Jacob's Well Church: Recent Episodes
Jacob's Well - Eau Claire, WI
What if it's not about trying harder, but about learning to surrender? In this final message in The Mirror summer series, Pastor Ryan looks at how real transformation happens from the inside out— how striving gives way to deeper peace.
Even life's hardest seasons can become God's greatest gifts. In this message, Pastor Brian shares the surprising lunch that changed everything—leading him through counseling, sabbatical, and a renewed trust in God's goodness.
When life gets hard—or even when it's going well—what if prayer became more than a last resort? This weekend, Mario Medrano explores how faithful prayer reveals the condition of our hearts and draws us into a deeper relationship with God.
What if the conflicts in your life aren't really about other people—but about what's happening in your own heart? This weekend in The Mirror, we'll see how the relationships we build reveal where our loyalty truly lies, and how God's grace can restore what divided hearts have broken.
How much of your life belongs to God? Join Ciera Wessels for Week 3 of The Mirror as we discover how the way we live tells the story of what we trust most.
This week in The Mirror, Madison Schearer takes us to James 3 to explore the incredible power of our words and what they reveal about our hearts. Discover how God wants to transform you from the inside out, so your words become a reflection of His grace, truth, and life.
Pressure doesn't just test your faith—it reveals it. Join us as we begin The Mirror and discover how God uses life's hardest moments to shape us into who He created us to be.
Fatherhood was never meant to be about perfection—it’s about taking one faithful step at a time. On Father's Day weekend, discover three biblical keys from Psalm 128 that can help every parent, mentor, and follower of Jesus build a legacy that lasts.
We've talked about risky behaviors, unhealthy comforts, and the wisdom of taking a break. But this weekend, Pastor Paul challenges us to consider the biggest risk of all: forgetting Jesus while pursuing everything else we think will make us whole.
What are you turning to when life gets hard—and what might it be costing you? This weekend, Paul explores how many of us use things like gambling, technology, cannabis, shopping, or other habits to numb pain, only to discover we're also numbing ourselves to joy, relationships, growth, and God.
This was an excellent conversation discussing the scientific evidence on alcohol's effect on the body.
This week in Risky, Pastor Paul challenges us to consider what might happen if we simply took a break. Together with UW–Eau Claire behavioral neuroscientist Dr. Doug Matthews, we'll explore how wisdom, habits, and the choices we make can either move us toward greater freedom—or quietly take more from us than we realize.
Welcome our new Recovery Ministry Director as we dive deeply into his Risky sermon and get excited for the future!
A powerful message about the choices that shape us, the things that quietly control us, and the hope of finding a different way forward. Through raw honesty and scripture, Perry Polnaszek invites us to wrestle with what’s really driving our lives.
This week Paul and Joshua go deeper on the first message of Risky and the effects of too much dopamine.
Pastor Paul opens our new series Risky with a personal message about alcohol, dopamine, addiction, and the subtle ways risky behaviors can begin to master our lives. We’re invited to ask not just “Is it allowed?” but “Is it wise?” and discover what it looks like to live whole, healthy, and truly free in Christ.
Special Guest Nicki Behnke joins us to discuss her role as a Spiritual Director and her powerful Mother’s Day message.
Guest speaker Nicki Behnke shares a heartfelt message about how prayer changes through every season of life—and how God meets us in each one. Through stories of motherhood, adoption, and faith, we’re reminded that prayer is less about perfection and more about being with Him.
This is a great conversation covering the entire Friendology series with Ryan, Joshua and Brian.
What if the friendships you admire most aren’t built in easy seasons—but forged in the hard ones? This message invites us to move beyond convenience and step into the kind of loyal, costly friendships that actually last.
In a world where friendship often fades with changing seasons, we’re invited to rediscover what real connection can look like right now. Rich, meaningful community isn’t behind you—it’s possible in this season, when opportunity meets intentionality.
Special Guest Christine Oswald joins us to discuss Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development.
We all carry unseen “friendship scripts” shaped by our past, quietly influencing how we connect, trust, and show up in relationships. In this message, we’re invited to examine those patterns through the lens of the gospel and discover how Christ can rewrite our stories toward deeper connection and freedom.
We feel it—the quiet ache of loneliness, even in a world more connected than ever. What if that ache isn’t something to ignore, but an invitation to rediscover the kind of deep, meaningful friendships we were created for?
What if the love of God isn’t something you earn, but something you can simply step into and enjoy? Easter isn’t only the story of Jesus rising—it’s an invitation for you to finally receive the love you’ve been chasing your whole life.
Is there someone in your life you’re struggling to love? This message invites us to wrestle with the hardest command of Jesus—and discover what love really looks like when it’s complicated, costly, and lived out together.
You can go through all the motions of life and still feel like something is missing. But what if real life isn’t found in what you do, but in who you are in Christ? Through Jesus, we move from spiritual death to true life, and discover an identity that changes everything.
In a world that says we define ourselves, Scripture invites us to discover a deeper truth: our identity is found in Christ. This message explores how being in Christ reshapes who we are, what we value, and how we live—revealing a life defined not by ourselves, but by Him.
Little by little, a life of faith can grow into something far bigger than we ever imagined. In this message, we explore how commitment to Christ and His church can shape lives today—and generations not yet born.
As we look toward the exciting possibilities for the future, we realize our need for the giftings of the full body of Christ.
For 25 years we’ve seen God’s faithfulness—now we dare to ask a dangerous question: "What If" He’s not finished yet? In this message, we’re invited to lift our eyes, join Jesus in His mission, and dream together about becoming a true gift to the Valley for generations to come.
God has used pivotal people throughout history—to look at the challenges in this world and bring about change in Jesus' name.
Without vision, we settle for what’s broken—but Jesus calls us to imagine what could be. Discover how facing the hard things in our lives and our church can lead to courage, change, and a future shaped by living water.
Pastor Paul, Pastor Ryan, and Ciera Wessels talk about how vision starts with discomfort, requires courage, and calls us to step into what God might be doing next.
Today we celebrate 25 years of God’s faithfulness at Jacob’s Well—honoring the courageous “yes” that started it all and the countless lives changed since. As we look back with gratitude, we’re reminded why we exist: to meet people wherever they are and take steps together to know and become like Jesus—and to trust Him for what’s next.
This week we are joined by special guest, Beth Vrablic. Her life is a powerful testimony of honoring God with your body through sickness and challenges.
What if the hope of what’s coming could change how you live right now? In this message, we look at how resurrection hope helps us face the limits and frustrations of our bodies, and how it invites us to live faithfully in the space between the “now” and the “then.”
Snacks, rewards, traditions—could they be secretly wrecking your kids’ health and your peace? Pastor Ryan Robinson and Ciera Wessels share raw truths from the parenting trenches, drop the guilt, and show us how to start a healthier family revolution—right now.
From Lunchables and Pop-Tarts to the hidden systems shaping our habits, this message explores how much of the world around us is designed to make our families unwell. We’ll uncover what’s influencing our kids and ourselves, and hear God’s gracious call to choose life as we take faithful steps toward healthier, more whole families together.
What if being whole and holy isn’t about trying harder, but about paying attention to what’s happening in your body? In this message, we explore how stress is not a spiritual failure or emotional weakness, but a real, physical response—and how God invites us to care for our bodies as sacred gifts.
Every day we’re putting things into our bodies, our minds, and our lives—but rarely stop to ask the most important question: "What is this going to do to me?" In Week 3 of the Whole & Holy series, we explore the Biblical principle of blessing and curse, and how God’s good gifts—from food to relationships to daily habits—can either bring us life or quietly work against us.
We tell ourselves narratives that guide each aspect of our lives. How does this relate to our perception of our health and bodies?
Every day we tell ourselves a story about who we are, how life works, and what’s possible for us. When those stories are shaped by fear or insecurity, they can quietly hold us back. In this message, we confront our personal narratives with God’s truth and begin telling ourselves a better story.
This week we unpack the historical and philosophical background that informs our theology of the Body.
What if your body isn’t a problem to fix, but a gift to receive? This message invites us to step back from shame and disappointment and rediscover God’s view of the body—as something good, intentional, and deeply connected to our spiritual lives.
There can be a lot of power in an intentional resolution built upon a plan of sustainability.
On Christmas Eve, we remember that God did not come with power or spectacle, but with a heartbeat. In the quiet vulnerability of a tiny heart, Jesus chose less so we could receive true peace—with God, within ourselves, and with one another.
What is worship really for? How slowing down, honoring tradition, and embracing humility can re-center us on Christ.
Christmas Communion invites us to step off the Christmas crazy train and slow down long enough to be fully present with Jesus. Rather than learning something new, this message creates space to remember—through quiet, scripture, ancient prayers, and communion—the God who chose less so we could have what matters most. In stillness and gratitude, we rediscover the simplicity, intimacy, and hope found in Christ’s birth, life, death, and promised return.
This was a super fun conversation on the mystery of the Trinity, the miracle of the incarnation, and the joy Jesus experienced in the people around him.
In this message, we’re invited to slow down, be fully present, and discover how joy shows up when we stop living in the past or the future and actually show up where we are. Because it turns out, joy doesn’t live in excess—it lives in presence.
Pastor Brian helps us take an honest look at the frenzy that December so easily becomes—and how often busyness steals the very peace, joy, and presence our souls are craving. What if the life we actually want is on the other side of slowing down? Come explore the invitation Jesus gives us to step off the “busyness crazy train” and rediscover a pace that leads to calm, clarity, and spiritual life this Christmas season.
Christmas can feel like a crazy train—packed schedules, pressure to create perfect moments, overspending, and a pace that leaves us exhausted by January 2nd wondering, "What just happened?" What if the thing we’re actually longing for this season isn’t more… but less? If you’ve ever wished you could do this season differently, listen now, and get off the Christmas Crazy Train!
Discover why seeing Jesus as the embodiment of God’s wisdom can reshape how you make decisions, handle relationships, and navigate real life. If you’ve ever wondered whether there’s a smarter, steadier way to live, this message points to the One who shows us how—inviting us to learn His way, live His way, and experience the difference it makes.
This week features a very thoughtful question from one of our listeners. Lots to unpack on this one.
In this message, we explore what Proverbs teaches about true wealth—how wisdom reshapes the way we see money, purpose, contentment, and the kind of life that really lasts. Come see how a wiser path can bring clarity, freedom, and a deeper sense of meaning.
Walking with the wise leads to wisdom. The people we walk with don’t just shape us—we shape them. In this message, we’ll explore how to intentionally walk with those around us in ways that lead to deeper wisdom, healthier relationships, and lives that reflect the heart of God.
In order to experience real love in any of our relationships, it must be accompanied by ________. Listen now!
In this message from Proverbs, we explore how wisdom in parenting begins with respect—formed through humility, discipline, and centering our lives on God.
We are all influenced by the world around us and the constant competition for our attention by the voices of Wisdom and Folly.
Who are you listening to? In this message, we meet Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly in Proverbs and discover how the voices we follow shape our path toward life—or away from it.
This week is a romp through history as we trace our understanding of philosophy and wisdom literature.
What is wisdom? Is it just what you know, or how you live? From Socrates to Solomon to Jesus’ words that “wisdom is known by her children,” Proverbs trains us in real-world discernment for the choices that shape our relationships, work, and home. This message opens the door to discovering what true wisdom looks like—and where it begins.
We just had a massive ministry weekend at Jacob’s Well, and it deserves a conversation of gratitude to our King.
What if right and wrong are nothing more than personal opinions—does the Christian story still hold up? Guest speaker Greg Koukl from Stand to Reason examines where moral relativism fails and shares a clear, loving strategy for responding to the accusation of intolerance.
Special Guest Brian Faught (Executive Pastor) talks to us about the need to get in the game, and a conversation about opposites.
The church can be both breathtakingly beautiful and painfully imperfect. It’s a place where grace and brokenness meet, where real people walk out their faith together in all its messiness and complexity. In this final message of the series, Pastor Brian explores what it means to become a “Churchless Christian,” why that path leaves us vulnerable, and how God’s vision for His people calls us into something far deeper and more powerful than going it alone.
You’ll be surprised at the Holy Spirit’s power—It's still moving today, just as in the book of Acts. This message unpacks the Great Commission and the legacy of a church devoted to Scripture, fellowship, prayer, and witness. You’ll be invited to pray for three people by name, tell your story, and join the mission God is already blessing in the Chippewa Valley.
This week is all about the Local Church and the foundational documents that define our covenant with one another.
Loneliness is an epidemic, stealing our health and hope—but God made us for community. In this message, we confront the myth of a “churchless Christian," and rediscover the beauty of covenant: a local, transparent, mission-focused church where we love, serve, forgive, and grow together.
As we kick off our new series, “Why Church?,” we dive into the complex reality of church hurt and our calling to love and fight for the Bride of Christ.
What do we do with our anger, grief, and disappointment when the church itself becomes the source of hurt? In this message, we face the reality of “church hurt” head-on and wrestle with how Jesus invites us to respond differently. Instead of letting pain harden us, we’re called to channel anger into compassion, hate into love, and to rediscover the hope of Christ’s promise: the church is still His, and He is still redeeming it. This is a message for anyone who has ever felt wounded by God’s people yet longs to see the healing only He can bring.
The book of Obadiah is easy to overlook, but this week we dive into the hidden power and wisdom within the shortest book of the Old Testament.
What does true love for our country really mean—holding onto pride, or humbly living out God’s call? This week we’ll look at an ancient warning that challenges us to rethink patriotism and discover where our ultimate allegiance belongs.
This week is all about celebrating the powerful ways that God is working in the next generation. Featuring special guest Grace Subiaga.
Every family tells a story. Some chapters are marked by love and faith, others by pain and brokenness. From the book of Zephaniah, we see how one generation’s choices shape the next—and how cycles can be broken when someone chooses a different path. What legacy of faith will you leave behind?
Is the story of Jonah all about the big fish—or is it really about something more? In this message, we see a man clinging to anger while God patiently invites him to let go. And just like Jonah, we can hold onto control or resentment, instead of letting our compassionate Father rewrite our story through repentance.
Is rebuilding just about fixing what’s broken, or is it about reordering our lives around what truly matters?
Ever feel like you’re busy building a good life, yet still come up empty? Haggai shows us how even good things—family, success, comfort—can get out of order and leave us dry. In this message, Pastor Ryan invites us to realign our loves with God and discover the life and peace only He can bring.
This week Joshua is joined by Formation Pastor Ryan Robinson and Next Gen Pastor Grace Subiaga as they discuss Pastor Paul’s powerful sermon on the book of Amos.
Have you ever felt everything in life was right on track and how it should be—only to find out it’s definitely NOT? In week two of Fall Fast, Fall Forward, the book of Amos reveals how God’s plumb line exposes the flaws that we can’t see, calling us to repentance, truth, and restoration in Christ.
Hey everyone! It’s Pastor Paul and Pastor Joshua, and we’re back—kicking off Season 5 of The School of Unlearning with fresh energy, plenty of laughs, and a whole lot of vision for what’s ahead at Jacob’s Well Church in 2025–2026.
In this episode, we share a behind-the-scenes look at the exciting ministry year ahead as our church steps into a powerful season of growth and transformation.
Oh—and we have exciting news! Over the summer, The School of Unlearning was recognized by MillionPodcasts.com as one of the Top 90 Lent Podcasts on the Web. Check out our super cool trophy! We’re honored to be included on this list, but most of all, we're grateful for every one of you who listens, shares, and UNLEARNS with us!
It’s going to be a great year—so let’s GO!
Rediscover the power of repentance—not as a heavy burden, but as a skill that leads to deep transformation. Our lives are shaped by the stories we tell ourselves, and too often those stories keep us stuck. But God, in His mercy, calls us to return—to rethink, to realign, and to experience healing, renewal, and joy.
