St. John's Church Podcast: Recent Episodes
St. John's Church Podcast
St. John's is a growing, multi-generational family of faith committed to our mission to love God and love others in a way that brings hope to the world.
Elkhorn, Wisconsin, USA
Scripture Reading:Acts 2:42-47We need a rule of life-a plan-a trellis for Christ to be formed in us. So we can follow the invitation from Jesus to abide in him in the everyday moments of our lives.Are we being formed by accident, or are we intentionally arranging our lives around Jesus?This is a process that ultimately only God does- as we're told in relation to our spiritual lives-only God makes things grow.
Scripture Reading:Luke 10:25-37Becoming a certain type of person who is a loving neighbor and not one who seeks to define who their neighbors are.Because = How we love like Jesus is to be our stand measure of maturity.
-Corrie ten BoomThis week, don't try to do everything. Choose one small practice, one intentional pause, one sabbath moment and see what God might do.
Scripture Reading: Psalm 104:24-30Ruach- breath, wind, Spirit, all the same word. The breath in your dog and a bee, and the breath in your lungs came out of the same mouth. And the God who made something out of dust once can do it again.One breath. One hand. One Father.
Scripture Reading:Matthew 26:36-44We can approach our own suffering like Jesus in three ways:1. Pay attention 2. Surrender3. Let our humility birth something new
Scripture Reading:Genesis 37Your past does not have to be your future.Being a Christian is not about being an improved version of yourself, but about being made new.Jesus may be in your heart, but grandpa is in your bones.
Scripture Reading:Psalm 46:1-11To be still is to say yes to the invitation. Be stilled by God.
Scripture Reading:1 Samuel 17:26-45Our self-awareness is intricately related to our relationship with God
Scripture Reading;1 Samuel 15:7-24This is what it means to stop being a human doing and come home to being a human being beloved, beneath the surface, all the way down
Scripture Reading:2 Corinthians 8:1-4(MSG)We are Children of God. That is true wealth. That is what Christ traded heaven to give you. Forever.
Scripture Reading:Acts 2:1-21Pentecost is God choosing us, all of us exactly as we are, without qualificationPentecost is God saying it doesn't matter if you think you're enough, because you're enough for GodYour calling is based on God's empowerment, not your own perfection,
Scripture Reading:Luke 24:13-35How are you creating space to experience the living Jesus?Jesus is on the road with you.
Scripture Reading:Philippians 2:19-24 A legacy of love and faith always begins with someone else. And the chain doesn't end with us.Who has Carried You? and who are you carrying now?
Scripture Reading:Deuteronomy 6:4-9What Story do You want your life to tell?What story do you want St. John's to continue to tell to those beyond us?
to things that actually matter most from God's prospective?God's desire is to have his table full as Jesus invites us to open our live to other so others can open their lives to Him.
Scripture Reading:Ephesians 3:14-21We are getting on our knees, both of them and asking him not to let us miss what he's already doing.
Scripture Reading: John 20:1-2He knows your name, and by calling you by name he gives us a new name, daughters and sons of the Father, My Father and your Father. My God and Your God.He is Risen! He is is Risen indeed!
Scripture Reading:John 19:16b-22So with Jesus in our lives--we are free from the curse--the power of the enemy. Meaning we have the power--the ability--the grace to resist our temptations toward sinning.
Scripture Reading:John 19:1-16aWould you rather hold onto the keys--the weight, the responsibility, the fear--or put then down at the foot of the cross and follow Jesus?
Scripture Reading:John 18:12-27Because grace is the ongoing presence and empowerment of God Himself, actively working in us and through us so that we can live the life God is giving us to live.But what if, what if we turn and live in the flow of God's Grace?
Let him was the place you think disqualifies you. Because the place you think makes you unusable might be the very place where he meets you with love
Scripture Reading:Jon 11:1-44Jesus calls us out of fear and into life---will you follow?
Scripture Reading: John 4:46-54Faith begins not when we add Jesus to everything else we trust--but when we finally let go of the things we've trusted instead of him.
Scripture Reading: John 3: 1-17Jesus said: You want to see the Kingdom of God? You need to align yourself to be born again in me. Being drawn to Jesus. For God so love the world...That is how new life begins.
, it is: Come and see the table Jesus has set for you and me. Stop building walls where his grace has torn them down, and live like grace cost everything to God-and is free for us.
