Explore every episode of the podcast Friends Church Calgary Weekly Message

For the last few weeks I've been inviting us into an uncomfortable question about the technology in our pockets, on our desks, and in our driveways. Not whether technology is good or bad, but what we're actually using it for.

We've looked at how it distracts us from feelings we'd rather not feel, how it quietly takes over skills we used to build for ourselves, and how it can feel so human that we forget it isn't.

Most of that conversation has been about what technology does to us. This Sunday, in the final message of Digital Idols, I'm turning the question outward. What does it cost the people around us when we pick up that technology? How do we balance the good it can do with what it costs?

It's not a comfortable place to end a series. I honestly wanted to skip this one until I realized I'd be doing the exact thing this series has been talking about, avoiding something hard because it's uncomfortable. Avoiding hard stuff is not the Friends Church way!

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You asked for it, so this Sunday we're finally talking about AI. This isn't a debate over whether it's good or bad, and it isn't a warning about robots taking over. Most of us use these tools every day without asking what they're doing to us, or what we're doing to them. Every new technology shows us something about ourselves, and AI might be showing us more than we'd like. But if we're willing to pay attention, these technologies can give us something valuable: insight into what we need to be healthy, to live healthy, and to create a healthy world. 

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When was the last time you did math without a calculator doing the heavy lifting? Probably a while, and that's okay. We don't need to do long division anymore. But some skills are different. Walking up to a stranger to ask for help or to connect. Sitting with loneliness, boredom or fear without reaching for your phone. Figuring out what you actually like and what makes your life feel like it's worth something. Technology can't do those things for us, can it?

Yet we try to let it. Quietly, one swipe at a time, we hand over the things that make us human, because if it can do the math, surely it can do this too. And the cost shows up later. The phone call we dread. The conversation we avoid. The feelings we never learned how to hold. Could this be part of why so many of us feel more anxious, more alone and less like ourselves than ever?

This Sunday in the Digital Idols series, we'll look at how to tell the difference: which skills you can happily hand to your devices, and which ones are worth fighting to keep. Join us at the Spiritual Gym this Sunday at 10:30am - invite someone in your life that might need this one.

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You've had a long day, and there's a choice waiting. One option is messy and uncertain and might go nowhere. The other is always there and always easy, and it never says no. This Sunday we're starting in a place that will probably get us in a little trouble, with one young man's after-work dilemma, and what it shows about the always-on technologies we all reach for, including the chatbot in your pocket. It's not about shame and it's not about rules. It's about a question most of us feel but rarely say out loud, and an ancient story about a golden calf that turns out to be surprisingly modern. 

If you've ever caught yourself choosing the easy thing over the real thing and wondered why, join us this Sunday at 10:30 at the Spiritual Gym.

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Speaker: Vince Klassen

Everyone has one: the scroll that never really ends, the show that autoplays into the next one, the project that always needs one more hour, the busy that keeps you too busy to notice what you're avoiding. It works, until the day it doesn't, and whatever you built it to outrun is still sitting there waiting.

There's an old story about a group of people who couldn't sit with their pain either, so they built a statue of a calf out of gold to make the feeling go away. We all have our own version of that Golden Calf.

This Sunday we're looking at what ours actually is, what it's been standing in for, and how we deal with what we've been trying to make go away.

Come find out this Sunday at 10:30 at the Spiritual Gym.

AI Prompt: I think there's an emotion I'm avoiding instead of working through, and I want help finding it and naming what I use to distract myself from it. Walk me through this one question at a time. Don't give me the whole list at once, wait for my answer before moving to the next question. Start by asking me when I last felt something rise that I didn't want to sit with. Then help me find the actual emotion itself and name it. Check whether there's a second emotion riding along with the main one, since feelings often travel in pairs. Once we've named the emotion clearly, help me name the distraction I used, whether that's overthinking it, scrolling my phone, staying busy, joking about it, or something else. Then help me come up with a plan to use that distraction less and feel the emotion more.

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You have a story, the real one, not the Instagram version. And this Sunday we're talking about what happens when you finally let it out into the open, how one honest story, told or heard, can be the spark that gets you unstuck and moving again. You don't need a tidy ending or a lesson learned to make it worth telling. You just need to have lived it.

If you've ever felt spiritually stuck and wondered what it would take to catch fire again, come find out this Sunday at 10:30 at the Spiritual Gym. Bring your story. You might be surprised what it lights up in you, and in someone else.

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Some of us gave up on the Bible a long time ago. Too many crazy stories that don't seem to happen anymore, too many fights over what you're required to believe before you're even allowed to open it, too much of a "why does this even matter to my life today" feeling. So it sits on a shelf, more like a museum piece than something that could matter today. Here's why I still think it's worth picking back up: I see it as an ancient collection of writings from people wrestling with the exact same things we are. How do we navigate this life? Why do bad things happen to good people? Is there a purpose behind any of it? How do I live a good life? And so many more. You've probably got a few of your own.