Connections Pastor Whitney Berthiaume wraps up our Surprised by Joy series with a powerful and personal message titled “He Calls Me Redeemed.” Drawing from her own story and the words of Paul in Philippians, Whitney reminds us that even in our most broken moments, God is near—calling us by a new name, offering healing, and inviting us into joy. If you’ve ever questioned your worth or wondered if your past disqualifies you, this message is for you.
In this message, Worship Leader Grace Holthe shares how true internal peace comes not from getting what we want, but from surrendering what we hold most tightly. Through Philippians, Grace invites us to open our hands, trust God’s timing, and discover the lasting joy that comes from knowing Jesus is already more than enough.
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When life gets hard, it's easy to stall out at base camp and wonder why the view isn't what we expected. In this message, Tim Huebner explores what it means to press on—not just to survive the climb, but to actively pursue a deeper, daily walk with Jesus. Drawing from Philippians 3 and a brutal backpacking trip in the Smokies, Tim contrasts the achievement-driven mindset of our culture with Paul’s joy-filled pursuit of Christ. Whether you're stuck, striving, or just starting out, this message invites you to take your next step—because the journey with Jesus is worth every step.
What does it mean to have joy even when life hurts? In this honest and heartfelt message, Michael Bohrer reflects on suffering—from sports heartbreaks and personal setbacks to deep grief and loss—and how the Apostle Paul’s words in Philippians offer a surprising invitation: to find joy not after suffering, but within it. Through personal stories, biblical truth, and a reminder that we’re not meant to walk alone, Michael points us to a kind of joy the world can’t steal—a joy rooted in Jesus, forged in hardship, and shared through community.
Where do we place our confidence—our effort, our energy, our hope? In this message, Ciera Wessels, Executive Admin unpacks a bold warning from Paul in Philippians 3 and invites us to trade in our striving for true security found in Jesus. Whether you're a recovering perfectionist, a rule-follower, or just someone who’s tired of trying to be enough, this message offers a freeing reminder: we don’t have to earn it. We simply get to receive it—and discover joy on the other side.
Have you ever had a before-and-after moment that changed everything? In this message, we explore how the gospel first arrived in Europe through a group of unlikely people—a businesswoman, a slave girl, and a Roman jailer—and how their encounters with Jesus sparked a church in Philippi. As we begin our journey through Philippians, we’re invited to know Christ in a deeper, more personal way—beyond information and into transformation. Discover how knowing Jesus reshapes our mindset, reframes our stories, and grows joy in every circumstance.
Our world is in desperate need of good, strong men—men of character and courage who grow, lead, and serve like Christ. Whether you’re a dad, a mentor, or just trying to figure it out, you’re called to rise up. This is a message about legacy, responsibility, and the kind of strength that makes a difference.
It creeps in quietly—sometimes while sitting in your favorite chair, sometimes when scrolling past someone else’s life. Coveting may not seem as dangerous as other sins, but it can poison your heart, relationships, and even your view of God. In this message, we’ll unpack how this subtle yet toxic mindset of comparison, entitlement, and envy can steal your joy and contentment—and discover how Christ offers us a better way to live with freedom and gratitude.
What does it really mean to be a safe person? In this message Pastor Paul takes a deeper look at the commands not to steal or bear false witness—revealing how these aren’t just rules, but relational foundations built on trust, truth, and integrity. When we live in reality and walk in honesty, we stop taking from others and start building something better together.
Pastor Paul invites us to see the Ten Commandments not just as a list of rules, but as a call to become people who honor life and reflect God’s heart in our relationships. Jesus moves the conversation from behavior to the heart—showing us that contempt, lust, and dehumanization are as destructive to our souls as outward actions. As we remember the value of every person made in God's image, we’ll explore how true life is found in giving life, protecting dignity, and choosing love over contempt, even in the most difficult relationships.
In a world that never stops pushing, many of us find ourselves constantly exhausted—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. But God offers us something radically different: the gift of rest. In this message, we explore the Sabbath not as a rule to follow, but as a rhythm of grace—a sacred space for renewal, trust, and joy. Come find freedom in the kind of rest that restores your soul.
In this heartfelt and practical Mother’s Day message, Terri Markquart invites us to rediscover the beauty and power of the fifth commandment—honor your father and mother. With wisdom, humor, and personal stories, we explore what it truly means to attach value to others, beginning in the home. From parenting’s heavy moments to the quiet strength of caring for aging parents, this message challenges us to become people of honor in a world that desperately needs it.
What do you worship—really? In this powerful message, we’re invited to consider that worship isn’t just singing songs or praying; it’s about what captures our heart, attention, and sacrifice every single day. Whether we realize it or not, we all worship something. Pastor Paul unpacks the first three commandments not as rules, but as life-giving principles that reveal how worship shapes our identity, our priorities, and our relationships.
We were made for covenant, not chaos. In this message, we begin rediscovering the power of covenant—where love and commitment meet to create the foundation for flourishing families, churches, and nations. Through the lens of the Ten Commandments, we see how God’s timeless truths are not just ancient rules, but a path to real freedom, written on our hearts through Jesus.
What if the empty tomb wasn’t just a symbol of hope—but the turning point of your entire story? In this Easter message, Pastor Paul unpacks the deeper meaning behind the resurrection of Jesus and the gifts it offers to every one of us. Whether your life feels stuck in tragedy, weighed down by fear, or wandering without direction, the risen Christ invites you into something greater. Something lasting. Something true. Come discover the three gifts of the empty tomb—and what they might mean for your story.
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The disciples thought they knew what Jesus came to do—but His words in the upper room turned their expectations upside down. In this message, we’re invited to wrestle with disappointment, rethink what we truly need, and discover the kind of joy that can’t be taken away.
Revival is stirring up across the Chippewa Valley. This week, we celebrate what God is doing and lean into the Upper Room discourse.
Jesus didn’t leave us on our own—He gave us the Holy Spirit to guide, comfort, and empower us. In this message, we’ll look at who the Spirit is, how He works in our lives, and what it means to walk with Him daily in truth, love, and power. Also, Pastor Paul's Making Room update!
Feeling anxious or overwhelmed? In this message, we’re invited to slow down, name what we’re feeling, and experience comfort for the troubled heart. Through a simple spiritual practice, we’ll learn how to notice God’s presence, rest in His promises, and find peace in who He is.
Of all the things Jesus asks of us, the most difficult—and most defining—is His command to love one another. Not a sentimental, feel-good love, but a costly, courageous, and sacrificial love that reflects the way He loves us. In this message, we’re invited to rediscover what real love looks like, especially when it’s hard, undeserved, or painful.
Acting as a servant may call for multiple approaches depending on what the situation calls for.
Have you ever stepped into something new, convinced you’d be great at it, only to be humbled by how hard it really was? Whether it’s parenting, marriage, a new job, or even just a hobby like golf, we all encounter moments where our confidence meets reality. In this message, Pastor Brian shares his personal journey of learning humility and grace—lessons shaped on the football field, in parenting, and through the quiet example of Jesus washing His disciples' feet. Discover how embracing the postures of love, humility, and submission can reshape not only how we serve others but how we become more like Christ.
The Gospel of John places an interesting focus on the word BELIEVE over the word FAITH.
What does it mean to live a life that truly matters? In his message Lifted Up, Pastor Paul shares a personal story about growing up in a big old house with hidden stained-glass windows—beautiful, but covered up and kept in the dark. He uses this image to remind us that God created each of us to be glorious, like stained glass that shines when light passes through it. But that kind of beauty and purpose isn’t found by holding on to our own desires. It comes when we choose a life of service, sacrifice, and daily surrender to God.
As we enter this season of Lent, this episode helps us to see the incredible value of studying the Upper Room Discourse.
Fear, frustration, and pain—negative emotions we often try to push down and just press on with life. But what if true healing only comes from facing these emotions, not running from them? In this message, Pastor Paul talks about facing our painful emotions with faith, letting Jesus transform them, and finding real peace, joy, and healing in Him. As we enter Lent, a season marked by ashes and renewal, this is our chance to bring our struggles into the light once and for all. Jesus knows our pain—He walked through suffering and gave His life to overcome it.
Quick fixes won't save you—discover the secret to deep healing. In this message, a powerful man's struggle with pride and brokenness unveils an unexpected invitation to let go, humble yourself, and embrace a transformative journey with God. Are you ready to confront your hidden wounds and experience true, lasting change?
Through the story of Elijah and Elisha, we see how God's presence shapes and commissions us, calling us to deeper faith and transformation. Whether through a fiery chariot or a still small voice, God's glory is meant to be experienced, not just observed. This message explores how God meets us in the ordinary and empowers us for the extraordinary.
Who are the truth-tellers in your life? Is our culture ready to listen when they speak?
How clearly do you see the world around you? In this message, we explore the powerful biblical metaphor of sight—both physical and spiritual. When we rely only on what we see with our eyes, fear and uncertainty can cloud our vision. Pastor Paul explains how spiritual sight allows us to recognize truth, see God's presence in our lives, and understand that He is fighting for us.
This is an important follow-up conversation to last Sunday’s message on Wickedness. How do we talk with our loved ones about the evil in this world?
Evil is real, and it thrives when it goes unchecked. In a world that often calls what is wicked good and what is good intolerant, we must stand firm in discerning truth. But recognizing evil isn’t enough—we must turn our hearts toward righteousness. Scripture warns us that unchecked sin leads to destruction, but God, in His mercy, always offers a way back. No one is beyond redemption. True repentance—turning away from darkness and back to God—restores what evil seeks to destroy. The call is clear: pursue the good, stand for truth, and embrace the grace that leads to life.
This week we have special guest Mackenzie Fisk as we discuss the power of replacing harmful narratives with a better story.
In this message, Mackenzie confronts the powerful influence of the narratives we tell ourselves. Through the story of Elijah and his encounter with God, we see the tension between negative self-beliefs and the truth of God’s gentle, loving voice. So what are the stories shaping your life today? Are they rooted in fear, doubt, and inadequacy—or in the transformative truth of who God says you are? Reframing these narratives through Scripture can lead to freedom, purpose, and a deeper relationship with Jesus– IF, we let God’s voice be the loudest in our lives.
Have you ever felt like the ordinary parts of life don’t matter to God? In this message, you’ll see how God is present in both the mundane and the miraculous. Through the story of Elijah and the widow, Pastor Paul shows how God works through every moment to provide, guide, and include us in His greater plan. Be encouraged that nothing in your life is too small for His care!
What are you offering your life to? Reflecting on the truth that each day we place our time, energy, and resources on an altar, we are reminded to examine where we invest ourselves. In a world of competing "altars" that demand much but deliver little, we’re called to fully devote ourselves to God—the true source of life, purpose, and peace.
Elijah lived in a very complicated time. This week we dig into the context that informs the narrative.
The Holy Spirit moved in extraordinary ways through Elijah and Elisha, yet we are reminded that they were just like us. Ordinary people who seek the face of God and experience His presence in powerful miracles and tender moments of stillness.
What role should communion play in our worship services? How can we learn from Church History and various traditions to explore this question?
In this message, Pastor Paul explores Jesus’ declaration, "I am the Bread of Life," showing how only He can satisfy our deepest hunger. Through John’s Gospel, we’re invited to embrace the eternal fulfillment found in Christ alone.
Have you ever felt lost? Executive Pastor Brian Faught brings a powerful message from John 14, where Jesus declares, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” We’re reminded that Jesus is not just one of many paths but the only way to true purpose, abundant life, and eternal hope.
Who’s leading your life, and are they worth following? In this message, we hear how Jesus leads with love, sacrifice, and care—offering a better way for us to live and lead. This message shows us how to tune out the voices that steal and destroy and instead follow the voice of the One who knows us by name and gives us life to the fullest.
As Advent begins, what does it mean to truly celebrate this season? Pastor Paul invites us to reflect on the art of celebration—not just feasting with food but celebrating with joy and hope rooted in Christ. We’ll explore the profound truth of Jesus as the great "I Am," the God who is beyond all understanding yet came close to us. Come rediscover the beauty of His love, the power of His promises, and the joy that makes this season worth celebrating.
What are you chasing after in life? In this, the final week of our Close series, we explore the story of Nicodemus in John 3—a man risking everything to meet Jesus in secret. Confronted with the truth of spiritual rebirth, he begins to realize that the things we pursue in life, which seem so important, often leave us empty. Only through Jesus can we find the renewal and purpose we were created for. We conclude this powerful series by discovering how closeness to God truly changes everything.
This week we have a very interesting conversation about interpreting and expounding on scripture passages.
What do you really want? In this message, we explore this question through the story of a man stuck for 38 years, both physically and spiritually. Jesus’s question, “Do you want to be healed?” invites us to confront our own areas of stagnation. Too often, we settle for what’s comfortable or place our hope in the wrong things, missing the deeper healing only Jesus can offer. This message challenges us to trust Him, take a step of faith, and experience the wholeness we truly long for.
Do you ever feel vulnerable as a parent? Parenting can leave us feeling exposed, yet it also brings profound meaning, focusing our lives on love and dependence on God. In this message, we’ll explore what it means to bring our children—with all their struggles—to Jesus, the only one who fully understands our heartache and hopes for them. Join us as we unpack a powerful story of a desperate father who finds healing and hope in Jesus and discover how we, too, can approach God with our family's deepest needs.
This week we’re joined by special guest Grace Subiaga to celebrate her message and discuss the phenomenon of confirmation bias.
Speaker: Grace Subiaga, Youth Pastor
Have you ever felt lost in the dark, not sure where to find hope or clarity? In this message, "The Light of Understanding," Grace Subiaga shares the story of a blind man healed by Jesus, showing how even our toughest struggles can open our eyes to a deeper truth. Grace shows us how Jesus’s light guides us, heals us, and brings us closer to God, even when life feels darkest. You'll be encouraged to look for His light right where you are.
How angry would you have to be to throw a stone at someone’s head? In this message, we reflect on what it means to cast stones—not just physically, but with our words, actions, and silence. In a world filled with anger and fear, we often justify our stone-throwing behavior. But Jesus shows us a different way. Come and explore the powerful story of forgiveness, grace, and the wisdom to put down the stones we carry.
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Family IS complicated! Even the family of Jesus came with complex dynamics and difficulties. Join Pastor Paul, Mackenzie Fisk, and Amanda Brenden as they discuss the good and the hard of being a part of a family.
This week, Pastor Paul dives into the messy reality of family—where misunderstandings, jealousy, and rejection often hit hardest. Even Jesus dealt with complicated family dynamics, and His response offers us a powerful example. How do we set boundaries with love? How can we extend grace when family hurts us? And what does God ask of us in the middle of it all? To find out how Jesus navigated these challenges and how we can apply His wisdom to our own lives, don’t miss this week’s message—it’s one you need to hear!
There are so many good things to care about in this world, but what is the BEST thing that God is leading you to?
In week 2 of our Close series, we explore how God is constantly speaking to us and how listening to Him transforms our lives. Using the story of the woman at the well, Pastor Paul shows how her encounter with Jesus changes everything when she opens her heart to His voice. She moves from isolation to becoming a powerful force in her community, simply by responding to God. As we gather, we expect to hear from God and be reminded that when we truly listen, He uses us in ways beyond our imagination.
Discover the closeness that God offers through Jesus as we dive into the Gospel of John. Pastor Paul explores the profound mystery of a transcendent God who became human, stepping into our world to invite us into an intimate love relationship with Him. This isn’t about rules or rituals; it's about being known, seen, and loved by God. Pastor Paul challenges us to reflect—are we close to Jesus, truly following Him, or is He a distant thought?
Our world is full of BIG, complex, and often painful situations. How do we make sense of it all? What is Jesus calling us to?
Our exploration of Jesus as the "Logos" challenges us to reassess our core motivations.