Scripture Reading: John 2:5-11John's invitation to open our hands to the transforming generosity of Jesus
Scripture Reading:Matthew 1:18-25Waiting is trusting that God's love is already working.
Scripture Reading:Luke 1:39-45Because Joy is the serious business of heaven. And Christmas is when heaven comes to us
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:5-25In the waiting room, God turns our fear into faith, and faith turns into rejoicing.
Scripture Reading:Luke 17:11-19A life of gratitude isn't just about a humble thank you, it's also a raucous response in celebration and enjoyment to what one has been so graciously been given by God.
Scripture Reading: Pslam 134It isn't just about filling out a pledge card or supporting your favorite ministry. It's about blessing God with our worship, our trust and our generosity so that we might leave this place living blessed so that through you and me God might bless others.
Scripture Reading: Psalm 133Community is life-giving to the extent that we give our lives to one another.
Scripture Reading: Psalm 130When we put our faith and trust in God, every time we fall is a trust fall. God is always waiting to catch you.
Scripture Reading:Psalm 126Joy flows when we create space for God's provision and presence in all of life
Scripture Reading: Psalm 120God wants justice and peace for all. and his plan to defeat evil is centered in Jesus' cross and resurrection. Repentance is how we step into that victory acknowledging that we have all fallen short and need God's grace.
Scripture Reading:Luke 24:13-35How are you creating space to experience the living Jesus--allowing him to help you hear the playlist you are listening to?Jesus is on the road with you. So what playlist are you listening to?
Scripture Reading:Exodus 16:1-18It's hard to love a God that we don't know how to trust. And we never learn to trust God if all of our days are wrinkle free. We never learn, otherwise, that he is enough.
Scripture Reading:Micah 6:6-8He has shown you, O Mortal, what is good. To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Scripture Reading:John 4:1-26Worship is a strategy by which we interrupt our preoccupation with ourselves and attend to the presence of GodTrue Worship makes us known by God, and then it sends us out to make him known
Scripture Reading:Matthew 22:36-40You are already known by GodWhat does it mean to be known? To Worship. To Grow. To Serve.
Scripture Reading:Ecclesiastes 3:1-11God is near. He made everything beautiful in its time. Jesus' invitation is not only from or to but through. Through every season, every turn, every joy and every sorrow.
Scripture Reading:Romans 12:1-2How am I trusting Jesus to transform my life?True and proper worship is a willful submission (living sacrifice) to God's grace, mercy and love towards you.
Scripture Reading:Acts 27:13-28:10Sometimes ship wrecks can be blessings.Jesus Christ is your peace in the midst of storm and trouble. Place your trust in He who overcame the world on the Cross.
Scripture Reading: Acts 5:1-11True Love leaves no room for exceptions.To be a people who love without exception. Who give without condition. Who lay down their lives, because we know that in Christ, anything less than everything is nothing, and better than the best love song, whatever is sacrificed in love is gain.
Scripture Reading:Job:1Affliction is the best book in our library. You are never alone.
Scripture Reading:Daniel 5:1-6Pride shows itself anytime we trust creation instead of the Creator.
Scripture Reading:2 Kings 2:1-8He faced death, and by doing so faced everything that threatens to be the end of you and me. He came out the other side. That's the one who was with you now. There's going to be more than meets the eye.
Scripture Reading:Luke 10:38-42When we simply and intentionally, create that space to sit at his feet we offer Jesus our hearts where he then transforms them by His grace.
Scripture Reading:1 Samuel 17:1-50Take away: incredible trust and incredible faith in God.
Scripture Reading:Judges 16: 23-30God's purposes prevail when we are3 faithful, and when we are not.Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up
Scripture Reading:Judges 6:36-40, 7:1-29We don't always get the sign we want but God always gives us the sign we need
Scripture Reading:Galatians 5:16-24We begin clothing and rooting ourselves in Jesus, who is the vine and we are the branches. And once we are rooted in Him, and Him in us, then we walk, by the Spirit and allow His fruit to growSo be rooted in Christ. Walk by the Spirit and watch the fruit grow.
Scripture Reading:Galatians 3:1-9, 23-29So put on Christ. Live like someone who's already loved
Scripture Reading:Galatians 1:13-17, 2:11-21Just believe and trust that Jesus Christ, through His resurrection from the Cross, has forgiven you of all your sins-Period.