So let's explore the Bible through a new lens, one where you don't need to already believe a word of it. Just bring an open mind and your own story. I'll show you a way into these old stories that might surprise you, one that could inspire the next stage of your spiritual journey.

Bring someone in your life who wants a way into the Bible that inspires their life today.  See you at the Spiritual Gym!

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Some days it doesn't bother you. Other days, a story you've told yourself for years stops feeling like a story and starts feeling like the truth, no matter what's actually in front of you. It might be about relationships, about God, about who you are or aren't allowed to be. This week we're looking at what happens when a story takes over, and what it costs us and the people we love when it does. You'll leave with a real way to loosen that story's grip and start evolving it, instead of staying stuck inside it. Come with the story that gets you at your weakest. Leave with a way to change your relationship to it.

Join us this Sunday, 10:30 am, at the Spiritual Gym, and bring someone who's stuck in a story of their own.

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Speaker: Vince Klassen

We've all heard someone say "the Bible clearly says so" right before defending something that made our stomach turn. Racists leading Christian organizations. Immigrants locked out. Entire groups of people told God is against them. And every one of them is pointing to the same book we are.

So who's right?

One book. 70,000 denominations. Everyone convinced they've got the corner on truth, and everyone using the exact same text to prove it.

Here's what nobody wants to sit with: maybe the goal was never to find the one correct reading everyone else missed. Maybe it's about something closer, and harder. Finding your own way through this book, one that's actually yours, not one you inherited without ever checking where it came from.

Join us this Sunday at Friends Church as we dig into it together.

For more information about this message, please refer to the following:

• Dan McLellen - https://linktr.ee/maklelan
• Bart Erham - https://shor.by/kE06
• Monte Mader - https://linktr.ee/MonteMader
• Friends Church Recommendations - https://friendschurch.ca/books

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Speaker: Vince Klassen

There's often a story running underneath our relationships, and most of us don't even know it's there. We feel it more than we see it: the distance that creeps in even when nothing's technically wrong, the guard we keep up around someone, even family members, the exhaustion of loving someone who isn't giving as much as we feel we are. We tell ourselves that's just how they are, that's just how it is, but underneath that feeling is a belief we've never questioned. An unconscious belief decides how we treat the people right in front of us, and our relationships pay for it.

Where are we feeling this pain? And how do we finally get honest about the stories driving it? Come find out this week at Spiritual Gym.

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You did the work. The routine, the discipline, the daily showing up. It got you somewhere real. And then, without warning, it stopped working. The thing that used to bring you to life goes flat. You try harder. Nothing moves.

This isn't just a spiritual problem. It's the same wall you hit in the gym when the weight stops moving, at work when the promotion stops feeling like progress, in a relationship when the routine starts feeling like drudgery. This talk unpacks why the strategy that used to work stops working, and why the way out isn't just trying harder or thinking more.

Come find a way out of the rut you are in this Sunday at the Spiritual Gym

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Are you waiting for life to begin?

Most of us tell ourselves that someday we'll have more time. Someday life will slow down. Someday we'll finally pursue what matters most. But what if "someday" never arrives? This Sunday at Friends Church, we'll explore a surprising perspective on time, purpose, and the choices that quietly shape our lives every single day.

Through stories, unexpected insights and practical wisdom, we'll discover why one simple question may be more important than finding more hours in the day. We'd love to have you join us - you may never think about your time the same way again.

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Have you ever had a financial advisor tell you to save less? Spend more today? Yeah, me neither. We only ever hear one message: save more, sacrifice now, future you is counting on it. But here's the question nobody's asking: what if that same logic is running your spiritual life too? What if you've been taught, without ever saying it out loud, that today you is the villain in future you's story? There's a guy from the 5th century who took that idea all the way. Lived on top of a pillar. Fifty feet in the air. No shade, no rest, nothing between him and the sky, because he believed killing off today him was the price for future him. This week, we're asking whether your faith has quietly built the same pillar for you.

Come find out at the spiritual gym.

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There's a phrase you've probably said out loud more than once: "that's just not me." Someone hands you an opportunity, an outfit, a role, a way of doing things, and something in you just knows. But have you ever wondered if there's something almost spiritual happening when you say that?

Here's the thing about church you might not expect: a lot of us walked away from religion, or are still limping through it, because it felt like one long project to fix what's wrong with us. Stop sinning. Manage the bad parts. Become someone else. But what if that's not actually the whole story? What if the parts of you that come easy, the things you're just naturally good at, aren't a distraction from your spirituality, but the actual point of it? 

This Sunday I want to tell you a story about a kid who was handed armor that wasn't built for him, and what happened when he had the guts to take it off. Come find out what he used instead, and what it might mean for the thing you're carrying that was never built for you either.

