An Advent Word from John the Baptist

As we enter the third Sunday of Advent, Leah invites us to consider the profound message, “Do the good that is yours to do.” Drawing from John the Baptist’s bold words and the concept of a “centered set” faith, she encourages us to reflect on what inspires or challenges us, what resources we bring, and what actions are sustainable in our lives. This Advent, discover how the good you are uniquely called to do can bring light and love to the world.

Review Leah’s notes here and listen to or watch the teaching below.

The Stories That Sustain Us: An Introduction

In this teaching, Leah kicks off our 2021 series with a personal story and an invitation to consider together “Stories that Sustain Us” from the life of Jesus, as related though the gospels.

Read Leah’s notes here and listen to or watch the teaching below.

In the Company of Others

In this fifth and final teaching in our “Reconstructing Faith” series, Leah considers the benefits and challenges to navigating faith with others in spiritual community. Kim D. also shares some of her story regarding deconstructing and reconstructing faith alongside others, beginning at minute 5:30.

Listen to the teaching below or check out Leah’s notes here.

Why Jesus?

This image depicts one way we might consider the practice of faith, described in this teaching.

In this first teaching in the "Back to Basics" series, Leah considers a question pretty fundamental to Christianity: why Jesus? What's the big deal? She examines some of the traditional answers Christians have offered and their weaknesses, and opens up a conversation about another possible approach, including a review of the Blue Ocean model of Centered Set.

Read the notes here or listen to the recording below.

What We Mean By...Jesus-Centered

The view of the Trinity most Christians consider to be Orthodox.

In this teaching, Leah explores the 1st of the 3 Haven Core Values Identified in the recent teaching on Envisioning Haven Together: Faith that's Jesus-Centered. As Leah explains here, part of what has traditionally set Jesus-Centered faith apart from other understandings of cosmic reality is the relationship the person of Jesus has to God, a relationship Christians have long described through a group of relationships called the Trinity. How is the Trinity best understood, and how is it not?

Read Leah's notes, or listen to the teaching below, as she explores these questions and their implications for Haven.

Envisioning Haven Together

This image communicates the vision Leah describes for Haven throughout the teaching.

"A vision has power...I think at certain points in our growing and maturing as people we need those fresh pictures that can resonate with us; they gel with what we've already come to know is true, but they help us see where it might take us forward...I’ve had a sense lately that Haven, as a community, is in a similar place of needing fresh vision to further grow and develop."

In this important teaching, Leah seeks to synthesize conversations that have been happening through Haven in recent months in regards to the vision for our community. The teaching revolves around a call she senses to live into the tension of three core values, represented by the Venn Diagram pictured above. Listen below or read Leah's notes, and see how she spells out the implications of these values, the tensions they present, and the invitation Jesus seems to be extending our community to live in the center of those tensions and find him there.

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