What if your soul is carrying more than it was made to hold? Between constant headlines and endless scrolling, we’re all feeling the weight of a world that never powers down. Today we slow the tide and step into John 14, where Jesus speaks straight to anxious hearts. Philip asks for a sign—“Show us the Father”—and Jesus answers with a deeper invitation: to see Him, listen to Him, and be kept by His Word when everything else shakes.

We walk through the farewell discourse with fresh eyes, exploring why the Word precedes the works, and how that order changes our everyday resilience. Together we name the trap of faux omnipresence, the drift toward believing “anything” in distress, and the quiet courage of be still and know. From there, we get practical. We talk about taking our hands off what we can’t control, cultivating a real relationship with Scripture, and learning to delight in God rather than our fears, our feeds, or the need to be right. These aren’t vague ideals—they’re simple habits that retrain attention, deepen trust, and steady our steps.

We also press into a piercing question: are we content to know about God, or are we becoming people God knows—shaped by His voice, responsive to His lead, and guarded from stumbling by what He has spoken? If your heart feels thin from carrying too much news and too little hope, this conversation offers a grounded path back to peace. Listen now, share it with someone who needs a reset, and if it helps you breathe a little deeper, subscribe and leave a review so others can find it too. Your words help our community grow.

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What if church wasn’t a product but a countercurrent—something that pulls us out of the cultural river and teaches us to live differently? We open up a candid look at why a healthy church community still matters: not as a perfect institution, but as a living alternative to polarization, loneliness, and consumer thinking. Drawing from Israel’s origin story—justice for the vulnerable, honest measures in business, a sexual ethic that dignifies bodies—we trace how an ancient calling can shape modern communities to bless their neighbors, not mirror the marketplace.

Across the conversation, we call out the drift toward “consumer religion,” where music and preaching are rated like apps, and move instead toward participation: serving, giving, and shared worship that forms character. We contrast the internet’s shallow notes—hot takes, instant outrage, and algorithmic speed—with the base notes of the Christian tradition: covenant, mercy, repentance, hope. Those deeper tones invite us to sit with better questions—Who am I? Whose am I? What really matters?—and to practice habits that resist hurry, image-making, and self-promotion.

This is a vision for a multi-generational, cross-class, politically diverse people who gather for something bigger than themselves and then carry that presence into ordinary life—boardrooms and breakrooms, kitchens and city councils. Honest work, hospitality to strangers, care for the poor, peacemaking across divides: these aren’t extras; they are the point. If you’ve been searching for a place that exchanges transaction for trust and speed for substance, consider this your invitation to explore a community defined by grace, truth, and shared life.

If the message resonates, share this episode with a friend, subscribe for future reflections, and leave a review to help others find the show. And if you’re local, join us at Central in Elk River—8:30 for our liturgical gathering or 10:00 for our modern gathering—or visit clcelkriver.org.

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What if the most peaceful season of your life still made room for worry—and that became your greatest teacher? Coming back from a seven-week sabbatical, I share the highs and hiccups: hiking the Dolomites on breathless trails, a tense comedy of errors while driving in Germany, simple joy with my granddaughter, and the quiet ways God showed up when the plans didn’t. Along the way, Jesus’ piercing question—“Why worry?”—moved from a verse I knew to a practice I needed.

We trace that question through the Sermon on the Mount where birds and wildflowers become our teachers. You’ll hear how splitting our trust between God and control fuels anxiety, why 91% of our fears never materialize, and how small, concrete shifts—like a guide’s calm instructions on a cliff—can retrain the heart toward faith. I talk about breath prayers on steep climbs, choosing attention over rumination, and what it means to seek the kingdom first when life feels loud, uncertain, or just plain exhausting.

A redemption story brings it home: a friend once marked by addiction, prison, and loss found freedom in Christ before the state ever granted her pardon. When the legal “yes” finally came, it confirmed what grace had already settled. That’s the heartbeat here—God’s provision is steadier than our plans, His timing wiser than our calendars, and His presence nearer than our fear. If you’re carrying worries about family, health, money, or the future, this conversation offers Scripture, honesty, and practical steps to release control and rest in the One who holds tomorrow. Subscribe, share with someone who needs courage today, and leave a review telling us the one worry you’re ready to lay down.

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