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Most of us know what it feels like to be at the end of our rope. The demands of work, family, relationships, and life never seem to stop, and sometimes even a vacation doesn't feel like enough. This Sunday at Friends Church, we'll explore a surprising perspective on why simply pushing harder often isn't the answer - and discover a practical, life-giving way to find renewed energy in the middle of ordinary life.

Whether you're feeling overwhelmed, running on empty, or simply looking for a healthier rhythm, this message offers a fresh, engaging look at rest, purpose, and what it means to truly be refreshed.

Come prepared to laugh, think, and maybe see a familiar story in a completely new light.

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Here's a question worth sitting with: what if the thing that's slowly destroying your most important relationships isn't the big blowup, the betrayal, or the obvious stuff — but something you do so regularly you don't even notice it anymore? Something you probably did this week. Maybe this morning. Researchers who study relationships have identified a handful of specific behaviors that are so corrosive, so quietly destructive, that they can predict whether a relationship will survive — with over 90% accuracy. Not might damage. Will destroy. And the brutal part isn't that these behaviors are rare or extreme. It's that they're completely ordinary. People do them every day in their closest relationships and genuinely believe they're just being honest, or protecting themselves, or handling things the only way they know how. This Sunday is the final talk in our series and I'm going to name them. All of them. Fair warning - you're probably going to recognize yourself in at least one. Probably more than one. But knowing is the whole point.

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There's someone in your life right now who just gets under your skin. Maybe it's a family member who turns every gathering into a minefield. A colleague who makes everything harder than it needs to be. A partner who seems wired completely differently than you and you cannot figure out how to stop bumping into each other. And the really fun part? You can't just walk away. You live with them, work with them, or married into the same family as them. Here's something that might actually help: researchers who study relationships for a living say that most of the problems in your closest relationships aren't actually fixable. They're permanent. And that sounds depressing until you realize what it means - because there's a way to navigate permanent differences that most people never figure out.

This Sunday I'm going to use one of the greatest creative partnerships in history to show you exactly what happens when you get this wrong - and what it looks like when you finally get it right. If there's someone in your life who drives you a little crazy, this one's for you.

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Have you ever been in a conflict with someone you love and realized halfway through that you're not actually fighting about what you think you're fighting about? Like the argument on the surface makes no sense - but something underneath it is absolutely real and it is not going away. Here's what nobody tells you: every person in your life is running on a core set of drives that are older than language, older than personality, older than anything therapy has ever tried to fix. And when those drives don't get honored - by the people around you, or by the life you've built - things go sideways. Quietly at first. Then not so quietly.

This Sunday we're going to look at what's actually underneath the tension in your closest relationships - not the symptoms, but the source. I'm going to show you something about yourself that's going to make a lot of things suddenly make sense. And honestly, it's going to make you a lot more patient with some of the people in your life who have been driving you absolutely crazy.

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Speaker: Emily Wight

Think about the last difficult conversation you had. You were listening to the words, maybe even choosing your own words carefully, trying to say the right thing. But what if the most important part of that conversation wasn't what was being said at all? What if the person in front of you was telling you exactly how they felt - and you missed it completely? There's a researcher who spent decades studying human faces and what he found is both fascinating and a little unsettling: people are broadcasting their inner world constantly, in ways they can't fully control or hide, and most of us have no idea how to read it. Not because we're bad people. Because nobody taught us how to look. 

This Sunday we're going to learn how to actually see the people right in front of us - and why that skill might be the piece that builds beautiful connection.

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Has someone ever pulled away from you and you genuinely didn't know why? A friendship that got quiet. A family member who keeps their distance. A relationship that used to be easy and now feels like work - and you can't put your finger on what changed. Here's the uncomfortable truth: most of us are doing things right now, in the relationships that matter most to us, that are slowly costing us those very relationships. And we don't even know we're doing it.

This Sunday we're going to get specific - not just about what's going wrong, but about the exact moments where connection is either built or quietly destroyed. There's a researcher name John Gottman who figured out how to predict, with 94% accuracy, which relationships are heading toward collapse, and which ones will thrive. Turns out it comes down to something that happens dozens of times a day in every relationship you have.

Come find out what it is — and whether you're doing it.

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There's probably someone in your life right now who's a little more distant than you'd like. A relationship that's a little harder than it needs to be. And if you're honest, somewhere in the back of your mind, you already know why. Something happened - something you did, or maybe something you've been doing for years without realizing it - and now you're paying for it. We all have patterns in our relationships that are quietly costing us way more than we realize. Not in dramatic blow-up ways, but in the slow accumulation of distance, resentment, and walls we didn't mean to build. This Sunday we're starting a new series about what it actually looks like to stop creating those costs - and start building the kind of relationships you actually want. I'm going to start by telling you about a mistake I made that followed me for a decade.

Come ready to be honest with yourself. See you at the Spiritual Gym

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Most of us have a list of reasons why our lives are harder than they should be. Things we didn't choose. Ways we're different. Losses we didn't deserve. And somewhere along the way, we quietly made peace with using that list as a reason to stop pushing.

