141: Authenticity, Identity, and Belonging (with Brian Delamont)

Brian Delamont returns to the podcast to explore the Merriam-Webster Dictionary word of the year – "authentic" – through a Biblical lens. Heather draws a connection to her word of the year from 2023, and Keane shares a profound quote from C.S. Lewis.

• Holiness in Everyday Life by Raphael Haeuser
• The Truest Thing about You by David Lomas
• "It's crucial to ground identity in something proven and dependable, something that doesn't shift."
• Genesis 1:27
• "Humans are inescapably, for all eternity, created in God's image; it's inherent in us. Therefore we long for the characteristics that can only be satisfied in Him."
• Mark 8:35
• "Jesus is inviting us to find our identity in him, and in the presence of the Father and the Holy Spirit, to let this identity of being deeply loved by God shape our desires to align with what He knows will lead to our flourishing, to shalom."
• "If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world." -C.S. Lewis
• Matthew 3:17
• 2 Peter 1:17
• Colossians 3:1-10
• 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
• "When I live in my identity as a person indwelt by God, who loves me, I let Him rule. This anchors me in my authentic identity."
• Spiritual Direction by Henri Nouwen
• 1 Corinthians 13:11
• 1 Peter 2:9-10
• "I'm not a solitary individual who chose to follow Jesus; I'm a part of the global community of Jesus followers alive today, and I'm a descendent of every Jesus follower before me. They are my people."
• Philippians 1:6
• "Until the day God returns to make everything declare His full glory once again, He will be at work in you. And you have work to do in this, as well. You answer the call; you respond by actively becoming who you authentically are."

March Reflection: As you look at yourself, who are you becoming? What will you do to experience this more fully?

What's changing our lives:

• Keane: Rediscovering Josh Garrels music
• Heather: Hosting a favorite things party
• Brian: Learning from these podcasts

Weekly Spotlight: International Academy of St. Petersburg

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