The Hacked Life: Connect Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in the Chapel and Online: We begin every day with the best of intentions. "Today I will.... get out of bed on my first alarm... stick to my diet... be kinder to my spouse... spend more time with my kids... be to work on time... go to bed early..." But, as one wise person noted, "Life has a way of disregarding even our best intentions." The same happens with our spiritual lives. Our best intentions to stay connected with Jesus and other followers get waylaid by competing priorities, overbooked schedules, and the many demands of life. But there are things we can do to stay in deep connection with Jesus. Just like life hacks can help us stay on track with daily intentions and habits, let's consider some spiritual hacks that can help us walk more closely with Jesus... Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZjX7VZZyI4

Especially for those outside the faith - but also for those seeking to follow Jesus - being a Christian can be confusing. There seems to be so many rules, restrictions, and exclusions! But at its core, the Christian tradition is about Jesus. And Jesus didn't give us rules, restrictions, or regulations. Jesus extended an invitation. To all kinds of people he met in all kinds of circumstances, he simply said, "Follow me." Life with Jesus does not have to be complicated or burdensome. The Bible gives us some clear, concise words to guide and grow our spiritual lives. And just like life hacks make our day-to-day easier, there are tools and techniques for incorporating more of Jesus into our everyday lives. How about some 'faith hacks' to make life with Jesus a bit easier? Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emLW3x5msJ0

Have you noticed that if you look online for a recipe you have to slog through commentary, personal anecdotes, photos, and cooking tips before you ever get to the recipe? While all that might be interesting and helpful, the practical information needed for the endeavor - in the form of ingredients, measurements, and instructions - is nearly the last thing on the site! In the Book of Colossians we find lots of beautiful prose and lofty writing about who Jesus is, the high calling of being a follower, and the power of a life lived with Jesus. While all inspiring and helpful, it's not until near the end of the letter that we find the 'how-to's' of connecting with Jesus in meaningful ways. And when we get it, just like so many recipes, we often find that the practical steps to the new creation are not all that complicated. A few easy steps can create a yummy dish - and a meaningful life of faith! Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yTZbHa5zz4

Some of us like to be spontaneous and a bit 'by the seat of our pants.' Many of us like a plan for our days, our activities, our careers, and even our lives. And if those plans get disrupted, we get really uncomfortable! Yet few things go as planned. We are always rerouting, pivoting, or coming up with a plan B, C, or D. Often the new places we ended up, the unexpected things we did, or the updated skills we garnered are among our most valuable assets and most memorable experiences. Traveling through this life with Jesus is an adventure all its own that promises all this and more. Are ready to journey with Jesus to some new places? WORSHIP LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0OVJxr7Q9U

As a people, we tend to like new things... a delicious new recipe, new clothes, an exciting new destination to visit. Sometimes we choose the 'new,' and sometimes the 'new' just - - shows up. The Gospel of Matthew, the first book of the Christian New Testament, is about 'new' (among other things). And that 'new' is Jesus. In Jesus, Matthew shows his readers that Jesus is not just a new way to experience God, but that Jesus also brings a new understanding of faith and faithful living. And sometimes to fully experience the 'new,' some of the old has to go. Are you ready for a 'new' adventure!? Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMZtJ5PM6_U

In his book "Staying in Love," Andy Stanley writes..."We all know what’s required to fall in love… a pulse." He points out, however, the fact of the matter in the book's subtitle: "Falling in love is easy. Staying in love requires a plan." Truer words have maybe never been spoken. We'd all like to think that the feelings of falling in love will see us through the tough times of a relationship, but that rarely happens. Staying in love requires intention, commitment, discipline, and action. That goes for staying in love with God, too! As we continue to discover what is "Uniquely UMC," we consider the last of Wesley's General Rules, Stay in Love with God. As we seek to Do No Harm and Do Good, we're going to need a vital, vibrant, and deep relationship with God. To be God's people in the world, we'll need to Stay in Love with God! Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wddzig1-fXk

Most of us learn at a young age that to share with another is a benefit to both the giver and receiver. Young children are taught to share, and we often hear, "It is better to give than to receive." We feel good about blessing or aiding another, and the other finds joy in the gift. Giving and doing good is also a core tenet of the United Methodist tradition. In fact, "do good" is the second of John Wesley's General Rules that guide our faith and life together. In additional to: FIRST Doing No Harm, and Staying In Love With God, as we Do Good, we witness to God's goodness real and active in the world. This week in UniquelyUMC, we learn more about how Jesus' love is manifest in the world as we "do good." Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQBMTweJBzw

Did your parents have 'sayings' they oft recited to impart wisdom and shape your character? Things like, "Leave the space better than you found it." Or maybe you work for a company that seeks to influence employees with repeated slogans... "Safety first!" John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, left adherents with three rules to guide their life together in faith: Do no harm. Do good. Stay in love with God. While Methodists often refer to these as the "Three Simple Rules," they are not that simple to live by! But they do provide a solid guide to living in a way that blesses the person, the church, and the world. In July at Union Chapel Indy we explore these three simple rules that are as relevant today as when Wesley gave them to us in the 1700's. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9_aqfrpWoI

The human race has made a fine art out of judging the faults and foibles of others, while at the same time overlooking and excusing our own. It is the nature of people of all times and places to point out the shortcomings, sins, and slip-ups of others, and pass judgment on what would be appropriate punishment. All the while, of course, ignoring our own screw-ups and scandals. What if we each got what we deserved? We might decide that that the idea of justice, in general, was overrated. What if we each got what we deserved from God? What if we were each judged according to God's perfect standard of generosity, forgiveness, and compassion? And not just for what we did - or didn't - do, but for what we felt in our hearts and thought in our minds? Good thing for us that God is not just generous, forgiving and compassionate, but he is also merciful, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. God's love not only knows no bounds, God is relentless in pursuing us with God's goodness, grace and mercy. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXxLGeuTUug

When one fisher came home without any fish, he was asked, "I thought you were going fishing? Why don't you have any fish?" To which the fisher responded, "I said I was going fishing, not catching." A. K. Best said, "The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad." A large part of fishing is casting the line and waiting, casting the line and waiting, and casting it yet again. You get as many chances as you have time for. And if you are good - or lucky - you might even catch a fish. Not everything in life offers so many chances at success. Final exams, the "court of last resort," and the third strike are all definitive. Once you've reached these, you've had all the chances you are going to get. Jonah may have thought he was out of chances when he found himself in the belly of a great fish. But even though he had disobeyed and run from God, God gave him a second chance. Our God is a God of second, third, fourth, fifth and even sixth chances. In fact, God is a God of unlimited chances. Think you've tested and tried God to his limits? Think again. God is just waiting to give you another chance. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yChYt-FOf2w