TNL Church Talks

In Matthew 5:38–48, Jesus takes us beyond “eye for an eye” and into the difficult, freeing work of loving our enemies. This talk explores retaliation, boundaries, St. Patrick’s story, and the strange way Jesus refuses to let harm have the final word in who we become. TNL Church: Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠

In Week 3 of our Lent series, we sit with Jesus’ intense words in Matthew 5:27–30 and talk about how desire and attention form us over time. We explore the “private means harmless” script, how triggers and habit loops get wired into our lives, and what it looks like to bring things into the light and enact wise boundaries that help us learn to see people, and ourselves, as whole again. TNL Church: Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠

Matthew 5:21–24 pushes past surface-level obedience and goes straight for what happens inside a person long before any obvious violence. Jesus starts with “don’t murder,” then goes upstream to anger that curdles into contempt, the kind that turns a human being into “empty-head,” “idiot,” “you’re nothing,” and calls it justified. Jesus ties this to worship on purpose. You can’t practice contempt all week and then act like nothing’s happening when you show up to pray. When there’s rupture, the invitation is movement toward peace, with wisdom and safety guiding the process. If anger has been feeling like fuel, clarity, or just having “standards,” consider what it’s been doing to your body, your relationships, and your ability to love. There’s another way to live. One that refuses contempt and practices peacemaking in ordinary places: home, work, online, everywhere. TNL Church: Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠

All of us have a running commentary in our heads: old family rules, church messages, cultural noise, our own shame and fear. Most of the time we don’t even notice it. As we step into Lent, we’re asking a simple but disruptive question: “Whose voice is that?” In this Ash Wednesday–style gathering (on a Tuesday night, of course), we explore how Lent isn’t a spiritual performance contest, but a season to tell the truth: we’re finite, we’re loved, and we’re already being shaped by scripts we rarely examine. We sit with Jesus’ strange blessings in Matthew 5, name the quiet inner script that says, “I’m basically fine, I don’t really need to change,” and begin learning how to hear a different voice. Whether you’re burnt out on religion, skeptical, or quietly hungry for something deeper, this talk invites you to: • Pay attention to the loudest voices in your life • See your grief, weakness, and questions in light of Jesus’ blessing • Take up simple practices that help you hear God’s voice with more clarity TNL Church: Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠

What if God’s light doesn’t just comfort you, but actually complicates your life first? In Week 4 of our “Strange Light” Epiphany series, we sit with the story from John 9 where Jesus heals a man who’s been blind since birth. Instead of a community celebration, everything blows up: neighbors argue, religious leaders clamp down, parents panic, and the man who can now see gets kicked out of his own community. We explore how God’s revelation often raises more questions before it brings clarity, why we’re so drawn to blame and easy explanations, and what it means to live with honest faith when you can’t tie your story up with a bow. Along the way, we talk about systems that resist change, religion that prefers control over healing, and the courage it takes to say, “I don’t know everything, but I know this.” If you’re carrying big questions, deconstructing, or just trying to follow Jesus with your eyes open, this one’s for you. TNL Church: Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠

When Jesus goes back to his hometown synagogue in Nazareth, the people who know him best are the ones who struggle most to see who he really is. Familiarity, “I already know this,” becomes a kind of spiritual anesthesia that keeps them from recognizing God’s strange light right in front of them. This week of our “Strange Light” series sits with Luke 4:16–30 and Isaiah 61, exploring how pain can slide into entitlement, how we reduce people and even God to something manageable, and how grace refuses to stay inside our boundaries. We talk about work, relationships, and ordinary Tuesdays as the very places where God may already be present, asking us to wake up, pay attention, and “listen to our lives” again. If you’ve ever felt numb in your faith, burned by religious certainty, or stuck in “same old, same old,” this is an invitation to notice where strange light might already be flickering in the familiar.

Jesus’ first miracle in John 2 doesn’t happen at a temple or on a mountain, it happens at a wedding reception, quietly, backstage, and most people never even notice. When the wine runs out and shame is about to crash the party, jesus steps in with a strange kind of light, practical generosity that protects people from humiliation and turns ordinary water into celebration. Epiphany is about learning to notice. God often shows up in interruptions, in kitchens, in the unseen labor of “jar fillers,” and in moments that don’t look spiritual enough to matter. If life feels ordinary, inconvenient, or like you’re running on empty, this story asks a different question. What if that’s exactly where God loves to work? TNL Church: Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠

The story of the Magi in Matthew 2 is familiar on the surface, but when you slow down, it exposes three very different responses to the same light: Herod’s anxious need for control, the religious experts’ informed but unmoved comfort, and the Magi’s risky decision to move on partial light. What happens when God’s activity threatens our little kingdoms, when our knowledge outpaces our obedience, or when we sense a quiet nudge toward change but have no guarantee of how it’ll turn out? If you've ever felt caught between fear, spiritual autopilot, and a fragile desire to follow God into the unknown, this is an invitation to pay attention to how you respond to light, and to let God keep reshaping your heart. TNL Church: Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠

A Christmas Eve reflection on John 1, where the cosmic “Word” who spoke light into existence is revealed as a person who moves into the neighborhood of ordinary, messy lives. We explore what it means to live in a world that often feels ruled by darkness, anxiety, and invisibility, and to hear the claim that a stubborn, unflinching Light has already stepped into that darkness and refuses to leave. From feeling unheard at the dinner table, to wrestling with doubt, to carrying complicated family stories into the holidays, this week wrestles honestly with faith while opening up the possibility of being named as a beloved child of God, right here and now. Perfect for anyone who loves Christmas, hates Christmas, or is just hanging on by a thread and hoping for even the smallest flicker of light. TNL Church: Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠

Waiting is frustrating. It feels unproductive, inefficient, and sometimes like silence from God. But Advent refuses to rush past the wait. This week, we sit with Simeon and Anna, two often-overlooked figures who spent decades waiting for hope to arrive. Their lives remind us that waiting doesn’t automatically make us wise. It can make us bitter, numb, or closed off. But it can also train our attention, shape our compassion, and teach us how to recognize God’s presence when it shows up quietly. We explore how hope can coexist with grief, how faith survives long seasons without resolution, and why community matters when waiting feels unbearable. Instead of quick answers or forced optimism, this conversation invites honest presence, practiced awareness, and a kind of hope that keeps us human. If you’re tired of waiting, carrying disappointment, or unsure how to keep hoping without pretending, you’re in good company here. Advent doesn’t promise quick fixes. It promises presence. TNL Church: Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠

The first people to hear about Jesus weren’t priests, politicians, or anyone with influence. They were shepherds, men pushed to the edges of society who smelled like their work and rarely got invited anywhere. Yet God chooses them as the first witnesses of the incarnation. In Week 2 of our Advent series, we explore why God keeps showing up in the places no one looks. We sit with the fear and confusion of the shepherds, the surprise of being included in a story they never expected, and the quiet transformation that sends them back to their same lives as different people. Whether you come with faith, questions, exhaustion, or skepticism, this story has something to say: God sees dignity where we don’t, meets fear with kindness, and works in the ordinary places we tend to overlook. Scripture: Luke 2:8–20 (The Message) If this resonates, feel free to like, subscribe, or share. And as always, you’re welcome to join us in person on Tuesday nights here in Denver. Advent is a season of surprise, and you might be surprised by how close God already is. TNL Church: Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠

Advent starts in the last place anyone expected: a tiny village in the middle of nowhere, with a teenage girl no one was looking at. In Week 1 of our Advent series, we look at Mary’s story in Luke 1 and what it tells us about a God who loves showing up in small, overlooked places. Mary’s “yes” isn’t loud or polished. It’s trembling, honest, and full of questions...which is exactly the kind of courage most of us actually have. This week, we explore what it means to notice God in the ordinary, pay attention to the quiet invitations in our lives, and believe that our unpreparedness doesn’t disqualify us. If you’ve ever felt unseen, unready, or unsure where God might be in your week, this is a good place to start the season. TNL Church: Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠

What does it mean to love like Jesus...really? In a time when we cancel, divide, and cut people out, Jesus kneels down and washes Judas’ feet. This final message in the How to Stay Human series explores what happens when you let yourself be loved so deeply it transforms how you treat even your enemies. It’s not about trying harder. It’s about letting love reshape you from the inside out. TNL Church: Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠

You don’t have to do it all. And you were never meant to. In a world that rewards burnout, glorifies overwork, and treats exhaustion like a badge of honor, what does it mean to embrace your God-given limits as sacred instead of shameful? This week’s message explores how reclaiming our limits isn’t a sign of weakness...it’s the path to presence, peace, and becoming more fully human. We’ll look at the rhythms of rest woven into creation, the example of Jesus choosing margin over martyrdom, and the kind of courage it takes to say no...even to good things. Whether you’re stretched thin, on the edge of burnout, or just tired of running on empty, this is an invitation to slow down, breathe deep, and remember: you are not limitless. You are loved. TNL Church: Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠

Most of us were taught to either stuff our emotions down or get swept away by them. But what if there’s a third way...one that lets us feel fully without being ruled completely? This week, we explore what Scripture and neuroscience reveal about emotional wisdom. Through Psalm 42, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Philippians, we talk about naming what we feel, holding it with honesty, and learning to stay present without spiraling. Emotional maturity isn’t about perfection...it’s about choosing a better rhythm: noticing, naming, breathing, praying, and trying again. TNL Church: Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠

When God feels absent and faith feels stale, wonder may be the most sacred thing we’ve forgotten. This week, we explore how awe reawakens faith, quiets anxiety, and reminds us who God is...and who we are. From Psalm 8 to Coldplay to outer space, we’re starting the How to Stay Human series by reclaiming the wonder that opens us up. TNL Church: Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠

The early church didn’t grow because of branding, platforms, or polished sermons...it grew because people showed up when it hurt. In this week of our Unreasonable Church series, we explore what it means to be a community shaped not by performance, but by presence. Drawing from Romans 12 and 2 Corinthians 1, we reflect on how real church happens in shared suffering...when we stop hiding our pain, stop trying to fix each other, and start showing up with the stubborn love of Jesus. This isn’t flashy. It’s not efficient. But it might be the most faithful thing we do. Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠

They gave away what they could never afford to lose...and somehow, it changed the world.This week in our Unreasonable Church series, we explore how the early followers of Jesus practiced a generosity that made no financial sense. Not because they had extra, but because grace had rewired their hearts. This isn’t a talk about guilt or giving to a church: It’s about what it means to live open-handed in a world clenched by fear. Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠

What if the world doesn’t have to run on fear, power, and control? This week, we confront the empire logic shaping our culture( and our own hearts) and look at how the earliest followers of Jesus lived with imagination, humility, and courageous love in the middle of violence and oppression. From Philippians to Revelation to right now, this is a call to interrupt the story we’ve been handed and live a better one. Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠

Who gets a seat at the table? In the earliest church, the answer was scandalous: everyone. Jews and Gentiles, men and women, rich and poor, insiders and outsiders. This week we explore a radically inclusive vision of community that defied every social norm...and still does. If church is a family, who have we left out? And what would it take to make space for them? Growing into the people we're created to be as we join God to incite love, reduce suffering, and increase joy. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tnl.org⁠