Commons Church Podcast

We are approaching Easter, seen as the greatest festival in the church calendar. But, we’re not there yet. We have a week to go and an ancient path to follow.Egeria, a woman who was either a nun or an abbess from Spain or Gaul, left behind a diary from her time in the Holy Land (ca. 381-384). In it, she writes in detail about servicesin Jerusalem. On Palm Sunday, worshippers celebrate and rehearse the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Then the children gather palm branches and the people walk the road that leads to the cross. Hundreds of years later, we still do the same thing.This week, we celebrate with hosannas, but on Good Friday and Holy Saturday we will grieve. And our sorrow is the exact place resurrection comes. Thanks be to God.After Palm Sunday, join us on Maundy Thursday to walk through the Stations of the Cross, for services on Good Friday and then to celebrate Resurrection next week.Come and reflect on the season. ★ Support this podcast ★

It’s not always easy to see ourselves as we truly are. But stories can help. When we listen carefully to a story that is authentic to the human experience, we come to know ourselves in new ways. The book of Jonah is one such story. Despite its rather fantastical qualities, the story of Jonah is a real human tale. A story of human failure and divine grace, a story of the interplay between duty observed and plain disobedience. A story of the internal conflict between authentic honesty and dishonest selfishness. It’s all here, all of the meaning and the mess of life. But the thing that makes Jonah’s story most helpful to us is how everything, all of it, is placed before God. And really, this is the thing most true about our humanity, the thing we most need to educate our imaginations with: there is no other kind of life except that which is lived before God. Jonah is not a children’s tale. It is a very grown up tale that ends with a very serious question: what kind of person will you be? ★ Support this podcast ★

It’s not always easy to see ourselves as we truly are. But stories can help. When we listen carefully to a story that is authentic to the human experience, we come to know ourselves in new ways. The book of Jonah is one such story. Despite its rather fantastical qualities, the story of Jonah is a real human tale. A story of human failure and divine grace, a story of the interplay between duty observed and plain disobedience. A story of the internal conflict between authentic honesty and dishonest selfishness. It’s all here, all of the meaning and the mess of life. But the thing that makes Jonah’s story most helpful to us is how everything, all of it, is placed before God. And really, this is the thing most true about our humanity, the thing we most need to educate our imaginations with: there is no other kind of life except that which is lived before God. Jonah is not a children’s tale. It is a very grown up tale that ends with a very serious question: what kind of person will you be? ★ Support this podcast ★

It’s not always easy to see ourselves as we truly are. But stories can help. When we listen carefully to a story that is authentic to the human experience, we come to know ourselves in new ways. The book of Jonah is one such story. Despite its rather fantastical qualities, the story of Jonah is a real human tale. A story of human failure and divine grace, a story of the interplay between duty observed and plain disobedience. A story of the internal conflict between authentic honesty and dishonest selfishness. It’s all here, all of the meaning and the mess of life. But the thing that makes Jonah’s story most helpful to us is how everything, all of it, is placed before God. And really, this is the thing most true about our humanity, the thing we most need to educate our imaginations with: there is no other kind of life except that which is lived before God. Jonah is not a children’s tale. It is a very grown up tale that ends with a very serious question: what kind of person will you be? ★ Support this podcast ★

It’s not always easy to see ourselves as we truly are. But stories can help. When we listen carefully to a story that is authentic to the human experience, we come to know ourselves in new ways. The book of Jonah is one such story. Despite its rather fantastical qualities, the story of Jonah is a real human tale. A story of human failure and divine grace, a story of the interplay between duty observed and plain disobedience. A story of the internal conflict between authentic honesty and dishonest selfishness. It’s all here, all of the meaning and the mess of life. But the thing that makes Jonah’s story most helpful to us is how everything, all of it, is placed before God. And really, this is the thing most true about our humanity, the thing we most need to educate our imaginations with: there is no other kind of life except that which is lived before God. Jonah is not a children’s tale. It is a very grown up tale that ends with a very serious question: what kind of person will you be? ★ Support this podcast ★

