In many ways all of us are like porcupines. We have sharp edges and if we aren’t careful we can drive others away. The problem is, we long to have close relationships with other prickly people. None of us are free from brokenness and this series is about how broken people can learn to love other broken people with the help of God. Community is a beautiful thing but as Henri Nouwen states, often “community is the place where the person you least want to live with always lives." Join us as we discover how people who are like porcupines can learn to be human and dance the dance of true community.
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| January 23rd |
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Where No One Is Lonely - Ryan Miller |
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Loneliness is an epidemic. In a world full of people who long for relationships, loneliness shouldn’t exist. Why is this such an issue and what can be done about it? Does God have a solution for loneliness?
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| January 30th |
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Damaged Goods - Ryan Miller (Service in Union Ventana) |
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We like to think of ourselves as normal. It’s everyone else that is so weird, and by weird we mean different from us. Perhaps the truth is all of us are looking for community and all of us are weird. While we all long for community often our ideas of what is real community become distorted. The third book of the New Testament, Luke, tells a story about a community of friends that can help us learn what community really is. |
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| February 6th |
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Unveiled Faces - Caty Berry |
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We are very concerned about what others think of us. We spend a huge amount of time trying to control how others view us, afraid to reveal our true selves. The problem is, without authenticity we can never have real friends. We need to not only share ourselves with others but learn how to forgive ourselves and each other so that true community can develop. |
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| February 13th |
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Community is Worth Fighting For - Kris Shermer |
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Most of us hate conflict. We avoid it like a plague. The problem is, every relationship is bound to have conflict and how we deal with it will determine the depth of the relationship. Real community, where you are known and loved, is impossible without a fight. Come learn how to fight fair, resolve conflict and even lovingly confront others. |
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| February 20th |
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Relational Road Signs - Ryan Miller |
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All of us could use more relational intelligence. If we could understand people better and learn to pick up on their thoughts and emotions more quickly, we could be much better friends. As we learn to read people and empathize with them we can tailor our love to meet them right where they are. |
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| February 27th |
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Put Down Your Stones - Ken Kim |
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Nothing kills community faster than judgmentalism and excluding people that you don’t like or are different from you. For true community to develop we need to learn to extend grace and acceptance to others as well as to learn the pain of being left out, so that we will open our arms and include anyone who needs a place to belong. |
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