wilderness, the Promised Land, and with the kings.  Now we will continue walking in this era of the kings of Israel and Judah, but we will do so from the perspective of the prophets. We will consider the indictments, judgments, and instruction delivered through the prophets. What do we learn about God and how should we hear these accusations and calls for repentance? We'll pause with them in the messy middle, and then we will consider the messages of hope. How can we understand God in these messages and lean more deeply into the One who offers us a new heart?  This week, We consider God's promise of new creation 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/

In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God's story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. In the last two years, we have walked in the beginning (Genesis 1-11), the blessing(Genesis 12-50), the exodus, the wilderness, the Promised Land, and with the kings.  Now we will continue walking in this era of the kings of Israel and Judah, but we will do so from the perspective of the prophets. We will consider the indictments, judgments, and instruction delivered through the prophets. What do we learn about God and how should we hear these accusations and calls for repentance? We'll pause with them in the messy middle, and then we will consider the messages of hope. How can we understand God in these messages and lean more deeply into the One who offers us a new heart?  This week, Kellye (Fabian) Story invited us to consider the words of God through the prophet Isaiah (55:1-3). How are we being invited through the prophet to come to God, the One who satisfies our needs, our desires, and brings us joy? 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/ 

In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God's story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. In the last two years, we have walked in the beginning (Genesis 1-11), the blessing(Genesis 12-50), the exodus, the wilderness, the Promised Land, and with the kings.  Now we will continue walking in this era of the kings of Israel and Judah, but we will do so from the perspective of the prophets. We will consider the indictments, judgments, and instruction delivered through the prophets. What do we learn about God and how should we hear these accusations and calls for repentance? We'll pause with them in the messy middle, and then we will consider the messages of hope. How can we understand God in these messages and lean more deeply into the One who offers us a new heart?  This week, Rebecca invited us to consider the Israelites and how they can possibly move forward when their patterns of brokenness go all the way back to the Garden of Eden. It turns out, sin has always been a heart issue, and God's solution is to give humanity new hearts. 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/ 

In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God's story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. In the last two years, we have walked in the beginning (Genesis 1-11), the blessing(Genesis 12-50), the exodus, the wilderness, the Promised Land, and with the kings.  Now we will continue walking in this era of the kings of Israel and Judah, but we will do so from the perspective of the prophets. We will consider the indictments, judgments, and instruction delivered through the prophets. What do we learn about God and how should we hear these accusations and calls for repentance? We'll pause with them in the messy middle, and then we will consider the messages of hope. How can we understand God in these messages and lean more deeply into the One who offers us a new heart?  This week, we considered the Israelite's messy return from exile. They are back in Jerusalem, but the prophetic expectations are not fully met. How do we see ourselves in this story of partially met expectations? How does it show our need for God's Spirit to move, and how does this reveal our longing in the season of Advent? 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/ 

In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God's story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. In the last two years, we have walked in the beginning (Genesis 1-11), the blessing(Genesis 12-50), the exodus, the wilderness, the Promised Land, and with the kings.  Now we will continue walking in this era of the kings of Israel and Judah, but we will do so from the perspective of the prophets. We will consider the indictments, judgments, and instruction delivered through the prophets. What do we learn about God and how should we hear these accusations and calls for repentance? We'll pause with them in the messy middle, and then we will consider the messages of hope. How can we understand God in these messages and lean more deeply into the One who offers us a new heart?  This week, we leaned into the message God delivered to Israel through the prophet Hosea addressing their idolatry. We considered how fear is tied to idolatry and how intimacy with God chases away fear. 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/ 

In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God's story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. In the last two years, we have walked in the beginning (Genesis 1-11), the blessing(Genesis 12-50), the exodus, the wilderness, the Promised Land, and with the kings.  Now we will continue walking in this era of the kings of Israel and Judah, but we will do so from the perspective of the prophets. We will consider the indictments, judgments, and instruction delivered through the prophets. What do we learn about God and how should we hear these accusations and calls for repentance? We'll pause with them in the messy middle, and then we will consider the messages of hope. How can we understand God in these messages and lean more deeply into the One who offers us a new heart?  This week, we leaned into the message God delivered to Israel through the prophet Amos. Injustice is one of the consistent indictments of Israel and Judah in the prophets. The message of Amos shows us that faithful worship cannot be separated from justice. 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/ 

