Catholic Revival Ministries Podcast: Recent Episodes
Catholic Revival Ministries
Welcome to the podcast of Catholic Revival Ministries. We are Jim and Jonna Schuster, ministry professionals and Catholic revivalists who are passionate about bringing supernatural impact to the world. These are candid conversations from our living room where we explore and unpack life in the Kingdom of God. If you love to think deeply about life, faith, and God, you'll feel right at home here! For more about us and our ministry, visit www.catholicrevivalministries.com
Words carry power. Jonna recently sat down for a podcast interview with our good friends Simone Rizkallah and Annette Bergeon at Endow. In this conversation, they share their insights on the power of words — how they can be used to tear down and destroy through the vice of gossip, but also how they can build up and bring life through the spiritual gift of prophecy.
If you'd like to learn more about Endow's small group resources for women, visit their website at endowgroups.org.
Other links mentioned in the episode:
Gossip is a Sickness, Prophecy is the Cure: https://review.catechetics.com/gossip-sickness-prophecy-cure
Good Words Journal: https://www.goodwordsjournal.com
The Sin of Gossip by Msgr. Pope: https://aleteia.org/2015/01/16/the-sin-of-gossip/
Reclaiming Prophecy: https://www.catholicrevivalministries.com/blog/reclaiming-prophecy
Jim recently had the privilege of being interviewed by Simone Rizkallah of Endow, a ministry that provides resources for women to dive deeper in fellowship and study of the Catholic Faith. In this episode, Jim and Simone discuss deconstructionism, evangelization, and the universality of Jesus as they unpack the Church document, Dominus Iesus. If you enjoy theology, you’ll love this conversation!
To learn more about Endow, visit http://endowgroups.org.
And check out The Endow Podcast for more episodes like this one!
When we encounter problems in our lives, it can often feel like it's entirely on our shoulders to figure everything out. But what if God has a different idea for how we navigate these things, one where we get to lighten our burden by leaning on His wisdom? In this episode, we talk about perspective, surrender, and seeking God’s solutions to the challenges we face.
www.catholicrevivalministries.com
From the emotional whiplash of living in “unprecedented times” to technological advancements that address real-life issues, God wants to be in all of it. In this episode, we share a life update about where we’ve been the past two years (spoiler: in survival mode), how we’ve processed and navigated a challenging season, and where God has shown up in it all.
www.catholicrevivalministries.com
The way of Jesus is the way of love. But what does that look like for us as we navigate the conditions of our broken world? This episode is Part 2 of our conversation with Deacon Keith Strohm from the Archdiocese of Chicago. In it, we discuss exercising love in difficult situations and share how God has helped each of us learn to align ourselves with His heart of compassion.
You can learn more about Deacon Keith and the work he’s doing at M3 Ministries here: www.m3catholic.com.
www.catholicrevivalministries.com
From our day-to-day experiences to the immense problems we face in the world, one thing is clear: we need Jesus. In this episode, we were honored to sit down with Deacon Keith Strohm from the Archdiocese of Chicago and discuss what God has been doing in each of us lately. We chat about re-focusing on the Lord, the role of testimony in cultivating expectation, our call to mission, and making room for the explosive power of the Holy Spirit.
You can learn more about Deacon Keith and the work he’s doing at M3 Ministries here: www.m3catholic.com.
Join Catholic Revival Ministries and Deacon Keith Strohm on May 1, 2021 for UNLEASHED, an online healing and empowerment retreat! More info at www.catholicrevivalministries.com/unleashed
Jonna recently had the privilege of being interviewed by Simone Rizkallah of Endow, an amazing ministry that provides resources for Catholic women to dive deeper in fellowship and study with one another in small groups. In this podcast episode, Jonna and Simone discuss ecumenism, COVID-19, and the activation of spiritual gifts.
To learn more about Endow, visit http://endowgroups.org.
And check out The Endow Podcast for more interviews like this one!