This week at the Spiritual Gym, we're sitting with a question from a man who earned the right to ask it - a Rabbi who lost his teenage son and still chose to show up for his life. He reframes something most of us treat as a wound into something we might not expect. And it's not a platitude. It's not toxic positivity. It's harder than that - and more honest.

If life has handed you something unfair, something that makes the ordinary harder than it should be - this one's for you.

Join us Sunday at Friends Church.

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Speaker: Vince Klassen

What do we do when we're confronted with something unforgivable?

Not the small stuff. The real thing. The kind of act that makes us wonder if some people are just… evil.

Our answer matters. Not in some abstract philosophical way - but in something that cuts right to the heart of this series: what it actually looks like to Live Life Abundantly.

Because underneath that answer is a bigger one. What are we, as humans? Is there something in all of us that we keep disconnecting from - and what does it cost our lives when we do?

Here's what we keep finding: the way we see other people - especially the ones who've hurt us, failed us, or horrified us - shapes the life we're able to live. More than most of us want to admit.

What would change if we looked at the people we've written off - or the person we see in the mirror - and found something unexpected there?

Come find out. Friends Church, this Sunday.

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Johnny Cash made Hurt famous—but it was written by Trent Reznor, a 30-year-old caught between two versions of himself: the person on stage and the kid alone in his room. And in that tension, he asks a question most of us quietly carry: What have I become… and how did I get here?

This week, we’re using that question to rethink something many of us were taught to fear—sin. What if it’s not about punishment or getting it right, but a signal that something in your life is pulling you away from who you actually want to be?

If you’ve ever felt that gap - between your life and your values, between who you are and who you’re trying to be - this one matters.

Join us at the Spiritual Gym this week. Let’s figure out what it looks like to actually live abundantly… not just trying not to screw it up.

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Ever catch yourself thinking, “I just need to get through this week… then life will feel better”? Or “once that thing changes, then I’ll finally feel okay”? This week, we’re going straight at that feeling - the quiet sense that something’s off, something’s missing, something about your life (or you) just isn’t quite enough. And instead of trying to fix it or outrun it, we’re going to unpack it.

Because what if that feeling isn’t a problem to solve… but a signal worth understanding? What if - even more provocatively - it’s what some scholars have suggested is "sin"? Not something to fear or run from, but an indicator that we’ve drifted from an abundant life.

In this talk, I’ll give you a surprisingly practical way to navigate those moments - so you’re not stuck waiting for life to change before you can actually live it. If you’ve been feeling that low-grade “not quite right,” this one’s for you.

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I had a bit of a moment a few weeks ago. I went through the Bible and looked up every single time the word “sin” shows up… and what I found honestly surprised me.

Not in a good or bad way – just… not what I was taught.

I didn’t find the clean, clear list of do’s and don’ts I grew up with. I didn’t find Jesus obsessing over defining sin or making sure people avoided it at all costs. What I did find—especially in the tradition I was handed – was a whole lot of fear. Fear of messing up. Fear of getting it wrong. Fear of hell.

And I can’t help but wonder… is fear really the point?

Because when Jesus talks about why he came, he says it’s about life – full, abundant life. And that doesn’t sound like fear to me.

So this week, we’re going to wade into some deep water. Not to tear anything down—but to see what might be underneath all that fear. To ask what our spiritual lives could actually look like if fear wasn’t running the show.

If you’ve ever felt that tension… or quietly wondered if there’s more to this than just getting it right… this one might be for you.

Join us at the Spiritual Gym this week. Let’s explore what it could look like to actually live—abundantly.

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We just watched something incredible happen. 21 people from our community showed up in Mexico and, together with local families and donated resources by you, built a home that didn’t exist before. This Sunday, we’re going to celebrate that story - but not just to look back. We’re creating space for you to step into something that can shift your life right now. Because “Taking Water” isn’t just about going somewhere far away - it’s about breaking out of the patterns that keep you stuck, isolated, or playing it safe. It’s about discovering what happens when you actually live generous, connected, purpose-filled in your everyday life. 

If you’ve been feeling a little dry, a little disconnected, or just ready for something more - this is for you. Come celebrate, but also come expectant. Come ready to be inspired to step into the next phase of life

Join us at the spiritual gym to be inspired and to find purpose.

P.S. We are bringing a little taste of mexico to you all.  So save some room for a little Churro inspired snack after the service.

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Speaker: Vince Klassen

Happy Easter!

It's the biggest celebration in the Christian calendar — and this year, we're centering it on the teaching Jesus said mattered most: Love your neighbour.

Simple idea. Surprisingly hard to live out.
Especially when your neighbour grew up somewhere completely different. Lived a life you can't imagine. Works every day just to feel like they belong.

This Sunday, we're sitting down with a couple from our own community - immigrants from South America - to hear their story. Not to debate politics. Not to take sides. Just to know them. Because you can't love who you don't know.