This Sunday, Pastor Paul concludes our Escape Into Reality series with the message, Light, Life, Belief, Part 2. In this powerful final week, he shares a "spiritual prescription" that addresses our deepest fears, anxieties, and mental health struggles—a prescription that leads us to joy. Through the lens of John 1, Pastor Paul unpacks how Jesus, the Logos, is the ultimate reality, grounding us in truth and transforming our perspective. He also dives into the connection between faith and obedience, emphasizing that true belief isn’t just about what we claim but is demonstrated in how we live. Obedience is the key to unlocking the joy and peace Jesus promises, showing us that faith without action leads to dissonance, but when we align our lives with God’s truth, we find lasting joy and well-being.
As we learn more about Jesus as the "Logos," we rediscover a Biblical perspective on the words Truth, Joy and Freedom.
This week in the "Escape Into Reality" series, Pastor Paul explores the powerful themes of light, life, and belief from John 1. In a world where truth is often distorted, Jesus—the Word made flesh—reveals what is real, grounding us in the truth. As the light of the world, Jesus exposes what we hide in darkness, freeing us from what enslaves us. Through Him, we find life in relationship with God and belief through obedience. Living in His light brings joy, clarity, and true freedom. Join us as we step into the light of Christ and rediscover reality.
Aaand we’re back! This week we catch up and go on quite a journey through history and philosophy to better under the word "Logos."
This week Pastor Paul invites us to dive deep into the profound concept of the "Logos," as revealed in the Gospel of John. In this message, we are reminded that Jesus is the Logos—God’s spoken word, logic, and reality brought to life. Pastor Paul unpacks how the Logos is not just a philosophical idea, but the very embodiment of truth, reason, and order, making sense of a world often caught in chaos and delusion. He challenges us to ask ourselves: Are we listening to God's voice? In a culture filled with distractions, it's time to escape into the true reality found in Jesus. Join us as we reflect on how the Logos brings clarity, light, and life to a world that desperately needs it.
In the final week of our Be Our Guest series, guest speaker Dr. David Clark discusses how people often know a lot about God but struggle to truly feel close to Him. He tells a story about a seminary student who, despite his knowledge, was afraid of God. Dr. Clark explains that our early relationships shape how we connect with God, and issues like anxiety or keeping others at a distance can block us from feeling His love. He encourages us to move beyond just knowing about God by practicing spiritual habits, connecting more deeply within our church, and being open to feedback, all to build a deeper, gut-level relationship with God.
In this back-to-school message honoring teachers, Brian Sullivan, Head of School at Venture Academy, highlights the profound influence teachers have on students and families. He draws parallels between their impact and the teachings of Jesus, emphasizing how exceptional teachers use compassion, creativity, and personal connection to inspire and guide. Effective teaching involves more than transferring knowledge; it builds confidence and supports students through challenges. Teachers empower their students by recognizing their potential and providing encouragement, leaving a lasting impression that shapes students' lives well beyond the classroom.
In this message, guest speaker Dr. David Clark challenges us as believers to think critically about our faith, demonstrating that Christianity is not based on circular reasoning but is supported by clear thinking and evidence. He guides us through Psalm 19 to show how the natural world reveals God's existence and connects scientific discoveries, like the Big Bang, to reinforce the belief that the universe's beginning points to a divine cause. Dr. Clark strengthens our faith by encouraging us to embrace good reasoning and evidence as foundations for our belief in God.
In this message we explore Psalm 46, focusing on how God is our refuge and strength in times of trouble. Pastor Sean Miller discusses the importance of being still and knowing God, illustrated by the story of Jesus calming the storm, showing how faith and inner peace help us overcome fear. And finally we discuss the impact of technology on our mental health. We look at practical advice on seeking God's guidance, reassessing our relationship with technology, and aligning our thoughts with God's promises.
Have you ever found your deepest relationships are fragile or struggling due to emotional wounds in your past? In Pastor Sean Miller’s first message of our "Be Our Guest" series, we confront this "Crisis of Connection" and explore how God's love can help overcome relational challenges and mend past hurts. We also find practical steps to build deeper connections with others, both here in our church and in our everyday lives.
In this final message in our Hope in a Hostile World series, Amanda teaches through the Apostle Paul's final instructions to the church in Thessalonica, where he encourages them and gives guidance on living a good life while waiting for Jesus to return. Amanda shows the parallels for our own lives—staying hopeful, supporting the leaders in our church, and being kind to each other. She stresses the importance of working hard for the right things, remaining positive, staying in prayer, and being thankful in all things. Finally, she reminds us to be so busy doing good that we avoid falling into sin while showing those in our circles that we love them and care for them.
There are many ideas about the return of Christ that can lead us to many different conclusions about God– some good, and some bad. Despite all these beliefs, we can stay rooted in the biblical truth of the assurance of Christ’s salvation and of his return for us. Because we know we are truly saved by Christ, we can persevere through hostile times until his final return.
In Week 4 of our "Hope in A Hostile World" series, we delve into practical ways to pursue purity in every aspect of life, drawing wisdom from 1 Thessalonians and Romans. Matt Rees guides us through the transformative process of sanctification and shows us how to align our lives more closely with God's will. Together, we discover how living in anticipation of Christ’s return can help us navigate challenging times with love and hope. Matt also provides practical steps for personal and spiritual growth, encouraging us to live in anticipation of Christ's return.
Hunter Gagner's message for Week 3 of our Hope in A Hostile World series explores how the story of the Gospel permeates the world and how we have the opportunity to be a part of it. Discover how our personal stories can contribute to the greatest story ever told, spreading love and hope through the power of Jesus.
This powerful message challenges us to share our faith fearlessly, to embody Christ's transformative love, and to live a life worthy of our divine calling. Learn to be a courageous witness for Christ, sharing His hope with unwavering conviction and intention.
In this first of 6 messages, long-time local Pastor and our special guest, Jerry Cellan explores the inspiring story of the Thessalonian church as detailed in I Thessalonians 1:1-10. This passage reveals how these early believers, living in expectation of Christ’s return, responded with unwavering faith, profound love, and steadfast hope even amidst hostility. Jerry delves into their incredible start, their radical transformation by embracing the gospel message, and how their faith became an example for others far and wide. Together we reflect on how their journey can encourage us, even today. And challenge us, too: What in your life right now is more important than God?
A father’s love prepares a child for a life filled with adventure, passion, compassion, resilience, and freedom. Pastor Paul interviews his son Ben, who completed an epic 87-day, 2,000-kilometer canoe expedition from Ely, Minnesota, to Hudson Bay up in Canada. They discuss how this journey reflects the role of fathers in protecting and preparing their children. We explore the gifts of courage, passion, compassion, resilience, and self-control that fathers instill in their children, and learn practical steps to honor and support dads in their vital role.
Are life's challenges weighing you down? In this message, Pastor Brian talks about the act of showing up in alignment with God’s values– how this can bring purpose and peace to our daily lives. Through personal stories and the powerful example of Elijah, we'll learn how to hear God's gentle whisper amid our daily chaos. We'll identify practical ways to incorporate the spiritual discipline of solitude into our routines– deepening our connection with God and ultimately discovering the peace of His presence.
As we wrap up Season 3 of The School Of Unlearning we look ahead to a summer focused on intentionality.
Can you imagine holding your breath all day? It seems impossible, doesn’t it? Living a fulfilling Christian life without prayer is just as unthinkable. In Week 3 of “Summer in the Son,” we explore the essential role of prayer, described as the heartbeat of our faith and our spiritual muscle memory. Though many struggle with prayer, it holds transformative power. Curious about making prayer as vital as the air you breathe this summer? Watch Pastor Paul's message to learn how.
Ever feel like your spiritual journey takes a vacation as soon as summer rolls around? We've all been there. But what if this summer could be different? In this message, Pastor Paul shows us the secret to keeping our faith vibrant, even when the sun's out and the lake is calling our name. Get ready for a summer of surprising growth and the JOY of a deeper connection with God, with just an intentional step or two each day.
In this message, we reflect on life's changing seasons, confront the challenges of busyness, and seek to understand their impact on our connection with God. Through intentional alignment with God's pace and values, discover how small shifts in daily life can lead to profound spiritual transformation, infusing our journey with purpose and fulfillment. Join us on the path to deeper alignment with God.
In her inspiring Mother's Day 2024 message, Terri Markquart emphasizes the role of mothers as lights in their homes, drawing from Matthew 5:14-16. She recounts her own mother's unwavering commitment to standing up for what's right, her selfless service and hospitality, and her deep love for Jesus. Through personal stories, Terri highlights the importance of being a steadfast presence and source of guidance for one's family, rooted in faith and love. She encourages mothers to embrace their role with strength and courage, recognizing the profound influence they have in shaping the character of their children and those around them.
This week we welcome Jodi Jewell as we discuss Jesus’ response to welcoming the foreigner in our midst.
Guest Speaker Jodi Jewell from World Relief talks about how we as a church can help the international refugees we have here in our community.
Ever felt like life's questions are too big for answers? Well, so did Job. But amidst his struggles, Job discovered something profound: a hope in a redeemer. And that hope? It's not just for Job—it's for all of us. Find out how Job's story connects to our lives today and discover the ultimate redeemer who brings meaning to our deepest questions.
Entering into the pain of a friend is a difficult thing, and the Book of Job offers guidance on exactly what not to do.
In this message, we dive into the complexities of navigating profound suffering, in the midst of loneliness and conflicting emotions. As Pastor Paul looks closely at how Job's friends interact with him during his time of pain, we discover the transformative power of faith amidst life's hardest challenges.
In this first of four messages, we begin exploring the Book of Job, a timeless tale of human suffering and wisdom. Job's story, while ancient, resonates with the universal experience of loss and adversity. As we journey through its pages, we confront profound questions about existence and the human condition. Through Job's trials, we are reminded of the importance of navigating life's complexities with courage and integrity. This narrative serves as a poignant reminder to approach challenges with humility and seek wisdom in the face of uncertainty.
In this Easter 2024 message we explore the significance of Jesus' resurrection and its profound impact on the early church and future generations. Delving into prayer, Pastor Paul highlights its relationship with the triune God and its role in deepening our connection with Him. We see that prayer is more than a ritual or list of requests but a pathway to a loving relationship with God. Through examining the prayers of the early church and Jesus Himself, we discover the transformative power of prayer in fulfilling the deepest longings of our hearts.
The essence of prayer lies not in what we bring to God, but in the intercession of Jesus on our behalf. He stands as the bridge between humanity and divinity, offering prayers to the Father that transcend our inadequacies and shortcomings. This realization liberates us from the notion of earning God's favor through our actions or words.
It is critical to remember that we have a real enemy, but the victory has already been won.
As a church we are asking Jesus to teach us to pray, and we find incredible power in time spent with the heart of God.
The heart of Prayer is a Love relationship with a Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Today's service included "Prayers of the People" submitted and prayed for live during the service.
This next season is full of opportunity, and this week we cover what’s coming and our hope for how God will move.
The heart of Prayer is a Love relationship with a Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
This wrap-up episode reflects on our journey through Genesis and the final chapters of Joseph’s story.
It takes courage and faith to challenge family dysfunction by choosing a healthier path.
Persevere in every season of life to become a person who brings life to yourself and others.
It takes courage and faith to pursue a dream, especially in the hardships of life, but if you persevere, it will bring life to those around you.
There is a process of becoming the kind of person that can live out the dream God has placed in your heart.
Who am I? And How should I Live? It takes courage and faith to challenge family dysfunction by choosing a healthier path, especially when you have been treated with contempt.
We inherit a lot from our families, both good and bad, so how do we make sense of it all?
It takes courage and faith to challenge family dysfunction by choosing a healthier path. Learning to trust God's goodness, love, and plan.
Through life, we all wrestle with God. How do we choose a perspective of blessing in the struggle and tension with God?
If we are honest, we all grapple with a genuine and profound struggle to live in harmony with the truth in a world where being transparent is not always easy or safe. This week: Learning to trust God's goodness, love, and plan.
The story of Jacob, Laban, Leah and Rachel is a drama for the ages. Featuring Pastor Ryan Robinson.
How is your commitment to honesty (or lack of) affecting your family, friends, coworkers? If you're honest, where is there manipulation in you?
If we are honest, we all grapple with a genuine and profound struggle to live in harmony with the truth in a world where being transparent is not always easy or safe. Reaping the Harvest of a Really Big Lie.
If we are honest, we all grapple with a genuine and profound struggle to live in harmony with the truth in a world where being transparent is not always easy or safe. Examine your commitment to honesty and living the truth.
Fear of missing out after a long wait causes us to lose confidence in the Promise of God. God fulfills His promises in His own perfect timing and unique way, exceeding our expectations with wonders beyond our imagination.
How do we make sense of the challenge to not look back, to not cling to the past, while also learning from the lessons contained there?
There is a trap in romanticizing and glorifying our past that can causes us to lose sight of (and confidence in) the future promise. Forget what is behind... press forward to the high call of God!
Abraham’s life is a story of faith and lies. Moments of bold trust followed by compromise.
The history of the Bible is a story of a promise made and a promise kept. Do you keep Promises?
The Tower of Babel teaches a subtle but important lesson about human potential and creativity.
This is a powerful conversation on the need to understand the Wrath of God and the role of Justice.
A Good God's righteous response to the Spirit of Cain is wrath. But a Merciful God has provided a way of escape in Jesus.
A clear Christ-centered vision of what you will become is the key to overcoming a small, tragic, and meaningless life.
• Evaluate your current road– How did I get here? What choices led me here? What needs to change? What relationships have I harmed by my decisions?
• Learn the art of delayed gratification.
• Develop skills that lead to becoming like Christ: Rule of Life, Daily Offices, EHS, EHR, Prayer, Silence and Solitude, Small Groups, or support groups like Celebrate Recovery
• Take the next right step in your journey. If you are not sure, come to the next First Steps Class!
The Spirit of Cain makes unwise sacrifices that lead us away from the goodness of God while blaming others for the consequences of our own actions and eventually seeking to destroy that which is good. What sin is crouching at your door?
The Spirit of Cain makes unwise sacrifices that lead us away from the goodness of God, while blaming others for the consequences of our own actions, and eventually seeking to destroy that which is good. Offer sacrifices to that which is meaningful.
Today we discuss how a proper understanding of Sin can actually lead to hope, and point us to what we should have been aiming at all along.
What does it mean to be human? How do we make sense of our seemingly contradictory natures?
The foundational beliefs we hold about humanity shape our view of the world, determining who we are, how we live, and what is meaningful. What does it mean to be a human being?
All of Creation finds its source in the goodness, creativity, and overflowing love of the Trinity.
The foundational beliefs we hold shape our view of the world– determining who we are, how we live, and what is meaningful. God is our Best Thought.
Wherever we are on your Journey we will take steps together to know and become like Jesus. Follow Jesus.
At its best, the Church is stunningly beautiful. Innovative, creative, honoring God and caring for humanity. But at its worst, it can cause devastating harm. How do we make sense of this dichotomy?
Is it possible to Love Jesus but hate the church? Not only is it possible, but it is common experience. Indeed, this is nothing new. When the church loses its way it becomes very hard to love. But is it good? Be part of the Remnant that is bringing renewal to the church.
We’re baaaaack! New season, new intro, and a preview of the new year ahead of us!
Lead Pastor Paul Berthiaume and Worship Pastor Joshua Skøyen of Jacob's Well Church in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
There are practices that historically have been so firmly established as part of the Christian faith that they begin to define what it means to be a Christian. For early believers, the idea of considering oneself a Christian who did not engage in these practices is like being rain that is not wet or a tree without wood. These practices are Baptism as a celebration of your salvation, Church as a priority, and discipleship as a daily practice of intentionally seeking and following Jesus. In Week 1 of the Essentials of Faith series, we'll look at how the practice of Baptism is essential for a follower of Jesus.