Scripture Reading:Genesis 1:26-28How do we see God in a mother?We learn that Women and Men (together) are made in the imago dei (image of God), we need one another, we see a fuller picture of God's love through Mother's and Father's.To see the image of God, just look in the eyes of a mother.
Scripture Reading: Luke 24:13-18Jesus Values an honest heart over a polished heartAre You facing a hopeless road?So go. Be that someone. Tell them the story. Share the hope. Break the bread. And reveal the presence of the risen Christ who is already there--waiting with them.
Scripture Reading:Luke 24:1-12Death is a part of life in all of its mystery and complexity and agony. But the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaims this above all else wealth does not have to be the end of life
Scripture Reading:Luke 19:29-44Jesus doesn't bear the cross just to be wounded. He bears it to carry the wounds already there. Our wounds.Jesus doesn't turn away. He weeps. He flips tables. And then he carries our wounds all the way to the cross. He comes anyway. And His love will not let us go.
He has redeemed you, He has called you by name, You are His. If you think that you are disqualified from God's Grace; He loves and forgives you, He's seeking you. Come Home. Please come home.
Scripture Reading:Luke 16:19-31Are You investing your life in what truly matters?This story is an invitation to take on a new life, a new identity, that not only matters, but will last.
Scripture Reading:Luke 15:1-32We are like that son. We are totally unworthy of God's mercy. Yet we still can go home. We are still his daughters and sons, and when we do God's joy will be overwhelming
Scripture Reading: Luke 13:1-9We have a choice. Jesus has sent out "Save the Dates" He is inviting us into the banquet of the Kingdom of God. The one that never ends. You can't get there unless you give up your seat you're in right now.
Scripture Reading: Luke 10:25-37Love, as Jesus defines it, is not a feeling that comes first. It's a choice--one that, when acted upon, doesn't just transform our neighbor, it transforms us.
Scripture Reading:Joel 2:12-19Today is not about the locusts. It's about the sin. It's an opportunity to invite God to eradicate the things in your life, right now that are separating you from God.
Scripture Reading:Luke9:28-45The transfiguration isn't about capturing a moment; it's about following a Person.How does your picture of Jesus shape the way you live today?One day, the picture just won't be a glimpse. It will be our eternal reality. And on that day, the struggle will be over, the waiting will be done, and we won't have to wish we could go back--because the moment will never end.
Scripture Reading:Luke 7: 36-50Jesus wants to be than friends. he wants to be your Savior
Scripture Reading: Luke 7:18-35God is with you, no matter what life throws at you.What God has in store fro us is greater than our expectations
Scripture Reading:Luke 7:1-10Because it's not how much faith we have--it's about who we put our faith in.Faith is not about feeling worthy--it's about trusting the One who is. And even if your faith is as small as a mustard seed, it's enough. will you trust Him today?
Scripture Reading: Luke 5:1-11Being seen and known and loved by God just as you are is worth more than all the riches of the world. Because the one who holds all the riches of the world holds you. Loves you.God is sure of you. Jesus doesn't call the perfect, the polished, the prepared. He calls the tired, the doubtful the ashamed-because His grace is enough.
Scripture Reading: Luke 4:1-13So let us open our hearts to His purifying work. Even when it stings, even when it's hard, we can trust that through it all, He is bringing us closer to Him. He's making us more like Him. Because he loves us
Scripture Reading: Luke 3:1-22Jesus' baptism wan't like any others John had performed. God was present and God was active.Jesus is present empowered by the Holy Spirit, and embraced by God at the start of Jesus' ministry
Scripture Reading:Luke 2:41-52Jesus often does his best work when things dont' go the way we thought they would.When we walk away from God, God never walks away from us
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:21-38Jesus Christ is our hopeMay the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit- Romans 15:13
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 31:11-34God doesn't throw in the towel. God climbs into the ring.For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also
Scripture Reading: Jonah 4:1-11God doesn't play favorites with his children. Every one, every ethnicity, every nationality, every political party, every gender, every single child. Period.You can't outrun God's grace.
Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-17You ARE the temple. God's spirit dwells in you. And that means wherever you go, God's presence goes with you, not just for your sake but for the sake of those around you. You are called to carry His presence into the world. You are not alone.