It’s not always easy to see ourselves as we truly are. But stories can help. When we listen carefully to a story that is authentic to the human experience, we come to know ourselves in new ways. The book of Jonah is one such story. Despite its rather fantastical qualities, the story of Jonah is a real human tale. A story of human failure and divine grace, a story of the interplay between duty observed and plain disobedience. A story of the internal conflict between authentic honesty and dishonest selfishness. It’s all here, all of the meaning and the mess of life. But the thing that makes Jonah’s story most helpful to us is how everything, all of it, is placed before God. And really, this is the thing most true about our humanity, the thing we most need to educate our imaginations with: there is no other kind of life except that which is lived before God. Jonah is not a children’s tale. It is a very grown up tale that ends with a very serious question: what kind of person will you be? ★ Support this podcast ★

This is it.Back in Rome for a final time.Chapter by chapter, we’ve worked through this lengthy letter from the Apostle Paul. Along the way marking how his theology transformed as he grappled with the story of God in Christ.Along the way, we’ve grown, and we’ve continued to let the gracious way of Jesus alter the way we think of the Divine.How we look at each other. How we talk about faith.So, if you’ve been with us since the beginning, come along as we jump in where we left off and see how Paul wraps things up.And if you’re new to Commons, step a little closer to a text that’s shaped who we are and who we want to become. ★ Support this podcast ★

In Romans 16 Paul names a number of women in prominent roles within the early church. But then in his letters to Corinth and Timothy, he seems to take a different tone. What is going on here? Should we try to harmonize these passages? Here's a bit of a deeper dive. ★ Support this podcast ★

This is it.Back in Rome for a final time.Chapter by chapter, we’ve worked through this lengthy letter from the Apostle Paul. Along the way marking how his theology transformed as he grappled with the story of God in Christ.Along the way, we’ve grown, and we’ve continued to let the gracious way of Jesus alter the way we think of the Divine.How we look at each other. How we talk about faith.So, if you’ve been with us since the beginning, come along as we jump in where we left off and see how Paul wraps things up.And if you’re new to Commons, step a little closer to a text that’s shaped who we are and who we want to become. ★ Support this podcast ★

This is it.Back in Rome for a final time.Chapter by chapter, we’ve worked through this lengthy letter from the Apostle Paul. Along the way marking how his theology transformed as he grappled with the story of God in Christ.Along the way, we’ve grown, and we’ve continued to let the gracious way of Jesus alter the way we think of the Divine.How we look at each other. How we talk about faith.So, if you’ve been with us since the beginning, come along as we jump in where we left off and see how Paul wraps things up.And if you’re new to Commons, step a little closer to a text that’s shaped who we are and who we want to become. ★ Support this podcast ★

This is it.Back in Rome for a final time.Chapter by chapter, we’ve worked through this lengthy letter from the Apostle Paul. Along the way marking how his theology transformed as he grappled with the story of God in Christ.Along the way, we’ve grown, and we’ve continued to let the gracious way of Jesus alter the way we think of the Divine.How we look at each other. How we talk about faith.So, if you’ve been with us since the beginning, come along as we jump in where we left off and see how Paul wraps things up.And if you’re new to Commons, step a little closer to a text that’s shaped who we are and who we want to become. ★ Support this podcast ★

This is it.Back in Rome for a final time.Chapter by chapter, we’ve worked through this lengthy letter from the Apostle Paul. Along the way marking how his theology transformed as he grappled with the story of God in Christ.Along the way, we’ve grown, and we’ve continued to let the gracious way of Jesus alter the way we think of the Divine.How we look at each other. How we talk about faith.So, if you’ve been with us since the beginning, come along as we jump in where we left off and see how Paul wraps things up.And if you’re new to Commons, step a little closer to a text that’s shaped who we are and who we want to become. ★ Support this podcast ★

Swipe Right is a phrase that entered the common lexicon through the arrival of Tinder, an app designed to help people skip past the hard work of investing in the kind of healthy mature relationships we all really long for.But here’s the truth; healthy relationships are a matter of life-and-death importance because we are far more than sexual beings; we are human beings with all that is entailed.In this series, we intend to move past sermons on dating and relationships and talk about what it means to be a human with a brain, and a body and a soul and how all of these aspects inform our experience of love, sexuality, and relationships. ★ Support this podcast ★

