This week we come to the emotion we all seek and look forward to, but which may be among the toughest to define or pin down: JOY. What is joy, and how is it different from happiness? Can joy last? Is it okay to feel joy or seek joy while others are dealing with suffering? Did Jesus feel joy? As we wrap up this series on our emotions, we ponder these questions and look back over them all wondering how they fit together into one whole, integrated life.

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This week we come to an emotion that may not seem like one of the most basic, but it is everywhere and has many more far reaching impacts than we might realize–DISGUST. The ick factor. Blech. Yuck. At its core, disgust is an emotion of avoidance, trying to turn us away from things we believe could contaminate us.

What evokes this in us? Why do we have this feeling? Is it purely bodily or does it also relate to how we form our social and moral worlds? Did Jesus struggle with disgust, and how did He respond? Maybe if we understand this emotion more fully, we will have a better chance of challenging it where that may be necessary.

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This week we come to a topic in our series on emotions that may feel daunting or heavy. We will think together about sadness and its role in our lives as well as in our faith journeys. What is the difference between sadness and grief and depression and melancholy? How do we process sadness and share it with each other? How can we help each other when we experience sadness that comes from living in a world of mortality and fragility?

And very important: what role does sadness play in our joy? How are they connected and how can one strengthen the other?

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This week, we dive back into our sermon series on Inside Out: Emotionally Healthy Faith, and we come to an emotion that is newer to the movie franchised, introduced in its sequel: ENVY. The “green eyed monster”. What is envy exactly, and is it always bad? How do we manage it, and also how do we steward our blessings and not seek out the envy of others?

In a culture of ladder climbing and more, more, more, how can we cultivate contentment, gratitude and the ability to rejoice with those who rejoice?

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This week, we take a break from our summer sermon series to welcome one of our dedicated COA leaders Helen Kelley as our preacher for the day. She will be focusing on Father’s Day, and God as our Father. Our Father…

…for us

…with us

…within us

How do we make sense of being able to have this relationship with our Almighty Creator? How do we make sense of a Father God if perhaps our own relationships with father figures have been difficult? How do our stories and experiences actually help us grow closer to God in our journeys of faith?

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