In an age of complacency and polluted worship, there is a remnant that fears the LORD and stays faithful by keeping a book of remembrance.
Jesus' model of sacrificial leadership is just as important and needed today as it was during the time of Malachi.
In our waiting, it is important to remember that God is working in ways we do not know, and He will accomplish all that He has promised.
In the Book of Malachi, the new Idolatry was not the worshiping of false gods like Baal, but rather the Idolatry of half-hearted worship of the True God, Yahweh.
This Idolatry created complacency and lukewarm devotion to God that was expressed in polluted worship, inadequate sacrifice, glorification of evil, and oppression of the vulnerable. All while expressing ingratitude toward God and blaming him for injustice.
In an age of complacency and polluted worship, there is a remnant that fears the LORD and stays faithful by keeping a book of remembrance.
Leaders have influence over us. Whether we like it or not, we all have or will be considered a leader in some way, big or small. But how do we lead well in a world that has redefined leadership with cultural influence? How do we instead be an influential leader in the name of Jesus, the Good Shepherd?
As Christians we are called to be like Christ. This week in Foreign Faith, we break down 1 Peter 3 and talk about how we can model after Jesus in our marriages, relationships and friendships.
We are chosen by God for citizenship in his kingdom, and for community with other believers. Because of our new identity, we’re not going to fit into this world.
1 Peter 1:3-9 - Our unique way of life in this harsh, yet fleeting world affirms that we are chosen citizens of God’s Kingdom.
How did Simon become Peter? How did he become the most influential leader in the Christian Church? Jesus saw Peter. Jesus knew his name, and called him to become more. Jesus sees us, knows our name, and calls us to become more. Much like Peter's, our journey of "becoming" starts with being chosen, and– choosing to follow Jesus. There will be times we make great progress, times we hold our ground, and times we backslide. Will we give ourselves the permission, the grace, the space to journey in becoming more?
We need great men to be husbands, fathers and leaders. A great man is both good, strong and are defined by service and a great man.
The Sermon on the Mount ends with a warning. Ignore Jesus' teaching at your own peril. Jesus repeats this basic warning using three separate illustrations. He also gives a powerful vision of what our lives can mean when we listen and follow his teachings.
Whitney Berthiaume and Mackenzie Fisk join the podcast to share their Mother’s Day experience and lay down some very helpful insights.
Panel discussion on God's gift of motherhood. Featuring Whitney Berthiaume, Tina Pecor, Marsha Anderson, Terri Markquart, Leah Hulke and Mackenzie Fisk.
Can we offer a critique without condemnation? Can we make a judgement without being judgmental? Humility is the key.
Special Guest Whitney Berthiaume joins us to talk about the cure for this anxious age we live in.
This world offers so many things, but ultimately leaves us craving more. Where can we find the cure for materialism?
Welcome to the club. This week we talk about the need to live as healthy hypocrites. People that are honest, humble, and aware of our image consciousness.
Special guest Nick Houchin joins us as we discuss the heart, culture and intentionality that goes into our worship ministry.
Jesus did what he said and practiced what he preached. Live Radical Love, Make Peace with God.
The wisdom of Jesus challenges us to reconsider our anger and desire for revenge and retaliation. Special guest: Formation Pastor Brian Faught
Honesty, Transparency, Vulnerability… what does it look like to live these out in a complicated world?
Relationship are difficult with dishonest people. Live with a radical commitment to honesty, integrity, and doing what you said you would do. Live Authentic.
This week we’re joined by Mackenzie Fisk to talk about Jesus’ teaching on Divorce and protecting the oppressed.
Special Guest Ryan Robinson joins us to discuss the damaging effects of lust and objectification.
Connection, intimacy, relationship. We all desire for closeness with people, to know and be known. But tragically, we often trade true, pure love for a form of lust. When we use and abuse people, it numbs us to real connection and intimacy. Jesus wants all of us to experience deep relationships, but if we treat people like objects, we won't be able to connect.
Understanding Anger and Contempt provides a framework for the entire Sermon on the Mount.
The Sermon On The Mount is full of wisdom, with the power to heal our fragmented relationships.
“I hate conflict.” Most people would resonate with this comment. But relational conflicts are inevitable. As followers of Jesus, we have his teaching and example to show us how to do healthy conflict. Jesus not only modeled healthy conflict, but he also actually created relational conflict when needed. In this series, we will discover Jesus’ teaching in the sermon on the mount and consider the wisdom of this life. Follow Jesus as he transforms you into a good person from whom good things naturally flow!
This service is a lament. We will take time to lament personally and corporately.
As we enter into Lent. Let's draw close to Jesus, the suffering servant.
This week we discuss the strong connections between our series in Lamentations and the season of Lent.
It is easy to feel forgotten. Trauma can cause us to create a narrative that God and everyone else has forsaken us. At those times, we can feel conflicted because we want to hide and be seen simultaneously. A lament allows us to express these feelings and tell ourselves a better story.
*We apologize for intermittent audio quality in this podcast, we experienced technical difficulties at the time of the recording.
There are three metaphors for Lament: Ashes – Loss, Salt – Tears, and Wormwood (bitter root) – Bitterness. When we Lament, we enter a deep grief that expresses loss, pain, bitterness, and often regret. Grief is acknowledging what has been lost and what we had hoped for that we will not receive. The contrast between where we were and where we had hoped to be contrasted with where we find ourselves needs to be acknowledged before it can be accepted.
Many of us don't want to draw near to our pain because we fear we will get trapped in pain and bitterness. Lament opens the door to see and experience the mercy of God. We need to experience and receive God’s mercy, so we do not lose our humanity and become something broken under the terrible weight of bitterness caused by the pain of this world.
Lamentations challenges us to see ourselves as deeply intertwined with one another. How do we learn to embrace corporate responsibility in our hyper individualized world?
Message: “The Liturgy of Lament”
Lead Pastor Paul Berthiaume
Series: “Dark Clouds, Deeper Mercy”, Wk 2
Learning the Liturgy of Lament helps us understand the Nature of Trauma and gives us a Pathway of Trust through trauma, grief, and loss.
What was the world like before the coming of Jesus? What changed? What is still changing? Christmas changed EVERYTHING. This is a challenge for us to follow the person and the way of Jesus. Fighting injustice, loving people and walking in the way of the cross.
When we are Devoted to Jesus and each other, our lives take on the proper "spice" (inspiration) that makes the outside world want to seek Jesus for themselves. But devotion takes intentionality. We must make every effort; not to be perfect, but to be Devoted.
Is there a difference between men and women? What is the dynamic of a marriage? Become the kind of person who can shoulder responsibility for yourself and others.
Created in the Image of God. The radical realigning of relationships that was taught by the Apostle Paul challenged both the Roman family codes as well as the Jewish family codes. These same teachings should challenge us today– shifting from power, honor, class and sex distinctions to inclusion, equality, and unity. Leadership is redefined based on service and sacrifice. The Gospel reveals a radical new vision for all human relationships!
Title: Work As Worship
What does it look like to find delight in meaningful work? How do we serve as if we are working for King Jesus?
Ever wake up Monday morning with anxiety, dread, stress, and even anger towards your work? Is the best part of your work walking out the door and seeing your work in the rearview mirror? A Gallup survey discovered that of the 1 billion full time workers in the world only 15% are engaged, that means that 85% are unengaged– they go to work stressed, anxious, and angry and feel unfulfilled and unsatisfied with their work. So, if you feel any of these things you are not alone! But what if– what if there was a shift you could make to fill this Monday with fulfillment and joyful purpose? And what if this shift doesn’t mean changing jobs, or bosses, or co-workers? What if the shift is intentionally living your life IN Christ? Would that really change your work? We think, yes! Living your life IN Christ unlocks fulfillment and joyful purpose in ALL you do!
Living like Jesus takes on a whole new meaning when we’re tired, stressed and stretched thin. How do we choose to live when the going gets tough?
What would you be willing to do to create a new you? To be in Christ is to live in Christ, by putting on the new self.
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Paul and Shua tip toe into philosophy this week discovering the Self and how the Bible redefines it.
We stand in Christ when we put away what we used to be, to put on our NEW self, choosing the way of Christ in whatever we do. To BE in Christ is to LIVE in Christ– by putting away the old self.
How do we find peace with Jesus at the center of our lives when this world is constantly pulling us to extremes?
The way of Jesus stands in opposition to the wisdom of the world. When we are feeling overwhelmed with attacks on the Gospel we return to the simple Gospel. As followers we stand in Christ on the Gospel of peace, hope and love.
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Brian and Shua discuss how we respond to pain and suffering, and what it looks like for faith to endure through it.
Being in Christ, standing on the hope of the gospel, often requires struggle, suffering and loss. Paul embraced suffering as part of the job in being an ambassador of the Gospel. Paul embraced struggle as a necessary step to spiritual growth and service. Paul embraced struggle, as a means, to deepening the disciple’s journey to know and become like Christ. If being in Christ and standing on the hope of the Gospel, requires suffering, struggle and even loss, are you willing to follow?
In a world filled with plausible arguments, how do we find a place to stand? We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did!
Colossians is an invitation to live in Christ. To do this, we must understand that we will face opposition. False teachers who will want to use the Gospel for some other agenda or purpose. Those who feel they have outgrown the simple message of Christ and have lost hope in the simple Gospel. Those who will come with “plausible” arguments based on human philosophy and materialistic wisdom. At times the opposition will come as ridicule, isolation and loss of influence. At other times it will come as threat of violence, slander and shame. There will be pressure to conform to the pattern and philosophy of the culture and the current age. In seasons like this it can become easy to try to compromise our commitment to Christ and the Gospel to win favor with those who oppose us, only to find that we are trying to appease people who will never like us. With so much cultural change it can be difficult to find a place to stand. As followers we find that we can stand in Christ on the Gospel of peace. As followers we stand in Christ on the Gospel of peace, hope and love. The way of Jesus stands in opposition to the wisdom of the world. When we are feeling overwhelmed with attacks on the Gospel we return to the simple Gospel.
Colossians is an invitation to live In Christ. It is a warning to those who would want to add to Christ, move on from Christ or be tempted to lose hope in the Gospel which is the mystery of Christ in you. To live in Christ is to Give him preeminence in all things. To be defined by Christ who becomes our life. Those in Christ continue in the faith!
Colossians is an invitation to live in Christ. It is a warning to those who would want to add to Christ or move on from Christ. Or those who are tempted to lose hope in the Gospel, which is the mystery of Christ in us. To live in Christ is to give Him preeminence in all things. To be defined by Christ, who becomes our life. Push the Gospel into every corner of your life.
To be in Christ means we also have full access to all the privileges associated with being part of His new Kingdom. In this message we will dive into those privileges and see how we can be enhancing our day-to-day lives with them. As we learn to live in the light and embrace our freedom in Christ we can also become a light of hope to others, showing them that the Gospel really does work!
What are we known for? How big is the contrast between Christianity today and the early Church?
For what are you known? How about the church? How about the first believers? Those in Christ are known by the fruit of faith, hope and love.
SEASON 2 of The School of Unlearning Podcast! As we look to a new series in Colossians, we ask what it looks like to follow Jesus as Christ and Lord.
Colossians is an Invitation– to Live In Christ. It is a warning to those who would want to add to, or move on from Christ, or be tempted to lose hope in the Gospel– which is the mystery of Christ In You. To Live In Christ is to give him preeminence in all things– to be defined by Christ who Becomes Our Life. Find your Tribe.
Special Guest Brian Faught joins us to talk through the plethora of options available for each of us to grow in our spiritual formation.
Having a regular Sabbath practice in your life will not only rejuvenate you for the work week or school week ahead– it will also help you begin to truly know and become more like Christ. This is practice for what heaven will be like! Discover the keys to making a regular Sabbath practice a reality for you and your family!
We just celebrated 47 baptisms, 47 stories of lives changed by the Gospel. This week we reflect on the power of this ancient practice and how it helps to refocus our hearts on Christ.
The weather made us move Splash indoors, but we were still so excited to celebrate with all those being baptized. It was a great service!
What should your Sabbath practice look like? There are hundreds of options, and this week Paul and Shua share what Sabbath looks like in their lives.
Jesus renews Sabbath as a life-giving gift from God. Sabbath is the practice, perspective, and pattern of resting in God that teaches us to live in true freedom. Find the Sabbath practice and pattern that works for you and your family.
Sabbath is the practice, perspective, and pattern of resting in God that teaches us to live in true freedom. Jesus renews Sabbath as a life-giving gift from God.
What does it look like to truly rest in God? What is it about Sabbath that leads to life? Pastor Paul and Shua are back after some time off this summer, with a new episode talking about Sabbath, as we kicked off the Sabbath Rebel series last Sunday.
Lead Pastor Paul Berthiaume kicks off a new 5-week series on the importance of Sabbath as we look ahead to the Emotionally Healthy Discipleship class starting churchwide in September.
What do you do when you are in the flames, when life punches you in the face, when trials and difficult times come– How do you react? How does your faith hold strong or does it melt down? It is relatively easy to counterfeit our faith, but in the flames of trials our true faith is revealed, and it is far less how we act and much more how we react that reveals how strong or weak our faith is. What if God allows us and actually wants our faith to melt down as part of the process to grow? What if God allows it because he loves us too much to let us stay the same?
When we learn to control our words by listening to the cues and motions of our body, it helps us show our authentic faith.
Our faith should produce works, but it's not that simple. We can't DO for God, unless we first learn to BE with God.
So often we place value on people, wealth, work, status, and material items– but it's really God– He is our true treasure. It's never too late to start a relationship with Jesus, nor is it too late to hit the reset button on your relationship with Him. He is waiting for you with love and forgiveness.
Our country is great gift and a trust. As Christians we should participate in the political process in a way that honors Christ. We should support ideas and policies that are consistent with the Kingdom of God. We should also have the wisdom and grace to accept that other sincere believers have differing priorities and opinions. Above all, we should remember that our true citizenship is in the Kingdom of God. And God wants us to share the Gospel with all Americans.
The words of a father matter. So what do kids really need to hear from their father? Speak LIFE to your kids.
When we address issues related to LGBT, our Posture is more important than our Position. Loving people when the situation is messy is one of the best indications of a healthy church.
This week we look at the importance of understanding and living out our identity in Christ, in order to move away from our sinful, disordered desires. Experiencing God's meaning and destiny for our lives is impossible unless we embrace our new identity in Christ.
Understanding the power of saying no to disordered desires is powerful on the path to freedom.
Response to Week 1 of the Every Body series featuring Pastor Paul with Jordan and Grace.
In this message we will discuss the relationship between the spirit and the body. As Christians we believe that we are embodied spirits. The human soul is a symbiotic relationship between our minds, spirit, heart & body. We are not us without our bodies so we should love and honor our bodies. Our bodies are a gift from God so we should accept them as a trust and a means to fulfill our calling and vocation. Our bodies have been corrupted by sin or the disordered desires of the flesh. Giving in to our disordered desires creates slavery, while denying our disordered desires creates freedom.
There are many stages of Mom. Each one is unique with its own challenges, heartbreaks, joys and rewards. A good mom does not need to be a certain type of person, she needs to grow to be the right person for the right stage. Mom’s also need different kinds of support during different seasons. All this requires wisdom from Mom’s who are further on their journey. Care will need to be taken with those who's heart is broken on this topic. We will end the service by having older moms pray for younger women and by giving Moms a gift!
God has entrusted us with all off our time, talent and treasure. In this message we wrestle with what it looks like to steward these things, not just for our family and church but also in terms of legacy. To be a trusted steward means we must take seriously our responsibility and legacy.
The constant desire for more is a temptation that we all understand. How do we make sense of the greed and covetousness in our hearts?
Living under the curse of ownership will make our lives a burden filled with anxiety. When we learn the joy of stewardship we find freedom.