Recap: 2:11Polished Ivory: 10:33Black and Beautiful: 15:14Sex Drives: 23:10Reintegration: 27:32Swipe Right is a phrase that entered the common lexicon through the arrival of Tinder, an app designed to help people skip past the hard work of investing in the kind of healthy mature relationships we all really long for.But here’s the truth; healthy relationships are a matter of life-and-death importance because we are far more than sexual beings; we are human beings with all that is entailed.In this series, we intend to move past sermons on dating and relationships and talk about what it means to be a human with a brain, and a body and a soul and how all of these aspects inform our experience of love, sexuality, and relationships. ★ Support this podcast ★

Community Stuff: 1:07Reading the Story: 4:48Sexy Songs: 16:04When Things End: 22:32Moving Forward: 27:33Swipe Right is a phrase that entered the common lexicon through the arrival of Tinder, an app designed to help people skip past the hard work of investing in the kind of healthy mature relationships we all really long for.But here’s the truth; healthy relationships are a matter of life-and-death importance because we are far more than sexual beings; we are human beings with all that is entailed.In this series, we intend to move past sermons on dating and relationships and talk about what it means to be a human with a brain, and a body and a soul and how all of these aspects inform our experience of love, sexuality, and relationships. ★ Support this podcast ★

What do your prayers sound like at this time of year? Please God, make time stand still so I can get readyfor Christmas. Please God, help me find a parking spot at the mall. Or, more seriously, Please God, turn this Christmas chaos into something calm.Advent is a season of waiting, expectation, and hope. It doesn’t mean that all longings are realized, though.And even as the story of Jesus begins with the angel announcing the birthof the Saviour to Mary and the world, everyone in the story is given a voice. And those voices are heard in five prayers, traditionally called “A Pentad of Prayers.” Five prayers named after the Latin word for the start of each prayer.The Fiat mihi - Let it be with me ...The Magnificat - My soul magnifies ... The Benedictus - Blessed be the Lord ... The Gloria in excelsis - Glory to God in the highest ...The Nunc dimittis - Now dismiss your servant ...Which prayer will guide you through this season? Let’s find out, together. ★ Support this podcast ★

What do your prayers sound like at this time of year? Please God, make time stand still so I can get readyfor Christmas. Please God, help me find a parking spot at the mall. Or, more seriously, Please God, turn this Christmas chaos into something calm.Advent is a season of waiting, expectation, and hope. It doesn’t mean that all longings are realized, though.And even as the story of Jesus begins with the angel announcing the birthof the Saviour to Mary and the world, everyone in the story is given a voice. And those voices are heard in five prayers, traditionally called “A Pentad of Prayers.” Five prayers named after the Latin word for the start of each prayer.The Fiat mihi - Let it be with me ...The Magnificat - My soul magnifies ... The Benedictus - Blessed be the Lord ... The Gloria in excelsis - Glory to God in the highest ...The Nunc dimittis - Now dismiss your servant ...Which prayer will guide you through this season? Let’s find out, together. ★ Support this podcast ★

What do your prayers sound like at this time of year? Please God, make time stand still so I can get readyfor Christmas. Please God, help me find a parking spot at the mall. Or, more seriously, Please God, turn this Christmas chaos into something calm.Advent is a season of waiting, expectation, and hope. It doesn’t mean that all longings are realized, though.And even as the story of Jesus begins with the angel announcing the birthof the Saviour to Mary and the world, everyone in the story is given a voice. And those voices are heard in five prayers, traditionally called “A Pentad of Prayers.” Five prayers named after the Latin word for the start of each prayer.The Fiat mihi - Let it be with me ...The Magnificat - My soul magnifies ... The Benedictus - Blessed be the Lord ... The Gloria in excelsis - Glory to God in the highest ...The Nunc dimittis - Now dismiss your servant ...Which prayer will guide you through this season? Let’s find out, together. ★ Support this podcast ★

What do your prayers sound like at this time of year? Please God, make time stand still so I can get readyfor Christmas. Please God, help me find a parking spot at the mall. Or, more seriously, Please God, turn this Christmas chaos into something calm.Advent is a season of waiting, expectation, and hope. It doesn’t mean that all longings are realized, though.And even as the story of Jesus begins with the angel announcing the birthof the Saviour to Mary and the world, everyone in the story is given a voice. And those voices are heard in five prayers, traditionally called “A Pentad of Prayers.” Five prayers named after the Latin word for the start of each prayer.The Fiat mihi - Let it be with me ...The Magnificat - My soul magnifies ... The Benedictus - Blessed be the Lord ... The Gloria in excelsis - Glory to God in the highest ...The Nunc dimittis - Now dismiss your servant ...Which prayer will guide you through this season? Let’s find out, together. ★ Support this podcast ★