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www.catholicrevivalministries.com
Encountering the glory of God has a way of shifting our perspective and eradicating fear and restriction. In this episode, we share about the recent intensity we’ve experienced in prayer, and how that led to a new unlocked boldness in faith.
www.catholicrevivalministries.com
God is doing something new right now. In this episode, we share about our recent experiences in worship, encountering the King and engaging with heaven in real-time, and inklings of the bigger picture we're seeing among all believers.
www.catholicrevivalministries.com
It’s not uncommon for the life of a Christian to become weighed down by scrupulosity and spiritual checklists. In this episode, we discuss what it’s like to be fueled by the urge to strive, and what it means to live from the awareness of our radical dependence on the Lord.
www.catholicrevivalministries.com
God has hidden indispensable treasures in each one of us. In this episode, we discuss the pressures of comparison and conformity in the Church, and the importance of honor and creating space to steward what we uniquely carry.
www.catholicrevivalministries.com
When our life and circumstances rob us of peace, it’s instinctive to start grasping for a means of regaining control. In this episode, we discuss our process of reestablishing connection with the Lord during experiences of overwhelm.
www.catholicrevivalministries.com
We are called to lead powerful lives as co-laborers with Christ in the restoration of all things. This is not something we do by our own strength, but by the empowerment of God through the Holy Spirit. Learn about the indispensable role you fill in God’s vision for the world!
www.catholicrevivalministries.com
John the Baptist announced that the coming Messiah, Jesus, would “baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3:11). What is this baptism with the Holy Spirit, and what impact does it have on our lives?
www.catholicrevivalministries.com
“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” - John 10:27
Jesus taught that his disciples would readily and easily hear his voice, yet many struggle to grow in intimacy with God, perceiving Him as distant or silent. This talk peels back the lies that keep us from entering into a conversational relationship with God, and invites us into a “new normal” for prayer.
www.catholicrevivalministries.com
Reflection and testimony on the journey of healing that God has been working out in my life, freeing me self-reliance, slavery to sin, a servant mentality, and a poverty mindset. Given at a healing prayer event hosted by Divine Mercy DC at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Washington, DC.
This talk was given at the conclusion of an all-day Catechist Training at St. Charles Catholic Church in Arlington, VA. It elaborates on the difference between evangelization and catechesis as distinct “moments” in the ministerial activity of the Church, and why it is so important to build our catechesis on the solid foundation of the kerygma.
August 5, 2017
In this year of "Pursuing the Presence" we have talked a lot about the power of the Holy Spirit, and how we can exercise that power as stewards of God's presence. The apostles demonstrate for us what that power can accomplish through healing and miracles. But Jesus said that his disciples would be known and recognized, not by their powerful deeds, but by their love (John 13:35). Power and love were always meant to go together, and when we exercise love from a place of power, it has the capacity to change lives and hearts in any situation.
CYO Large Group - June 4, 2017
2017 CYO Spring Retreat Theme: "Eden Restored" Talk 1: Retreat Intro (Jonna) + Uprooting Shame (Mary)
May 19, 2017
Jesus modeled for us what it looks like to carry the presence of God, to live in intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. But carrying God’s presence is one thing, and releasing His presence into the world around us is another. Jesus modeled this for us as well, as he demonstrated the transformative power of God’s presence through miracles, signs, and wonders. We, too, are called to bring healing to the broken world around us by partnering with the Holy Spirit and invading impossibilities with God’s presence!
CYO Large Group - May 7, 2017
God loves to amaze us. In fact, Scripture says He is able to accomplish “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” (Eph 3:20) We are designed for worship – we are designed to live in response to the Lord who continually amazes us with His power, goodness, and love. In this talk, Rob shares how worship is not just something we DO, but a reflection of who we ARE. Being a worshiper means learning to stand in awe of God as He reveals His face in our lives. Whether that comes through joy & adventure, as peace in the midst of a storm, or in the faces of people we serve, we can find God’s presence and respond with a heart of gratitude and awe.
CYO Large Group - April 23, 2017
Heaven is described as the presence of God (Rev 22:1-5); in other words, it can be said that the presence of God IS heaven. One important aspect of the culture of heaven is honor. In this talk, Marybeth unpacks the concept of honor as the natural response to encountering the presence of God, and offers practical insight about what it looks like to honor the presence of God in others. By training ourselves to practice awareness, respect, and acclaim, we have the power to infuse our world with an honor that brings people into contact with the transformative love of God.
CYO Large Group - April 9, 2017
“We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito.” –C. S. Lewis
Just as we have natural senses that allow us to perceive and engage with the world around us, God has gifted us with spiritual senses that help us stay connected with Him and the supernatural reality around us. God is omnipresent, and we are meant to not just experience brief moments of encounter with Him, but enjoy a relationship of constant connection. In this talk, Chris shares about the importance of developing our spiritual senses in order to cultivate an awareness of God’s presence, so that we are able to walk in communion with Him and see the world through His eyes.