Right now, the word "immigrant" carries a lot of weight. We think that's exactly why it's worth showing up this week.

Come learn how to love more skillfully. Come learn from the words of Jesus.

See you at the Spiritual Gym. 💛

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What happens inside of you when you fail someone you actually care about? Not the small stuff—the real moments, where you try… and it still isn’t enough. Something shifts. Stories form fast—defensive, protective, extreme—and in the moment they feel true. But those same stories quietly pull us away from the very people we’re trying to love well.

In this week’s Undercurrents talk, we’re going to look beneath the surface of those moments. Because if we can’t see how our unconscious Parts respond to failure, we’ll keep repeating the same patterns—hurting our relationships and missing what actually matters. Like Paul said, there are forces inside of us pulling us to do the very things we don’t want to do.

Join us at the Spiritual Gym this week.

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After last week’s talk, I had a bunch of fascinating emails - people starting to see where their unconscious Parts have been quietly trying to get everyone around them to see the world the way they do. And with that came the realization of just how much relational damage happens when others don’t line up… or we pressure them to. I’ve done it myself - trying to get others in my life to see the world through optimism, not realizing that my preference for optimism is just my unconscious Parts desire to not feel powerless. That awareness has been a bit staggering.

This week, in our Undercurrents series, we’re going to keep going - but using a different question: Do we need other people? Or go it alone? As we wrestle with that question, you may start to see why you show up the way you do - in relationships, in community, with your friends and family, even in how you’ve engaged with church. It’s the kind of insight that can shift how you understand your own behavior in a really meaningful way.

It’s going to be a fascinating one. Come out to the Spiritual Gym and let’s build a little more awareness—so we’re not getting pulled under by these Undercurrents caused by being unconscious of our Parts when we least expect it.

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Speaker: Vince Klassen

Have you ever noticed how two people can look at the exact same world and come to completely different conclusions about it?

One sees everything falling apart.
Another sees slow progress.

And both are absolutely convinced they’re the ones seeing reality clearly.

In this talk we’re going to explore how the stories we believe about the world quietly shape our emotions, our relationships, and the way we show up every day.

Because when we don’t understand why certain stories pull us in – and why others make us angry or defensive – those hidden forces can start steering our lives without us even noticing. They can leave us anxious, cynical, disconnected from the people we love, and fighting battles that never seem to end.

Join us as we look at the stories of our spiritual ancestors and use them as a mirror—revealing the unconscious Parts inside us that quietly pull the strings and sometimes drive our lives into trainwrecks.

When we begin to see what’s happening beneath the surface, something shifts. We gain the ability to respond instead of react, to understand each other better, and to stop letting those unseen Undercurrents quietly wreck the things that matter most.

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What if the most dangerous moments in your life aren’t the loud ones, but the quiet ones? The ones where a voice inside you starts making a very convincing case. A case to quit. To blow it up. To take the shortcut. To say the thing you swore you’d never say. To do the thing you promised you’d never do.

In this talk, we’re going to explore why intelligent, thoughtful, good people still find themselves steering toward walls they never intended to hit. We’ll look at the hidden forces that shape our reactions, the stories our brains tell us in real time, and why we so often feel hijacked by something that doesn’t quite feel like “us.” If you’ve ever surprised yourself - in anger, in fear, in giving up - this conversation will give you language for what’s happening and a way to begin catching it before it catches you.

This isn’t about shame. It’s about awareness. And once you see it, you won’t be able to unsee it — in your marriage, your parenting, your goals, your work, or even the cultural stories swirling around you. If you want to understand the forces quietly shaping your decisions - and learn how to stop crashing into the same wall - this one matters.

See you at the Spiritual Gym (and invite someone in your life that you think could find value in this).

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What if one of Jesus’ most famous stories isn’t about waiting for a miracle - but about becoming one? This week we’re stepping into the middle of the feeding of the 5,000 and listening carefully to the moment we usually rush past: when Jesus looks at his students and says, “You feed them.” Not someday. Not supernaturally. You. Together. This talk explores why we so often hope someone else - a conception of God, systems, miracles - will fix what’s broken, and what changes when we see ourselves as the Good News instead. It’s about Taking Water, caring for the people right in front of us, and rediscovering a spirituality that doesn’t opt out of the world - but leans into it.

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Speaker: Vince Klassen

What happens when the faith that once fit… doesn’t anymore?

Many of us were taught that religion is one-size-fits-all. Believe the same things. Follow the same rules. Stay in line.
But what happens when you start to notice things are a little off? When questions won’t go away and answers don't work anymore? When the experience that brings peace to others no longer works for you?

This talk tells a story many quietly carry: we call it The Meadow and the Ledge - a journey of doubt, deconstruction, anger, grief, and courage. It explores why leaving certainty doesn’t mean failure, why different people need different things, and why the Bible itself resists simple, universal answers.