In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God's story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. In the last two years, we have walked in the beginning (Genesis 1-11), the blessing(Genesis 12-50), the exodus, the wilderness, the Promised Land, and with the kings.  Now we will continue walking in this era of the kings of Israel and Judah, but we will do so from the perspective of the prophets. We will consider the indictments, judgments, and instruction delivered through the prophets. What do we learn about God and how should we hear these accusations and calls for repentance? We'll pause with them in the messy middle, and then we will consider the messages of hope. How can we understand God in these messages and lean more deeply into the One who offers us a new heart?  This week, Dr. John Walton gives us helpful guidance about how we shoudl read, understand, and respond to the prophets. 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/ 

This fall, we have been offering practices for a kingdom-centered politics. In this short practice, we offer a prayer in preparation of voting. We would encourage you to pray this prayer before you vote, whether in the parking lot of your polling place or while you wait in line. As we hold various groups of people in the light of God's loving presence, we respond together, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done.

In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God's story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. Last year we began our journey walking in the beginning (Genesis 1-11), the blessing (Genesis 12-50), the exodus, the wilderness, and the Promised Land. If you missed the previous series, you can check out the links above. In this series, we will explore the period of the kings from Saul through the fall of the Northern Kingdom and Judah. We will notice how the stories of these kings echo all the way back to the garden. How do the Israelites and their kings respond to that choice to submit to the reign and rule of Yahweh or choose what is right in their own eyes? And how might we see our own stories reflected in the story of scripture?   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/ 

In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God's story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. Last year we began our journey walking in the beginning (Genesis 1-11), the blessing (Genesis 12-50), the exodus, the wilderness, and the Promised Land. If you missed the previous series, you can check out the links above. In this series, we will explore the period of the kings from Saul through the fall of the Northern Kingdom and Judah. We will notice how the stories of these kings echo all the way back to the garden. How do the Israelites and their kings respond to that choice to submit to the reign and rule of Yahweh or choose what is right in their own eyes? And how might we see our own stories reflected in the story of scripture?   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/ 

In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God's story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. Last year we began our journey walking in the beginning (Genesis 1-11), the blessing (Genesis 12-50), the exodus, the wilderness, and the Promised Land. If you missed the previous series, you can check out the links above. In this series, we will explore the period of the kings from Saul through the fall of the Northern Kingdom and Judah. We will notice how the stories of these kings echo all the way back to the garden. How do the Israelites and their kings respond to that choice to submit to the reign and rule of Yahweh or choose what is right in their own eyes? And how might we see our own stories reflected in the story of scripture?   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/ 

This guided practice is a part of our series The Liturgy of Politics. As we seek to untangle ourselves from the partisan liturgies of our culture, we are engaging counter-formational practices. In this practice of the Examen, we consider our political activity (the media we consume and our response, our conversations, the ways we serve our communities, and voting) and ask when our activity was centered on the partisan liturgies of our culture and when they were centered on the radical alternative of God's kingdom.

Aristotle said the purpose of politics is to create a people who are better than they would be without it. Politics has a way of shaping how we see ourselves, how we see others, and how we should live in the world. Have you noticed how this is parallel to the task of the gospel? This journey of faith creates us to be someone better than we would be without Jesus. Jesus shapes how we see ourselves, how we see others, and how we should live in the world. Is it any wonder our political activity has gotten so bound up in our understanding of the gospel? In fact, our partisanship and faith have become so wrapped up together, that it is like one big ball of tangled string. They influence one another in various ways (some helpful and some not), and often times it is hard to tell where one begins and the other ends. This month, we will be crafting experiments together. These experiments will center on how we engage politics and how we are being formed by politics. Together we will notice what strings in this tangled mess the Holy Spirit is drawing to our attention, and we will intentionally practice ways of untangling that thread. How can we seek to be formed in the way of God's kingdom and bring that to bear on politics rather than allowing politics to shape how we view the kingdom? We continued our experiments this week exposing the partisan liturgy of tribalism, reflecting on the ways we are tempted to find our identity in a political party or position. Then, we considered the counter-formational liturgy of humble service. What if our political activity followed the way of Jesus and humble service? You can find the handout for crafting an experiments here. For additional resources, please visit our website. Resources for Navigating This Political Season 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 The Liturgy of Politics. As we seek to untangle ourselves from the partisan liturgies of our culture, we are engaging counter-formational practices. In this practice, we respond to the partisan liturgy of fear with the practice of breath prayer.​ With Jesus, we pray the words, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done.” This prayer reminds us, in the words of Pastor Mike Lueken, even if the worst we can imagine happens in this election season, “Jesus is still king. The kingdom is still real, and all shall be well.” And it reminds us that we are invited to join the Holy Spirit in its redemptive kingdom work.