Scripture Reading: Exodus 32Where do you feel closest to God?Jesus wouldn't die for the temple, he is the temple. The Temple was always about God's presence.
Scripture: Exodus 12-1-13No Matter what moments you faced before you came in here, or will face when you leave. Scripture says that in Christ, we are adopted into the family of God, siblings to Jesus and children of the Father
You are created in the image of God You are God's handiwork, created in Christ for a divine purpose.God created you because He loves you, He has a purpose for your life, and He wanted to bless the rest of us with your being here.
As we reflect on the promises in our own lives, remember that while we may fall short. God never does. And in Jesus, we find the ultimate fulfillment of God's promises. It's not about the strength, of our faith, but the One in whom our faith is placed.
When we abide in Christ, we are already being grafted back into the life that God intended for us--life in abundance, life rooted in His promises.
Scripture: Romans 12: 1-8All people are the recipients of God's mercy.We are called to be a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God in true, proper worship.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 7:1-5We are not motivated by judgment but by love.Love is our motivation.
Scripture Reading: Genesis 1:24-25Animals are God's ideaAnimals are our responsibilityGod Ultimately takes care of creation(which includes you)
Our mission from Jesus is to go into all the world and share the good news of the gospel. “The world” isn’t just some far-off place, it is in your neighborhood, workplace, and even within your own family.Each message in this series will help us dive deeper into how we can share God’s love in all times and in all places.
Our mission from Jesus is to go into all the world and share the good news of the gospel. “The world” isn’t just some far-off place, it is in your neighborhood, workplace, and even within your own family. Each message in this series will help us dive deeper into how we can share God’s love in all times and in all places.
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 3:15-16If you already have the kingdom, you don't need to win the argument. You already have the kingdom!
Scripture Reading: Matthew 28:16-20To be a disciple is to ve a follower of the ways of someone, not just absorbing what they know, but doing what they do. For Jesus, that means taking up a cross daily and following him. Therefore Go.
Scripture Reading: John 3:1-17Faith is the only way to be born. What is faith, Now faith is confidence in what we hope of and assurance about what we do not see.May we be born again, embracing this daily renewal as we live by faith.
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:1-13Spiritual gifts are the unique and supernatural qualities, abilities, callings we are given by God to live out as part of the church, the body of Christ.What is your spiritual gift? Until the day Jesus returns and every need is met perfectly in His presence, we rely on one another, sharing our God-given gifts. This is how we experience a taste of heaven here and now--love and support, presence and provision, through those around us.
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13Anything done without love amounts to nothing.God loves you with unconditional, sacrificial, 1st Corinthians 13 love that endures forever.
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18The Message of the cross is the power of God to those who begin by recognizing that they need to be saved.It is at the cross where the root of division dies and the hope for unity rises with Jesus.
If you didn't do anything to earn God's love, then there is nothing you can do to lose God's love.For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you. -1 Thessalonians 1:4Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, Acts 17:1-19
This is the call to therefore, go. You have been given a gift...the gift of faith. A gift that is daily replenished when you wake up in the morning with the eternal promise that God will meet your every need. So the question is, how are you called to share that with the world? It starts by saying...."Yes Lord, I will go."
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations.Why? Because you know the love, grace and forgiveness of God. You are a witness to the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ who came entirely because God loves you.And you have received His gift of forgiveness and eternal life.Scripture Reading: Acts 1:1-14
So Go. (Anyway) And when you find the King of the universe who has conquered death and the grave is with you, and calls you by name, you can know that in him, you have everything you need.Scripture Reading: Mark 16:1-8
Scripture Reading: Mark 11:1-11, 14:3-9He will swallow up death forever.Jesus came to bring resurrection.
The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ IS the main event. This is because God loves you, and through Jesus Christ, He demonstrates His love, grace and forgiveness---All for you.So be Alert! Christ is coming again, and when he does, he will call you by name
"Before love is something you do, it has to be someone you've met"--Timothy KellerThat's Jesus. To meet him is to know him, and to know him is to be loved by him. And because God's love is so immersive and overflowing, once you know you, you can't help but love him back, and then share it with the world...Love God and love your neighbor.
The world might not know God's love if you tell them, but they will know God's love if you show them.When difference threaten your relationships, don't change your opinion. Love deeper, Forgive more, Wash feet.
Jesus tells his followers to lose everything for him.What Jesus is really saying is that when you lose it with him, in him, for him...what you'll find is that instead of losing anything, you'll gain everything. You will gain your soul.