We’ll revisit Friends Church’s manifesto—Taking Water, story over certainty, and honoring unique spiritual journeys—and name the inner voices that try to shame us back into places we no longer fit.

Whether you still love the Meadow, are standing at the edge, hanging on the Cliff, or threw it all away long ago, or are having a party on the Ledge this talk offers language, compassion, and permission to be where you are.

You’re not broken.
Your journey isn’t wrong.
And you don’t have to do it alone.

Come on out to Church on the Ledge

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Speakers: Vince Klassen

Many of us grew up in a Christian tradition that left a mark (even if we didn’t grow up in it, the influence of the Christian tradition has snuck into us from the people around us).

Sometimes it was subtle. Sometimes it was loud.
Shame around sex. Guilt about desire. Fear about who we are, how we love, or whether we even belong in a church at all.  Sadly, this list could go on forever.

And that is still in us: the leftover voices, rules, and fears that still follow us, long after we’ve left those traditions behind.

This isn’t about defending Christianity—or tearing it down.
It’s about telling the truth: that religion is powerful. Powerful enough to wound. Powerful enough to heal. Powerful enough to keep us stuck in shame—or move us toward lives of health, connection, and purpose.

If you’ve ever felt hurt by church, unsure about faith, or curious whether religion can still be a force for good—this talk is for you.

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Speakers: Vince Klassen

Taking Water its in this thing called (transcendent) We

Recently I had an experience that’s stayed with me. I was running with a group near the Talisman Centre by the river. It was –10°C when we noticed a man standing under the bridge. At first, no big deal—until I saw he was wearing only a t-shirt. Then I noticed he had just one shoe.

I felt the pull to keep running. To assume there was a reason he was there. That someone else would help. I’ve been in moments like that before—and I didn’t stop.

Friends Church exists to inspire a healthy spirituality that Takes Water to the world around us. All around us. Even to that man under the bridge. It asks us to take those moments seriously—to stop and help if we can, and if we can’t, to reflect on why.

Are we too busy? Is our life in chaos? Do we lack the support to support others? Is a Part of us giving a perfectly reasonable excuse to keep going?

This week, as we begin exploring Our Manifesto, we look Taking Water in the eye—why we offer it sometimes, why we don’t at others, and what it means when we feel like we’re the ones who need Water.

Join us—not for shame or guilt, but for a deep and honest exploration of Taking Water, and how it shapes both us and the world around us.

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Two Sundays - the end of an era, and the beginning of the next.

This Sunday, Vince’s on the Hotseat. Ask him those questions you’ve always wanted to ask - but maybe never had the chance or nerve to.

Bryce (aka Bad Boy with a Heart of Gold) is back in the host chair, putting your questions front and center.  He’ll be hitting him with real questions submitted by you—no topic off-limits, no question too bold.

We’re talking theology, life, relationships, doubts, weird Bible passages, church culture—whatever’s been on your mind.

Let’s make them sweat—for all the right reasons. 
Don’t miss PASTOR ON THE HOTSEAT

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Speakers: Bryce Lokken & Jeff Jarvis

Two Sundays - the end of an era, and the beginning of the next.

This Sunday is Jeff's Last Sunday at Friends Church so you can ask him whatever you've always wanted to know about him.

Bryce (aka Bad Boy with a Heart of Gold) is back in the host chair, putting your questions front and center.  He’ll be hitting him with real questions submitted by you—no topic off-limits, no question too bold.

We’re talking theology, life, relationships, doubts, weird Bible passages, church culture—whatever’s been on your mind.

Let’s make them sweat—for all the right reasons.
Don’t miss PASTOR ON THE HOTSEAT

Bring a friend and join us in the Gym this Sunday.

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To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit https://friendschurch.ca/podcast

Speaker:  Jeff Jarvis

Deep down, most of us already know at least one change we long to make. Yet as Vince has been unpacking, it’s often not a lack of desire or effort that holds us back—but unseen forces within us that cause us to hesitate, resist, or quietly pull away.

If you’ve ever felt caught between what’s stirring in your deepest self and the inner voices that question, warn, or overwhelm you, you’re not alone. This week, we’ll explore how to recognize and respond to those subtle forces that surface when real change begins. We’ll consider what actually helps us move forward when willpower isn’t enough — when discernment calls for something deeper than simply trying harder.

This isn’t about fixing yourself. It’s an invitation to listen more closely, to gently notice what’s happening beneath the surface, and to take steps that usher in the next chapter of your spiritual evolution.

Invite a friend and join us this Sunday!

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Changing is hard—really hard. But it isn’t impossible.

Last week we explored why New Year’s resolutions (and most attempts at change) fail: our internal systems are designed to keep us exactly where we are. For many of us, that realization was eye-opening.

So the next question is obvious: what should we actually change?

Which goals lead to real health—and which are driven by the Parts of us that keep us stuck?

• Going to the gym six days a week sounds healthy… but is it? Or is it fueled by shame or the need to look different?
• Cutting out certain foods forever—sustainable change, or a setup for quitting?