This guided practice is a part of our series The Liturgy of Politics. As we seek to untangle ourselves from the partisan liturgies of our culture, we are engaging counter-formational practices. In response to our partisan culture which uses fear as a political tool, we offer a practice that can help us welcome the love and presence of Jesus into our fear so that we might be the kind of people whose political activity is marked by love.

Aristotle said the purpose of politics is to create a people who are better than they would be without it. Politics has a way of shaping how we see ourselves, how we see others, and how we should live in the world. Have you noticed how this is parallel to the task of the gospel? This journey of faith creates us to be someone better than we would be without Jesus. Jesus shapes how we see ourselves, how we see others, and how we should live in the world. Is it any wonder our political activity has gotten so bound up in our understanding of the gospel? In fact, our partisanship and faith have become so wrapped up together, that it is like one big ball of tangled string. They influence one another in various ways (some helpful and some not), and often times it is hard to tell where one begins and the other ends. This month, we will be crafting experiments together. These experiments will center on how we engage politics and how we are being formed by politics. Together we will notice what strings in this tangled mess the Holy Spirit is drawing to our attention, and we will intentionally practice ways of untangling that thread. How can we seek to be formed in the way of God's kingdom and bring that to bear on politics rather than allowing politics to shape how we view the kingdom? We began this week with crafting our experiments. Setting the stage for the journey, we considered the formational nature of politics, and how this nature runs parallel to the gospel. Recognizing how easy this makes it for partisan politics to become entangled with the gospel, we set out to craft experiments that will help ground us in the kingdom of God and allow the Spirit to shape how we see ourselves, how we see others, and how we believe we should live. You can find the handout for crafting an experiments here. For additional resources, please visit our website. Resources for Navigating This Political Season 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/ 

Aristotle said the purpose of politics is to create a people who are better than they would be without it. Politics has a way of shaping how we see ourselves, how we see others, and how we should live in the world. Have you noticed how this is parallel to the task of the gospel? This journey of faith creates us to be someone better than we would be without Jesus. Jesus shapes how we see ourselves, how we see others, and how we should live in the world. Is it any wonder our political activity has gotten so bound up in our understanding of the gospel? In fact, our partisanship and faith have become so wrapped up together, that it is like one big ball of tangled string. They influence one another in various ways (some helpful and some not), and often times it is hard to tell where one begins and the other ends. This month, we will be crafting experiments together. These experiments will center on how we engage politics and how we are being formed by politics. Together we will notice what strings in this tangled mess the Holy Spirit is drawing to our attention, and we will intentionally practice ways of untangling that thread. How can we seek to be formed in the way of God's kingdom and bring that to bear on politics rather than allowing politics to shape how we view the kingdom? We began this week with crafting our experiments. Setting the stage for the journey, we considered the formational nature of politics, and how this nature runs parallel to the gospel. Recognizing how easy this makes it for partisan politics to become entangled with the gospel, we set out to craft experiments that will help ground us in the kingdom of God and allow the Spirit to shape how we see ourselves, how we see others, and how we believe we should live. You can find the handout for crafting an experiments here. For additional resources, please visit our website. Resources for Navigating This Political Season 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/ 

From the very beginning of The Practice, we have always appreciated the important lessons we can learn from various Christian traditions throughout the history of the Church. This summer, we will spend time learning about our sisters and brothers, some you may know and others you may not. We hope to not only learn about them, but also to listen to what they might have to teach us in this day and age.   This week, Ted Harro invited us to listen to an imagined letter to our community from the Quaker mystic Thomas Kelly. For additional resources, please visit our website. Resources for Navigating This Political Season 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/ 

From the very beginning of The Practice, we have always appreciated the important lessons we can learn from various Christian traditions throughout the history of the Church. This summer, we will spend time learning about our sisters and brothers, some you may know and others you may not. We hope to not only learn about them, but also to listen to what they might have to teach us in this day and age.   This week, Juliet Liu invited us consider the example of Ella Baker. In her life and work, Ella might show us how our contemplation to move us to action. She would teach us to take seriously the dignity of all people, even the most ordinary. And she would encourage us not to dispair but to find hope in the people who point us toward joy. You can find the images we used for visio divina here (The Saints of Selma and a photo of Ella Baker.) 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/ 