In a world that, moves faster and faster each year, the season of Advent becomes even more important. Waiting, anticipating, lamenting and journeying these are part of the beauty that ultimately awaits us. ★ Support this podcast ★

What do your prayers sound like at this time of year? Please God, make time stand still so I can get readyfor Christmas. Please God, help me find a parking spot at the mall. Or, more seriously, Please God, turn this Christmas chaos into something calm.Advent is a season of waiting, expectation, and hope. It doesn’t mean that all longings are realized, though.And even as the story of Jesus begins with the angel announcing the birthof the Saviour to Mary and the world, everyone in the story is given a voice. And those voices are heard in five prayers, traditionally called “A Pentad of Prayers.” Five prayers named after the Latin word for the start of each prayer.The Fiat mihi - Let it be with me ...The Magnificat - My soul magnifies ... The Benedictus - Blessed be the Lord ... The Gloria in excelsis - Glory to God in the highest ...The Nunc dimittis - Now dismiss your servant ...Which prayer will guide you through this season? Let’s find out, together. ★ Support this podcast ★

“Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place.”—Henri NouwenWe’ve all likely had the experience where someone made space for us.A grandparent, a dear friend, a stranger who didn’t speak our language, or even someone we didn’t agree with.Maybe they offered us welcome. They made us feel safe.They chose to be vulnerable.They extended kindness when they could have withheld it.Whatever the case, these kinds of experiences show us how powerful hospitality can be. How embrace transforms us. How, in a world of tension, hostility, and boundary-making, we often come alive when we choose to open and hold space for others.Let’s consider how the Scriptures show us a God like this, always making room. ★ Support this podcast ★

“Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place.”—Henri NouwenWe’ve all likely had the experience where someone made space for us.A grandparent, a dear friend, a stranger who didn’t speak our language, or even someone we didn’t agree with.Maybe they offered us welcome. They made us feel safe.They chose to be vulnerable.They extended kindness when they could have withheld it.Whatever the case, these kinds of experiences show us how powerful hospitality can be. How embrace transforms us. How, in a world of tension, hostility, and boundary-making, we often come alive when we choose to open and hold space for others.Let’s consider how the Scriptures show us a God like this, always making room. ★ Support this podcast ★

“Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place.”—Henri NouwenWe’ve all likely had the experience where someone made space for us.A grandparent, a dear friend, a stranger who didn’t speak our language, or even someone we didn’t agree with.Maybe they offered us welcome. They made us feel safe.They chose to be vulnerable.They extended kindness when they could have withheld it.Whatever the case, these kinds of experiences show us how powerful hospitality can be. How embrace transforms us. How, in a world of tension, hostility, and boundary-making, we often come alive when we choose to open and hold space for others.Let’s consider how the Scriptures show us a God like this, always making room. ★ Support this podcast ★

“Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place.”—Henri NouwenWe’ve all likely had the experience where someone made space for us.A grandparent, a dear friend, a stranger who didn’t speak our language, or even someone we didn’t agree with.Maybe they offered us welcome. They made us feel safe.They chose to be vulnerable.They extended kindness when they could have withheld it.Whatever the case, these kinds of experiences show us how powerful hospitality can be. How embrace transforms us. How, in a world of tension, hostility, and boundary-making, we often come alive when we choose to open and hold space for others.Let’s consider how the Scriptures show us a God like this, always making room. ★ Support this podcast ★

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most famous speeches ever given. This is Jesus at his most accessible. The intriguing phenomenon is, however, that the closer one looks the more one becomes fascinated with the beauty through which Jesus addresses each topic. “The experience can be compared with visiting famous old castles or cathedrals. Tourists may put in thirty minutes to walk through, just to get an impression, and that is what they get. But if one begins to study such buildings with the help of a good guidebook, visions of whole worlds open up. Whether it is the architecture, the symbols and images, the statues and paintings, or the history that took place in and around the buildings, under closer examination things are bound to become more and more complicated, diverse, and intriguing, with no end in sight.” –Hans Dieter Betz Our hope is that this familiar sermon can become just as intriguing again if we take the time to look closer. ★ Support this podcast ★