Download "Cultivating Awareness" handout: www.bit.ly/awarenesshandout
CYO Large Group - March 26, 2017
We are all, by nature, made in God’s image and likeness, which gives us all the capacity for creativity. Creativity is a powerful gift in fostering connection, stirring hearts to dream and wonder, and awakening our senses to living a fully engaged life, but when we learn to partner with the Holy Spirit in our creativity, we open up the possibility for even greater world impact. In this talk, Jonna explains what it looks like to invite the Holy Spirit into our creative process, and the new realities that we can create when we seek God’s insight for fresh ideas, expressions, and solutions.
CYO Large Group - March 12, 2017
"The man who is wise will see his life as more like a reservoir than a canal. The canal simultaneously pours out what it receives. The reservoir retains the water till it is filled, then discharges the overflow without loss to itself. You too must learn to await this fullness before pouring out your gifts." -St. Bernard of Clairvaux
In his last official talk as a youth minister at St. Bernadette's, Jim unpacks this profound piece of wisdom from St. Bernard, sharing how he has seen the "Principle of Overflow" in operation throughout his life.
To view the video of the Oroville Reservoir crisis referenced in this talk, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg-isID0u4E
CYO Large Group - February 26, 2017
"I pray...that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you" (John 17:20-21). In offering this prayer on the night before his death, Jesus shows us how important unity among Christians is to him. The present day division of Christians is a sad reality that we face, and yet in this 500th year since the Reformation, there are beautiful movements toward greater unity underway. In this talk, Jim describes how the Catholic Church understands its relationship to other Christian churches, and gives some practical suggestions for how each of us can pursue mending division in the Body of Christ and beyond.
CYO Large Group - January 29, 2017
By the free gift of His grace, God nourishes us with everything our souls need to live and flourish. One of the most significant ways that God makes that grace available to us is through the Sacraments, which lay the foundation for our relationship with Christ. In this talk, Linda shares with us how the Sacraments serve as powerful gateways into the presence of God and give us access to grace in key areas of our lives.
CYO Large Group - January 15, 2017
In this Advent season, we recall how Jesus took on human flesh and became "Emmanuel" or "God with us." God had already been present to his people, but in Jesus, God became present on this earth in a new way. Similarly, we know that God is omnipresent right now, but there are times when He demonstrates His presence to us in a tangible, experiential way. Jim & Jonna talk about what experiencing God can look like and some keys to inviting His manifest presence in our lives.
CYO Large Group - December 4, 2016
All of us know what it's like to feel brokenhearted from time to time. In both big and small things, God's heart breaks right along with us, and we have the promise of Scripture that "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" (Psalm 147:3). In this talk, Jonna gives guidance for how to bring our broken hearts before the Lord and invite His healing in.
CYO Large Group - November 6, 2016
"You have made us for yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in Thee." (St. Augustine)
The restlessness that St. Augustine speaks of drives us into various forms of striving, whether that is striving after worldly things or even striving after heavenly things. But the way that God has laid out for us is not a path of striving. It is a path that begins with rest, resting in God's love for us and the grace available to us through Jesus.
CYO Large Group - October 9, 2016
As we start this year of "Pursuing the Presence" in CYO, we wanted to lay a foundation for what we mean by "The Presence of God." What is it? How do we identify it? And what does it mean for us? We pursue God's presence, not because God is hiding Himself from us, but because He has made Himself so readily available!
CYO Large Group - September 25, 2016
WORSHIP NIGHTS - Week 1 Date: July 13, 2016 Topic: Worship as Alignment Song: Cornerstone
"Worship Nights" was a series of six weekly gatherings of music-led prayer and worship. Each night featured a talk on one aspect of worship and an hour of music designed to help us explore worship in that way. This recording includes one of those talks, along with one song to help you explore worship at home.
2016 CYO Spring Retreat
Theme: "Kings & Queens"
Talk 1: Worth (Jonna + Mary)
God has made us into a "royal priesthood," a people who truly carry royal dignity as kings & queens. The starting point for walking in this identity is to come to recognize and believe in our value and worth in God's eyes.
May 20, 2016
We have spent a lot of time this year talking about our call to be world changers and to collaborate with God in manifesting His Kingdom here on earth. After all we've seen, we are more convinced of this high calling of ours than ever! The key to pushing further into this high calling is in pursuing greater intimacy with the Lord whose perfect love transforms us and teaches us how to love others.