From the very beginning of The Practice, we have always appreciated the important lessons we can learn from various Christian traditions throughout the history of the Church. This summer, we will spend time learning about our sisters and brothers, some you may know and others you may not. We hope to not only learn about them, but also to listen to what they might have to teach us in this day and age.   This week, Julian Davis Reid guided us in a reflection on the life of Harriet Tubman. He asked how we might follow Harriet as she followed Jesus, and invited us to consider two specific practices, sanctuary and sleep. Where and how do we need to encounter sancuary? How can sleep deepen our faith, and how can we turn outward, pursuing sanctuary for others in our world?  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/ 

From the very beginning of The Practice, we have always appreciated the important lessons we can learn from various Christian traditions throughout the history of the Church. This summer, we will spend time learning about our sisters and brothers, some you may know and others you may not. We hope to not only learn about them, but also to listen to what they might have to teach us in this day and age.   This week, we looked to the Desert Mothers and Fathers. There are remarkable similarities between our culture today and the culture of the fourth century. What word of wisdom might these wonderful saints offer to us in this day and age? What can we learn from their resistance to being carried along by cultural currents? What if God is inviting us to be a little weird, to flee from power, comfort, and significance, and to do it all for the sake of 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/ 

From the very beginning of The Practice, we have always appreciated the important lessons we can learn from various Christian traditions throughout the history of the Church. This summer, we will spend time learning about our sisters and brothers, some you may know and others you may not. We hope to not only learn about them, but also to listen to what they might have to teach us in this day and age.   In the first week of our series, we heard about Irenaeus, his stand against gnosticism and how the doctrine of the incarnation helps us avoid gnosticism today. 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/ 

In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God's story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. Last year we began our journey walking in the beginning (Genesis 1-11), the blessing (Genesis 12-50), the exodus, and the wilderness. If you missed the previous series, you can check out these links.  In this series, we will join the Israelites as they enter the promised land. We will explore the themes of Joshua and Judges, noticing how God's invitation continues to echo from the very beginning. What might the text have to say about our own stories as we consider the successes and struggles of the Israelites? In the third week of our series, Jason Hitchcock invited us to consider how the story of Judges demonstrates the faithful love of God in the midst of Israelite failure. We see God's desire for the people's good, and how hope is able to grow in desperate places. 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/ 

In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God's story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. Last year we began our journey walking in the beginning (Genesis 1-11), the blessing (Genesis 12-50), the exodus, and the wilderness. If you missed the previous series, you can check out these links.  In this series, we will join the Israelites as they enter the promised land. We will explore the themes of Joshua and Judges, noticing how God's invitation continues to echo from the very beginning. What might the text have to say about our own stories as we consider the successes and struggles of the Israelites? In our second week of the series, Dr. Walton helped us explore some of the troubling passages of Joshua. He said, these stories are really about making room for God's presence. The land, the text teaches us, does not belong to the Canaanites or Israel. The land belongs to Yahweh and is an important part of God's plan for redeeming all of creation. You can read more in Dr. Walton's book The Lost World of the Israelite Conquest. 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/ 

In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God's story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. Last year we began our journey walking in the beginning (Genesis 1-11), the blessing (Genesis 12-50), the exodus, and the wilderness. If you missed the previous series, you can check out these links.  In this series, we will join the Israelites as they enter the promised land. We will explore the themes of Joshua and Judges, noticing how God's invitation continues to echo from the very beginning. What might the text have to say about our own stories as we consider the successes and struggles of the Israelites? In the first week, we explored the story of Joshua. We noticed God's resistance to the kind of in or out determinations to which we so quickly jump. And we considered how we can abide in God's rest, provision, and dwelling presence, so that we might join God in extending these kingdom blessings to others as we reflect God's will and ways. For some 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/  Last year we began our journey walking in the beginning (Genesis 1-11), the blessing (Genesis 12-50), the exodus, and the wilderness. If you missed the previous series, you can check out the links above.