We made it people, the final episode on the book of Revelation. This conversation was a beautiful reflection on Good Friday, Easter and the journey we've been on for the last sixteen weeks.
The stunning promise of the new Jerusalem should inspire the believer to strive to live as a Kingdom citizen everyday.
I have trouble deciding what I want. My deepest desires are often covered up by the pursuit of my superficial desires. In the New Jerusalem, at the Great Wedding feast of the Lamb Our deepest desires will be satisfied and our deepest joys discovered.
Is God Fair? Is Judgement Just? Only God is qualified to make judgements that are Just and True.
We hope this weeks conversation is as helpful for you as it was for us! We dive deep into the Final Judgement, Grace, Works, and the role of Sanctification.
The modern American church does not often think of the Judgement. However the scriptures are clear. We will all stand before God and give an account for the things we have said and done. How should we understand this teaching?
This week we're talking more deeply about the Whore of Babylon. From the mark of the beast, to the ten horns... it's about to get weird.
When we claim love and loyalty to the Lamb but Live the way of the Dragon we find ourselves far from God and our hypocrisy undermines the message of Christianity. Choose a deep loyalty to the Lamb and His way.
Babylon is the world order that is ruled by wealth, power and oppression. When it falls the great, powerful and wealthy of the world will mourn and weep. How will you feel when this world fades away
Who is the real enemy here? What forces are behind the brokenness of our world and the evil that we see around us?
The dragon has fallen and continues to fall in defeat. He falls more every time we choose to live the way of the Lamb. We have been given power to overcome the Dragon by the blood and the power of the Lamb.
This week we take a deeper dive into the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls of Revelation. This section of the book is full of strange imagery, but that makes it all the more interesting to explore.
We are entering the Part of Revelation that is often the most hard to understand. In this message Paul will give tools to help you begin to engage this book in a whole new way.
The early church thought of themselves as one who was to be telling a story with their lives. This is the essence of the word Mayrtos
We all are giving our lives for something we believe. You can tell what a person believes by how they live. A call to follow the Lamb is a call to live for something bigger than yourself.
What happens when people who follow the Lamb begin to fight with the weapons of the Dragon? This week we take a look back at church history to learn from the lessons of the past.
We live for and worship what we consider worthy. What is worthy of your life? Only Jesus is worthy of our first and best.
When John is shown the Throne Room of God he gets to witness an eternal worship service for the King full of glory, majesty and wonder.
Is worship really that important? In this message, Worship Pastor Joshua Skoyen talks about the importance of worship and "joining the chorus" in our faith journey.
The letters to the seven churches in Revelation display Jesus' heart for His people. He builds up and affirms the good, while challenging and warning against areas of compromise. If He were writing this letter to our church today, would we be humble enough to receive it?
What is Jesus saying to His church? In this message we look at Jesus walking among His churches (Lampstands) with a specific message (Stars) for each church concerning what they are doing well and what they are not doing well. He also gives new revelations about Himself to each of the churches, that will guide them... And that will guide us today as a church as well.
When is the last time you found yourself surprised by Jesus? Our study in the book of Revelation leads us to consider a more complex and holistic view of the Son of God.
This week we are going to discover that if we are truly going to be overcomers in this world we need a much bigger view of Jesus. Revelation 1:9-20 give us that view!
Pastor Paul calls in from Florida for this episode as we kick off our series in the Book of Revelation. Paul and Shua's discussion establishes an important framework to understand the grand, cosmic scale and imagery that lie ahead in this incredible book of the Bible.
The Revelation is an unveiling of the spiritual reality and conflict that followers of Jesus have always been involved in. To those who are feeling overwhelmed by this spiritual conflict and battle, it is a call to overcome by staying faithful to the Lamb (Jesus) even during true suffering and persecution. It is a call to long for the return of Christ and the establishment of His kingdom, called the New Jerusalem. Believers are given the great heart cry, "Maranatha!", which means, "Even so, Come, Lord Jesus Come!".
Special guest Whitney Berthiaume joins us to share her approach to a Rule of Life and the lasting impact that can have after multiple years of consistent devotional practices.
What is the meaning in life? What can Christmas teach us about what is really meaningful?
We had a lot of fun with this discussion that goes over a myriad of topics. From a discussion on what it means to be embodied, to taking our thoughts to captive, to the multiverse.
This week Shua and Brian discuss an interesting tension point about where our focus should lie.
Where we put our focus will determine our direction. In this message we will look at Peter walking on water and discuss how important it is that our focus be on Jesus instead of on our hurt, habits and hang-ups.
This week we take an honest look at the stories that we tell and retell in our own minds. Lies that become wounds, that grow into stories, that live on as narratives.
The mind is a place of Spiritual warfare. Will we listen to stories based on lies or those grounded in the truth of the work of Jesus and the promise of God.
The Christmas Rethink series is all about the mind and how our thoughts impact the inner life. This week we discuss why our thoughts matter, and how we can begin to be more aware of the influences that shape them.
Christmas is a season where mental health is under serious pressure. As part of our emphasis on developing an inner life we have put major emphasis on creating a love relationship with the Triune God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is a call to develop spiritual practices and habits that allow us to interact and connect with God.
With the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures we will learn to pay attention to what is going on inside our hearts, minds and souls. We'll do this by paying attention to what we are feeling and what we are thinking.
In this series leading up to Christmas we are calling on the church body to pay attention to what and how we are thinking. We will be challenged to evaluate what we are putting into our minds We will be challenged to identify patterns of thought that are moving us toward either being mentally unhealthy, or healthy. We will discuss how to challenge narratives we create in our heads.
We will see that we have the power to control our thought life by taking thoughts captive and making them obedient to Christ.
We will celebrate Christmas by discovering real meaning, through Christ.
As we reflect on the Kyrie Eleison from last weekend, we discuss the power of coveting in our lives.
Part of the inner life is to pay attention to our desires and wants. The commandment do not covet is central to this conversation. Going after things we think we want can keep us from being aware of and pursuing what are our deepest, truest wants.
Lead Pastor Paul Berthiaume and Formation Pastor Brian Faught have a conversation about why Jacob's Well puts such a high value on families!
Parents need to develop 3 keys through a relationship with the Holy Spirit, in order to become the Godly influence our family needs. These keys will then help our children in turn learn to honor and obey us and the Lord.
We have a special guest, our new Formations Pastor Brian Faught! This is a fun conversation about moving to a real relationship with Jesus and pursuing the throne room of grace.
This week we are going to be looking at the Golden Rule. The command by Jesus to love others as we love ourselves will only happen as a natural byproduct of a love relationship with the Holy Spirit. As we get in step with the Spirit we will love like Jesus .
Why should Christians read the OId Testament? What value is there in studying the ten commandments and the law? What did Jesus mean when He said He came to fulfill the law?
Many times, Christianity has been reduced to a set of rules that people try to make themselves and others obey. This has led to many people who try to live up to the law on their own without inward goodness that comes from a relationship with the Spirit and thus, have become conflicted people riddled with anxiety. Such people become unhealthy, hypocritical, and judgmental of themselves and others. These people have an outward appearance of righteousness, but inwardly they are a swirl of dysfunction.
These people are often unsafe and mean. This is what Jesus was getting at when he warned that we should be careful and be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Mark 8:14-21. Yeast starts small in one part and spreads through everything it touches.
Jesus’ vision for his followers was for a kingdom of people who took the morality and ethic found in the law seriously; because it is good and based on the nature and character of God. However, his followers did not need to rely on laws but instead grew in goodness both relationally and ethically, through a love relationship with himself and the Father, by the Holy Spirit. His way is an inner transformation that leads his followers to become good people from whom good things naturally flow. This is a process, or a journey.
This week we discuss the true heart behind confession and why it is absolutely necessary that we rediscover this spiritual discipline.
Denying Our Monster is one of the surest ways to make them grow until it takes over our entire life. this is just one of the ways we feed our monster. In this message we are going to discuss the need to avoid feeding our monster and the steps it takes to actively tame them.
We’ve heard incredible stories of how the Monster series is messing with people in the most beautiful ways, and this week Paul shares his heart for the importance of deep inner life work. Join us as we discuss the ‘why’ behind Monster.
What happens in your inner life when you become unhealthy? It requires courage to take an honest look at the monster inside, but the result is a path to self-awareness and greater freedom in Christ.
What is your version of the monster inside? This week we discuss how vitally important it is to grow in self-awareness of who we become when we’re unhealthy, and the great courage it takes to begin that journey.
All of us have a monster inside that emerges when we lose our connection to ourselves, others, and God. Whether it's being Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. When unhealthy patterns go unchecked in our lives, it can feel like these monsters take control. This week, Paul introduces us to the topic of internal monsters and the meaning of being Hungry.
As we wrap up this series on the parables of Jesus, we take the chance to look back at the value of this process and the impact it has left on our church
There are very few forces as powerful as Coveting. How does Jesus address it in the parable of the Rich Fool?
Pastor Paul, Mackenzie, and Jordan talk through the surprising cost Jesus puts forth for those who wish to be one of his disciples.
This is one of the most challenging parables in the Bible. It slows us down to consider the role money plays in our life.
What does it mean for us when God's generous nature doesn't line up with our expectations of what is "fair"? How will we respond to this truth of the kingdom? Join us in Matthew 20:1-16 as we continue with the parables of Jesus in the Mind Games series.
Pastor Paul and Joshua walk with us through the Mind Games devo as we take a look at the Parable of the Talents.
In this weeks message, Paul shows us a parable all about how we try to look to ourselves and others, but how God sees us for who we really are.
Paul and Shua begin an honest conversation about the value of slowing down and allowing these familiar parables to challenge our inner life.
It's easy to speed our way through God's teaching. Make things simple and lose the deeper meaning behind His words. That's why Jesus taught in parables.
In this week's sermon, we will be discussing how Jesus used the parables to get around people's certainty, unteachability and contempt that is born from familiarity. And how they reveal to us those times when we have fooled ourselves into thinking we hear and understand. But completely lose what God wishes for us to hear from His word.
The goal is for each of us, in humility to see with our eyes, hear with our ears, understand with our heart, and turn, so Jesus can heal every part of our lives and live in the blessed reality of our love relationship with Jesus.
Everyone needs a rest. Whether it's taking a nap, going on a trip, or praying, taking a sabbath is vital to a healthy and happy Inner Life. In todays episode, Pastor Paul Berthiaume and Joshua Skoyen talk about how they find rest in their lives, and how important it is to them to take a sabbath.
Pastor Paul Berthiaume and Joshua Skoyen start to wrap up the discussion about creating a "Rule of Life".
When we forget to rest, our whole life goes to chaos. It's important, especially in our world today, that we hold the practice of sabbath sacred. Finding rest and peace in God.
Tauna Stibor and Cassie Draper talk about boundaries in relationships–The importance of setting healthy boundaries when caring for others, with simple suggestions and tips to try today!
In this episode Pastor Paul Berthiaume and Joshua Skoyen continue the discussion about beginning a "Rule of Life"–This is so important leading up to the rest of the teaching for this fall so check it out!
When we keep our Inner Life in the darkness there are things hidden away that can begin to effect and even dominate our Outer Life. Shining light into the corners and closets of our Inner Life takes courage, but is crucial to healing and growth.
In this episode Pastor Paul Berthiaume talks with Media Specialist Trey Fenske about how to create a "Rule of Life"–What it is, and why it could change EVERYTHING for you this fall!
Do you give the proper attention to your inner life? Are you investing in an Inner Life that is transforming your Outer Life? Do you know the power of questioning your soul? What part of your life has not been touched by the Gospel? In this message we will be challenging ourselves to begin making a "Rule of Life" for the Fall.
We're so excited to be BACK after some time, with great new episodes for late summer and early fall! Pastor Paul Berthiaume and Worship Pastor Joshua Skoyen look back at the "Bullies" message series, and look ahead to the new "Inner Life" series.
In this first segment Gina Young introduces the concept of the Relationship Dance. Using the idea of a dance, if two couples are in sync, they seem to flow around the dance floor effortlessly. However, when we get out of tune or there is a break in our rhythm, problems begin to emerge. Gina introduces the concept of FAT (Feelings, Actions, and Thoughts) to help couple analyze where their dance may be off.
Continuing with the Relationship Dance, Gina Young talks about some of the dance patterns that may arise in marriage. Beginning with the healthy steps of pursue-pursue, problems begin to arise when the couple begins to fall into the pursue-withdraw pattern. If these problems are not addressed, a withdraw-withdraw pattern might emerge.
In this final segment of the Relationship Dance with Gina Young, the message addresses those marriage relationships in unhealthy patterns. Using the acronym TEMPO (Trigger, Emotion, Meaning, Protective action, and Organize), Gina encourages individuals to identify what they are experiencing and to have conversations with your spouse.
In life we will face bullies–Powerful people, overwhelming situations or even voices in our own heads that try to control us by filling us with fear. The use shame to make us doubt ourselves and shrink back. Learning to appropriately respond to bullies is one of the keys to life. David showed us how to respond to Bullies in the early part of his life. Jesus is the ultimate example of how to overcome bullies.
Similar to David's battle with Goliath, we will all face bullies. Bullies that will use their voices to talk over us, to bring shame into our lives, and to steal our voice. But we can learn how to identify those bullies' voices and move towards something even greater. We can find hope in the Voice of Truth and it will help us find our voice once again.
You have permission to set aside unhealthy expectations and live only to the expectations God calls you to!
When facing bullies, there's a new perspective that we learn from David which can change the whole narrative of our lives.
The interaction between David and his brother Eliab on the battlefield against the Philistines teaches us an important lesson–Through the indwelling of the Spirit of God, there is an alternative to fighting or fleeing from Bullies.
God is writing a redemptive story and he invites us along, we just need to set aside our past pain, present problems, and personal prejudices to see it.
All of us have a story of either being bullied, or of being a bully. Those times of shame and fear leave a mark and can effect and even shape us for years to come. In this series we will learn from the early life of David; how to stand up to bullies by rejecting the voice of shame. We'll also learn how to avoid becoming a bully ourselves.
Why do we believe in conspiracies? How should a Christian respond to the many conspiracy theories that are put forward in this age of uncertainty?
Pastor Paul encourages parents to consider Posture over Position as we look at our plan for raising our students, vs. God's plan. Includes a special interviews with past and present JW Students leaders.
Jesus lived out the blueprint for how to engage in politics as a Citizen of the Kingdom of God.
Christians should be involved to some degree in the political process. Could it be that the way we are engaging in the political process is making our souls sick? In this message we will seek to gain some perspective, whether we are on the left or the right.
We have been living through an intense season of change, but how do we choose to respond to this as Christians?
Things Change. The relevance of the Gospel and the importance of the church that is entrusted with the message, is more profound than ever before.
What does it look like to have radical trust even in the midst of chaos? Learn from the apostle Paul as he navigates a critical situation on his way to Rome. Radical trust is discerning God’s provision and then believing it. What are areas of our lives that we can discern and trust God’s provision for us?
A great deal has changed in the last year! What has not changed is Jacob's Well's commitment to help parents be the spiritual champions in their kids' lives. We will walk with kids as they take their first steps towards God. And our best days are ahead of us! The God who has always been faithful to his church and has poured out blessings on Jacob's Well for the past 20 years is faithful again now, to provide everything we need to be light in the Chippewa Valley and beyond.
The trials of Paul at the end of the book of Acts can teach us so much about power, perspective, and keeping your eyes on eternity.
Communication is key in any relationship, when caring for others they want to be heard. Good communication includes verbal and non verbal (body language) skills, as well as Active Listening, which is the most important piece for good communication.
Do we live as if the resurrection is real? Many who profess faith in Christ live as though the resurrection is not important.
SPECIAL GUEST - Jef Whitfield. This was a beautiful and enlightening conversation about racism in America and how it impacts our brothers and sisters here at Jacob's Well.