Being Known for who you used to be can get in the way of who you are called to be.Who you used to be can serve as a testimony that illuminates who God has called you to be.He became nothing so that can find your everything in him
Pastor Tom sits down and interviews Jared and Mary McDaniel, about their vision and involvement with World Orphans.
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.Jesus didn't come to bring peace to those who had already found it, he came to bring peace to those who need it
When the Lord takes us through our exiles, He places us in situations where our own strengths are irrelevant, and our weaknesses are glaringly evident. Then He highlights our need for Him and says "Trust Me."
Whatever your blank is that you filled in, Stop it. Put it down. That's enough. Come Close.The Lord-he is God! The Lord--he is God!God shows himself in a whisper. Don't be afraid to listen.
We know God's love and forgiveness, so we have the freedom in Christ to serve our neighbors and those around us. Through us serving God by serving them, they too might know the presence of Jesus Christ in their lives.
The more of ourselves is exposed to God, the more God's grace can be exposed to us. To heal, to forgive, to give strength.
Jesus doesn't have to redeem you and me. He wanted to. The Samaritan didn't need to save the man on the side of the road. He wanted to. That's love. It requires faith. It reflects the love of God for us.
The 10 Commandments are the Rules of the Road. God isn't finished when he set us free, he wants us to live free. So these commandments are rooted in three things:LoveFreedom*Promise
Jesus came to set into our past and our present, to be with us in our sin and death so that he can take it all upon himself on the cross, so that we will never have to imagine a future alone without him ever again.
This is not just Jacob's story, it's your story as well. You wrestle God every single day who will be god in your life.
Want to know what God's address is?*It's at the end of your rope.There is nothing to hard for God to handleNext time you miss the moon, don't settle for the stars, because God wants to give you the Sun(Son).
What are we made for?PotentialPurposeProvisionProhibition*PartnershipLOVEThe thing that we were made by God to do from the very beginning, the thing we will do for all of eternity, is to LOVE
In the scripture today it says to trust God How do we trust God? Invest in your relationship with God Experience His presence in the Lord's Supper *Remember your baptism
Three reasons given to "Praise the Lord" Praise the Lord for the existence of creation itself. Praise the Lord for every stage and season. *Praise the Creator, don't praise creation.
Peter teaches us 3 things about how to discern the truth. 1. Truth comes through an experience with the living God. 2. Truth isn't destructive. 3.Truth will set you free.
Even though you don't deserve it and can't earn it, Jesus Christ truly came and died on the cross then rose again to forgive your sins. And it's all because God truly loves you. That's graace.
3 Things we learn about the game of Faith: 1. Grace puts us on the board 2.God provides the instructions for the game 3. We don't play to win, we play because we've already won!
We are all invited into the game of faith by the gift of God's grace. Follow the instructions, play to win, because in Christ, you already have.
Do you love yourself?
God Loves You. His opinion about you matters more than anyone else's including your own.
With that love, you can go then out to share it with the world.
The baggage of our past, when we use it through the lens of faith, can be woven by God into the good plans he has for our future.
Whatever unfulfilled expectations you're carrying around in your "summer baggage" you will find love, healing, and hope in Jesus Christ who loves you beyond your imagination.
If there is a reason to let go of our baggage, which is what forgiveness does, weather you're the one giving it or receiving it, it frees our hands so we can take hold of what matters most. Love. Love God and Love others.
We celebrate this Pentecost like millions of Christians right now, this day, every year because the same Holy Spirit is available to all of us right now.This summer, don't row. Spend some time sailing. Walk in the Spirit, because in Christ you have the Son. And if we have the Son, we have everything we need.
God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba Father."-Galatians 4:6Because the Spirit lives in us, we know that we belong to God. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us to be with him forever, but that presence of God's Spirit reminds us from the inside that we are not alone, we belong to him.
People are called into our lives for a season. God is with us forever.So thank God for the people He placed in our lives, no matter how long or short the season is.
God is real, who is strong enough and true enough to bear your doubts and difficulties in trusting Him and believing in Him.How Far can we run from God?-----We Cannot outrun God.Bottom line: God Loves you.
Love is patient. God is a patient God who loves you no matter what you've done, or how far you run.God's patience will never fail you.
