Author: JR. Forasteros

Friendship

At Catalyst, we believe that Friendship is the heart of Jesus’ good news. What does that mean? Friendship with God invites us to go beyond hospitality to seeking friendship outside our own spaces. What does that mean for us – both as individuals and as a church? PLUS: we’ll hear from our Mexico team about how they discovered friendship in Chihuahua!

Table Setting

What makes us a church? How do our core values – Friendship, Diversity, Transformation and Curiosity – work together to make us God’s people in the world? Join us in this series as we gather around tables to celebrate how God forms us for the world!

On Being a Black Sheep Church

What does it mean to be a Black Sheep church? How can we be faithful in a culture that doesn’t fit? We review our time with Jeremiah, and hear one last promise. The call is overwhelming, so it’s a good thing the God who calls us is even bigger!

Have You Any Wool?

Did you know the nursery rhyme ‘Ba Ba Black Sheep’ was about unfair taxation? That’s right – we’ve been finding ways to protest unjust rulers since the first person exploited someone else. Jeremiah too critiqued the kings and priests who cared only for themselves. He promised a better ruler, a more faithful king was coming. So how does our relationship to Jesus help us spot the faithful leaders – and those who are working against God?

How We Learn to Listen

How do we NOT feel overwhelmed when facing the evils of the world? No wonder we have a tendency to silence or ignore those suffering – especially when we’re powerless to help. Jeremiah teaches us that in times of great crisis maybe what we need to do is be silent and learn to lament. Because lamenting teaches us how to hear the voices of the crushed and marginalized. Lamentation is our pathway back to the people God created us and calls us to be!

Sabbath Revolution

Sabbath is one of those old-fashioned ideas we don’t pay attention to much these days. After all, who can really afford to take a whole day off from life? In Jeremiah’s day, the people’s failure to keep Sabbath was the signal fire that they were faithless. Why is Sabbath so important? And what does it look like to keep Sabbath in our (way too) busy world? How is Sabbath an act of revolution?

No Fast, No Feast

You know that “This is Fine” Dog? It’s a pretty good representation of God’s people in Jeremiah’s day – and maybe in ours too. That’s why God told Jeremiah not to attend funerals or weddings. God refused to go along with business as usual in the face of the people’s unfaithfulness. What does ‘no fast, no feast’ look like for God’s faithful people today?