November 2, 2025
Practicing The Way | Move Nearer When You Hurt
A number of the Christian practices that Jesus gave us (like solitude, Sabbath, prayer and Scripture reading) turn down the noise of the world so we can turn up the volume of His voice. Other voices surface as well! Buried emotions and wounding memories can also rise to the surface. This is one of God’s ways of telling us it's time to enter those harder bits of our lives with him and learn how to name them, express them and regulate them as followers of Jesus.
Songs for this week: Spotify
Questions:
Matthew 26:36-39
- How were emotions treated/valued in the family in which you grew up? Tell a story if that helps illustrate your experience.
- What are the most common feelings you experience? How does it feel to bring those openly before God?
- Contrast the processing of emotions as experienced by Jesus and Peter from the passage. What pieces of each of their approaches resonated with you?
- If you have had the time to try the Practice of Noticing, Naming, Feeling and Offering your feelings to God, describe what that was like.
- Where did you experience God’s nearness in the practice?
This Week's Practice:
Noticing & Naming Emotions
Last Week's Practice: Sabbath
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Recent Sermons
Luke 1:39-45-Unexpectedly pregnant before she was married, Mary’s life was in upheaval. God sent her to Elizabeth, who would encourage her with a blessing.
Luke 1:26-38 - This Christmas, discover how God is on the move—sending Gabriel to Mary in Nazareth and inviting ordinary people into the greatest story ever told. Explore Mary’s costly yet courageous “yes” and what it reveals about the Christian life.
Luke 1:5-17 - The first Christmas bursts to life with promise and purpose—God sets His plan in motion, beginning in Jerusalem with an elderly priest and a miraculous birth announcement. Excitement is rising, and the story is just beginning.
Mark 3:32-35 - Discover why community is the most essential practice for following Jesus. This week’s passage highlights the kind of people we’re called to walk with—those who do the will of God.
Jn. 15:5-17 - Discover how staying connected to Jesus—the true vine—produces lasting spiritual fruit. Learn how a simple Rule of Life, shaped by practices like prayer, Scripture, sabbath, solitude, community, and service, helps us remain rooted in Him.
Mark 2:17 - Jesus came to call sinners—those who know they miss the mark. Following him begins with humility and self-awareness, not perfection.
