Eating

February 26, 2023  Message Big Idea Tables are places to eat, connect, laugh, cry, pray, and be human. Most of all, tables are a place to belong and feel included. “Table fellowship” doesn’t often make the list of the classical spiritual disciplines. But in the midst of a world that increasingly seems to have lost its way with regard to matters …

Spiritual Practice of the Week: Intentional Mealtimes

5 Habits for Mealtimes  There are plenty of things a healthy, vibrant local church should be doing. But let’s not overlook one of the simplest and most enjoyable of them all: eating! Try one or more of the following habits this week and let us know about your experience (bill@northbridgechurch.org). Start with a Candle Hold Hands and Pray Find a …

Working

February 19, 2023  Message Big Idea Often work is seen as a necessary evil, something to be begrudgingly done and completed as soon as possible. Yet, what if God intended something different for humanity? What if, in fact, humanity was meant for good labor and the fall corrupted our relationship to work? This yields a more robust theology of work in which any …

Spiritual Practice of the Week: Self- Examination

Practicing Self-Examination This week, commit to a process of self-examination about your work. This is a practice of submitting yourself to the Holy Spirit and asking him to make you aware of ways that you engage work in a way that dishonors God, others, and yourself. This could involve a brief reflection on the day before you head home and/or …

Waking

February 12, 2023  Message Big Idea What is the first thing you do upon waking? How does that shape your view of the day? Of yourself? Of God? What we do first thing in the morning says a lot about our true priorities. To what or to whom will we give the first fruits of each day’s time and attention? …

The One in the Storm

February 5, 2023  Message Big Idea Sometimes we encounter ‘great’ and powerful storms in our lives which stir up visceral fear and doubt. Yet, there is one who can speak ‘great’ calm into our situations, at a word, bending reality to His divine will. In light of this, how can we not respond in ‘great’ fear and awe at the …

Celebration

January 29, 2023  Message Big Idea Celebration is not typically included among the common Christian practices or virtues. Yet, we have much to celebrate, even within our daily rhythms of ongoing work.  God, in the creation narrative, modeled how to slow down and take pleasure in one’s work. We too should form a habit of celebration, making time daily for …

Selah

January 24, 2023 –  Pastor Bill Yaccino The hurried nature of our day can quickly leave us frantic, anxious and weary. We may end our day wondering where the stillness and peace of the morning went. But consistently planning and experiencing selah pauses throughout our day will do much to break the grip of hurry, remind us of God’s nearness, …

Sabbath

January 15, 2023 –  Pastor Mark Albrecht Message Big Idea – The Sabbath can be a contentious topic in Christian discourse.  It can be implemented as a rigid and laborious practice. On the other hand, it can be rejected as archaic and unneeded.  But Christ specifically notes that the Sabbath was made for our needs. Furthermore, we are still called …

Stillness

January 8, 2023 –  Pastor Mark Albrecht Message Big Idea – Our habits are formative. That is, they determine who we are becoming. So, we must examine our habits through a biblical lens, adapting to firmly keep ourselves in the grooves of grace God has provided for the Christian life. The first habit is stillness. Jesus habitually practiced stillness by …