Our pain gives us a platform. Stop running and turn to God. Matthew 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
We're all Jonah. Jonah shows us is that life isn't easy no matter which way you live. Life is will be hard if you run away, and life will be hard if you go. The difference? if you go, God goes with you.How far can we run from God?
As we begin Holy Week, this week leading up to the celebration of Easter my you also know the reality of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection. He came and gave His life because He loves you. He has forgiven you of all your sins and enabled you to know the love of God.
Have you ever prayed for a resurrection?Jesus Loves.Jesus Weeps.Jesus raises the dead to life.Resurrection brings glory to God
What's awesome about God calling himself "I AM" is that when God fills in the blank -- the words actually do fill us with awe.Gracious, loving, forgiving God!
Jesus didn't come to throw stones he came to shine LIGHTJesus didn't come into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world.God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
When we are not enough, God says "I AM enough"Because he loves you so much that he came to redeem you
All moments that relate to moments you wish you could go back to....and in Christ they are all just a foretaste of the moment to come that will never end
It's all about Love. Love is what's important to God. Because God IS love.Love God. Love your neighbor. Love yourself.
- The first step to bridgebuilding in conflict is to go o the person.2. Bridgebuilding in conflict begins with you.3. Our relationships on earth have eternal implications in heaven.We're not just building brides on earth, our relationships themselves are bridges to eternity.
If our world is fractured, we need to be connected..to God, to others, and to ourselves. We can't be connected if all we have time for is to react.Set aside time to pray and connect the way Jesus did early in the morning in the midst of the chaos.
Jesus doesn't only bring his words. He brings his wounds.For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God-1 Corinthians 1:18
God is love. Love is who and what God is.Without love none of our efforts matter. Because only love can cover sin.
Do not be afraidDo not worryGive thanks to GodSeek first His kingdom and His righteousness
Where are you this Christmas? Are you filled with joy, overflowing with miraculous blessing? or are you weary like a shepherd watching the flock by night?Know that in both cases, God is the same. it isn't about the trappings all around us. It's about Jesus. He's the gift He's the one who brings peace. "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests"
Preparation=PeaceThe peace of God precedes our circumstances, meets us in our chaos, and infuses our future with hope
God is going to do what God is going to do. He is a lion, and his will and plans are not contingent upon our feelings. Your weariness is no match for God's goodness.Lastly, to be weary, is to be human.
The Beauty of the Gospel in every season is that the things in this world that matter the most are the things that are not confined to this world.
You are of infinite worth. So stop trying to earn it. And don't squander it either. Just come home!
First, start by looking at your child and look at the situation from their perspective first. Second, find ways to enter into it with them. It's OK to be weak, because your job as a parent isn't to always be strong, but to point your kids to the One who is.
4 things we learn on this final week in the book of James: 1. Thoughts and prayers should be shared in all circumstances 2. Thoughts and prayers invite us to action 3. Thoughts and prayers invites us to confess (our own) sins 4. Thoughts and prayers connect us with God's rescue plan
This is about our relationship with a Creator God, a Good Father, a perfect spouse, who is always ready to meet every single one of our needs
Jesus came to raise us all up, not to push us down You don't have to be enough, because Jesus is enough, and he came to be enough for you. Mercy triumphs over judgment
- Temptation itself is not sin.
- Temptation is an inside job.
- Temptation is an invitation to have a legitimate need met by an illegitimate source.
So if you want to have less experience with the consequences of sin in your life, resist it where it begins. Knowing that you are already loved and accepted by God, ,may that give you the grace and faith to resist temptation when it inevitably occurs.
Choose joy in the midst of suffering.
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds"-James 1:2
God wants to redeem our suffering by using it for good.
"Everyone prays... Even non-Christians pray. The difference when Christians do it is that they are climbing into the lap of their heavenly Father"--Pete Greig
Prayer, by itself, doesn't fix things. The God we pray to fixes things.
For anyone following Jesus, conflict is always a search and rescue mission. We are reminded that God came to rescue us. And our calling is to emulate that rescue as we pursue reconciliation with others.
