Newchurchlive.tv: Pastor Chuck Blair

One well known marriage counselor famously said that when working with any couple, four people show up, only two of which are worth talking to. That should bring a smile! How do we choose to communicate and connect with others from the correct two, and not their opposites, allowing our best and highest selves to connect with theirs?

In all of us there is a basic tension between our heart of stone and our heart of flesh, as the Bible puts it. We all have at some level, an “evil twin” as it were that shows up with distressing frequency when the conditions are right (or wrong). How can we look at both those opposing “hearts”, not as enemies locked in perpetual conflict, but as the wholeness of our experiences, held by God, to move us forward in our lives, to move us toward choice, and to move us closer to heaven?

For many it is easy to confuse a complex faith with true faith. But true faith is simple – not easy, but simple. And the implications of that simplicity change the world! Together we will delve into that simple faith, and the freedom that follows.

We live embedded in a social media world filled with numerous, and at times overwhelming contacts. But how do we move deeper? How do we move beyond superficial contacts towards the deeper connections God calls us to? We’ll discuss some of the tools that help to guide and keep us there.

Rev. Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously wrote, “There is no way to peace along the way to safety. For peace must be dared. It is the great adventure and can never be safe.” His words point to the necessary battles we all will face, and how we can face them together.

Any new adventure brings a transition, a crossing over and into, while pushing through the stuckness of our normal lives towards new horizons. This week, we explore a refreshing way to view a new start, a start blessed by God.

When asked, Jesus says that to love God and love our neighbor are the two Great Commandments—that on which everything else hangs. Let’s take a look at what those two phrases actually mean and the magic they can do in our lives. (Special guest Curtis Childs)

Join us as we gather to celebrate back-to-school with this special family service.  This year, we look at moving forward with meaning and purpose, as God gives us to see it!

Life on life’s terms holds small bits of heaven. Likewise, life on life’s terms holds bits of challenge as well, challenge that can at least feel like (or hurt like) hell. Through all that, can we trust the flow of our lives, trusting that a good God is gently, patiently, lovingly leading us to a good place? That means, of course, that we must grow comfortable with movement and change, trusting that we are moving forward.

With a smile, we can safely guarantee that those who believe a connection with God will save them from all the challenges of life, are headed for disappointment. Life – religious or not – is filled with opportunities to stumble. But we can learn to transform those challenges into parts of our story that while hard, also in some subtle way, create life anew. Meeting life on life’s terms means our hearts break. And our hearts break open.

We will all experience at least a taste of heaven on earth. Those “tastes” will be different but the deeper experience of that soul-level joy, remarkably the same. Life on life’s terms obviously must hold the challenging parts. Thankfully, it holds many beautiful parts as well.  Join us as we examine, together, at what C.S. Lewis called “the secret thread.”

“To learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know.” -The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People How do we make sure the uplifting spiritual truths we learn make their way consistently and directly into our lives? This service, by Curtis Childs, combines timeless moral principles with modern habit-forming techniques to help us become the people we aspire to be.

God writes of gifts. And these gifts are gifts of transmission, gifts both passed on and passed through us. Our task is how we hold them.

Grace and Mercy – two beautiful words. While they may conjure up images of church-gone-by, they are every bit as important to rediscover for our lives today.

“All creation groans” is a well-known quote. It points to the idea that there are two types of time – chronological time and pregnant time. Join us as we look at what might be getting born into our lives!

We are often tempted to place the problems of life “out there” versus starting with the challenges “in here.” Yet there is great beauty when we both see and share the at times humorous imperfections of what it means to be truly human.

How do we place ourselves in a new story? That is the core invitation of Christianity. The plot will surprise you! To understand how that "new story" might work, we are thrilled to have Brian Henderson join Pastor Chuck. Brian will share with us his journey from being told he would never walk again, to the small triumphs that led him back to the life he shares with friends and family today.

What would it look like in our daily lives to declare independence in our hearts, minds, and spirits? Did Jesus lay out a surprising declaration of independence in the Sermon on the Mount?

God’s work is around opening doors, not closing them. Let's take a look together into the open doors God places before us, and the beauty we can step into.

A Tribute to a Big Heart August 22, 1986 - Mat 23, 2021