The Way Podcast with Pastor Jimmy Cooper: Recent Episodes
The Way Church
The Way, led by Pastor Jimmy Cooper, is a new church plant in Wentzville, a western suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Our vision is to live a curious and compelling way of life. To learn more, visit livingdifferently.org.
For the last three weeks, Pastor Jimmy's been teaching about putting God first in every area of life. This week, he wraps up the series with a heart-check—a reminder about the "why" of giving. You'll discover that, more than anything, giving is less an act of obedience than it is an act of worship. In other words, supporting God's work in the world isn't really about giving "to" anything; it's about giving "from" deep commitment and gratitude.
Here's what's happened in the church: We've gotten criticized for talking about money so often that it's become a taboo topic. We're afraid to talk about it— even though Jesus did. A lot. And if we DO talk about it, it's apologetically—even though financial generosity is just as important to discipleship as is prayer, sharing our faith, and serving the poor. In this message, Pastor Jimmy provides an honest, thoughtful exploration of giving as scripture presents it: the what, the why, the how, and the how much.
Enough is a bit of a moving target, isn't it? We think we'll have "arrived" when we reach a certain income level—but when we get there, we realize we're spending every penny we have. So, we set a new ceiling and work harder and longer toward that revised goal. Enough is subjective, too. We tend to allow culture to tell us what's enough for us—leaving us constantly chasing after the temporary satisfaction of the new and the next. This is not what God had in mind when He put Adam and Eve to work in the Garden of Eden. In this message, Pastor Jimmy explains that we ought to work not for the income, but for the outcome.
When you hear the word idol what comes to mind? Pocket-sized, gold figurines? Giant, stone statues in a far-away country? A certain talent show with a rude British judge? While we might think we can separate ourselves from the idea of worshiping idols, the hard truth is that we're dazzled by little-g gods: our career, our family, our impeccable wardrobe and well-appointed home. In this message, Pastor Jimmy shows us how anything, or anyone, that receives the primary focus of our energy and resources—all of which should first belong to God—qualifies as an idol.
"So, when I'm in heaven, will I still be able to see my family?" "Does everyone really have a shot at getting in, or has that already been decided?" "Is heaven actually a place? Or is it a state of mind? Or is it anything at all?" In this message, Pastor Jimmy responds to The Way's questions about the afterlife: How to "get there," what our relationships will be like when we're there, and more.
For several weeks, we invited folks to submit any question they'd like to have addressed in a message. Among the most frequently asked questions were those dealing with suffering: Why do bad things happen to good people? How can there be a God when there's so much pain and violence in the world? Is it really true that God won't give us more than we can handle? In this message, Pastor Jimmy helps us reconcile a broken world with a good God.