We offer spiritual reflections that relate Scripture and faith to our everyday lives. You can subscribe to the Providence Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Welcome to the Providence Podcast! Each week we bring you spiritual insights, Scripture readings, and reflection questions. Find and subscribe to the Providence Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts, or sign up to receive the podcast and so much more in our weekly newsletter!
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The kind of hope that comes from God reassures us of God’s love and presence, both in the future and right now, in this moment, in this first week of Advent, with all that’s happening and all that will unfold.
Read MoreWhat does it mean to belong to God’s kingdom, this realm not of this world? All we have to do to belong is listen and recognize the truth. We don’t have to work hard to belong to Christ; Christ welcomes all of us with love and compassion, and all we have to do is recognize it.
Read MoreMaybe the world is ending, but it probably isn’t. Maybe things are worse now, but they probably aren’t. Or, if things are worse, the world will likely right itself, or we will work to make things right. God offers us love and presence and care. Sometimes we have to work a little harder to notice, and I hope we do work to notice it, because that’s where we’ll find our solace.
Read MoreSo, we keep showing up. We trust that our two cents are enough. Even when we don’t see much effect from our efforts, we keep showing up because God provides us with any coins we have and they don’t belong to us. Everything we have is for the service of the kingdom of God. And humanity. And creation. We show up together, and we keep showing up, and we give what we have. And God makes that enough.
Read MoreIn this culture in which everything is so intense and busy, how do we follow God's commandments to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength? And as we love our neighbors, how do we love ourselves?
Read MoreThis week we get to spend some time with Bartimaeus. What can we learn from this disciple’s encounter with Jesus, and how would you answer Jesus’s question: “What do you want me to do for you?”
Read MoreGod who is almighty does not hold power over us but seeks to be deeply with us. How do we open ourselves to God who wants to be close to us? And how do we mirror that loving presence to other people?
Read MoreAll things are possible with God, and people can change if we want to. If we’re open, we can grow into the people God calls us to be. It’s not something we can grow into on our own, but with God’s help, all things are possible.
Read MoreEach of us is a vulnerable, awkward human in need of connection and relationship. When things are good, it’s easy to feel self-sufficient, but that’s not real. We belong in community. There’s no need for us to be alone.
Read MoreJesus uses strong words, but his message is simple: limit the things that make gospel living harder, have holy boundaries, and when it comes to knowing who’s with us or not, “whoever is not against us is for us.”
Read MoreThere’s no getting ahead in the Christian life. Each of us is dependent, called to disciple like a child, open to life as it unfolds and trusting that God is with us, taking care of us.
Read MoreJesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” and it’s clear that he wants them to know him for who he is. There’s something about all of us that wants to be understood, isn’t there? Ultimately, we want to be loved, but to be loved, we also have to be known.
Read MoreThis week we encounter Jesus as he heals a deaf person with the words, “Be opened.” His invitation to openness shows that the problem isn’t an illness that can be cured but a closedness that can opened. How open are you when it comes to speaking your truth? When it comes to listening to others? How open is your heart?
Read MoreJesus is calling us to alignment between our attitudes and our actions, an authentic living out of our faith. He's interested in transforming the whole of us, and if we’re open, we allow that transformation to happen, just as it happened to him.
Read MoreWhether we stay or go, God is still with us. Christ accompanies us, and we accompany Christ in the company of each other. Yes, sometimes it’s hard. But to whom else shall we go? Christ has the words of eternal life.
Read MoreMay we journey up to the mountaintop with Jesus and his companions and encounter God too. As Jesus revealed the fullness of who he is, may we reveal the fullness of who we are before God and those closest to us. And may we each hear God proclaim that we are God’s beloved too, because we are.
Read MoreWhat if instead of wondering if someone is worthy, we focus on being humble, knowing that we’re not perfect either? What if we live with patience, trusting that we’re all just doing the best we can? What if we were to bear with each other in love instead of judgement? And what if we didn’t even judge our own worthiness? Because why should we? God doesn’t.
Read MoreI can’t predict the future, but if I respond wholeheartedly to life’s events, both good and challenging, I’ll continue to grow into the person God created me to be. What I shall be has not yet been revealed. I do know that when it is revealed I shall be like Christ.
Read MoreIn your heart of hearts, what do you desire? What do you want? Figure out what you desire in the depths of your heart, and you know God’s call.
Read MoreCommunity is one of the best parts of our lives but also one of the hardest parts. Why is that? And if relationships are so hard, why do we keep persevering in them?
Read MoreGod Space is a spiritual community, a space of welcome and belonging. We’re not a church, but some of us go to church, and some are more spiritual than religious. However we identify, we come together to explore faith and build connection through small groups, social events, prayer, and community service. Come and connect at God Space. You belong here.