George R.R. Martin(Game of Thrones)-When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives-
Evan Christmas shares his own Baptism testimony
We need someone willing to wade into the conflict to bring us back to who we really are
-Loving correction from a Gospel-centered person who loves you can be one of the greatest gifts you can receive
Pastor Tom continues on the series Dealing with Conflict *Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see-Hebrews 11:1
*The deeper we fall away from faith in God, the more defensive and protective we get with others
*Revenge never leads to relief
How often do we prioritize things that are lesser and give up what is better? He Starts with the person. You. God loves you. The most important thing in any fight, the better thing according to Jesus and according to Him, his promise is if we choose what is better, than just like Mary, it will never be taken away.
If you are a child of God, you know that you are a child of the light. And the presence of darkness is a reminder that Jesus has not finished removing the barriers yet. God is not finished yet.
God cares about you. God cares about your situation, God cares about your hurts, your fears, your mistakes. He isn't just controlling the universe from a command center in the sky, he is in charge while he sits right there alongside you, because he cares for you.
What is the craziest thing you've ever done for some peace and quiet?
Friends, our streets are stormy and busy and loud. So if you want to find peace, and allow God to still us in the places we need his stillness the most...it begins with what we do right here.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with the thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Be Still and Know That I Am God - We don't need to get everything done so that we can be still, we need to stop what we're doing, right now, and be stilled by God, allowing God to still the things that only he can.
Hurt is attracted to hope because we need hope when we're hurting. So if you are suffering, acknowledge the pain. Hurt is attracted to hope, sing a song of hope. Because what you'll find is that those moments become your place of prayer.
What if God is using everything, even the things we avoid, the decisions we wish we never had made, to shape us into the people God wants us to be?
The truth is, God's grace is always moving us--moving us from here to there, and faith isn't a destination, it's the journey.
In glory, a future glory, where there will be no more disappointment, no more pain, illness, sadness, death...where every chocolate Easter bunny is pure chocolate, where cemeteries and burial spices are obsolete, and where like Mary, Jesus will call you by name, and wipe away your tears from our eyes. He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!!
King Jesus came to crush our enemies by crushing the root of what makes us enemies in the first place
The best thing we can do when we hit a snag in life is to get up and live another day, to live through the Gospel and to allow God to continue to weave new thread into the tapestry of your life, because the hope of God is that those snags will be redeemed by being woven into the fuller picture.
He has the ability to redeem you, and all of you have the ability to do is to be redeemed. This is what God has done for us. And living a new, redeemed life in him can begin today.
That when God gives you a name, no matter where you go, what you do, or what happens to you...your identity in him will never change because you are a child of God, he is always with you, and he will never change, and so neither will your hope in him.
What we learn is that just as coloring outside the lines gets humanity into the mess we call sin, it will take a God who doesn't color within the lines to bring us back to him. Jesus doesn't have to redeem you and me. He wanted to. That's love.
What in your life needs to be separated out? So that he can become greater and you become less?
"True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less." ~ C.S. Lewis
We trust the God that grieves, He grieves with us, our grief is His grief. He puts his heart where his people are.
Take the time to grieve. Allow yourself to actually grieve.
Our Faith reminds us that while our circumstances are painful, our emotions are fleeting, and our understanding is limited... Our Hope is eternal.
God will worry about tomorrow. There is nothing that is out of His control, his care. it's our fear that God isn't in control of tomorrow that makes us anxious today. Love God, love others, and pray.
Join Tom and Steve for this timely conversation on Philippians 4:4-7, Pentecost, and the power of peace in the midst of conflict.
Watch Full Service Here: https://youtu.be/_9yQPZ5p728
Philippians 2:12-18
Lisa Falcon shares her journey of faith and struggle that has given her a direct connection to God that sustains her through moments like the one we are all living right now.
Watch Full Service Here: https://youtu.be/ECQ0pDsw5_4
Mark 10:32-45
Includes Angela Hougas, Licensed Counselor at C.A. Counseling (Williams Bay)
Full Service (Video) Here: https://youtu.be/JbMO-mFYaM4
Mark 8:27-35
Includes Holly and Fred Okoth from Kisumu, Kenya
Full Service (Video) Here: https://youtu.be/pGtc0A67x0o
"It's OK not to be OK." This is the second part of a two-part message (see last week, "The Fear of Being Vulnerable") and addresses the topic of mental health and faith. St. John's member Tricia Blum shares her own experience with depression and a message of hope for others who are going through similar experiences.
Link to referenced handout with resources and support: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lJDARAJjq8qpuA8xKXOCjEL9z4X1s191/view?usp=sharing