In her Easter message last Sunday, Pastor Alison spoke about the idea that resurrection is not the same thing as reversal. She said:

"Just like Jesus was changed through suffering and resurrection, so too are we. In our resurrected selves, the marks of past wounds and the new life God breathes into us coexist and intertwine. We are made new without completely erasing the old. Jesus’s resurrection gives us hope that there is life after death, both at the end of our lives and after the smaller 'deaths' we experience daily. But this new life, breathed into us by the Holy Spirit, is not a simple return to how things once were. Instead it’s a movement forward into someplace new. Beauty and wisdom and goodness exist in the new terrain, but they may look very different. This seems to be the way that God works."

Pastor Alison encouraged us to consider the totality of Jesus's life — to acknowledge that pain and suffering and death are all parts of the human experience and also to remember that God’s resurrection power is at work.

Someone who really gets this complexity is Kate Bowler, an author and professor at Duke Divinity School. One of Bowler’s research topics was the American prosperity gospel — the belief that God guarantees health, wealth, and happiness. After writing a book on this topic, in a sort of tragic, ironic twist, Bowler was unexpectedly diagnosed with stage IV cancer at age 35. While she was in treatment and not expected to survive, Bowler wrote two memoirs about how her perspectives on life and faith had been fundamentally changed as a result of her diagnosis. Bowler discovered that “life is so beautiful and life is so hard. For everyone.”

Our short time on Earth is filled with ups and downs, twists and turns. It is filled with weeping and laughing, and everything in between. It is beautiful and hard. And this is what Bowler explores on her podcast “Everything Happens.” Bowler interviews lots of interesting, insightful people, and talks with them about what life looks like in the “after.” Once we know that “life is so beautiful” and “life is so hard” — once we know that everything happens — what does it look like to live with that knowledge?

If these are questions you're wrestling with, we'd recommend:

• Giving the “Everything Happens ”podcast a listen!
• Exploring the free resources available on Bowler's website — including blessings, support guides, and more!
• Reading one of Bowler's books. We have a couple available in the River Lending Library. Feel free to check them out!

If you are interested in learning more we've included some pages from the book below and we also have a copy at the church that you are welcome to look at.

We highly recommend The Book of Belonging for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of and encounter God in lifegiving ways through the Bible!

This past Sunday, Ministry Assistant Maddie Abbott preached about finding meaning in our work — and about the fine line between honoring God through our labor and accidentally making work into an idol. Together, we looked at the story of the golden calf in Exodus 32 and asked some hard questions: How do we love the people right in front of us — our coworkers, our customers, our teams — without turning our workplaces into sacred altars? How do we discern whether we’re faithfully showing up for others, or just surviving the grind?

This week's resource picks up right where that sermon left off: a Forbes interview with David Miller, a professor at Princeton University and the founder of the Faith & Work Initiative. Miller used to be a senior executive in banking and tech, so he knows firsthand the ethical and emotional complexities of the workplace. In this conversation with Seth Cohen at the NASDAQ MarketSite, he talks about the real tensions people face when trying to bring their values — especially their faith — into their professional lives.

Miller’s big question is: What does your Sabbath have to do with your Monday? In other words, how does your faith shape the way you live and work the rest of the week?

He shares stories from his time in the corporate world, including moments when he had to choose between doing what was profitable and doing what was right. He also reflects on his students — many of whom, regardless of their country or faith background, want to work for organizations that make the world better. But that desire isn’t always easy to live out in practice.
One of the most striking points in the interview is Miller’s call for workplaces to become “faith-friendly” — not faith-based, but open to honoring people's values and spiritual practices. He emphasizes that character and culture matter as much as compliance, and he challenges us to think about how our personal formation — by mentors, family, traditions — shapes the way we show up at work.

A few takeaways worth pondering this week:

• Do I know what story I’m telling about my work? What meaning am I making from it?
• Where do I draw the line between being faithful and being consumed?
• How might my workplace culture be shaping me — and how might I shape it in return?

If you’re in a season of questioning, wrestling, or just trying to hold it all together at work, this interview might feel like a deep breath. It doesn’t offer easy answers. But it opens up space to explore what it means to succeed without selling your soul — a phrase Miller’s students coined that became the subtitle of his upcoming book.

You can watch the full interview here!

In her sermon last Sunday, Pastor Alison spoke about how creating a Rule of Life can help move us toward life in all its fullness. 

​Our initial reaction to the word "rule" may not be a positive one. But it is important to know that the root word of rule, regula, means straight stick — like a signpost guiding the way or a stake holding up a plant so it can more easily bear fruit. A Rule of Life — a concept which comes out of monastic traditions — can function similarly for us. The Sabbath Life explains it this way:

“A rule can be fashioned either for personal or corporate use. It helps you get from where you are to where you want to be, or perhaps better, where God is inviting you to be. A rule is about habits rather than goals. A rule of life is a habit system. When we talk about habits, we’re talking about spiritual disciplines and spiritual practices. A sustainable system of healthy, spiritual habits is better than goal setting. Our habits make our days, and our days make our lives. Map out a system of habits you can do and then show up every day. Commit to your rule.”

Pastor Alison shared about aspects of her own Rule of Life and said this:

"All of these practices, and others, are helping to shape me into someone more able to embrace abundant life and unconditional love. They help me turn my attention to beauty and goodness. To be mindful and savor the present moment. To view myself as interconnected and interdependent. To consider the needs of people near and far, and of creation, alongside my own. To step deeper into mystery and into love."

Steps for Creating a Rule of Life (adapted from The Sabbath Life):​

Step 1: Set aside time on your calendar
Chances are, life is busy. Who has time to think this through and put it together? If that’s the case, you can’t afford not to. Make an appointment with yourself. Block the space on your schedule in the same way you would a meeting with a friend or client. Make it non-negotiable. If you can, make a personal retreat out of it.

Step 2: Pray
Make space to listen to God, really listen. Be quiet. Be patient. Wait through all the churn of thoughts on the surface of your mind and invite the Holy Spirit to take you deeper. What kind of person is God inviting you to be in this season of life? Don’t simply list all the things you feel guilty about not doing. Listen deeper. Be patient and allow yourself to be led by God."

Step 3: Identify your “big rocks”
Think of some of the big categories in your life. They may be family or work. They may be related to personal development or church life.

Step 4: Put everything on paper
There’s not a wrong way to do this. Brainstorm. Give a word to every idea. Get everything out of your head. Put it on paper (or digital document). Worry about editing it later. That stray idea hovering in the corner of your mind you may discover is essential. In this step allow yourself the luxury of bad ideas. They’re just ideas. Don’t judge them just yet.

Step 5: Prioritize and eliminate non-essentials
Okay, now you can judge your ideas, once they’re all out in the open. Once you see them all together, like so many pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, you can start to sort them out. This is a step that may be helpful to experience with a spiritual director or mentor. Look for patterns and connections. Ruthlessly cross things out and commit yourself to the most important things.

Step 6: Share it with someone
Talk it out with your spiritual director, your spouse, your trusted peers. Listen to their feedback. Are you being realistic? Are you being gracious to yourself? Where are you challenging yourself? Are there blind spots you’re missing? Is this a religious self-help wish list or is it truly a plan for being drawn deeper into the heart of Jesus? Ask for help. Welcome accountability.

Step 7: Revisit it over time and revise
At its best, a Rule of Life is a fluid document. As you grow and change, so will it. Take 10 minutes once a week to check-in with yourself and look over your Rule. What’s working? What’s not working? What can be tweaked? Maybe you do this check-in once a quarter or once a year. Set a reminder on your calendar. Don’t forget to actually do it. This may be the most important step.