Before Jesus began his teaching on what his Kingdom is like, he made sure to identify who his Kingdom is for...and that revelation was (and is) shocking. Rather than for the spiritual insiders...the folks who alway seem to "get it". Rather than for the people who can seem so confident in their life understanding and who continuously feel close to God, Jesus says his Kingdom is for the Misfits...the rest of us. Using Jesus' priceless Beatitude language, we're defining some of our own Beatitudes, and carrying on the conversation of who the lucky misfits really are!
This Lent season, join us on the road to the cross. We’re calling this road “5 Mile Road” because we are stopping at five “mile markers” along the way. These are five essential truths that we must know experientially in order to join Jesus upon the cross. They’re not easy truths, but we believe they contain freedom and true life when actually embraced.
We live in a world of immediacy. In our culture “fast” is synonymous with “good”. The quicker we consume, purchase, or achieve the better. In this conversation, our church hits the pause button and asks if this assumed truth is actually healthy. Does the culture of “faster is better” truly help us experience life and beauty as God intends? Join us into a defining characteristic of Beggars Table: an invitation to practice “Slow Faith”.
“Saints” is a word and concept not widely used in Protestantism. But we do a great disservice to ourselves by not knowing more about the great men and women who came before us and changed the world because of their impassioned faith. Many of these special people contributed greatly to what we today assume is “normal” Christianity. Throughout this teaching series, we will take a longer look at one “Saint” each week and form our conversation around some of their most essential ideas and revolutionary teachings.
Many thoughtful teachers, philosophers, and leaders throughout history - including Jesus - challenge the Western assumption that people are primarily thinking beings. What these teachers suggest is that behavior, habits, and morality spring from a much deeper well than our brains. If we truly want to know who we are, it will prove most helpful to look towards our hearts instead of our heads. “What do you want?” is a much more revealing question than “What do you think?”
A candid conversation about five virtues that are absolutely crucial to the formation of the church, yet so completely unsexy that they are often ignored, if not completely dismissed, by not only the wider culture, but the church itself.
Contrary to what we’re often told, what if God’s purpose for us is not happiness…or even fulfillment? What if there’s a better and healthier intent for humanity, but an intent that can’t be reached unless the relentless pursuit for personal fulfillment is abandoned? Join us as we discuss God’s ultimate vanishing act.
Although we may believe, most of us labor to imagine and experience God in the everydayness of our lives. How do we move from being “unbelieving believers” – people who struggle to live in the reality of God’s felt presence - to people who live awake and present to the God who is always present to us?