How can we use our freedom to serve the common good? Seeing our freedoms as a tool to serve others makes us very grateful for the freedoms we have when we have rule of law and Justice for all.
How can we be faithful to the gospel and witness at every opportunity when we might feel trapped between a rock and a hard place? Paul gives us an example of just this in Acts 24.
How can we make what we do every day a Holy calling, our mission, and a vocation? How can we move everyday challenges into eternal opportunities? Instead of changing our “job”, what would it look like to change our perspective about work?
This year we've all lost our minds, at least just a little. Easter is the time to stop deflecting hope and hear the risen Savior say your name.
In an age of isolation, it is more important than ever to recommit and rediscover real community.
SPECIAL GUEST - Sean Kaiser. This week we talk about the process of finding depth... as well as a whole lot of Lord of the Rings nerd talk ;)
Depth in our faith sounds like an amazing goal. But what does it look like to move toward depth in our everyday lives? How do we know if we are growing in depth? Listen in on this message to hear how the apostle Paul speaks of depth in the book of Philippians.
This step on the Journey Tool is about taking the progress we have made on our faith journey, and putting it into action.
Many people get stuck at knowing what they should do to extend the gospel into a new part of their life. Once the Holy Spirit makes it clear what they are to address, it is important to get clarification and develop a plan to move forward. Having the courage to partner with God makes real growth, healing and maturity possible.
What does it mean to Know, and Be Known by God? This week we explore this middle step on the Journey Tool.
20 years is a long time. This is a Celebration of helping people know and become like Jesus for two decades!
Have you been in that situation when someone you know or love has gone through a traumatic event such as divorce, loss of a loved one, or chronic illness and you don't know what to say or do? Through this podcast we will offer you some helpful ideas and suggestions of what helps and hurts in some of these situations.
Ask, Seek, Knock... this week is all about asking questions and the pursuit of the curious.
The ability to ask a good question is one of the keys to being a whole and mature person. So be brave enough to ask yourself hard questions about your feelings, actions, thoughts and relationships. You can't find the right answers if you are not willing to ask real questions.
What are you thirsty for? We all long for something more... something real and deep that provides meaning and purpose to our lives. Today we explore this inner longing and the diverse ways that it may reveal itself.
We'll start unpacking the path to renewal through the journey tool, starting with our thirst. What does thirst have to do with following Jesus? How does Jesus quench my thirst? What if I don't feel thirsty?
This is week one of our conversation on RENEWAL. Why is the concept of Journey so important to our church?
The power of a journey cannot be underestimated. As we begin Renewal we will discover what can change in our mindset and perspective when we understand growth as The Journey.
This week we dive into a surprising moment where the Apostle Paul had to choose what was most important: his opinion and rights, or restoring fellowship with the Jewish believers.
For many people, compromise is a dirty word. But most often it is a sign of depth and maturity. In this message we will see how the Apostle Paul worked to bring reconciliation through compromise.
The Apostle Paul had to deal with a riot in Ephesus that sounds eerily similar to our current age. How do we maintain a healthy relationship between our faith in God and our political views?
The only way to change the world is for people to change one at a time. When enough of us begin to think, feel and act like Jesus we will be amazed how things can change. Light always drives back the darkness.
This is our 4th and final part of our Self-Care series. Talking about the Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit.
Many churches do ministry like we're in Jerusalem, when the reality is that we live in Athens. How do we learn to engage the culture around us? How does this affect every area of ministry at our church?
The Apostle Paul gives an absolute masterclass on sharing the gospel with people from different cultures in this incredible chapter of Acts.
The Shoes/Boots of Peace and the Shield of Faith, how God provides them for us as part of our self care.
The church in the city of Philippians was know for joy and generosity. Learn the story of how this wonderful church was born. The source of Joy is not what we have or who we know. It is the salvation that is given to us a free gift by Jesus Christ.
How did the Apostles handle political division in their day? How does inclusion and love win over our own personal interests?
The earlier church was in danger of being ripped apart by a debate centered on the questions; who can be included and what must they do to be included? The addition of the Gentiles (non Jews) to the church was a major time of transition and debate and a major turning point in the story of God.
Have you found your calling? Wait... what does that even mean? This week we explore this massive, mysterious topic.
The Book of Psalms comes alive when we read it through the lens of Jesus. How would He have read these songs growing up? How are they fulfilled in Him? This week we discuss the 'then, now, and not yet' nature of prophecy.
The hope of Advent isn't just that Jesus came - it's that He is returning to fulfill His work and promise. Learn from 1 Thessalonians 4-5 how we can persevere and be encouraged as we wait for the "Not Yet" of the final Advent.
All Christmas long we have been asking, What Child is this: Baby Jesus is King Jesus. Kiss Baby Jesus and King Jesus.
As we look at part 2 of the Armor of God and self care, we will focus on the Belt of Truth and the Breastplate of Righteousness and how they apply to us.
Our culture has an unrealistic and unhealthy perspective on pain. Pain is part of the human experience. What would change when we better understand the role of pain in our life?
Our culture has an unrealistic and unhealthy perspective on pain. Pain is part of the human experience. What would change when we better understand the role of pain in our life?
God had a problem, how could he be true to Himself as the righteous judge who holds all people responsible, while following His deep desire to offer mercy and forgiveness? Judgment is a requirement for righteousness and mercy a requirement for love. God had an answer. What was needed was a kiss.
Join us, with special guest speaker Jenna Kaiser for a deeper discussion on the topic of submission.
In this second week of Advent, we'll take a look at how God's plan for redemption involves submission and will bring about true, lasting hope for us and those around us.
This week Shua sits down with our special guest David Mortimer as we dive into the surprising power of genealogies.
In the first week of Advent, we focus on Matthew’s account of the genealogy and birth of Jesus the Messiah. Like many genealogies, there are some VERY surprising characters in the family tree! Matthew’s account has some amazing and delightful people for us to meet, and a profound message for us as we live between the first and second Advent.
Antioch was the first Gentile church, and what a church it was! From this church the great missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul were launched. The church at Antioch was amazing and a powerful example to us today as we face the uncertainty of a pandemic.
A conversation with Diane Bryant regarding the awareness of your own self care, being able to recognize the need for next steps in your own care, and how the current events of these times make this awareness important. Self care is an important step in one's journey with Christ.
Peter learning to accept Gentiles into the family of God is the very definition of The School of Unlearning. In Jesus, there is no OTHER. There is no division, no one less-than, no exclusion.
Peter's vision is a milestone for the church. It is the theological and worldview shift that allows for the inclusion of all people. It's hard to over-emphasize its importance!
The conversion of Saul to Paul marks a turning point in the book of Acts, and the whole history of Christianity. This man will go from the great persecutor of the church to the humble, self-sacrificing champion of the Gospel to the Gentiles.
Acts 8 is a power-packed chapter as the Gospel explodes into new people groups. For the first time we see salvation extend beyond the Jewish believers as God breaks through racial, cultural and religious barriers.
As the Gospel spread from Jerusalem to Samaria, miracles and supernatural power followed. One man, Simon the Sorcerer, was willing to do anything to wield that power for himself...
Stephen's response in Acts 7 points to the character of a man who faithfully represented His King until his dying breath. How would we respond to threats and violence? Stephen chose to leave a lasting legacy of compassion, forgiveness and love.
The power of fear, anger and hate is sobering. It warps our perceptions and allow us to rationalize thoughts, words and actions that are inconsistent with the Gospel and our citizenship in the Kingdom of God. In this age where there is so much division it is important that we remain in step with the Spirit of God and remain instruments of God's peace.
The church of Jerusalem faced a dispute that threatened their mission. Discover the leadership principles they used so we can better handle our own disputes today.
How does the church respond when a dispute arises that could create division? With Spirit-lead wisdom.
Tensions are rising from within the early church over status and power. The story of Ananias and Sapphira stands as a strong warning against hypocrisy among the children of God.
The early church was under attack from forces both inside and outside. The problem was image management. Image management is essentially being afraid of how you appear, instead of focusing on how you actually are. This week's message unpacks this topic as we continue our study of the book of Acts.
As the church begins to grow, opposition rises to meet it. The Sanhedrin's response to Peter and John shows us the danger of lizard brain, fear and image management.
What does it mean to be a bold witness of the Gospel even as we sit in “the meantime” of depending on God to bring the Gospel to the whole world? Join in as we learn from the believers in Acts: how they boldly witnessed “in the meantime” and stayed faithful even when challenged by opposition.
We're continuing our look at Peter's sermon in Acts 2 where he describes the day of Pentecost as the fulfillment of the Prophet Joel's vision of the last days.
Peter's sermon answers the question— "What does this mean?" It applies both to the events on the day of Pentecost and much, much more...
In this episode, Pastor Paul talks with Rob Gulotta about the importance and power of fasting as a part of prayer.
From the prophecies of Joel, to the psalms of King David; Peter's sermon on Pentecost displays Jesus as the fulfillment of the entire Old Testament. Every story, triumph and struggle points ahead to the True and Better Messiah.
This week we'll see how the Spirit fell on the Feast of Harvest called Pentecost. We'll learn that to share in the joy of the Spirit—we must join Him in the work He is doing to bring people to Jesus!
Practical next steps are available for each of us. Our new series ETHNOS challenges us to engage our faith, connect with our church family, and find ways to be a WITNESS to the community around us.
This Sunday we begin studying the book of Acts, with our new message series called "Ethnos". The book of Acts is more than a story of what others did for God—this book is our story. It's supposed to share the narrative of our life. We are the continuation of the book of Acts. Sunday's message is called "Martos Means Witness", and it is a celebration of the calling and power we have been given to witness to the life-changing power of Jesus.
There is power in your story. When we share how Jesus has worked in our lives, it gives people an on-ramp to see themselves in your story, and ultimately to see Jesus at work in their own.
When you think about 2020, JOY is probably not the first word that comes to mind... but it's something that we desperately need right now. This message is a call to remember that our Joy is not dependent on the circumstances around us. Jesus wants more for us, more for 2020, more for this world. This is a call to bring light into the darkness. To lead with love, compassion, peace, and importantly... Joy.
This school year looks different for many, but we know we can trust God through it all. Join us as Erika leads a prayer for our kids, parents and teachers as they go back to school.
The Gospel calls us to become aware of and to challenge our deepest held assumptions and beliefs. We are called to evaluate them by what now "fits" because of the Gospel. The resulting changes can be painful, but they ultimately lead to joy!
The Gospel changes our perspective on how we view other people. There is no room for division, or seeing someone as less important in the Kingdom of God. In Christ, we become brothers and sisters. Unified by the same blood of the Lamb, and empowered to love one another in a radically empowering way.
The Gospel brings about a change of heart, which changes everything else! The book of Philemon is the only book where the Apostle Paul does not explicitly share or declare the Gospel. But the Gospel is definitely the background and indeed the subtext of this amazing little letter. In this letter we see the wisdom of Paul in dealing with a difficult interpersonal conflict. This conflict has its roots in a very complex and unjust social structure that was established in Roman culture. Paul's answer is not to attack the social structure, but instead to remind each of the readers to consider the implication of the Gospel: That in Christ, there is not male or female, Jew or Gentile slave or free. That in Christ, we are brothers and sisters. How, then, could we not give to others the same freedom that Christ died to give to us. Rather than rely on a harsh command, insisting on compliance without heart change, Paul appealed to Philemon for love's sake, based on the heart change that only the Gospel can bring. In a time with complicated issues separating people, Paul appeals to us to approach our relationships with the Gospel and the example of Jesus as our guide. The Gospel sets us free from the penalty of sin, the power of sin and the fear of death. This gives us the power to love and do good; not as a means of getting our freedom, but as a result of having our freedom.
As we begin our new series on the book of Philemon, we come to the issue of slavery in the Biblical text. This is an incredibly complex and complicated topic, and that leads to a pretty raw conversation as we try to look at the honest implications of slavery in the ancient world.
The Gospel brings about a change of heart, which changes everything else! The book of Philemon is the only book where the Apostle Paul does not explicitly share or declare the Gospel. But the Gospel is definitely the background and indeed the subtext of this amazing little letter. In this letter we see the wisdom of Paul in dealing with a difficult interpersonal conflict. This conflict has its roots in a very complex and unjust social structure that was established in Roman culture. Paul's answer is not to attack the social structure, but instead to remind each of the readers to consider the implication of the Gospel: That in Christ, there is not male or female, Jew or Gentile slave or free. That in Christ, we are brothers and sisters. How, then, could we not give to others the same freedom that Christ died to give to us. Rather than rely on a harsh command, insisting on compliance without heart change, Paul appealed to Philemon for love's sake, based on the heart change that only the Gospel can bring. In a time with complicated issues separating people, Paul appeals to us to approach our relationships with the Gospel and the example of Jesus as our guide. The Gospel sets us free from the penalty of sin, the power of sin and the fear of death. This gives us the power to love and do good; not as a means of getting our freedom, but as a result of having our freedom.
Our freedom in Christ gives us the capacity to love our neighbors in a radically new way. From restoring our brothers, to living in compassion, to the pursuit of unity - this look back at the book of Galatians gives us hope for an everlasting community built on the love of Christ.
The Gospel sets us free from the penalty of Sin, the power of Sin and the fear of Death. This gives us the power to Love and do Good-- Not as a means of getting our freedom, but as a result of having our freedom.
Galatians is all about our freedom in Christ, but that begs the question... what is the purpose of our freedom? The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to see other people the way Jesus does. We are all image-bearers of the King, worthy of love, worthy of investment, worthy of community.
The Apostle Paul warns of two major pitfalls that can keep us from experiencing freedom in Christ. Following the law makes us trust more in our own righteousness than in Jesus' sacrifice. And the desires of the flesh keep us distracted from the life that the Spirit is leading us to. True freedom comes when we trust in Christ Alone and choose to follow the Holy Spirit.
We are always preaching some kind of message to ourselves, and the world is preaching messages to us as well. These messages tend to be negative and destructive, pushing us to one extreme of shame or the other extreme of pride. But centering our lives on the reality of the gospel and on Christ puts everything in the right perspective. In this podcast we talk about the value of preaching the Gospel to ourselves.
Living in the reality of the Gospel makes us Children of God. Forsaking or changing the Gospel leads to slavery.
Worship Pastor Joshua Skoyen and Share Partner Sean Kaiser talk more about Sean's background, and about the message he gave on July 19th called "Being in the Family of God".
Just as the Galatian believers were polarized and divided, so are Christians in our country today. How did the apostle Paul address their barriers, and what can we take from that example in present times? See what it means to be the family of God and discover the profound hope and radical unity the apostle Paul preaches to the Galatian church, as we continue our Freedom in Christ series.
Why is it such a struggle to live with freedom in Christ? In this episode we interview Jordan Hurlburt. He has some great insights as a "first-born rule-follower" who feels the need to prove himself.
Have you ever felt like you're not good enough? That you have to do more, know more and be more in order to be loved and accepted?
As Paul writes to the Galatians he reminds them, and us, that we are not justified (made right) with God by what we do. It's not about following all of the laws to perfection. True freedom and right standing with God comes only through faith in the saving power of Jesus' life, death and resurrection.
Are you living as someone who is enslaved to following a set of rules and adding to the true Gospel, or as someone who is living in the freedom found in faith in the sufficiency of Jesus' sacrifice for you?
Paul needed to introduce himself to many of the Galatians and to establish his credibility as the Apostle to the Gentiles. He shares the story of his journey from Saul to Paul as the radical message of Gospel inclusion changed him.
This week we feature an interview with Jenna Kaiser about her shifting ministry role and her great work on the new Galatians series.
The churches in Galatia were following the false gospel and this letter from Paul comes to mobilize them to choose the true gospel and true freedom in Christ. We are to ask ourselves the same question -- are we following the true gospel? Or have we added to the gospel, enslaving ourselves and excluding others?