CYO Large Group - June 5, 2016
Jesus told his disciples - and us through them - that they are called to be the light of the world. Part of the way we do this is by demonstrating the excellence of God through the excellence we bring to our endeavors. Knowing who we are in God is key to not allowing the pursuit of excellence to devolve into its counterfeit: perfectionism. Authentic excellence springs forth from a heart that derives its significance from the love of God, and it is a powerful tool that God can use to shake nations!
CYO Large Group - May 15, 2016
When God rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, He promised to lead them to the land of Canaan to take possession of it. When the Israelites reached the "Promised Land" they found something they weren't expecting - giants! Just so, we who belong to the Kingdom of God have experienced God's rescue from slavery to freedom, but we too can expect to bump into giants along the way. But God's promise to be with the Israelites and give them victory is a promise He makes to us as well, and we can be assured that if He has led us into the land of giants, it is because He is making ready to advance us into greater authority in the Kingdom!
CYO Large Group - May 1, 2016
“The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and JOY in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). Joy is part of the atmosphere of the kingdom, and wherever you find the kingdom you should expect to find joy arising as well. Those who have received the kingdom through faith in Jesus have received a deposit of kingdom joy as well. We can access that joy by marinating in God's word, cultivating hope amidst adversity, and celebrating each other's joy.
CYO Large Group - April 17, 2016
On our final night of "7 Days of Praise," Jim explores the idea of worship as alignment - aligning ourselves with the truth of who God is, the truth of who God says we are, and the truth of what's possible by God's power and Spirit working in our lives.
CYO Large Group - April 3, 2016
God invites us to partner with Him in restoring the brokenness of this world through our prayers. In part two of "Power Prayer," we build on the principles we learned in part one and take things a step further, learning how to invite the Holy Spirit into our power prayer through words of knowledge and the gift of tongues.
We also introduced our testimony-sharing page at Large Group. We'd love to hear stories from you about how God is moving in your life. If you have a testimony of healing (physical, emotional, spiritual, relational), some way that God has used you to minister to others, or any other way you've seen God present and active in your life, let us know at www.stbernpar.org/cyo-testimony
CYO Large Group - March 13, 2016
2016 CYO Winter Retreat Theme: "Outstretch" Testimony
Cheryl tells her testimony of God's healing.
February 6, 2016
2016 CYO Winter Retreat Theme: "Outstretch" Talk #1 (Jonna) + Testimony
This talk discusses the importance of community in the life of a Christian and how Jesus is coming back for his bride, the Church, the community of believers.
February 6, 2016
Having a kingdom perspective starts with understanding that Jesus didn't come to take us out of the world so he could bring us to heaven, but rather his mission was to bring heaven to earth, restoring the brokenness of this world and reshaping it after the pattern of heaven. The mission that only Jesus could inaugurate, we are now invited to share in as God's co-laborers by the power of His Holy Spirit. This talk helps teach how to begin walking in the power and authority that God calls each of us to exercise for His glory.
CYO Large Group - January 31, 2016
We continue pressing into and pursuing the spiritual gift of prophecy in our latest Large Group talk. Last time we laid a foundation about what prophecy is and how to receive a prophetic word for another person. Here we take things a step further to talk about how to pray into a prophetic word, what to do when someone prophesies over you, and how to discern whether a prophetic word was accurate.
CYO Large Group - January 10, 2016
At our last Large Group, we talked about how to listen for God's voice speaking to you in prayer. This week, we take those same tools and learn to listen for God's voice on behalf of someone else. Jonna speaks on the spiritual gift of prophecy, a gift that St. Paul says every Christian should pursue, and how we can be messengers for God to bring edification, encouragement, and comfort to those around us.
CYO Large Group - December 6, 2015
Everywhere Jesus went, he brought the Kingdom to the world around him. We are called to do the same, and one of the keys to doing so can be found in the ministry of Jesus who said, "I only do what I see the Father doing." In other words, Jesus was in constant communication with the Father and took his lead from the Father. Just so, we are invited to a lifestyle of constant communication with the Father who is eager to speak to us. The best news - it's way easier than we normally think! But it helps to know what you're looking for. In this talk, you'll learn some of the normal ways God speaks to us in prayer and how to identify His voice.
