St. Andrew UMC Podcast

How To Be Human: "Unwavering" (3/21/21)

It’s hard to be human.  Each of us, at our very conception, is given a soul—our deepest identity, a unique blueprint, our truest self.  This is God’s gift to us, and we are given only a brief span of years to discover it, to accept it, and to live for it.  To do so is to know true freedom and liberation by connecting to the inexhaustible love of God.

But there are forces both within and without that are constantly working to thwart that discovery: the drive to conform to the expectations of the world, our friends and family, our religion, our culture; our longing for the approval and affirmation of others through our work, our appearance, our achievements, our wealth, our education.  All of these are the trappings of the false self, preventing us from knowing the freedom and joy that comes from living for our true self.

What makes it so hard to be human?  Quite simply, it’s the fear of losing our false self in our lifelong pursuit of finding our soul.  This is what Jesus meant when he said, “Those who find their lives will lose them, and those that lose their lives because of me will find them.”

Join us throughout this season of Lent as we discover how, in becoming truly human, we become most fully alive to God, to the world, and to ourselves.

How To Be Human: "Awe-Filled" (3/14/21)

It’s hard to be human.  Each of us, at our very conception, is given a soul—our deepest identity, a unique blueprint, our truest self.  This is God’s gift to us, and we are given only a brief span of years to discover it, to accept it, and to live for it.  To do so is to know true freedom and liberation by connecting to the inexhaustible love of God.

But there are forces both within and without that are constantly working to thwart that discovery: the drive to conform to the expectations of the world, our friends and family, our religion, our culture; our longing for the approval and affirmation of others through our work, our appearance, our achievements, our wealth, our education.  All of these are the trappings of the false self, preventing us from knowing the freedom and joy that comes from living for our true self.

What makes it so hard to be human?  Quite simply, it’s the fear of losing our false self in our lifelong pursuit of finding our soul.  This is what Jesus meant when he said, “Those who find their lives will lose them, and those that lose their lives because of me will find them.”

Join us throughout this season of Lent as we discover how, in becoming truly human, we become most fully alive to God, to the world, and to ourselves.

How To Be Human: "Vulnerable" (3/07/21)

It’s hard to be human.  Each of us, at our very conception, is given a soul—our deepest identity, a unique blueprint, our truest self.  This is God’s gift to us, and we are given only a brief span of years to discover it, to accept it, and to live for it.  To do so is to know true freedom and liberation by connecting to the inexhaustible love of God.

But there are forces both within and without that are constantly working to thwart that discovery: the drive to conform to the expectations of the world, our friends and family, our religion, our culture; our longing for the approval and affirmation of others through our work, our appearance, our achievements, our wealth, our education.  All of these are the trappings of the false self, preventing us from knowing the freedom and joy that comes from living for our true self.

What makes it so hard to be human?  Quite simply, it’s the fear of losing our false self in our lifelong pursuit of finding our soul.  This is what Jesus meant when he said, “Those who find their lives will lose them, and those that lose their lives because of me will find them.”

Join us throughout this season of Lent as we discover how, in becoming truly human, we become most fully alive to God, to the world, and to ourselves.

How To Be Human: "Wholehearted" (2/28/21)

It’s hard to be human.  Each of us, at our very conception, is given a soul—our deepest identity, a unique blueprint, our truest self.  This is God’s gift to us, and we are given only a brief span of years to discover it, to accept it, and to live for it.  To do so is to know true freedom and liberation by connecting to the inexhaustible love of God.

But there are forces both within and without that are constantly working to thwart that discovery: the drive to conform to the expectations of the world, our friends and family, our religion, our culture; our longing for the approval and affirmation of others through our work, our appearance, our achievements, our wealth, our education.  All of these are the trappings of the false self, preventing us from knowing the freedom and joy that comes from living for our true self.

What makes it so hard to be human?  Quite simply, it’s the fear of losing our false self in our lifelong pursuit of finding our soul.  This is what Jesus meant when he said, “Those who find their lives will lose them, and those that lose their lives because of me will find them.”

Join us throughout this season of Lent as we discover how, in becoming truly human, we become most fully alive to God, to the world, and to ourselves.

How To Be Human: "Beloved" (2/21/21)

It’s hard to be human.  Each of us, at our very conception, is given a soul—our deepest identity, a unique blueprint, our truest self.  This is God’s gift to us, and we are given only a brief span of years to discover it, to accept it, and to live for it.  To do so is to know true freedom and liberation by connecting to the inexhaustible love of God.

