It's February 16th and today Karen and Anne welcome their spouses, Jeremy and Brian, to the podcast. Looking back on their decades of marriage, they discuss how they've learned to make it all work, and celebrate loving each other through the seasons of life.

Scripture references:
Genesis 2:24
Proverbs 31:10
1 Peter 4:8
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Colossians 3:12-17

On Superbowl Sunday, our hosts Karen and Anne acknowledge the team that is our church and how we all work together to create this beautiful worship experience in our community. We explore: How is the church like a team? What is our mission? How do we show "team" spirit? What does it mean to belong? What does it look like to win? It's gametime!

Scripture Connections:
1 Corinthians 12 (whole chapter)
12:4-7: “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the spirit is given for some benefit.”
12: 12 –13: “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.”

Hebrews 10:24-25: “We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works. We should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some, but encourage one another, and this all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

1 Corinthians 3:5-9: “What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters are equal, and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor. For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”

Karen and Anne and special guest Sarah explore a young adults perpective on today's church. Anne and Karen want to know what it's like to be a teen in today's world and in our church, what adults can do to support teens and what drives Sarah to persue her ministry internship in the church. Sarah asks Karen and Anne about their most influential moments working in youth ministry, why they chose youth ministry, and what they would change in the chuch if they could.

Today's scriptural connections include:
1 Timothy 4:12. “Let no one have contempt for your youth, but set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.”

Jeremiah 1:4-9 The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.’ ‘Ah, Lord God,’ I said, ‘I do not know how to speak. I am too young.’ But the Lord answered me, ‘Do not say ‘I am too young.’ To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you.’

Pope Francis: “The thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars! You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else. Heal the wounds, heal the wounds. ... And you have to start from the ground up.

Our Top Ten Favorite Faith Things for 2025: This week, Karen and Anne offer our recommendations of all the things we are loving in our prayer lives right now. Take a break with us as we share our picks for music, spiritual reading, prayer practices, and more to help you grow in faith this year.

Books referenced:
"Rest is Resistance", by Tricia Hersey
"We Will Rest: The Art of Escape", by Tricia Hersey
"Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times", by Katherine May
"The Passion and the Cross", by Ronald Rolheiser
"The Holy Longing", by Ronald Rolheiser

Finding the Extraordinary in Ordinary Time: We are now in Ordinary Time until the season of Lent begins in March, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to celebrate! Karen and Anne talk about how to keep from getting stuck in a faith rut when you’re in the middle of the daily grind. Juggling work and family, the days can be long, but the years will seem short when we look back on them. Take a break with us as we reflect on how every ordinary moment matters when you are building a legacy of love.

Scripture references:
Ephesians 5:15-17
Romans 12:1
John 10:10

The Missing Years of Jesus: Karen and Anne ask the question, where did Jesus go between the time he was born and when he began his public ministry decades later? We wonder about how Jesus grew into his fully human and fully divine identity and how he came to understand God’s call for his life. Take a break with us as we delight in imagining Jesus as a child, a teen, and a young adult.

Scripture references:
Matthew 2:13-23
Matthew 3:1-17
Luke 2:41-52
Luke 3:1-22

Karen and Anne discuss New Year’s resolutions, love them or hate them. How can we make a spiritual fresh start in 2025? We reflect on the call to live deeply with intention and to nurture healthy faith habits that can draw us into intimacy with God one day at a time, even if it takes a lifetime. Take a break with us as we share what we need to let go of and what we feel called to lean into as we head into this new year.

Scripture references:
Romans 12:12
Colossians 3:17
Philippians 4:6
Lamentations 3:22-23
2 Corinthians 5:17
Isaiah 43:18-19
Revelation 21:5

Home for the Holidays! Karen and Anne are joined by our parish finance director, Dan, to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family by talking about how holy our own families are. Just kidding! Really, we commiserate about the joys and challenges of raising a family in faith in today’s real world. Take a break with us as we reflect on what Jesus’ early years might have been like for Mary and Joseph and take comfort in the fact that God’s grace is always at work even in our crazy families.

Scripture references:
Luke 1-2
Matthew 1-2
John 2:1-12
John 19:25-27