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most famous speeches ever given. This is Jesus at his most accessible. The intriguing phenomenon is, however, that the closer one looks the more one becomes fascinated with the beauty through which Jesus addresses each topic. “The experience can be compared with visiting famous old castles or cathedrals. Tourists may put in thirty minutes to walk through, just to get an impression, and that is what they get. But if one begins to study such buildings with the help of a good guidebook, visions of whole worlds open up. Whether it is the architecture, the symbols and images, the statues and paintings, or the history that took place in and around the buildings, under closer examination things are bound to become more and more complicated, diverse, and intriguing, with no end in sight.” –Hans Dieter Betz Our hope is that this familiar sermon can become just as intriguing again if we take the time to look closer. ★ Support this podcast ★

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most famous speeches ever given. This is Jesus at his most accessible. The intriguing phenomenon is, however, that the closer one looks the more one becomes fascinated with the beauty through which Jesus addresses each topic. “The experience can be compared with visiting famous old castles or cathedrals. Tourists may put in thirty minutes to walk through, just to get an impression, and that is what they get. But if one begins to study such buildings with the help of a good guidebook, visions of whole worlds open up. Whether it is the architecture, the symbols and images, the statues and paintings, or the history that took place in and around the buildings, under closer examination things are bound to become more and more complicated, diverse, and intriguing, with no end in sight.” –Hans Dieter Betz Our hope is that this familiar sermon can become just as intriguing again if we take the time to look closer. ★ Support this podcast ★

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most famous speeches ever given. This is Jesus at his most accessible. The intriguing phenomenon is, however, that the closer one looks the more one becomes fascinated with the beauty through which Jesus addresses each topic. “The experience can be compared with visiting famous old castles or cathedrals. Tourists may put in thirty minutes to walk through, just to get an impression, and that is what they get. But if one begins to study such buildings with the help of a good guidebook, visions of whole worlds open up. Whether it is the architecture, the symbols and images, the statues and paintings, or the history that took place in and around the buildings, under closer examination things are bound to become more and more complicated, diverse, and intriguing, with no end in sight.” –Hans Dieter Betz Our hope is that this familiar sermon can become just as intriguing again if we take the time to look closer. ★ Support this podcast ★

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most famous speeches ever given. This is Jesus at his most accessible. The intriguing phenomenon is, however, that the closer one looks the more one becomes fascinated with the beauty through which Jesus addresses each topic. “The experience can be compared with visiting famous old castles or cathedrals. Tourists may put in thirty minutes to walk through, just to get an impression, and that is what they get. But if one begins to study such buildings with the help of a good guidebook, visions of whole worlds open up. Whether it is the architecture, the symbols and images, the statues and paintings, or the history that took place in and around the buildings, under closer examination things are bound to become more and more complicated, diverse, and intriguing, with no end in sight.” –Hans Dieter Betz Our hope is that this familiar sermon can become just as intriguing again if we take the time to look closer. ★ Support this podcast ★

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most famous speeches ever given. This is Jesus at his most accessible. The intriguing phenomenon is, however, that the closer one looks the more one becomes fascinated with the beauty through which Jesus addresses each topic. “The experience can be compared with visiting famous old castles or cathedrals. Tourists may put in thirty minutes to walk through, just to get an impression, and that is what they get. But if one begins to study such buildings with the help of a good guidebook, visions of whole worlds open up. Whether it is the architecture, the symbols and images, the statues and paintings, or the history that took place in and around the buildings, under closer examination things are bound to become more and more complicated, diverse, and intriguing, with no end in sight.” –Hans Dieter Betz Our hope is that this familiar sermon can become just as intriguing again if we take the time to look closer. ★ Support this podcast ★

We put together a series of YouTube videos as a companion to this series working through each of thee 8 beatitudes. We've collected them for you here. ★ Support this podcast ★

