Continuing our Struggle is Real series, this week we're looking at the struggle with injustice - when so much looks wrong with the world, how can we still trust that God is good? Olivia takes us into verses from both the Old and New Testaments that affirm God's heart toward justice - so listen in and be encouraged that God is with us in this struggle.

#53 - The Struggle with Injustice (Olivia McLean)

Collegiate alum Excellence Perry joins Zeke on the podcast to finish out our week on the Struggle with Injustice by looking at Isaiah 61, where God's heart for justice is on full display. Listen in to hear why asking God to change our hearts may be the first step in this struggle, how we can find hope in the midst of a world where bad things are increasingly visible to us, and even some small practical steps each of us can take in the everyday struggle with injustice.

#54 - Asking God to Give Us His Heart for Justice (Excellence Perry & Zeke Smith)

This week we tackle the struggle with failure, and Chris reveals how it's good news that Jesus told Peter he was going to betray him... and loved him anyway.

#55 - The Struggle with Failure (Chris McLaughlin)

Behind-the-scenes staff guru Emily RIchey joins Zeke on the podcast to share why failure feels so ever present in high school, how we can combat the fear of failure with the truth of the Gospel, and how Easter shows us that God brings life out of our failures.

#56 - We May Fail, But God Never Fails Us (Emily Richey & Zeke Smith)

This week we turn to the struggle with community, and specifically the struggle to reconcile with people when we've wounded each other. Lucy looks at just how radical the call of Jesus to forgive actually is, and what a difference it makes when we hear the challenge in it.

#57 - The Struggle with Reconciliation (Lucy West Gurley)

Well friends, this is our last podcast for a while - we're winding down the school year and preparing for summer programs, but we wanted to end our podcast series with a meditation on community - why, even when it's hard, it's worth investing in. We hope this is an encouragement to invest in community centered around Jesus this summer, and we hope we can see all of you in person sooner rather than later!

#58 - Why Struggling For Community is Worth It (Zeke Smith)

Emily goes with an old-school hymn for her advent song, as she helps us see how It Came Upon a Midnight Clear wasn't just for the moment of Jesus' first coming but a reminder of his return. As believers, we can both rejoice with good news and still sit with the reality of darkness and brokenness, knowing that Jesus comes to heal all in the end.

#45 - It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (Emily Villa Richey)

It's the week of Christmas! And Olivia McLean opens up one of our most popular Christmas hymns to show its roots in scripture, as well as how it celebrates the joy of Christ coming and anticipates more joy to come. We bring it home with a version of the song from local favorites Lowland Hum - enjoy!

#46 - Joy to the World (Olivia McLean)

We're back! Zeke starts up a new semester of teaching on the theme "The Struggle is Real" by talking about how struggle is a normal part of the Christian life, even though we don't want it to be. In a world that constantly tells us things should be easy, how do we embrace struggle and keep going even when things are hard?

#47 - The Struggle is Real

We finish out our first week in our new "The Struggle is Real" teaching series talking through Mark 9 and why in reality, we're all a mix of belief and unbelief all the time. Listen in to hear why opening up about struggle can be really hard, why engaging with our struggles is good and Godly, and what about Jesus entering into the struggle gives us hope.

#48 - I Believe, Help My Unbelief (Jon-Marc Haden & Zeke Smith)

Sarah Luck brings us a meditation on self image, what it actually means, and why getting our eyes off ourselves actually helps pull us out of ways that we struggle with our identity every day.

#49 - The Struggle with Self Image (Sarah Luck)

Another week, another struggle - this time, Hadley MILLER (yes, that's right - name change official) opens up about how optimizing your life to seem productive actually runs against both God's design for us as humans and the ways we reflect God to others around us.

#50 - The Struggle with Performance (Hadley Miller)

Jon-Marc drops by again to talk with Zeke about the reality that comparison isn't a struggle we conquer, but just learn to identify better over time and recognize our need more quickly. We discuss a parable from Luke 18 with a surprising relevance to how we all compare ourselves to others around us and speculate on what it looks like to live differently in light of the reality of grace.

#51 - Fighting Comparison by Embracing Our Need (Jon-Marc Haden & Zeke Smith)

It's the Thursday before spring break, you all are in the middle of exams and wishing COVID was over already, so we decided that since the Bible says "a joyful heart is good medicine"(Proverbs 17:22) what you all really needed today was a chance to laugh... at us. We asked the staff to share moments in high school when they really felt the struggle was real - so enjoy cringe-laughing your way through Chris making enemies with a grumpy old man, Olivia having the worst first day ever, Lucy being an anti-morning person, Hadley teaching us why you never risk safety for candy, and Zeke basically acting out the picture on this podcast graphic. Hope these bring a smile to your face, and hope you guys have a great spring break. We'll see you in a few weeks!

FOCUS Richmond/Central VA

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