Awakening Church Awakening Church

Shame and anxiety often form a destructive partnership in our lives. Every one of us hears the voice of shame at some point. It whispers that we are failures, fundamentally flawed, and unworthy of acceptance and belonging. It taunts us with thoughts like, "If only you were smarter, more attractive, thinner, or more successful." As shame casts its shadow, anxiety follows, an unwelcome intruder asking, "Will I ever be enough?" and "Is this how it will always be?" How does Jesus encounter us in the midst of our shame and anxiety? What hope does the Gospel offer against the burden of shame we bear?

We live in an age of anxiety—the dailiness of life presses upon us. Uncertainty, fear, worry, stress, and trauma invade our peace of mind. We have come to live with chronic anxiety as a normal and expected thing. Is this just the way life is? Is there any relief, any hope? Can we break free from the downward spiral of anxiety? Jesus of Nazareth is the most non-anxious presence in human history. What if peace isn’t a distant reality but a here-and-now invitation of Jesus? Join us for our new series, “ANXIETY,” as we learn from Jesus how to experience peace in an age of anxiety.

We live in an age of anxiety—the dailiness of life presses upon us. Uncertainty, fear, worry, stress, and trauma invade our peace of mind. We have come to live with chronic anxiety as a normal and expected thing. Is this just the way life is? Is there any relief, any hope? Can we break free from the downward spiral of anxiety? Jesus of Nazareth is the most non-anxious presence in human history. What if peace isn’t a distant reality but a here-and-now invitation of Jesus? Join us for our new series, “ANXIETY,” as we learn from Jesus how to experience peace in an age of anxiety.

There are few things in life where we feel like they are fully finished. There always seems to be more to learn and grow. Every relationship can go deeper or get better. In our careers, there’s the incessant need to keep advancing. We live not in the DONE but in the DOING, ever striving and rarely arriving. And we feel this spiritually: I need to DO ________ to experience peace or find hope and meaning. Jesus from the cross utters some of humanity's most important words– It is Finished. What if purpose and peace aren’t found in what you DO but in what God has already DONE for you?

Who do you trust? Is there someone you trust fully? Trust is difficult, isn’t it? Even the closest people in our lives hurt us, let us down, or been untrustworthy. What about God? Can you really trust God? The truth is we want to be in control. The problem is we have far less control than we care to admit. Jesus' final act on the cross wasn’t to take control but to entrust himself into the hands of His Heavenly Father. What if the freedom you always desired wasn’t found in having more control but fully entrusting your life into the hands of your Heavenly Father?

What do you really want? What is your deepest desire? We try to cover up our neediness with activity and achievement. We quench our soul's thirst with trivialities. Yet the ache, the thirst, returns. This is the human experience. Can anyone or anything satisfy the soul craving? And how does a crucified God make any difference in the human experience?