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most famous speeches ever given. This is Jesus at his most accessible. The intriguing phenomenon is, however, that the closer one looks the more one becomes fascinated with the beauty through which Jesus addresses each topic. “The experience can be compared with visiting famous old castles or cathedrals. Tourists may put in thirty minutes to walk through, just to get an impression, and that is what they get. But if one begins to study such buildings with the help of a good guidebook, visions of whole worlds open up. Whether it is the architecture, the symbols and images, the statues and paintings, or the history that took place in and around the buildings, under closer examination things are bound to become more and more complicated, diverse, and intriguing, with no end in sight.” –Hans Dieter Betz Our hope is that this familiar sermon can become just as intriguing again if we take the time to look closer. ★ Support this podcast ★

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most famous speeches ever given. This is Jesus at his most accessible. The intriguing phenomenon is, however, that the closer one looks the more one becomes fascinated with the beauty through which Jesus addresses each topic. “The experience can be compared with visiting famous old castles or cathedrals. Tourists may put in thirty minutes to walk through, just to get an impression, and that is what they get. But if one begins to study such buildings with the help of a good guidebook, visions of whole worlds open up. Whether it is the architecture, the symbols and images, the statues and paintings, or the history that took place in and around the buildings, under closer examination things are bound to become more and more complicated, diverse, and intriguing, with no end in sight.” –Hans Dieter Betz Our hope is that this familiar sermon can become just as intriguing again if we take the time to look closer. ★ Support this podcast ★

Prayer is a pretty big deal. After all, at Commons we opened this year with prayer and we’re closing the year with prayer. From the Lord’s Prayer in the fall, to the Psalms prayer book in the summer, we’ve got instructions and illustrations to shape our prayerful souls in all seasons. So what’s prayer to you? Is it the recitation of prayers you learned as a kid? Is prayer the words that spring up inside you like “thank you,” “help me,” and “I’m so sorry”? Maybe prayer is becoming less wordy and more connected to deep breaths, centred contemplation, and heart-soaring awe. There are Christians in all kinds of traditions that pray the Psalms every day, morning and night. And sure, the prayerful poems are more familiar year after year, but they never stop speaking and shaping the human heart before God. Dive into the Psalms with us this summer and find yourself refreshed with honesty, lament, and praise. ★ Support this podcast ★

Prayer is a pretty big deal. After all, at Commons we opened this year with prayer and we’re closing the year with prayer. From the Lord’s Prayer in the fall, to the Psalms prayer book in the summer, we’ve got instructions and illustrations to shape our prayerful souls in all seasons. So what’s prayer to you? Is it the recitation of prayers you learned as a kid? Is prayer the words that spring up inside you like “thank you,” “help me,” and “I’m so sorry”? Maybe prayer is becoming less wordy and more connected to deep breaths, centred contemplation, and heart-soaring awe. There are Christians in all kinds of traditions that pray the Psalms every day, morning and night. And sure, the prayerful poems are more familiar year after year, but they never stop speaking and shaping the human heart before God. Dive into the Psalms with us this summer and find yourself refreshed with honesty, lament, and praise. ★ Support this podcast ★

Prayer is a pretty big deal. After all, at Commons we opened this year with prayer and we’re closing the year with prayer. From the Lord’s Prayer in the fall, to the Psalms prayer book in the summer, we’ve got instructions and illustrations to shape our prayerful souls in all seasons. So what’s prayer to you? Is it the recitation of prayers you learned as a kid? Is prayer the words that spring up inside you like “thank you,” “help me,” and “I’m so sorry”? Maybe prayer is becoming less wordy and more connected to deep breaths, centred contemplation, and heart-soaring awe. There are Christians in all kinds of traditions that pray the Psalms every day, morning and night. And sure, the prayerful poems are more familiar year after year, but they never stop speaking and shaping the human heart before God. Dive into the Psalms with us this summer and find yourself refreshed with honesty, lament, and praise. ★ Support this podcast ★

Prayer is a pretty big deal. After all, at Commons we opened this year with prayer and we’re closing the year with prayer. From the Lord’s Prayer in the fall, to the Psalms prayer book in the summer, we’ve got instructions and illustrations to shape our prayerful souls in all seasons. So what’s prayer to you? Is it the recitation of prayers you learned as a kid? Is prayer the words that spring up inside you like “thank you,” “help me,” and “I’m so sorry”? Maybe prayer is becoming less wordy and more connected to deep breaths, centred contemplation, and heart-soaring awe. There are Christians in all kinds of traditions that pray the Psalms every day, morning and night. And sure, the prayerful poems are more familiar year after year, but they never stop speaking and shaping the human heart before God. Dive into the Psalms with us this summer and find yourself refreshed with honesty, lament, and praise. ★ Support this podcast ★

