Connexus Church Audio Podcast

Many times, we learn from our mistakes in the areas that matter least, but we repeat our mistakes in the areas that matter most. So how can we ensure that the next time won't be like the last time? Instead of being a conformer, it's time to be a transformer.

From elementary school through high school, many of us had ideas of what the perfect relationship would look like in the future. While those dreams may not represent our current reality, a step in the right direction could be to follow the apostle Paul's advice—move from our childish ways and start being grownups.

If becoming the right kind of person is key to a great relationship, how do you do that? Is there something you can do to prepare? Does it just happen? Sure, we're supposed to love others, but what does that really mean? Let's lean in and read the fine print.

In relationships, we often believe if we find the right person it will make everything right. So we ask ourselves, "Is this the right person for me?" Maybe we need to be asking a different question—a question that shifts our focus from seeking the right kind of person to becoming the right kind of person.

If you were designed by God and sin marred that design, how do you push past those limits to reach your potential? The answer is, surprisingly, through the redemptive work of Jesus. Following Jesus doesn't just change eternity, it changes your present. The path to spiritual and emotional health is the key to redeeming the image of God in you.

So you were created by God to be a certain way, but somehow sin got in the way. You have great intentions, but they're difficult to realize. You try your best, but you fail. What gives? Were your personality flaws part of God's design? Is this just how He made you? When sin entered the picture, so did un-health. And as we'll see this week, lurking beneath your wiring is a wound.

So...why isn't everyone a little more like you? The world would be a better place, would it not? Apparently, not. When God designed humankind, he pronounced his work to be very good. However, as the Enneagram reveals, He didn't make us all the same. Maybe the differences aren't deficiencies, they're design.

The Enneagram is an ancient personality type profile, and over the last two years Ian Morgan Cron's book, The Road Back To You, has helped several hundred thousands of people discover what their number means. Ian talks to Carey about how the Enneagram can help grow your self-awareness and how to reduce conflict at work and at home by understanding how different personality types work. They also discuss the Enneagram as a spiritual growth tool.

Resolutions are a decision to put in some extra effort to achieve a goal. But when it comes to our faith, often growth comes faster when we step out into what God calls us to - taking a risk more so than making a resolution. Why is that? Where does reading scripture and prayer fit into this? What would 2020 look like if you chose to "step out of the boat"?

The Church is remarkable. And against all odds, it changed the world. There is still a great deal that needs changing. By God's grace and with your help, perhaps we can be a small part of bringing about that change.