But there are forces both within and without that are constantly working to thwart that discovery: the drive to conform to the expectations of the world, our friends and family, our religion, our culture; our longing for the approval and affirmation of others through our work, our appearance, our achievements, our wealth, our education.  All of these are the trappings of the false self, preventing us from knowing the freedom and joy that comes from living for our true self.

What makes it so hard to be human?  Quite simply, it’s the fear of losing our false self in our lifelong pursuit of finding our soul.  This is what Jesus meant when he said, “Those who find their lives will lose them, and those that lose their lives because of me will find them.”

Join us throughout this season of Lent as we discover how, in becoming truly human, we become most fully alive to God, to the world, and to ourselves.

The Indispensables: The Protege (02/14/21)

We all need a brain to pick, an ear to bend, a nudge, a poke, a push, or even a loving shove from someone we genuinely trust.  We all need close confidants with whom we can share important matters, our deepest longings, our personal struggles.  We all need someone who’s been there, or someone who’s going there with us, or someone who’s willing to go to the ends of the earth on our behalf. 

We might call such people “The Indispensables”—the ones we simply can’t live without.

Humans are not designed to go it alone.  We never were.  We never will be.  But that doesn’t stop most of us from trying.  Over the last forty years, a growing percentage of U.S. Americans report having shrinking networks and fewer relationships.  Today, the average U.S. American has only one close confidant, down from 2.94 in the mid-1980’s.  It’s no coincidence that, over this same period, we’ve become the loneliest generation in American history.

As we begin a new year, you’re invited on a quest to name and claim the handful of people whom you can’t live without: to commit to making time for them in your life; to invest your energies in cultivating relationships with them; to seek out their wisdom; to learn from them; to confide in them; to invite them into your story and alongside you on your journey. 

On this quest, you’re also invited to consider those in your life who just might see in you the kind of person that they can’t live without.  They might not know it yet.  They might never say it.  But it’s possible that they’re waiting for you to make time for them in your life; to invest your energies in cultivating a relationship with them; to share your wisdom, your story, or simply your hand on the journey of life. 

The truth is that humans need more than one close confidant.  We need a dream team of people who each bring different gifts, perspectives, experiences and commitments to offer.  In this series, we’ll look at the six types of people who can make all the difference both in our personal lives and in our professional lives. 

Who are the indispensables in your life?  For whom might you be one?

The Indispensables: The Patron (02/07/21)

We all need a brain to pick, an ear to bend, a nudge, a poke, a push, or even a loving shove from someone we genuinely trust.  We all need close confidants with whom we can share important matters, our deepest longings, our personal struggles.  We all need someone who’s been there, or someone who’s going there with us, or someone who’s willing to go to the ends of the earth on our behalf. 

We might call such people “The Indispensables”—the ones we simply can’t live without.

Humans are not designed to go it alone.  We never were.  We never will be.  But that doesn’t stop most of us from trying.  Over the last forty years, a growing percentage of U.S. Americans report having shrinking networks and fewer relationships.  Today, the average U.S. American has only one close confidant, down from 2.94 in the mid-1980’s.  It’s no coincidence that, over this same period, we’ve become the loneliest generation in American history.

As we begin a new year, you’re invited on a quest to name and claim the handful of people whom you can’t live without: to commit to making time for them in your life; to invest your energies in cultivating relationships with them; to seek out their wisdom; to learn from them; to confide in them; to invite them into your story and alongside you on your journey. 

On this quest, you’re also invited to consider those in your life who just might see in you the kind of person that they can’t live without.  They might not know it yet.  They might never say it.  But it’s possible that they’re waiting for you to make time for them in your life; to invest your energies in cultivating a relationship with them; to share your wisdom, your story, or simply your hand on the journey of life. 

The truth is that humans need more than one close confidant.  We need a dream team of people who each bring different gifts, perspectives, experiences and commitments to offer.  In this series, we’ll look at the six types of people who can make all the difference both in our personal lives and in our professional lives. 

Who are the indispensables in your life?  For whom might you be one?

The Indispensables: The Scrivener (01/31/21)

We all need a brain to pick, an ear to bend, a nudge, a poke, a push, or even a loving shove from someone we genuinely trust.  We all need close confidants with whom we can share important matters, our deepest longings, our personal struggles.  We all need someone who’s been there, or someone who’s going there with us, or someone who’s willing to go to the ends of the earth on our behalf. 

We might call such people “The Indispensables”—the ones we simply can’t live without.

