What is the wildest, most outrageous thing you've done with a group of friends? Maybe as a teen you and your friends hoisted a car onto the school roof just before graduation. As young adults, maybe you and your friends back-packed across Europe or the US. Maybe you started a garage band in middle age, or you all jumped out of an airplane to celebrate your 80th birthday. Friends are important to us and have the potential to powerfully influence our attitudes and actions. In the New Testament book of Mark, we find four friends who went the extra mile for their paralyzed friend. Hearing that the Healer Jesus was in town, they sought to get him an audience with Jesus. But when the house where Jesus was staying was so full that they couldn't get in, they broke through the roof and lowered him into Jesus' very presence. And none of their lives were ever the same. By the faith of his friends, the man was healed. What difference can our faith make for our friends? What would we do so that our friends could get close to Jesus? What is in the way of people experiencing Jesus in the big "C" church, and at Union Chapel Indy? What wild, outrageous thing is God calling us to do to create access to the One who welcomes, loves, heals, and makes whole? Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2LPjcM9RjA

What elements make for a memorable meal? A beautiful tablescape? Exotic, specially prepared food like you might find in a celebrity chef's restaurant? Maybe you prefer a home-cooked meal like grandma used to make. Maybe it's not about the food at all. For you it might be all about who is at the table with you. Jesus spent a lot of time eating meals with people. Meals feature so prominently in the Gospel stories of Jesus that scholars have commented: ‘Jesus ate his way through the Gospels.’ He ate with the rich and the poor, the 'in' crowd and the outcasts, the powerful and the powerless. Regardless of the setting, the guest list, or the price point, acceptance, love, and grace were always on the menu. Who set the table of faith for you? Who would you invite to join you at that table? Jesus' legacy of love at the table is still with us today at the Communion Table. Pull up a chair and "...taste and see that the Lord is good..." (Psalm 34:8) worship link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zTgj-zECAw

"The point is this..." Have you ever had a long conversation with someone about something very important, only to discover that after all is said and done that the core of the issue is something very simple? While there may be much to say on the subject, and while there may be much-supporting material for one view and the other, and while speakers may be verbose and bring many thoughtful ideas, there really is only one main concern. "The point is this..." Of all the New Testament writers, Paul and those who wrote like him, seemed to have the greatest knack for using many words, illustrations, and related stories to express his heart and enthusiasm for Jesus and the life Jesus calls us to. So when he finally gets to a place of saying, "The point is this...," we know we have come to the heart of the matter. And when Paul writes about the generosity of the churches towards the ministry and the needs around them, his "point" is worth our considering even today. It's simple, profound, and so consistent with who we are called to be with Jesus that it's easy to overlook, dismiss, or skim past. But if we'll pause with Paul to consider how God would have us think about our generosity, we'll discover the point is this... giving has nothing to do with budgets, bills, or bank accounts, and everything to do with you and God. This is the point... Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF4Xxp7Y3_E&t=6s

There's no doubt about it. We all have doubts. I doubt that I'll get that job... promotion... raise. I doubt that I will ever travel to exotic locations around the world. I doubt that I can ever give up smoking. I doubt she's telling me the truth. I doubt that my spouse really loves me. I doubt... I doubt... I doubt.... What would it take to erase some of your doubts? Would you have to see that first pay stub to believe you really got the raise? How many days without cigarettes would it take to convince you that you had really kicked the habit? Is there anything your friend can do to convince you she's telling you the truth?  After Jesus' resurrection, the disciples had trouble believing that he was alive. One, in particular, Thomas, wanted physical proof that Jesus was alive. He wanted to touch the nails scars in his hands and put his hand in the wound in Jesus' side before he would believe. Thomas asked Jesus for what he needed to believe. You can, too. The road to faith often begins at doubt. Let's travel together and see what we discover. Worship link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OJs-Y71D1Y

Pastor Elizabeth Gilbert interviews Sharon Moore as they learn more about the gardens and gardening at Union Chapel Indy. They discuss how gardening is closely related to our spiritual disciplines in life, and we discover more about how a grateful heart produces fruit in our lives that honor God. Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnlQ40ddovk

At Union Chapel Indy, for the rest of the month of August, we are all about Gratitude. We are meeting in small groups and other formats to study “The Gratitude Path” by Kent Millard. (Email Jacob@unionchapelindy.org to learn more or connect with a group.) We are in as many ways as possible, examining the biblical concept of gratitude and seeking to grow in our own practice of the discipline of gratitude. To start this series, we have a story to share with you today that highlights the power and impact that a life of gratitude can have. You may know Victoria Arlen from the hit show Dancing with the Stars. But her story starts well before that appearance as a celebrity dancer, and is a powerful example of what being grateful can accomplish. Thank you for joining us in Chapel Connect today to hear her story. Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW6l0-9Y0so

God is all about making a way when it doesn't seem that there is one; doing such great things that we can't even imagine how great they are; and surprising us with new things all along the way. God is doing all of that right now at Union Chapel Indy - and The Garden UMC. Today in Chapel Connect, Union Chapel Indy Pastor Elizabeth Gilbert and The Garden Pastor Carolyn Scanlan talk about an exciting opportunity that God has brought to these two congregations. God says, "See, I am doing a new thing!" (Isaiah 43:19) And we are excited to join God in this new, exciting thing and see where it leads! website - https://www.unionchapelindy.org/ online giving - https://www.unionchapelindy.org/resou... email - hello@unionchapelindy.org phone - (317) 846-3429 Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JTwQo7J6EI&t=3s

Maybe we enjoy superhero stories and movies so much because we get to live, through the superheroes, lives and experiences that we could not otherwise dream of. For the few moments we with spend with a superhero on the big screen, we are stronger, braver, smarter, bolder, and more powerful than as our everyday, ordinary selves. But it's not just comic and movie superheroes who live lives of courage and adventure. Followers of Jesus are called every day to step out boldly and live extraordinary lives of purpose and adventure. It doesn't take a genetic mutation or a run-in with some gamma rays to be a Superhero of the Faith. It only takes a close walk with God, faithfulness in each moment, and willingness to say, "I'm in!" to be made into the bravest superhero and make a difference for God and others. Join the Superheroes of Faith Team! There's a cape waiting just for you! Sunday Message Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1eBhdk9-m0&t=2s

Maybe we enjoy superhero stories and movies so much because we get to live, through the superheroes, lives, and experiences that we could not otherwise dream of. For the few moments we spend with a superhero on the big screen, we are stronger, braver, smarter, bolder, and more powerful than as our everyday, ordinary selves. But it's not just comic and movie superheroes who live lives of courage and adventure. Followers of Jesus are called every day to step out boldly and live extraordinary lives of purpose and adventure. It doesn't take a genetic mutation or a run-in with some gamma rays to be a Superhero of the Faith. It only takes a close walk with God, faithfulness in each moment, and willingness to say, "I'm in!" to be made into the bravest superhero and make a difference for God and others. Join the Superheroes of Faith Team! There's a cape waiting just for you! Chapel Connect Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egOuLcTnacc

Superheroes come in all sizes and shapes. In the Marvel Universe of Superheroes Ant-man can shrink himself to the size of an ant - less than 1cm tall, and Giant-Man towers over all the others at 60 feet tall! When it comes to being Superheroes of the Faith, we tend to think that most of us don't have what it takes to make a difference, that we are too small, too weak, not smart enough or talented enough. But Superheroes of the Faith come in all sizes, too. And from God's perspective, sometimes smaller is better - all the more opportunity for God to do big things through us. Whatever your size or ability, God has super-sized plans for you and your life! Message Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RL3PplXnBw&t=1s