Pastor Paul and Shua sit down for an insightful interview with Dr. Tim Kimmel with Family Matters Ministry. Tim is the author of Grace-Based Parenting, Grace-Filled Marriage, and a host of other excellent content centered on the Family. In this conversation we focus on the role of fathers, and how to lead your children well during such a complex season.
Father's Day Message! Guest speaker Dr. Tim Kimmel of Family Matters, talks about how Grace transforms the relationship between fathers and their children.
We are called to be disciples WHO MAKE disciples. We have each been entrusted with the Holy Spirit, knowledge, and life experience that we can use to invest in others.
'And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ...' - Ephesians 4:11-12
The Holy Spirit dwells inside of every believer, and through His power we have all been called to a life of ministry.
The job of the Pastor is to equip the people of God to be the Ministers of the church. This keeps us from being blown around by all the winds of doctrine.
Our church has begun the 40-Day Challenge to live out the Five Commitments this summer. Worship, Belong, Grow, Serve and Share... when we devote ourselves to these commitments, we find ourselves becoming more and more like Jesus.
Take up the 40 Day / 5 Commitment Challenge. Make this Summer a time of Spiritual Growth that will be Better than Ever!
The church has a long history of adapting to the world around it. In fact, the people of God are uniquely suited to overcome new challenges because the Holy Spirit lives within us. It is His power and wisdom that will carry us through this season, and He will lead us to see the incredible opportunities in front of us.
Our world has been through an unprecedented crisis. We are all still trying to find our feet even as we are unsure what will happen next. This has been true for our church as well. In this message I will share where we are as a church, how we have adapted to meet the new reality of being the church scattered but united, and why I believe this will lead to one of the greatest seasons in the history of our church, and of the church worldwide.
What does it look like to live under the reign of King Jesus? We have become citizens of the Kingdom of God, and it has the potential to change our entire worldview.
This one's just for the ladies! Join us as we talk from three different perspectives on navigating the good and hard of the coronavirus and safer at home. We'll share how we've met God during this season and some helpful pieces of advice we're giving to ourselves and to you! Oh, and we laugh a little bit too!...
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever, amen." These final lines from The Lord's Prayer are connected in a profound way. We find freedom from temptation and sin when we are immersed in His presence and truly see ourselves as citizens of His Kingdom. His rule and reign is being established on earth, one heart at a time, and it is His strength that empowers us to live a transformed life.
In our last episode about spiritual practices, we talk with Diane Bryant about practicing the presence of God. We'll discuss why it's important to orient our lives to who God is and what He is doing and give you helpful tips on how to practice it.
This message is about a woman named Jochebed who stayed faithful by doing her part and letting go and letting God do His part. Through her faith and courage she saved her son who was destined to become one of the greatest leaders of all time.
Featuring Lead Pastor Paul Berthiaume, Worship Pastor Joshua Skoyen
Establishing a rhythm of forgiveness through confession in our relationship with God and others is central to healthy prayer life and general well being. We will discuss the distinction of fellowship and relationship as it relates to confession.
The Lord's prayer teaches us the freedom and joy of giving and receiving forgiveness daily.
In this podcast, we discuss the spiritual practice of simplicity. Simplicity (sometimes called minimalism) is really more of a lifestyle than a practice where our outward life matches our inward one -- simplicity gives us the space to abide in Jesus. Diane Bryant will help us learn more about why simplicity is important and how God meets us in simplicity.
In this episode, we talk about how we chose the new the name, and then we talk a lot about PRAYER!
In this podcast, we continue our conversation with Diane Bryant about spiritual practices and learn about Lectio Divina. Lectio Divina is a practice of scriptural reading, reflection and prayer -- you can even try it out during the podcast!
This podcast series has yet to be named! What should we call this weekly podcast where we discuss the weekend message and the surrounding scriptures? We are still accepting your your ideas on Facebook, Instagram or email the church office! office@jacobswellchhurch.church
Easter is a call to "quiet joy" because of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. On the journey Jesus surprises us by walking with us and putting everything in perspective. We are not alone; God has a plan and we are forgiven!
In this podcast, we continue the conversation with licensed counselors about navigating the communications dance; how our thoughts and feelings affect our actions and in turn, other people. Part 2 discusses how we can navigate sharing our thoughts, feelings and actions with the people in our lives. We also discuss how to navigate the differences in how people approach communication and conflict and how to listen well.
In this podcast, we talk with licensed counselors about navigating the communications dance; how our thoughts and feelings affect our actions and in turn, other people. Part 1 discusses how we can become more aware of the thoughts and feelings that are interacting within us and influencing our actions.
Lead Pastor Paul A. Berthiaume and Worship Pastor Joshua Skoyen discuss the final LUKE series message from Week 11, walking through Luke 24:1-53 together.
For message videos check out jacobswellchurch.church/messages
Lead Pastor Paul A. Berthiaume and Worship Pastor Joshua Skoyen discuss the message from Week 10, and walk through Luke 19:28-23:56 together.
For message videos check out jacobswellchurch.church/messages
Jesus Arrives in Jerusalem and cleanses the temple, calling his people to prayer and to His teaching. Has Jesus turned over any of your tables lately?
Lead Pastor Paul Berthiaume and Worship Pastor Joshua Skoyen discuss the message from Week 9, and walk through Luke 15:1-19:27 together.
For message videos check out jacobswellchurch.church/messages
In this second episode, Diane Bryant and Pastor Paul lead you through guided prayer for evenings, with no intro.
In this second episode, Pastor Paul and Diane Bryant lead you through guided prayer for mornings, with no intro.
Pastor James Whatley (Peace Church) and Pastor Paul Berthiaume (Jacob's Well Church) talk with and pray for two ER doctors who work in two local hospitals. Dr. Jake Morris & Dr. Joe Williams share their insights, expertise and their hearts. Paul and James pray for them and for everyone else who is serving on the front lines in our healthcare system right now.
A conversation with James Whatley from Peace Church, Paul Berthiaume from Jacob’s Well, joined on the phone by Brooke Kaldor, School Counselor at Altoona School District.
Pastor Paul leads you through prayers for the middle of the day or anytime you need a quiet place to pray. If you are feeling anxious, find quiet place to listen and pray through this.
Lead Pastor Paul Berthiaume and Worship Pastor Joshua Skoyen discuss the message from Week 8, and walk through Luke 12:35-14:35 together.
For message videos check out jacobswellchurch.church/messages
Basics from Jesus: To feel fear is normal; To live in anxiety is not necessary. This is a message of hope and encouragement.
What would change if we all started our day with prayer? Before you look at your first text, email or news feed in the morning, center yourself in prayer. It really can change everything.
There have been so many calls to pray during these days of uncertainty, and that is good! So, let’s pray. Pastor Paul offers up evening prayers that you can use as an individual or as a family. If you are struggling with anxiety, go to a quiet place and listen to this podcast and pray. Let us Pray.
What does community look like when you are not meeting together? We are still taught in the scriptures to do community together even when we cannot physically meet. Jenna, Cory & Paul discuss strategy to keep your group connected and avoid social isolation as we practice social distancing.
Four church pastors from Eau Claire, sharing encouragement and perspective, and praying together. God is bringing the church together, united as the church of the Chippewa Valley.
Lead Pastor Paul Berthiaume and Worship Pastor Joshua Skoyen discuss the message from Week 7, and walk through Luke 10:25-12:34 together.
For message videos check out jacobswellchurch.church/messages
The story of the good Samaritan is often read as a sentimental story about helping people in need. But it is a story that is designed to challenge our deepest beliefs about who we are called to love. Who have we made the "Other" in our life?
Lead Pastor Paul Berthiaume and Worship Pastor Joshua Skoyen discuss the message from Week 6, and walk through Luke 9:38-10:24 together.
For message videos check out jacobswellchurch.church/messages
In Luke the call to discipleship is a high bar. It is a call to a life of following Jesus. In this message we will ask people to consider how serious they are about being a disciple of Jesus.
Lead Pastor Paul Berthiaume and Worship Pastor Joshua Skoyen discuss the message from Week 5, and walk through Luke 8:4-9:3 together.
For message videos check out jacobswellchurch.church/messages
The hope of the Gospel is like a seed that is freely scattered and available to everyone, but that powerful seed of hope needs the right soil to grow. Are we cultivating a life that allows this seed to take root? Can the people around us see evidence of a life transformed by Jesus? He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Lead Pastor Paul Berthiaume and Worship Pastor Joshua Skoyen discuss the message from Week 4, and walk through Luke 6:17-8:3 together.
For message videos check out jacobswellchurch.church/messages
In this passage we will see the heart of Jesus as he begins his ethical teaching and as he applies it in the way he lives and how he interacts with people. It is a challenge for us to consider the condition of our inner life and if Jesus' teachings are the foundation in which we are building our lives.
Lead Pastor Paul Berthiaume and Worship Pastor Joshua Skoyen discuss the message from Week 3, and walk through Luke 3:21-6:16 together.
For message videos check out jacobswellchurch.church/messages
Jesus came out of the water of Baptism into a season of temptation, rejection and spiritual opposition. In this message we look at the specific nature of the temptations of Jesus and see how these are actually core to the human condition. Overcoming these temptations are central to well being and can only be accomplished through deep introspection and honesty, through the inner life with Christ. This message will challenge us in unexpected ways as we look at the heart of the temptations of Jesus.
Lead Pastor Paul Berthiaume and Worship Pastor Joshua Skoyen discuss the Week 2 message from Roxann Crotty, and walk through Luke 2:39-3:20, leading up to next weekend's message.
For message videos check out jacobswellchurch.church/messages
Meet 12 year old Jesus who is fully the Son of God and fully a 12 year old tween. You will learn that He is on a journey to take steps to Grow in wisdom, to grow in stature and to grow in favor with God and man.
READ THROUGH LUKE is a companion podcast for our new series, Luke: Turning The World Upside Down. Join our Lead Pastor Paul Berthiaume, and Worship Pastor Joshua Skoyen each week as we journey through this book together.
Series Synopsis: Luke was a traveling companion of the Apostle Paul who witnessed the power of the Gospel to transform lives and communities first hand. In his Gospel and the Book of Acts he wrote to show the work of the spirit in including the "Other". Those who the religious Jews of Jesus day would have considered sinful, foreign, unclean-- and thus outside God’s love and favor. Luke is a Gentile who has been included himself and wants to show that the Gospel is far more inclusive than we could ever imagine. In this series we will call our people to study the Gospel of Luke over twelve weeks for the purpose of rediscovering Jesus and the radical inclusion of the Gospel. As those who have heard his call to follow, we need to be people who love the "Other", welcoming them into the family of God as brothers and sisters.
Message Synopsis: This week we will introduce the book, its author and his audience. We will identify the unique themes of the book. We will call people to be deeply engaged in the study of this book in a way that is deeper than it has ever been before. We will pay special attention to Jesus' mission statement in Chapter 4:17-21 in which Jesus cast a vision for inclusion that is more robust and radical than we can ever imagine. We will ask everyone to consider who they have added to their personal list of “Other”.
Communities that devote themselves to the teaching of Jesus, fellowship, communion and prayer are transformative communities.
In this message we will discover what we can learn from Legos about proper relationships.
We were created for Community - to have deeply connected lives with God, and with one another. Unfortunately, sin has left us with a world of distrust and fractured relationships that keep us from revealing our true selves. But Jesus offers us a path of hope and connection in the local church.
God’s presence in stereo!
God told Simeon that he would not die until he had actually physically SEEN the Messiah. (This was after 400 years of God’s “silence,” so this was either pretty dramatic or the aged Simeon was losing his mind.) Following the Jewish law of Purification, Joseph and Mary brought the baby Jesus (just over a month old) to the Temple in Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. Prompted by the Holy Spirit, Simeon realized this baby was THE MESSIAH for which he had been waiting. He took the baby Jesus up in his arms and proclaimed: "For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A LIGHT TO LIGHTEN THE GENTILES, and the glory of thy people Israel" (Luke 2:26-32). He spoke these words, perhaps VERY LOUDLY, perhaps even shouting, in the courtyard of the Temple in Jerusalem where ONLY Jews were allowed (scandalous!)
We imagine tears in Simeon’s eyes. Perhaps, like Mary, he even kissed the face of God. Can we even being to imagine: waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and wondering if you’ve lost your marbles. This passage, recorded by Luke (a physician and gentile) is God’s presence in stereo: Simeon prays to God the Father, cradling God the Son in his arms, filled with God the Spirit. God’s Trinitarian presence all in one verse.
Over the centuries, many artists have beautifully portrayed this moment. A link to "Simeon's Moment" is below, by artist Ron DiCianni. This is a modern artist that beautifully captures this event.
http://www.tapestryproductions.com/product/simeons-moment-artwork-by-ron-dicianni/
To what voices of fear are you listening? Are they voices that are filling you with fear? We need to find voices that remind us of who God is and what He has done. This will remind us who we are in Christ. This frees us from the voice of fear.
There are few people in the Scriptures as brave as Mary, the Mother of Jesus. She had every reason to give in to fear, but she chose faith and discovered Joy!
Fear can grip us and cripple us. The message of Christmas is a call to serve God without fear because of the Gospel!
This weekend our Legacy Concert of Prayer was not a music concert, although there was lots of great music! Instead, it was a time of concerted, focused prayer. It was a time where we were led through different kinds of prayer and worship. It was an experiential time of learning that was designed to deepen our prayer and worship life as individuals and as a community.
As part of our Legacy series this springboards us into a week of prayer for our church. Let us all be praying this week that we are in step with the Spirit at Jacob's Well, and making proper preparations for the next twenty years of ministry and beyond.
The foundation of grace is generosity. God is a giver and those who would seek to be like him will become generous in every aspect of the word. Learning to be enriched in every way and generous in every way is the key to living a life of meaning and significance. Giving of your self and of all you have is the joy of stewardship.
Life is busy! So busy that it is distracting us from choosing what is most important and living a life that matters now and for generations to come. God teaches us to number our days so we can gain a heart of wisdom and live our lives on purpose for His purpose. Our life is full of changing seasons. Seasons of laughter and dancing and seasons of crying and mourning. In the busy, in the seasons, God wants to align our hearts with His so we can learn to be stewards of the time we have been given. Then, we will be living a life of Legacy.
In this message we arrive at a turning point in the book of Ecclesiastes. The Teacher now shows us the secret of living wisely in a life full of chaos, confusion and uncertainty.
We only have so many days here on this earth, under the sun, so how do we make that time count? What does it look like to build a Legacy for the generations that come after us?
As we walk through the Book of Ecclesiastes we will see that this life is hard to figure out. How do we live in a world with so much uncertainty and random chaos?
God is light. Coming close to God is an invitation to come out of the darkness where so many of us hide and to come into the light of reality.
We come with a lot of baggage around the idea of holiness. But we have a holy God who has created holy people for a holy purpose. We need to grow our understanding of God as holy - he is uniquely set-apart, more than we can bear, in complete harmony and worthy of reverence. May we orient our lives to His holy purposes.
When we say God is good, we are saying something both simple and profound. This truth is the guide for how the Christian should live. God is good, even in a world with real evil. We should be people who embrace the good and oppose the evil.
We live in a world that says beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That beauty is subjective. While there is a degree of truth to this when we discuss preferences, this is relatively a modern idea. The ancients believed that there existed a transcendent reality called the Beautiful and we would recognize it when we experienced it. The Beautiful was something to be discovered, pursued and sacrificed to bring forth. This was the concept that drove art for centuries. The idea that beauty is its own reward. Postmodern philosophers have brought forward the concepts that beauty is an artificial and abusive concept used to control people. They argue those things that seem beautiful are only things that we are drawn to because of our experience and biological needs. Art therefore is no longer the pursuit of the beautiful but a tool to deconstruct, tear down and make a statement. Art as protest is the new normal. As Christians we believe reality is defined in the nature and Character of God. That which is beautiful reflects and displays those things in harmony with the nature and character of God. Therefore, to pursue and bring forth that which is beautiful is worship, and worship reveals the nature and character of God. He is the ultimate Beautiful One.