In this gathering, the wonderful poet Malcolm Guite invited us to consider that the Light of the World is writing us into existence. For some 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/ 

Forgiveness is a foundational characteristic of God's kingdom. We understand this easily when we consider our own forgiveness, but how often do we recognize this is also true of our forgiving one another? This month, we seek to respond to God's invitation to forgive as we have been forgiven.  This week, Casey Tygrett invited us to consider how Mark 11:25 invites us to cut our connection to the anger, disappointment, and hurt we so often hold onto that holds us back from a fruit-filled kingdom life. For some 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/ 

This guided practice is a part of our series The Gift of Forgiveness. Forgiveness is a foundational characteristic of God's kingdom. We understand this easily when we consider our own forgiveness, but how often do we recognize this is also true of our forgiving one another? This month, we seek to respond to God's invitation to forgive as we have been forgiven.  This practice comes from the second week of the series.

Forgiveness is a foundational characteristic of God's kingdom. We understand this easily when we consider our own forgiveness, but how often do we recognize this is also true of our forgiving one another? This month, we seek to respond to God's invitation to forgive as we have been forgiven.  This week, Father Michael continued our examination of Christ's teaching on forgiveness as we considered Matthew 6:14-15. Father Michael reminded us that unforgiveness restricts the flow of grace into our lives and invited us to "recieve the forgiveness and grace only God can bestow, received when given away." For some 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/ 

Forgiveness is a foundational characteristic of God's kingdom. We understand this easily when we consider our own forgiveness, but how often do we recognize this is also true of our forgiving one another? This month, we seek to respond to God's invitation to forgive as we have been forgiven.  We began our journey exploring the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18. Jesus teaches us in this parable how radical forgiveness is a fundamental characteristic of God's kingdom. For some 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/ 

Joy is a foundational element of our faith. It connects us to God, ourselves and one another, it helps us endure difficult seasons, and it grounds our lives in the loving presence of God. This month, we will craft experiments to practice together that will help us deepen our capacity for joy. In the third week of our experiments we asked, what if God is dancing through creation spreading the seeds of joy and connection all over? How might we become fertile soil for those seeds to take root and flourish? If you haven't yet crafted an experiment, it's not too late to join us. You can find the handout for crafting an experiment  here. If you are forming a group or would like help, please let us know! For some 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/ 

Joy is a foundational element of our faith. It connects us to God, ourselves and one another, it helps us endure difficult seasons, and it grounds our lives in the loving presence of God. This month, we will craft experiments to practice together that will help us deepen our capacity for joy. In the second week of our experiments, Bethany Timmons reminded us it is okay to wrestle with joy because God is always joyful and always offering joy to us. If you haven't yet crafted an experiment, it's not too late to join us. You can find the handout for crafting an experiment here. If you are forming a group or would like help, please let us know! For some 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/ 

Joy is a foundational element of our faith. It connects us to God, ourselves and one another, it helps us endure difficult seasons, and it grounds our lives in the loving presence of God. This month, we will craft experiments to practice together that will help us deepen our capacity for joy. You can find the handout for crafting an experiment here. In the first week, Nicole guided us through crafting our experiments. She invited us to consider how we might move toward centering ourselves in Christ and cultivate the conditions necessary for joy to grow in our lives. If you are forming a group or would like help, please let us know! For some 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/ 

On Easter Sunday, we gathered to celebrate the risen Christ. This year we considered three great hopes of resurrection. First, Jesus is with us in our suffering. Second, God's kingdom is present and available here and now, and finally, one day God's kingdom will arrive in its fullness, God will make all things new and everything sad will become untrue. 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 Attached. We were made for joyful connection with God. The truest thing about us is that we were created to live in joy-filled communion with God and one another, but we think we can do better. We choose what is right in our own eyes and introduce disorder into the world. That disorder infects the world, and the pain, sorrow, and injustice leads us to question if God really loves us. In this series, we hope to become aware of what gets in the way of our attachment and deepen our capacity for attachment to God. This is one of the practices from the final week of the series. A tax-deductible gift can be given to The Practice Church at https://www.practicetribe.com/give/  

This guided practice is a part of our series Attached. We were made for joyful connection with God. The truest thing about us is that we were created to live in joy-filled communion with God and one another, but we think we can do better. We choose what is right in our own eyes and introduce disorder into the world. That disorder infects the world, and the pain, sorrow, and injustice leads us to question if God really loves us. In this series, we hope to become aware of what gets in the way of our attachment and deepen our capacity for attachment to God. This is one of the practices from the final week of the series. A tax-deductible gift can be given to The Practice Church at https://www.practicetribe.com/give/