Humans are not designed to go it alone.  We never were.  We never will be.  But that doesn’t stop most of us from trying.  Over the last forty years, a growing percentage of U.S. Americans report having shrinking networks and fewer relationships.  Today, the average U.S. American has only one close confidant, down from 2.94 in the mid-1980’s.  It’s no coincidence that, over this same period, we’ve become the loneliest generation in American history.

As we begin a new year, you’re invited on a quest to name and claim the handful of people whom you can’t live without: to commit to making time for them in your life; to invest your energies in cultivating relationships with them; to seek out their wisdom; to learn from them; to confide in them; to invite them into your story and alongside you on your journey. 

On this quest, you’re also invited to consider those in your life who just might see in you the kind of person that they can’t live without.  They might not know it yet.  They might never say it.  But it’s possible that they’re waiting for you to make time for them in your life; to invest your energies in cultivating a relationship with them; to share your wisdom, your story, or simply your hand on the journey of life. 

The truth is that humans need more than one close confidant.  We need a dream team of people who each bring different gifts, perspectives, experiences and commitments to offer.  In this series, we’ll look at the six types of people who can make all the difference both in our personal lives and in our professional lives. 

Who are the indispensables in your life?  For whom might you be one?

The Indispensables: The Champion (01/24/21)

We all need a brain to pick, an ear to bend, a nudge, a poke, a push, or even a loving shove from someone we genuinely trust.  We all need close confidants with whom we can share important matters, our deepest longings, our personal struggles.  We all need someone who’s been there, or someone who’s going there with us, or someone who’s willing to go to the ends of the earth on our behalf. 

We might call such people “The Indispensables”—the ones we simply can’t live without.

Humans are not designed to go it alone.  We never were.  We never will be.  But that doesn’t stop most of us from trying.  Over the last forty years, a growing percentage of U.S. Americans report having shrinking networks and fewer relationships.  Today, the average U.S. American has only one close confidant, down from 2.94 in the mid-1980’s.  It’s no coincidence that, over this same period, we’ve become the loneliest generation in American history.

As we begin a new year, you’re invited on a quest to name and claim the handful of people whom you can’t live without: to commit to making time for them in your life; to invest your energies in cultivating relationships with them; to seek out their wisdom; to learn from them; to confide in them; to invite them into your story and alongside you on your journey. 

On this quest, you’re also invited to consider those in your life who just might see in you the kind of person that they can’t live without.  They might not know it yet.  They might never say it.  But it’s possible that they’re waiting for you to make time for them in your life; to invest your energies in cultivating a relationship with them; to share your wisdom, your story, or simply your hand on the journey of life. 

The truth is that humans need more than one close confidant.  We need a dream team of people who each bring different gifts, perspectives, experiences and commitments to offer.  In this series, we’ll look at the six types of people who can make all the difference both in our personal lives and in our professional lives. 

Who are the indispensables in your life?  For whom might you be one?

The Indispensables: The Sherpa (01/17/21)

We all need a brain to pick, an ear to bend, a nudge, a poke, a push, or even a loving shove from someone we genuinely trust.  We all need close confidants with whom we can share important matters, our deepest longings, our personal struggles.  We all need someone who’s been there, or someone who’s going there with us, or someone who’s willing to go to the ends of the earth on our behalf. 

We might call such people “The Indispensables”—the ones we simply can’t live without.

Humans are not designed to go it alone.  We never were.  We never will be.  But that doesn’t stop most of us from trying.  Over the last forty years, a growing percentage of U.S. Americans report having shrinking networks and fewer relationships.  Today, the average U.S. American has only one close confidant, down from 2.94 in the mid-1980’s.  It’s no coincidence that, over this same period, we’ve become the loneliest generation in American history.

As we begin a new year, you’re invited on a quest to name and claim the handful of people whom you can’t live without: to commit to making time for them in your life; to invest your energies in cultivating relationships with them; to seek out their wisdom; to learn from them; to confide in them; to invite them into your story and alongside you on your journey. 

On this quest, you’re also invited to consider those in your life who just might see in you the kind of person that they can’t live without.  They might not know it yet.  They might never say it.  But it’s possible that they’re waiting for you to make time for them in your life; to invest your energies in cultivating a relationship with them; to share your wisdom, your story, or simply your hand on the journey of life. 

The truth is that humans need more than one close confidant.  We need a dream team of people who each bring different gifts, perspectives, experiences and commitments to offer.  In this series, we’ll look at the six types of people who can make all the difference both in our personal lives and in our professional lives. 

Who are the indispensables in your life?  For whom might you be one?