Prayer is a pretty big deal. After all, at Commons we opened this year with prayer and we’re closing the year with prayer. From the Lord’s Prayer in the fall, to the Psalms prayer book in the summer, we’ve got instructions and illustrations to shape our prayerful souls in all seasons. So what’s prayer to you? Is it the recitation of prayers you learned as a kid? Is prayer the words that spring up inside you like “thank you,” “help me,” and “I’m so sorry”? Maybe prayer is becoming less wordy and more connected to deep breaths, centred contemplation, and heart-soaring awe. There are Christians in all kinds of traditions that pray the Psalms every day, morning and night. And sure, the prayerful poems are more familiar year after year, but they never stop speaking and shaping the human heart before God. Dive into the Psalms with us this summer and find yourself refreshed with honesty, lament, and praise. ★ Support this podcast ★

Prayer is a pretty big deal. After all, at Commons we opened this year with prayer and we’re closing the year with prayer. From the Lord’s Prayer in the fall, to the Psalms prayer book in the summer, we’ve got instructions and illustrations to shape our prayerful souls in all seasons. So what’s prayer to you? Is it the recitation of prayers you learned as a kid? Is prayer the words that spring up inside you like “thank you,” “help me,” and “I’m so sorry”? Maybe prayer is becoming less wordy and more connected to deep breaths, centred contemplation, and heart-soaring awe. There are Christians in all kinds of traditions that pray the Psalms every day, morning and night. And sure, the prayerful poems are more familiar year after year, but they never stop speaking and shaping the human heart before God. Dive into the Psalms with us this summer and find yourself refreshed with honesty, lament, and praise. ★ Support this podcast ★

Prayer is a pretty big deal. After all, at Commons we opened this year with prayer and we’re closing the year with prayer. From the Lord’s Prayer in the fall, to the Psalms prayer book in the summer, we’ve got instructions and illustrations to shape our prayerful souls in all seasons. So what’s prayer to you? Is it the recitation of prayers you learned as a kid? Is prayer the words that spring up inside you like “thank you,” “help me,” and “I’m so sorry”? Maybe prayer is becoming less wordy and more connected to deep breaths, centred contemplation, and heart-soaring awe. There are Christians in all kinds of traditions that pray the Psalms every day, morning and night. And sure, the prayerful poems are more familiar year after year, but they never stop speaking and shaping the human heart before God. Dive into the Psalms with us this summer and find yourself refreshed with honesty, lament, and praise. ★ Support this podcast ★

Prayer is a pretty big deal. After all, at Commons we opened this year with prayer and we’re closing the year with prayer. From the Lord’s Prayer in the fall, to the Psalms prayer book in the summer, we’ve got instructions and illustrations to shape our prayerful souls in all seasons. So what’s prayer to you? Is it the recitation of prayers you learned as a kid? Is prayer the words that spring up inside you like “thank you,” “help me,” and “I’m so sorry”? Maybe prayer is becoming less wordy and more connected to deep breaths, centred contemplation, and heart-soaring awe. There are Christians in all kinds of traditions that pray the Psalms every day, morning and night. And sure, the prayerful poems are more familiar year after year, but they never stop speaking and shaping the human heart before God. Dive into the Psalms with us this summer and find yourself refreshed with honesty, lament, and praise. ★ Support this podcast ★

For better or worse, we’re more or less a collection of the things we do repeatedly. For some of us, this is something we approach strategically, crafting our schedules to produce the best version of ourselves. For others, our patterns and tendencies leave us feeling like they control us. In talking about these realities, David Brooks says that somewhere between our ‘resume virtues’ and our ‘eulogy virtues’—between our pursuit of wealth,significance, success and our desire forkindness, bravery, integrity—there is a need for an intentionally formed inner life. Which means that, wherever we findourselves, there’s always an opportunity to start something new. A new approach. A new tradition. A new practice. Join us as we consider how the scriptures can be an unexpected guide on this journey. ★ Support this podcast ★

