Orchard Conversations

This week, as we continue our Easter journey, we delve into Jesus' teachings on abiding in God's love and maintaining our connection to the Source. Join us as Scott Hodge explores the practical and hopeful implications of these teachings for us today.
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Question for contemplation and conversation:
How often do you find yourself measuring your 'spiritual success' by the amount of 'fruit' you produce, rather than the quality of your relationship with God? How can shifting focus from productivity to relationship change your daily faith practice?
What does the concept of 'home' mean to you in the context of your faith? How can understanding faith as a 'home'—a place of safety, love, acceptance, and connection—alter your approach to spiritual challenges and community?
In what ways do you rely on your spiritual community, and how do they rely on you? Discuss the importance of nurturing these connections and the potential consequences of neglecting them.
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To learn more about The Orchard Community visit theorchardcommunity.com
Subscribe to Orchard Conversations in your favorite podcast app or at orchardconversations.com
 

This weekend we continue our resurrection journey with an exploration of what it means to truly engage with the love of the “Good Shepherd” described in this week’s lectionary readings.
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Question for contemplation and conversation:
What are the “hired hands” that you tend to turn to for comfort and security?
Where is the Holy Spirit inviting you to draw from the love of the Good Shepherd to learn to live in the pattern of gracious love?
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To learn more about The Orchard Community visit theorchardcommunity.com
Subscribe to Orchard Conversations in your favorite podcast app or at orchardconversations.com

One this episode, as we continue to examine the disorienting but wonderful story of Resurrection, Benjamin Jay Thomas dissects this week's gospel reading from Luke 24:35-48 and reminds us that our every experience is grounded in the body and the relationship with the divine that we are invited into is a physical thing.
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To learn more about The Orchard Community visit theorchardcommunity.com
Subscribe to Orchard Conversations in your favorite podcast app or at orchardconversations.com

"Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith, they keep it awake and moving."  - Frederick Buechner
On this episode, Lead Pastor Scott Hodge challenges us to reflect on the relationship between doubt and faith and what role they have played in our spiritual journeys. 
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Question for contemplation and conversation:
Reflect on a time when doubt played a significant role in your spiritual journey. How did this experience challenge or deepen your faith? In what ways did your acceptance of doubt become a catalyst for growth rather than a barrier to belief.
In what ways do we seek to be seen and believed by those around us, and how can we offer the same validation and understanding to others? How can we acknowledge and validate other’s spiritual journeys, even when they differ from our own? 
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Things mentioned in this week's episode:
"A Community Canvas" - Society 57 Gala || Friday, April 12, 2024 
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To learn more about The Orchard Community visit theorchardcommunity.com
Subscribe to Orchard Conversations in your favorite podcast app or at orchardconversations.com

On this episode, Lead Pastor Scott Hodge reminds us of the abundance and joys that Jesus' resurrection brings; this Easter Sunday we find the tomb empty and death has lost it's sting. 
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To learn more about The Orchard Community visit theorchardcommunity.com
Subscribe to Orchard Conversations in your favorite podcast app or at orchardconversations.com

Self-Awareness with The Enneagram
We’ve learned a LOT about the Enneagram over the past several weeks. On this episode, we’ll dive into a conversation about how to move the information from head knowledge to life transformation through contemplative practices.
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Question for contemplation and conversation:
Which intelligence center do you seem to be in? What is your experience with the contemplative discipline that is most crucial to that center?
Which contemplative discipline is the one that seems to draw you in, quiet your mind and create space for the Holy Spirit in your soul?
As we leave this Enneagram series, what do you want to take with you into the next season? What do you want to leave behind?
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Things mentioned in this week's episode:
"Enneagram at a Glance” resource
Enneagram and Lenten Resources
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To learn more about The Orchard Community visit theorchardcommunity.com
Subscribe to Orchard Conversations in your favorite podcast app or at orchardconversations.com

Self-Awareness with The Enneagram
This week we continue our exploration of the Enneagram by examining our intelligence centers (head, heart and body), and the ways we can work with these intelligence centers to identify growth areas in our lives. 
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Question for contemplation and conversation:
Explore the idea of intelligence residing not just in the brain but also in the heart and gut. How does recognizing these different centers of intelligence influence your approach to decision-making and understanding yourself?
Which of the following “lies about your identity” and “programs for happiness did you most resonate with? Did they align with the number you identify with?
Reflect on the centering prayer shared in the teaching. How did focusing on the body, heart, and head in turn affect your experience of the prayer? Did you notice any shifts in your awareness or sense of presence?
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Things mentioned in this week's episode:
"Enneagram at a Glance” resource
Enneagram and Lenten Resources
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To learn more about The Orchard Community visit theorchardcommunity.com
Subscribe to Orchard Conversations in your favorite podcast app or at orchardconversations.com

Self-Awareness with The Enneagram
This week we continue exploring how The Enneagram can be a powerful tool for self-awareness and growth, especially in our relationships with each other. Anna Hammond encourages us to take a deeper, introspective look at our own relational behavior and how the Enneagram can be used as a means to find understanding and empathy in ourselves and our relationships.
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Question for contemplation and conversation:
What do you contribute to relationship difficulties?
What do you appreciate and support in the other?
What do you need to start doing, stop doing, or accept to create a relationship that truly flourishes?
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Things mentioned in this week's episode:
"Enneagram at a Glance” resource
Enneagram and Lenten Resources
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To learn more about The Orchard Community visit theorchardcommunity.com
Subscribe to Orchard Conversations in your favorite podcast app or at orchardconversations.com