Mike checks in amidst our coronavirus hiatus and gives some questions for all of us to ask and ponder amidst this season of confusion and disorder.

Coronavirus has ceased our gatherings. So instead, Mike and Emily sit down for a chat that they want to invite all of YOU into for next weeks podcast. You'll here more… You can also watch our virtual service from this past week on our facebook page, Branches Spokane.

We looked at pictures of newts, we had some announcements and we heard form a wide variety of voices as we melted the category of sermon and sermonizer! We couldn’t include all of it on the podcast for copyright reasons, but we made what we could available!

Lis gave an update on Twigs! Mark gave an update from the board about finances and Branches future, thanking everyone for their faithfulness to the Branches community. Mike kicked off our lent series called Melted: Thawing the category to discover the theme. Using Galatians, Mary Oliver, many perceptions of himself, John Muir and a reference to horseradish… he talked about how we all melt into the Divine when we learn to melt away labels that are used to limit the perception of such realities.

Mike wraps up the series on deep time to talk about the little games we play within a far bigger scope. And how we can't forget the vastness of the scope…

It was more a somber Sunday as the conversation about deep time turned itself toward the topic of death. Often in our deconstruction and reconstruction of faith, what happens when we die is a question we don’t totally know how to navigate that. Through personal experience, Mike talked through some thoughts and also invited everyone into a meditation around the song No Hard Feeling by The Avett Brothers.

Our series on deep time will be a balance between form and formlessness. Last week we zoomed out, this week we zoomed in. We discussed how we can positively impact this world. And we had some guests from Faith Action Network to help with the discussion. The video played at the beginning can be found here - https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/03/opinion/church-forests-ethiopia.html

In our kickoff to our deep time series, Mike talks about the limited scope of humanity in the grand scope of earths existence. And what that might mean in tandem to some oft quoted passages of scripture.

Mike and others talk about what their hope and vision for Branches in 2020 is.

Mike talks about the magi, power as corrupter and wonders journey toward joy.