It doesn’t take long to realize this: the goals we choose matter. A lot.

So how do you choose goals that lead to genuine health? How do you know they’re coming from healthy Parts of you, not the ones working against you?

This week, we’re sharing a new framework—developed by one of our own—who literally helps people choose the right goals for a living.

Join us. By the end of this conversation, you’ll feel more confident—and far healthier—about the changes you want to make.

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Big holidays spark motivation. New Year’s especially.

And yet… most resolutions fade fast. We joke about it because we’ve lived it.

But why do they fail?
And more importantly—how do we finally make them work?

This week we’re talking about what really derails resolutions (hint: it’s not willpower) and how to harness this season’s momentum toward real, healthy change.

Join us as we begin a roadmap to Evolve into the people we want to be.

To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit www.friendschurch.ca/donate

Donate to Friends Church

To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit https://friendschurch.ca/podcast

Over the years, Christian traditions have built different walls around their castles of faith—each convinced they’ve got it right, and everyone else has it wrong. It’s strange, really, that so many walls exist around the same story.

But when we read the Bible closely, we discover things happening outside those walls—stories and actions many traditions would call unacceptable. There’s one sitting right in the Christmas story itself.

So what do we do with that?
Do we ignore the biblical accounts?
Filter them through our traditions?
Dismiss what doesn’t fit inside our castle walls?

I don’t think so.

Instead, it’s worth reading the stories as they’re told—and wrestling honestly with what they invite into our spiritual lives - even if the stories challenge the walls we inherited.

That’s what we’re doing this week: exploring the Christmas story, regardless of whether they fit inside some traditions' walls. Last week it was the exiled shepherds. This week, it’s the "wise men".

It’s going to be a freeing conversation—I promise!

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The shepherds were the last people anyone expected to be part of the story—they were living on the margins, working the night shift while everyone else slept, never invited to the events around them.  Outsiders

And yet… they’re the first ones invited.

In the middle of the darkness, they’re the ones who hear the news. The ones who run toward something they can’t fully explain. The ones who show up—curious, uncertain, hopeful.

This Christmas, we’re turning our attention to them—the ones who never imagined they’d be included. We’ll explore their world, their courage, and what their story might be whispering to ours. This is the beautiful part of the Christmas Story, its not just a story from the past, it's our stories if we are open to hearing it!

Join us for Christmas from the Ledge—a Christmas for (and about) people who don’t fit traditional church.

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Every year, we gather the remarkable stories emerging from our community—stories of people “Taking Water,” showing up with compassion, generosity, and a willingness to invest themselves in the lives of others without expectation. These stories highlight everyday individuals living out quiet courage, humble service, and extraordinary impact.

Join us again this year for a morning of inspiration as we honour those who have embodied this spirit in meaningful and memorable ways. Come hear the stories that lift us, challenge us, and remind us of the heart of Friends Church—cultivating a healthy spirituality that Takes Water into our world.

To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit www.friendschurch.ca/donate

Donate to Friends Church

To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit https://friendschurch.ca/podcast

Walk into any cathedral in the world and chances are you’ll feel something.
For me, it’s often a sense of Something More.

After a conversation with an architect in our community, I’m realizing just how much our spaces shape us—how they influence our sense of spirituality, our connection to Something More, the Divine, "God.”

But many of us move through our lives without using our spaces intentionally. 

This week, we’re going to begin exploring how to design the kinds of spaces—big or small—that open us up, ground us, and invite us into that deeper connection.

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This Sunday, I’m having an honest conversation with someone who’s facing a reality most of us try not to think about: our time on this earth is limited. Every week, someone somewhere says goodbye to someone they love—and it’s never easy. Even thinking about our own mortality can feel scary.

But throughout history, spiritual traditions have suggested that facing this truth can actually bring clarity and depth to our lives. This weekend, we’re exploring the unexpected gifts that wrestling with the brevity of life brings.

Gerry has been incredibly open about his journey, and his reflections have already impacted so many in our community. Hearing what he has to say will likely shift the way you look at your own life—and help you develop a more intentional practice of presence.

Invite a friend and join us this Sunday at the Spiritual Gym.

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To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit https://friendschurch.ca/podcast

Across cultures and centuries, people have turned to certain natural substances in search of something beyond themselves — healing, meaning, perhaps even an encounter with the divine.

Now, modern science is circling back to explore what ancient wisdom seemed to already know and it's wild!!

What might the latest research be revealing about potential roles psychedelics can play in one's spirituality?

Join us this Sunday for an open, thoughtful conversation that just might expand how you see spirituality itself.

Come curious. Come open.

