Category: Sermons

Reciprocity

Healthy relationships take work – and they really only thrive when BOTH people are putting in the effort. So how can you learn to spot unhealthy people? Is there a way to be generous and kind without constantly being taken advantage of?

Solving Problems

We buy into the myth that healthy relationships don’t have conflict, but that’s not true. Healthy relationships are really good at navigating conflict. What are the keys to healthy conflict resolution? How can we implement them in the conflicts we face on a daily basis?

Unconditional Positive Regard

Since we live in our own heads, we tend to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt. But we judge others harshly in part because we can’t see what burdens they carry. Healthy relationships are characterized by Unconditional Positive Regard, or giving others the benefit of the doubt. This is a grace we can only give when we first receive it from God. So how do we do that?

Healthy Boundaries

Truly healthy relationships require boundaries. The story of Abram and Lot shows us what it looks like to draw clear, loving and grace-filled boundaries while being confident in God’s love and provision.

Mutual Respect

Relationships get messy the deeper they get – and that’s a good thing. Unison was never God’s goal for our connections with each other. Romans 14 shows us the path to beautiful, harmonious relationships.

Quality Time

Healthy relationships require us to invest time in them. But not all time is equal. How can we ensure the time we share with others is quality? How can we make the most of our relationships?

A Faithful Relationship

Easter is about much more than going to heaven after we die. By raising Jesus from the dead, God shows us that God is faithful. How can we trust that we can die to ourselves and live for someone else? Because God raised Jesus after he gave up his life for us! Easter invites us to a better way to relate to each other – one grounded in God’s faithfulness!

Disappointed with God

Failed expectations can really hurt our relationships. What happens when we get disappointed with God? Palm Sunday invites us to ask the question: Do we think God is on our side? Or are we making sure we’re on God’s side?

When to Speak Up

What do you do when you hear someone tell a racist joke? Speaking up is hard – it makes us all feel awkward. And it’s even worse to be called out. Why don’t we just keep to ourselves? Paul’s confrontation with Peter in Antioch illustrates why we have to speak up: God calls us all to be one, and we can’t be one until we have justice. So what does that look like?

Humility

We’ve seen the promise of growth that can happen when we stay where it’s awkward. But how do we endure it? Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus illustrates the importance of humility – not thinking too much or too little of ourselves, but rather not thinking of ourselves at all.