Pastor Michelle and Pastor Ben talk about a special story in the New Testament that does not get a lot of "air time" in the Christmas season. The story of Mary rushing to visit her cousin Elizabeth is a story about community, solidarity, and the ways that we can see more clearly when we share our lives with each other. This is a powerful conversation, and a great way to close out our first year of the Connect podcast. We hope you will join us again in January!

This week pastor Michelle and pastor Ben talk about experiencing joy in life and what makes joy different from happiness. They do this through the lens of the story of Joseph when he was visited by an angel in a dream. Don't miss this deep and meaningful conversation!

The holiday season is here and with it are many different holidays, parties, and moments for celebration. For most people, celebrations and holidays bring along a host of traditions. Sometimes we cherish them, but other times we get a feeling in our gut that the time for these traditions has passed. This week Pastor Michelle and Pastor Ben talk about how to know when it is time to move on from a tradition, and how to transform them rather than completely doing away with them.

It's Thanksgiving week! Pastor Michelle and Pastor Ben take a few moments to tell us about all of the the exciting things that we have to look forward to as the Advent season begins just a few days after the Thanksgiving holiday. This year the theme at both campuses will be "From Generation to Generation" as we explore the ways God has been at work in the past, and the ways we are being invited to weave our own story into the hope of what God building in the world around us. Join us every Sunday and on Christmas Eve in the month of December to be a part of this exciting season of growth and hope.   

This week Pastors Michelle and Ben talk about 3 simple passages from the Bible that can act as a kind of "survival kit" for whatever you might be facing this holiday season. From complicated family situations, to the stress of all the extra events, and the presence of grief; holidays can be difficult seasons of life to navigate. There are many reminders for us of how a loving God is present with us through the joy of the best circumstances, and the lows of the most challenging ones, so tune in this week to find out how these 3 simple scriptures can help you survive the holiday season!

This week Pastor Michelle and Pastor Ben talk about emotions! Through exploring a poem by Rumi and taking a look at scripture, they have a conversation about how our culture views emotions and how we can process them in a healthy way.

This week Pastors Michelle and Ben talk about a powerful tool that they use for reading the Bible and making sense of what is happening in life. It's called the "quadrilateral", but don't let the big name scare you! It is actually a very simple method of reading the Bible through the lenses of tradition, reason, and experience. It is a way that honors the people who have come before us, the brains God has given us, and welcomes the ways God has broke through into our ordinary lives. Also, we had a few technical difficulties with our sound mixing on this episode, we are learning to use some new technology tools, so bear with us! You might just need to turn your volume up a little bit. 

This week Pastor Michelle and Pastor Ben continue the conversation about "Stuff the Bible Never Said" as they consider the phrase "Everything Happens for a Reason". This is a commonly heard phrase that often creates a picture of God that does not match what we find in the Bible. Michelle and Ben explore how we can explore the Good News that the Bible does have for us as they examine what is helpful and unhelpful with these phrases.