CYO Large Group - November 15, 2015
We know that God is supposed to be "good," but what we know as a fact doesn't always line up with our impressions of what God is really like. We can think of Him at times as angry, distant, vengeful, or full of disappointment towards us. But in Jesus, we have the perfect image of what God is really like - He is good, and only good! And if what we experience is not good, then it's not from God.
CYO Large Group - October 18, 2015
Each of us is born into this world as spiritual orphans. This is, in fact, the central problem of our lives that Jesus came to remedy. This is accomplished, on the one hand, through Baptism, where we really and truly are made into sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father. But while this may be true in fact, the fact remains that we can continue to live as though we were still orphans, caught up in orphan tendencies and behaviors. This talk helps identify those orphan tendencies in our lives so that we can invite God to heal our orphan hearts and step into the freedom of the children of God!
CYO Large Group - October 4, 2015
CYO Large Group - May 3, 2015
We all have ways that we come up short. Maybe that just means we didn't get the grade, or we didn't score the goal, or we botched a good opportunity. Or maybe it means we know we've done wrong, we said something we shouldn't have, we hurt someone by our selfish decisions, or we didn't do the thing we know we should have. This is an experience all of us can relate to, but all too often we look at our failings and believe that they somehow disqualify us from God's blessings. This is a lie from the enemy, because God's blessings were never something we could earn to begin with. Rather, because of what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross and rising to new life, he has already paid for the blessings that God wants to bestow on us, and these are ready for us as soon as we're to receive them!
CYO Large Group - April 19, 2015
Life is different, better, when joy is a part of it. If only we could have unshakable joy at all times - wouldn't that be awesome? But Nehemiah 8:10 says, "The joy of the Lord shall be your strength." Our joy may come and go, but the joy OF THE LORD is unshakable. And in particular the joy of the Lord for you and for me is unshakable! This talk teaches how we can draw our strength from the joy of the Lord in our prayer and in our daily lives by allowing ourselves to be the object of His affection.
Struggles are a normal part of the Christian experience. Everyone struggles with God from time to time. But it's one thing to struggle with God and another thing to struggle against God. Struggling with God means we're honest about our frustrations and we work them out together with God. But struggling against God means that some part of us just wants God out of the way. It is rooted in doubt about whether God is really good, whether He can really be trusted. God invites us to take this kind of struggle and turn it into surrender. Because Jesus knows about the doubts and fears we face, he went out of his way to demonstrate his extravagant love for us, and to invite us to surrender to his love.
"Up Higher" CYO Winter Retreat - March 14, 2015
Talk #1 - Unimaginable Goodness
We have all heard that "God is good," but do we really believe it? Do we really perceive God as good, and only good? In part, we can be excused for not fully grasping the goodness of God precisely because it is beyond even our ability to imagine. But God does not wish us to remain in the dark - He wants to lift us "up higher" and reveal His goodness to us through the working of the Holy Spirit.
For tonight's Large Group topic, we held a Q&A session where Jim and Jonna (and occasionally Fr. Wooton!) answered questions submitted by those attending. Here are the questions from tonight:
(1) If we have to repent in order for God to forgive us, how are we supposed to forgive people who aren't sorry or don't apologize to us? (2) How do we recapture the zeal we feel on retreats? (3) What is emotional chastity, and how can we grow in practicing emotional chastity? (Link to relationship roadmap) (4) How do you comfort someone who has suffered major loss or trauma? (5) Does God give us dreams to help us understand our future? (6) What area do you guys (asking Jim & Jonna) struggle with when it comes to your faith? (7) What is your opinion on gays, bisexuals, and age-difference relationships? (8) What are the origins of good and evil?
This year at CYO has been all about remaining "Anchored in the Unseen" through faith. We've been emphasizing God's character, that He is a Father who can be trusted, who knows how to give good gifts and has nothing but blessing in mind for us. It is this kind of faith that opens the door for what God has promised to us to become a reality in our life. If we are going to be a community that possesses this kind of faith, one of the keys is going to be learning how to deal with the times when things don't turn out the way we hoped or prayed, how to deal with disappointment. This talk explains how to be "unoffendable" towards God, and how doing so can even launch us forward to experience our greatest breakthroughs!
Faith is a central part of being a Christian, but what exactly is faith? Faith is seeing from the heart. It is holding fast to a reality which, though unseen, is more real than what is seen. And it is faith that unlocks the door for God to move in powerful ways in our life, because faith refuses to believe in anything but the goodness of God. When believers come together and develop a culture of faith, this magnifies the gravitational pull of our faith on Heavenly realities and positions us to experience the goodness of God as He moves in power.
