Living with Adversity: Celebrating the Good News (Chris)

Trust in God can produce peace, hope, and opportunity even in difficult times.  Adversity is faced over and over again in the Bible.  Moreover, we have one great advantage that most of our ancestors in faith did not: we know how the story ends.  Thanks to the Christ's New Covenant, good triumphs.  As Christmas approaches, we can be confident that God's light ultimately overcomes all darkness -- Good News indeed!

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Living with Adversity: From Self-Reliance to Trusting God (Randy)

In this lesson, we look at the book of Jonah and explore how our over reliance on ourselves gets us into trouble and how turning to God – and trusting God – especially during this Advent season, is the solution to our problem. I hope you will join us in virtual fellowship as we explore this topic.

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Living in Opposition to Discrimination (Chris)

While the world is tribal, God is universal.  Jesus taught us to commune with all people.  An inspiring story of a black girl and a white teacher from the Civil Rights Movement shows us how Discipleship is expressed in real life with compassion and courage.

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Living with Rejection: Working Toward Social Justice (Randy)

We are living in a tumultuous time.  Our economic, social, and political orders are all evolving and shifting.  Our city streets are filled with protests and counter-protests.  Social media is awash with strong opinions.  People around us are taking sides on all kinds of issues.  Friends have distanced themselves from us because of things we have said or done.  Perhaps you have ventured into this melee, or perhaps you have held back for fear of being “canceled.”

How do we navigate these tricky times as Christians?  How do we think about social justice from a Christian perspective?  How do we deal with the rejection that will surely come simply because we take a Christian view?  Using the examples of Jeremiah, Martin Luther King, Jr., John Wesley, and Jesus, we will examine how we can participate in bringing God’s just kingdom to earth while facing the opposition that it will bring.

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Living with Injustice (Chris)

There is a divine order and fairness which the world often falls short of.  We both can experience injustice and can be a cause of it.  Using the Old Testament story of Joseph, we will look at Godly responses to injustice including faith, integrity, and love.  We also recognize that the ultimate injustice was Christ dying on the cross.  Thankfully, God is able to use injustice to produce blessings. 

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Living With Political Divisions as Christian Disciples (Chris)

How are Christians to behave in a world with rampant division and discord?  We know that even sincere believers disagree.  How should we engage productively in politics?  This week, we will examine how Truth and Power interact in the Bible.  We also will explore teachings from Christ and the Apostle Paul that suggest a universal and positive way of being Christian political disciples.

At an even more divided time in U.S. history, President Lincoln famously implored his countrymen and women to pursue "the better angels of our nature."  We can heed his advice by becoming A.N.G.E.L.S. ourselves -- active, humble, compassionate citizens who:  Acknowledge  Neighbors,  Generously  Engage, and  Love  Selflessly.

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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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