Living with Anxiety: Finding Peace in God's Voice (Randy)

The pandemic, social unrest, and political uncertainty have caused high levels of depression and anxiety.  People are struggling with fear, isolation, lack of motivation, and so much more.  They are worried about the election and what it all means for the country.  How can we quell the storms?  How do we achieve peace?  Through the story of Elijah, we recognize how we got ourselves into this situation and remember how God leads us out of it.

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Living with Adversity: Overcoming Fear (Chris)

Fear is natural and normal.  However, an epidemic of fear and anxiety has produced chronic mental and physical challenges in modern life.  Fear and responses to it appear throughout the Bible.  Perhaps the most prominent and useful example is that of the Apostle Peter.  How did Peter overcome debilitating fear to become "The Rock" on which Christianity was built, and what can we learn from his example? 

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Living with Isolation: Surrounding Ourselves with Christian Friends and Resting in Our Redeemer (Randy)

 As we continue our series on Living with Adversity, we will look at the challenge of being socially isolated in a lesson called, Living with Isolation: Christian Fellowship and God’s Redemption.  Through the story of Ruth and Naomi, we’ll examine how we can rely on one another and our faith to weather the pandemic.  We hope you will join us!

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Living with Senseless Suffering: Trusting God (Chris)

In the second installment of "Living with Adversity as Christian Disciples," we further explore the uniquely Judeo-Christian perspective on suffering.  Reflecting on the Biblical Book of Job and the real-world grief and horror of 9/11, we see that darkness and difficulty are opportunities to trust the Lord.  Doing so opens the door to God's blessings including peace, joy, hope, and salvation.

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Living with Adversity Introduction: Why Does God Allow Suffering? (Randy)

The pandemic coupled with recent social unrest has created enormous stress in our daily lives. Polls taken by the American Psychological Association suggest stress levels among American adults are in the 70% range due to fear of catching the virus, economic or work concerns, kids at home and the accompanying education challenges, the government’s response to the pandemic, and more.  Our own class poll suggests we share these concerns with worries over the political climate, stress from our jobs, and fear of catching the virus topping the list.  All of this has created a degree of anxiety and depression in our society – and among our classmates – unlike anything we have seen in our lifetimes.  Why has God allowed this pandemic to happen?  What possible good can come from it?  How are we supposed to live with the adversity it has created? How can we find meaning and hope in it through our faith in Jesus?  We contemplate these questions in this series with the goal of providing the class with faith-based resources to transform adversity into a more intimate walk with God.  

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The Book of Romans: Conclusion (Chris)

We conclude our study of Romans today!  

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The Book of Romans: Unity (Randy)

Paul concludes his letter to the Romans by calling for unity.  He reminds us that faith sets us free from legalism (the law of sin and death), but love requires us to limit our actions so that we may bear others’ weakness and build them up.  Following Christ and living this way brings unity and harmony to the community.

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