"Each display of love, no matter how seemingly small, is a powerful act of spiritual warfare that removes anxiety from the environment, replaces it with freedom and safety, and invites each person to bring his or her best self forward." (Danny Silk, Keep Your Love On) When you get a whole group of people embracing this truth and living it out intensely together, you create a culture of honor that continually brings out the best in each other. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities in what we can experience together of God's love and accomplish by His grace!
CYO Large Group - January 4, 2015
As we enter the darkest days of the year, we felt that many of us are experiencing some darkness in our lives, that there are many carrying heavy burdens. This Advent season reminds us of a time when the world still awaited Jesus, the Light of the world - the world awaited its Savior. But our Savior has come, and when Jesus came he went about destroying the works of darkness, bringing healing and restoration to a broken world and to broken people. That same saving grace of Jesus is available to us today and is capable of rescuing us from whatever weighs us down and prevents us from being free and fully alive!
As we get synchronized with God's heart, we begin to think how He thinks, see how He sees, and feel how He feels. Seeing how God sees is critical to the Christian life. It means seeing things for what they can become, not just for what they are. And it means removing our concept of "impossible" when we encounter the brokenness of the world, for "all things are possible with God" (Matthew 19:26). Sometimes God allows us to see through His eyes in order to bring a particular blessing to others in the form of encouragement, comfort, edification, or healing, or to bring victory into some part of their life. Jim & Jonna tag-team this talk to teach on how we can be a blessing by exercising our prophetic calling as Christians.
CYO Large Group - October 26, 2014
At the start of the year, we proposed a keystone habit to embrace together in CYO. A keystone habit is a small practice we can embrace consistently that will have a domino effect in creating other positive behavior patterns. In this year of being "Anchored in the Unseen," our keystone habit is asking ourselves continually, "Are my thoughts in alignment with the thinking of heaven?" When our thinking gets in alignment with the thinking of heaven, a path is opened up for God to begin working transformation into our lives. This talk illuminates the next steps that come along with our keystone habit: (1) Get filled with the thoughts of God, (2) Examine the "terrorist" thoughts that contradict God's thoughts, (3) Turn stinkin' thinkin' into Kingdom Thinking, (4) Put on Christ.
Do you ever feel like you're in constant crisis mode? Sometimes the things that life has thrown at us keep us on edge, even once the crisis has passed. We feel a need to stay locked in "fight or flight" mode and this wears us down over time. How do we overcome this? A recent trip appointment with the physical therapist gave Jonna some new insights on the key to quieting the "screamer" inside of us by getting synced up with the heart of the Father.
This talk lays out the gameplan for the upcoming CYO year. When St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he said, "My message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power" (1 Cor 2:4). Just so, with the upcoming year we want to rely less on our own efforts and invite God to demonstrate His Spirit and His power in our community. Jim and Jonna point to a particular "keystone habit" that will launch a paradigm shift in our lives and community where we expect heaven to invade our earthly reality more and more.
CYO Large Group - October 13, 2013
Is it really true that God will never give you more than you can handle? After all, it was Paul who said, "God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength." But that's not how it feels, and in fact there are times in life when we find ourselves in a situations that really does seem beyond our ability to handle. And in such situations, it's easy to doubt God's intentions towards us, to assume He's forgotten about us and that He's mad at us. In reality, that's not the heart of God towards us at all, and it is precisely in these situations that He most wants to demonstrate His extravagant love for us!
CYO Large Group - February 9, 2014
One of the great lessons of my marriage so far has been that my impressions do not always reflect reality. Sometimes I get the sense that my wife is upset with me, but a quick conversation with her reveals that I have simply been misinterpreting her actions or attitudes. For instance, if she is short or impatient with me, oftentimes it has nothing to do with me at all, and a quick little message is all that is needed to clarify the situation. Whenever we interact with others through relationship, it is normal that we form certain impressions about their character, how they think and act, based on our experience. The same goes for what we believe about God's character. Our life experiences shape what we believe about Him. Sometimes these beliefs are accurate, but sometimes we start believing something about God's character that simply isn't true. Learning the truth about God's character is therefore critical to accurately interpreting our circumstances, especially hardship, rather than letting our circumstances dictate what we believe about God's character.