journeyfirstnlr's Podcast

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Wrap-up (Ch.7-8) 5/10/23

Hey friends, we just wrapped up our Emotionally Healthy Spirituality book series by Peter Scazzero and it was incredible! The discussions were so enlightening, and we talked about seeing people the way God does, identifying who our neighbors are, and how life's trials, chaos, and tragedy can distract us from becoming our best selves. But, the best part of the night was hearing everyone's testimonies and words of encouragement. It was truly a joyful and inspiring experience that left us feeling uplifted and motivated! And guess what? We've got more where that came from! Next week, we're kicking off a brand new 3 week series on Grace! So, mark your calendars and get ready to be inspired and uplifted once again. We can't wait to see you there!

Grace & Faith- Brian Roden-5/3/23

Hey Journey Family! We had the knowledgable and studious Brian Roden speak tonight, and we deep-dived! Brian shared some insightful thoughts on Grace and Faith in the biblical context. It was so inspiring! Some key points include that Grace represents God's act of rescuing and redeeming us, while faith is our commitment to Him. Accepting God's Grace is both a gift and a responsibility that requires us to respond and behave accordingly. When we fall short, we can humbly ask for God's strength to help us. We aim to strip away anything that hinders us and live in a way that glorifies God. We can't serve two masters, and God gave us life and breath, but we were ungrateful and rebelled. But guess what? Despite our rebellion deserving punishment, God offered us forgiveness and the opportunity to be in the right relationship with Him once again, which is the ultimate act of Grace! This is such a beautiful reminder that we need to lead our lives with allegiance, faith, and wholehearted commitment to God in our thoughts, actions, and words. Let's make the most of this amazing gift and spread His love and Grace to everyone around us!

If you missed it tonight, you will want to listen to or watch the video! 

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality -Daily Sabbath week 5- 4/26/23

Wow! What an incredible class discussion we had tonight! In week 5 of Discovering the Rhythms of the Daily Office from Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, we delved into the meaning of the daily office, Sabbath, and the importance of simplifying our lives. It was such a powerful reminder that saying no and trusting God is a beautiful thing!

We realized that sometimes, we're carrying burdens that we were never meant to bear, leaving us feeling exhausted and just going through the motions. But we discovered that we have the power to choose what we feed ourselves, both physically and spiritually, and that we can let God take on our burdens so we can focus on living our best life!

We were reminded that Sabbath is a precious gift and that faith is about doing all we can and leaving the rest to God. If we're wiped out mentally, physically, and spiritually, we can't help others, which is why it's so important to take the time to rest and recharge.

So let's be there for each other, encourage one another, and walk down the path that God has for us. We have the power to reach new heights and live our best lives, guiltlessly and confidently shutting the doors that need to be shut. Together, we can do anything!

 

Homework this week, identify five things (tangible, intangible, or people) you do not need and eliminate them for 30 days. Do not pick them back up if there is no need for them. If you need one of them, find another five things. Read 1 Kings 19:9-18.

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality -Enlarge Your Soul Through Grief & Loss- 4/19/23

Enlarge Your Soul Through Grief & Loss is a chapter in the series Emotionally Healthy Spirituality that discusses our limits and how we process tragedy and loss. Biblical Grieving in Job encourages us to wait in the confusing in-between, surrender to God, and trust Him and His Will. We must embrace the gifts of limits, climb the ladder of humility, fear of God, and mindfulness of Him, do God's Will, subject ourselves to the difficulties of others, be patient, be honest, speak less, and be transformed by the Love of God and will be blessed by our grief. 

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality- Journey Through the Wall-04/12/23

We had a great discussion night as we unpacked the Journey Through the Wall from the book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality.

We discuss our walls and how we process the hard days. Also, what weapons are we using, and are they compatible with the battle we are fighting? The importance of active listening, self-awareness, and transparency with yourself, others, and GOD. The importance of asking for help and letting God lead you. No Matter what you face, there is hope, and it is only a season. You will push through your wall and see the other side! There is joy and hope in the trial and through the wall!

 

You are missing out if you have not joined us in this series! But it is not too late. You can catch up and join us as we continue.

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: Going Back In Order To Go Forward 4/5/23

What a night of renewal and peace it was, Journey Fam! Despite the tragedy of the tornados, we came together to explore the chapter "Going Back In Order To Go Forward" from the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality book series by Peter Scazzero. We celebrated the importance of acknowledging our past and recognizing how it's shaped us for the better. We were blessed to listen to some amazing stories about how God intervened in our lives, and how it's helped us break free from negative patterns and behaviors. We defined Discipleship, and it was so inspiring to hear the importance of mentorship. We left feeling empowered, ready to break down the barriers that have held us back for so long. And remember, if you need anything, don't hesitate to reach out. We're here for each other, and together, with God there's nothing we can't accomplish!

Praying for you!

 

What is Spiritual? - Guest Speaker Andre 3.29.23

We had a great discussion tonight led by our guest speaker Andre Davis! The question of the night was What is Spiritual? We walked through the passage of 1 Cor. 2:11-16. Highlights discussed the differences between God's Spirit and the world's spirit. Andre shared his experience as Airforce Chaplain and reminded us that we have to stay rooted in God and fill our cups with the things of God so we can be a walking testimony of freedom!

I apologize for the audio issues; it was a good lesson that needs to be shared!

Love you all!

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Ch.2- 3/15/23

Hey J-Fam!

Tonight God showed up as showed out as we had an entire room with newcomers as we discussed Ch. 2 of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality! We discussed Eph. 4:22,24 and held that our emotions, thoughts, and feelings when left unchecked. We had so many share their stories! It was a powerful night; you will want to watch or listen back. 

Next week is Game Night. So come and join us for fun games and fellowship! 

Love you and praying for you! 

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Ch.1 3/8/23

Tonight we started studying the book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero. This book is deep but so good at the same time.

The book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality begins with the author admitting his unhappiness, lack of contentment, anger, depression, bitterness, and marital struggles. Tonight we discussed a few of the top ten symptoms of unhealthy spirituality, including using God to run from God, ignoring negative emotions, dying to the wrong things, denying the effects of the past on the present, compartmentalizing sacred and secular, works-based faith, spiritualizing away conflict, covering brokenness, weakness, and failure, living without boundaries, and judging others' spiritual journey. Finally, Scazzero lists four truths to enable us to discover our true selves, including practicing silence and solitude, finding trusted companions, getting out of our comfort zone, and praying for the courage to face our false selves with God.

It was a robust discussion tonight as people shared their journeys honestly.

Homework is to read chapter 1 if you are joining in and read 1 Samuel 15:7–24.

Next week we will discuss chapter 2, and I can't wait to see what God will do through this series. If you can, join us in person or on Zoom for the discussion!

Love you and praying for you!

Love is...Am I Loving For Real? 3.1.23

Tonight was the last week in our Love is...series. This week was "Am I Loving for Real??" In true Journey fashion, we could only go over the handout's first page but had a great discussion over John 15:9-15,17; 1 Cor. 13:4-7, Eph. 4:32, and Luke 6:35-39. We defined Love, broke down the verses, and discussed how to love as God loves, even to coworkers, kids, and family members who are hard to love. We discussed boundaries, educating ourselves on God's Love, letting him love through us, and how Love superceedes my feelings. We discussed how anger and unforgiveness can keep us from loving others and hinder accepting God's Love and much more! You will want to listen to or watch tonight's lesson!

You will not want to miss out on the next series. We are going to read Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero, and next week, we will start chapter 1.

We love you and are praying for you.