When people go through difficult times, how we show up especially matters. It can be challenging to figure out what to say or how to offer comfort. However, the truth is that these aren’t moments for expert advice or words of wisdom. What people truly need is for us to simply be present with them in the hard. In this episode, we explore what it means to support others during life’s most challenging seasons.

What does authority have to do with our character and our growth into the person God created us to be? In this podcast episode, we will explore the answer to that question as we examine God’s design for authority and how family dynamics influence our authority style in the adult world.

Communication involves not only spoken words but also a variety of unspoken messages. In this episode, we explore the importance of understanding the things that are left unsaid. Our ability to perceive these non-verbal messages is called attunement. Just as a tuning fork helps adjust a musical instrument, we need to attune ourselves to what others are communicating on a deeper level. By attuning to body language, emotions, behavioral patterns, and relational cues, we can understand far more than what is being explicitly communicated. This leads to those around us feeling more understood and loved.

In this episode, we learn the importance of surrendering to God, even when it doesn’t make sense. When we are guided by the Holy Spirit, we consistently lay down our lives for the sake of mission and people. It is a reflection of the life of Christ in us. Giving God our “yes” always yields a harvest if we don’t lose heart.

A fictional character once told his son, “Never look back. The past is a wilderness of horrors.” Scripture often advises the same, minus the whole “wilderness of horrors” part. That’s because looking back can take our eyes off what God has for our future, not to mention the pitfalls our flesh can fall into: reliving past hurts, returning to harmful situations or relationships, etc. Yet there are also times in Scripture and in our walk with God when looking back is a good thing. It helps us remember the times we saw God’s faithfulness in our lives, his comfort, care, and protection. In this roundtable podcast, Carissa, Jeff, and Julie will discuss both the good and bad parts of looking back..

The last chapter of Jonah has a lot to teach us about the intersection of our stubbornness and God’s love. What should we do if we discover we have wrong beliefs about God? What if we discover that God and His love are bigger than we thought? The Book of Jonah expands our understanding of God and deepens our understanding of repentance.

The story of Jonah being swallowed by a huge fish can seem unbelievable to many people, and it’s often used to criticize the Christian faith. How can a man survive for three days and nights inside the belly of a fish? And what’s up with the Ninevites repenting so quickly and so thoroughly? After the fish story, this seems like another logical barrier to taking Jonah seriously. But when we enter the polytheistic world of the Ninevites, it makes a little more sense. And after that, when we remember what Jesus said of their repentance, it not only makes more sense, but it’s also a gut-check moment for Christians.