For better or worse, we’re more or less a collection of the things we do repeatedly. For some of us, this is something we approach strategically, crafting our schedules to produce the best version of ourselves. For others, our patterns and tendencies leave us feeling like they control us. In talking about these realities, David Brooks says that somewhere between our ‘resume virtues’ and our ‘eulogy virtues’—between our pursuit of wealth,significance, success and our desire forkindness, bravery, integrity—there is a need for an intentionally formed inner life. Which means that, wherever we findourselves, there’s always an opportunity to start something new. A new approach. A new tradition. A new practice. Join us as we consider how the scriptures can be an unexpected guide on this journey. ★ Support this podcast ★

We all know we're saved by grace but the truth is we are also changed by grace. Knowing ourselves as God knows us, as loved and welcomed and forgiven is the only thing that can actually transform us. ★ Support this podcast ★

For better or worse, we’re more or less a collection of the things we do repeatedly. For some of us, this is something we approach strategically, crafting our schedules to produce the best version of ourselves. For others, our patterns and tendencies leave us feeling like they control us. In talking about these realities, David Brooks says that somewhere between our ‘resume virtues’ and our ‘eulogy virtues’—between our pursuit of wealth,significance, success and our desire forkindness, bravery, integrity—there is a need for an intentionally formed inner life. Which means that, wherever we findourselves, there’s always an opportunity to start something new. A new approach. A new tradition. A new practice. Join us as we consider how the scriptures can be an unexpected guide on this journey. ★ Support this podcast ★

The great land owners with access to history, with eyes to read history and to know the great fact: when property accumulates in too few hands it is taken away... —John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath We live with wealth. And not just money. We have time and resources and talents and opportunities that surround us here in Canada. And so the question is not so much whether wealth is good or bad but instead how we will steward such wealth— comparatively slight as it may seem at times—into channels that serve the Kingdom of God on earth. Walter Brueggemann writes, “a study of the various biblical texts on money and possessions makes clear that the neighbourly common good is the only viable sustainable context for individual well-being.” Our challenge then is to explore what it means to enjoy our blessings, to plan wisely for our individual needs, all while contributing to the common good around us. May we be wealthy well. ★ Support this podcast ★

The great land owners with access to history, with eyes to read history and to know the great fact: when property accumulates in too few hands it is taken away... —John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath We live with wealth. And not just money. We have time and resources and talents and opportunities that surround us here in Canada. And so the question is not so much whether wealth is good or bad but instead how we will steward such wealth— comparatively slight as it may seem at times—into channels that serve the Kingdom of God on earth. Walter Brueggemann writes, “a study of the various biblical texts on money and possessions makes clear that the neighbourly common good is the only viable sustainable context for individual well-being.” Our challenge then is to explore what it means to enjoy our blessings, to plan wisely for our individual needs, all while contributing to the common good around us. May we be wealthy well. ★ Support this podcast ★

The great land owners with access to history, with eyes to read history and to know the great fact: when property accumulates in too few hands it is taken away... —John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath We live with wealth. And not just money. We have time and resources and talents and opportunities that surround us here in Canada. And so the question is not so much whether wealth is good or bad but instead how we will steward such wealth— comparatively slight as it may seem at times—into channels that serve the Kingdom of God on earth. Walter Brueggemann writes, “a study of the various biblical texts on money and possessions makes clear that the neighbourly common good is the only viable sustainable context for individual well-being.” Our challenge then is to explore what it means to enjoy our blessings, to plan wisely for our individual needs, all while contributing to the common good around us. May we be wealthy well. ★ Support this podcast ★

Are you one of those people who loves change or hates change? Maybe somewhere in the middle? Maybe you see the necessity of change but you don’t like the discomfort it brings. Maybe you rage against change and then, when you finally give in, you realize you need it. Everything in life is touched by change. Our bodies change and age, our relationships struggle and grow, and our world is full of change and instability too. But what about our relationship with God? Can our dance with the sacred withstand significant change? Let’s look at a time in ancient Israel’s history when change rocked God’s people. Israel was exiled by Babylon, and when they slowly made their way back home they discovered that home wasn’t quite what they hoped it would be. Change can do that - it can upend you. The Ezra and Nehemiah stories call us to prepare, rebuild, and intentionally choose healthy change. So if change is going to happen, let’s at least be ready. ★ Support this podcast ★