For further information, please refer to the following links:

• Johns Hopkins Medicine | Psychedelic Treatment with Psilocybin Relieves Major Depression, Study Shows: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/2020/11/psychedelic-treatment-with-psilocybin-relieves-major-depression-study-shows
• Research Gate | Subjective Reports of the Effects of MDMA in a Clinical Setting: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/20275204_Subjective_Reports_of_the_Effects_of_MDMA_in_a_Clinical_Setting
• Ted Talk - The future of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy | Rick Doblin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9XD8yRPxc8
• Andrew Huberman on why he changed his mind on the topic of psychedelics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkIXevEsupQ
• How Psilocybin Can Rewire Our Brain, Its Therapeutic Benefits & Its Risks | Huberman Lab Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIxVfln02Ss

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To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit https://friendschurch.ca/podcast

Speaker: Jeff Jarvis

How often do you let yourself truly enjoy life’s pleasures? Do you ever feel guilty for spending time or money simply to delight in something good? I’ll admit—sometimes I do.

Throughout history, the topic of pleasure has been a bit awkward within traditional Christianity. Many of us were warned about “the desires of the flesh” and told that things which excite the senses could lead us astray. And yes, sometimes they do.

But deep down, we’re wired with a longing to experience pleasure—healthy, life-giving pleasure. Even Scripture affirms this truth. For every story of pleasure gone wrong, there are stories where moments of joy, beauty, or intimacy became encounters with the sacred.

So how do we cultivate a healthy spiritual relationship with pleasure—one that brings us closer to the divine rather than further away?

Let’s talk about it this Sunday.

To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit www.friendschurch.ca/donate

Donate to Friends Church

To donate to this podcast and support the making of more of these please visit https://friendschurch.ca/podcast

Speaker: Vince Klassen

There’s one thing in life that ranks right up there with death and taxes - change.

This past week we shared that Friends Church will be changing too, with Jeff stepping away to pursue a new career managing a golf resort (fun fact: his formal training is actually in Turf Management!).

So what do we do with change—especially when it’s not the change we wanted? How do we make peace with it, or even grow from it? How do we navigate it when everything in us says its wrong?

This Sunday wraps up our Bible: Much Assembly Required series. Throughout this journey, we’ve invited us all to rethink how we see the Bible—and that's a big change for many of us.

But with the right mental framing, hard changes can often get a little easier - both changes in how we view the Bible and in how we navigate change in our lives.

Join us as we close out this incredible series with practical insights from both our spiritual ancestors and modern research on how to navigate change well.

Donate to Friends Church

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This week we announced the resignation of one of our Lead Pastors - Jeff Jarvis.

We spent some time learning what is next for Jeff and his family and where Friends Church 2.0 came from.

Finally, we looked at the core of Friends Church found in each of us that calls it home.

Please see below the letter from our Board Chairperson and Jeff's letter of Resignation.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Here's to the next chapter of the Friends Church story

-Vince

vince@friendschurch.ca

or

chair@friendschurch.ca

Friends Church Community
It is with mixed emotions that we, the Board, have accepted Jeff's resignation.  You can see his note below.  As one of the founding pastors of Friends Church we are all deeply indebted to the Water he has Taken to us all as he’s inspired our unique spiritual journeys.
Jeff and Vince will announce his resignation this Sunday so be sure to attend to hear about his new opportunity and how he plans to integrate that with his own unique spirituality.  Vince and our team will work with him over the next few months to transition him well.  His final day will be January 25th, and we will have a community lunch after the service so we can all say our goodbyes.
Know that Vince and the Board are committed to the health and sustainability of Friends Church going forward.  Like you, we don't fit church, and we believe in our core that the world needs a Friends Church - we need a Friends Church - going forward.  Things won’t change much other than we won’t have Jeff around, but we will still do everything we can to inspire you all to a healthy spirituality that Takes Water to the world!  That’s our commitment to you!
Thanks all.  Please reach out to Vince or myself with any questions or concerns.
Brad Brewster
Board Chairperson, Friends Church
___________________________________________________________________________

To the Board Members of Friends Church,
With mixed emotions, I’m tendering my resignation as Co-Lead Pastor of Friends Church.
It’s hard to believe it’s been over 28 years since Cathy and I, along with a few close friends, launched this community. Over those years, we’ve witnessed countless stories of spiritual growth and life transformation. We’re so proud to have been part of it all, which makes this decision bittersweet.
I’ve recently accepted a position as General Manager of a golf course and RV resort in Sundre — an opportunity that will allow Cathy and I to work and play together in this next season of life.  Though we’re sad to say goodbye to Friends Church, this is an opportunity that we’re very excited about.
After thoughtful discussion with Vince, I’m planning for my final Sunday to be January 25th, allowing time for a smooth transition and the chance to say goodbye to so many dear friends and volunteers.
Though I won’t be around in person, I’ll continue to tune in online and carry the spirit of Taking Water wherever I go.  I’ll also support Friends Church in any way I can…because the world needs a Friends Church!
Thank you for the incredible privilege of serving alongside you all. It’s been one of the greatest honours and joys of my life.
With gratitude and love,
Jeff

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