In this new series we will consider the attributes of God. We will discuss the need to worship God as He reveals himself. Anytime we pick and choose what aspects of God we want to embrace while ignoring or even rejecting others, we create God in our own image and ultimately start to worship something that is not the true God. In doing so we become idolaters. Not only is a god of our own design not helpful but these gods can become dangerous. Any god but the true God is a taker and cruel. We will consider how God reveals himself in the scriptures through those verses that tell us "God is…" We will begin with the understanding that God is, by definition, beyond our understanding, experience or capacity to fully understand. JW Kids will be tracking with this series also, so this will be an opportunity for families to connect over the next few weeks. And through the daily devotionals we will be showing how the Names of God reveal who God is. This is ultimately a series on worship-- Our transcendent God is worthy of our best response through worship. The big take away from this series? --We are to align our nature and character with the nature and character of God.
Do you have the power to change your life and to change the world? In this message we will unpack the power of the life death and resurrection of Jesus and show how it has changed everything. It has freed us from the slavery of our past, established us with a new identity and destiny for the future and empowered us to do good works today. True saving faith comes with powerful grace. That grace brings real salvation that makes real change. Once again I ask: Are you in Chris? Or just in Church?
In this message we will walk through Ephesians chapter 1, showing Paul’s emphasis on being “In Christ” or “In Him.” Paul’s desire is that the heart of the church would be enlightened and that we would know the significance of God’s plan. That we would know our purpose in Christ and the HOPE to which we are called: Because we are in Christ everything changes. Consider this: Are you truly in Christ? or just in church? We will look at what Paul says should and will change when we are "In Christ".
Today is the 3rd week of a message series called Yes I Will. Today we are reading from Daniel chapter 6 where we see an example of faith lived out. Although Daniel could’ve lost his life, he chose to honor God no matter what. Not by power not by might but by God’s Spirit Daniel found the courage to stay faithful.
Very often it is hard to see past the hope we need for today. When we can step back and get a glimpse of God’s bigger eternal plan it helps make sense of our journey today and gives us the hope we need.
Continuing with the study of Ruth, this message covers verses 1-10 in chapter 4. In this section, Boaz steps into his role as the kinsman redeemer for Naomi and Ruth. His actions can inspire all of us to willingly step into situations and serve others as a redeemer. Also, and more importantly, Boaz's role as the redeemer foreshadows the redemption available to all through Jesus. Redemption is a free gift that Christ offers to all through his death and resurrection, but it is a gift that becomes true for each individual when it is accepted as an act of faith.
Ruth's bold actions inspire others to take the same step. Through our actions, we can show hope and inspire others through the good consequences of our actions.
Sometimes we get into big situations and wonder how did I get here? What is going to come from this? We honestly have no idea what can come from it but God does. He has a hopeful plan and a purpose for you. Even if that means taking a step of obedience. Our choices reveal our character. In the end our character should reflect Jesus, because character is contagious.
In the midst of the unexpected that life throws our way, we can begin to feel a sense of hopelessness. In times like this, it's important for us to turn our eyes towards home. Home to God our father, the security of a relationship with Him and the hope of our eternal destiny being secure in Him, despite the trials, loss and grief we may be facing in the present. This week we see both Naomi and Ruth take steps on their journey home to Bethlehem and back to God. Do you feel far from home? Today can be the day you take that first step back towards home. Your father is waiting with open arms to restore your hope!
What do you do when the unexpected happens? Life is unpredictable and when the unexpected happens, we all have choices to make. It was no different in the Book of Ruth, whose story we'll look at over the next six weeks in our summer message series, "Unexpected Hope". If life was predictable, if the unexpected never happened, we wouldn't recognize our need for hope. It's reassuring to know that what is unexpected to us is not unexpected to God, and that no matter what circumstances we face, we can trust, have faith, and live in hope that God's purposes are being revealed as we follow his leading. We can live in hope!
What does it mean to be a man? We live in a day in which that is a difficult question to answer. Men are warned not to be a carrier of “Toxic Masculinity.” Much of the concern is born from real pain caused by abusive men. It is unclear how men are supposed to respond to women in the day of #metoo, in which abusive behaviors that where once common and were accepted as the “boys will be boys” are being called out and condemned as wrong.
Men feel unsure how to engage in an appropriate way, so some are simply retreating into a world of video games, sports and isolation. There is also a great deal of confusion and change regarding gender roles and even the nature of gender. Is gender a social construct or something grounded in nature or some sort of mix of the two? Statistically men, and especially young men, are in a crisis. Wellbeing statistics indicate that an alarming number of men are not doing well emotionally, economically and educationally. The rate of suicide among men is growing rapidly and there seems to be a general sense of despair and low-grade Nihilism that is spreading especially among the young. A crisis of meaning in which many men feel there is no real purpose or meaning in life. Too many men are withdrawing from their responsibilities as fathers, husbands and contributors to society. The emphasis on denying masculinity has led to many men becoming more violent, emotionally withdrawn and isolated.
In this message we will argue that the problem is not masculinity but men who are immature. We will further argue that there are bad models for masculinity and positive models. The positive models can be used to help young men discover a way in which expressing their masculinity as a positive force for good. This will allow them to take greater responsibility for themselves and to meet their relational commitments in a healthy way. This will also allow men to be a force for positive change that works for the common good.
In this message we will discus how we can recognize false teachers, prophets and unethical leaders.It is also a warning for leaders not to slip into abusive behavior
We probably experience criticism in some form every day. It may be constructive (in the form of feedback or input), or it may be unfair or even untrue. Paul’s response to biting criticism from the “super apostles” in the Corinthian Church shows that although it was painful, because it involved the Gospel of Christ, it was very much worth it. Paul boldly responded by defending his ministry and the Gospel. He also shows us how to deal with (and even welcome!) criticism in our own lives as we follow Christ.
Repentance is a big word, a loaded word, a concept many people don't fully grasp. But it's not really that complicated---just really costly. But when we embrace a godly sorrow that leads to repentance, the process and its results are infinitely valuable and communicate powerful truths about God and about the body of Christ, the Church. Repentance encourages like nothing else can, and when we live it out together, we become a witness to the love of Jesus and the power of the Gospel.
In week four of our Worth It series, we look at 2nd Corinthians again, and the ministry of reconciliation. We see how God has invited us into the story of redemption and how we can share the Gospel with those around us.
A mother gives the best parts of her self to her family. Her body, her passion, her resources. This is the same love we see in Jesus. The Gospel declares that this kind of sacrificial love is worth it.
In this message we are going to consider the relation of the Gospel and suffering. We will show that to live the Gospel we must let God be our comfort so that we can bring comfort to others with the comfort of God. We must measure our temporary suffering in comparison to the eternal reality of everlasting life. We will also share some reasons God allows suffering.
In the book of 2 Corinthians the Apostle Paul is with Timothy and is sending what is probably his fourth letter to the church at Corinth. He is sending this letter through Titus, a person who is known and loved by both Paul and the Corinthians. Paul has several reasons for writing. The relationship between Paul and the church, that he had founded, has become strained. He was planning on visiting them to bring healing to the relationship by explaining his actions and by answering the accusations made against him. He will do this, in part, by exposing some false “apostles” who had turned some in Corinth against him. He was also planning on collecting an offering for those persecuted in Judea that the Corinthians had committed to giving. A major portion of the book is Paul explaining his own suffering and the suffering of believers in general as being worth it because of the Gospel. The heart of Paul’s response is that everything he has been doing and everything he is planning is because of the Gospel. Because of the Gospel it all is worth it. All the suffering, persecution, accusations, struggles and disappointments are worth it because God has called Paul and the Corinthians to be ministers of reconciliations (Chapter 5). Paul wants the Corinthians to break away from a commitment to the protection and comfort of this temporary life and pursue a life based upon an eternal perspective grounded in the Gospel. Paul wants to restate and re-center the church at Corinth on the implications of the basic doctrine of the life, passion and resurrection of Jesus which Paul preached to them from the beginning (I Corinthians 2:2). In this first message we will give an overview of the book of 2 Corinthians. We will show why the Apostle wrote the letter We will show that Paul took the risk of reaching out to the Corinthians because the Gospel made it worth it. We will be challenged to see our entire life and all our relationships in light of the Gospel.
The Children of Israel had finally arrived at the promised Land; a Land flowing with Milk & Honey. Having how looked at their time in the Wilderness we have see how this season in the history of God's People foreshadows the salvation God brings in Jesus. In this final message we will see that crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land is a prophecy fulfilled in a much deeper and profound way-- in Jesus. This ancient story is actually central to the message of Easter!
The Israelite's responded to God's provision in the wilderness with grumbling. God calls us to be a people of hope who would know Him as Provider of all things. In the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, we can choose to be a people who speak hope.
I want to know God. The question is; How can I know what God is like and what He wants me to do, so that I can have a relationship with Him? In this message we will discover that the Law was given to the people of God in the wilderness and was intended to teach the nature of God and to instruct and equip the people of God to live a righteous life. And this was so we could ultimately live in proper relationship with each other, and with God. We will see that although the Law is good, and it reveals God and his ways, it ultimately failed in its purpose because it was weakened by human sin. It therefore became a curse. However, we see the Law was ultimately fulfilled and still has a role in our lives as Christians. This is a challenging message that could help you understand and open up whole sections of the Bible, while deepening your relationship with God.
Bringing first fruits is an act of worship that offers God my first and my best in all things.
The Holy Spirit has always been moving, and He plays a major role throughout the Old Testament. From creation, to miracles, to the very presence of God revealed in Wind and Fire. The Spirit has been drawing God’s people to the one true God from the very beginning.
The Old Testament had the Priesthood of Aaron. What is the relevance of a priesthood for believers today? One of the lesser understood but important teachings of Christianity involves understanding the role of priest. This message could change your whole understanding of Christianity and prayer.
In the middle of the Israelites' wandering, God invited them into an even deeper experience of his presence through his instructions to build the tabernacle. The tabernacle became a visible sign of God's presence and guidance in real time. In addition, the people of God were called to specific works, just as we are today, in light of God's presence with us and his greater plan for the world through Jesus.
Learning obedience is one of the most important lessons to learn if we are going to be a people who live free. Obedience is born from trust and when we learn to trust God and grow in obedience in the little things it creates a momentum that makes it easier and easier to live the right way. The opposite of obedience is rebellion and it is born from fear which also creates momentum but in a destructive direction. In this message we we be challenged to ask What commands of God are I despising through disobedience? How could I learn the joy of obedience.
God used this incredible prayer to build an identity into the people of Israel. Unlike the other nations they would only serve the one true God; and they would love him with all of their heart, mind, physical being and muchness.
It is easy to look at ancient people and consider them primitive and barbaric. We look at the obsession with idols and wonder how they could be so backwards. In this message we are going to recognize the golden calves we fashion in our "modern" lives and we will see that these false gods are cruel and control us in ways we do not recognize. We were made to worship and we will worship something. In this message will guide us to name and reject the false gods that are destroying our lives. Freedom awaits.
It is hard to be in between. Stuck in traffic, between relationships, trapped in an airport, waiting to start at a new school or stage in life, between a job or even relationships. The truth is we spend most of our life in between. Not where we were but not we want to be. We can't go back but are not able to go forward. This is unsettling and very stressful. Inside we wish we could just arrive. This is also true in our spiritual life. Many would say I am not where I was but not where I want to be. Theologians call this process sanctification. The ongoing work of living up to and growing into our salvation. The now and the not yet. The children of Israel were in the in between during the wilderness wandering. They were no longer slaves in Egypt but they had not become a people in the Promised Land. This 40 year period represents over 165 chapters of teaching and story in the Bible. Filled with lessons for life and revelations about the nature and character of God. The New Testament sees this season as a metaphor for the Christian life and it is very important to understand and study this section of Scripture or we will miss so much.
Many people feel sandwiched between the needs of aging parents and the reality of delayed adolescence which required parents to remain more deeply involved in their kids’ lives for much longer than in the past several generations. Some who had the expectation that “empty nest” would allow for greater freedom are finding more demands on their time, money and emotions than ever before. In this message we will discuss the challenges of caring for elderly parents. We will consider the biblical teaching to “honor” your mother and father. We will then seek to give some practical steps people can take as they begin the role of supporting and caring for their aging parents in a way that would be pleasing to God.
Family... It's Complicated. Right?!? Many of us have a box of mementos we have kept from the years of our lives. We also have an internal box of things we collected from family. Some are good some not so good. Understanding what is in your box and what is missing can become a great path to healing and growth. It is also a key to healthy family relationships because whether we realize it or not we are putting “stuff” in the boxes of our family members.
For reference, check out “The Forgotten God” by Francis Chan, which is like a class in “Holy Spirit 101,” (available in the Jacob’s Well resource center, and free online at RightNow Media .)
What should you do when you are not satisfied with this life and you find yourself longing for more? Rejoice. Longing is the indication that there is something more. The something more is Heaven. The Christmas story opens the door to an eternal relationship with God in Heaven.
Understanding the proper role longing plays in our life causes us to live with greater love and passion in this world now even with so much struggle and pain. This is not our home we are just on a journey through this land. We live in tents, but we have a land where a permanent home is being made for us. This changes our expectations for this life and gives our longing meaning and hope instead of creating deep despair. There is satisfaction in being dissatisfaction. The big surprise is that there is Joy.
Christmas is the time where we celebrate the incarnation. The mind-blowing reality that Jesus would leave his home to step into human homelessness. As a human being Jesus felt the longing to feel, safe, valued and welcomed. As a child, he was born into homeless poverty. As a boy he lived as a homeless exile in Egypt. In his hometown of Nazareth, he faced some of his strongest rejection and persecution. Even his own family, his mother and brothers rejected him and thought he had lost his mind. His own brothers conspired to take his life. Jesus created a family by opening heaven as our home. Creating a place for everyone who wants to belong to the family of God.
Jesus warned the Church in Laodicea that they had fallen in love with the lies of the world. They saw themselves as rich, powerful, self-sufficient... but they could not see the corruption in their own hearts. His warning is meant as a wake up call for all of us to acknowledge our need for a Savior and to surrender our lives to the King.
The message of the Spirit of Jesus to the church in Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13 is a message to survivors, to people who endured and held on to their faith in Jesus, despite the physical reality of earthquakes and aftershocks in their region. To those who survive, who hold on, there is the promise of a permanent and unshakable home in God's presence. This message is encouraging in its application to believers throughout history and to we who believe today.
The capacity to fool ourselves is huge. This is especially true in out spiritual life. The church in Sardis had a reputation that did not line up with reality. This message is a call to wake up spiritually.
Through history in different times and place and to different degrees the church of Jesus Christ has been persecuted. In this message we will discuss how to face persecution, become aware and pray for the persecuted church around the world and celebrate the freedoms we enjoy in our time and place. We will remind people of their responsibility to vote.
The church in Ephesus was a church that believed in, taught and stood up for truth. The overcame persecution and hardship. There had one problem. They had forgotten love. In this message we will challenge people to balance a love for truth with a love for God and people. It evaluates what they love and even if love has been driven from their church.
The Jesus of Revelation surprises us. He is awesome in power and might. Terrifying to those who are his enemies. He says to those who know Him; Fear not.
In this message we will revisit the story of The Woman at the Well. We will call people to discover Jesus passion to meet people where they are on their spiritual journey, so they can take steps to know and become like Him
In this Message we challenge you to be honest about the level of effort they have you into your spiritual growth. We will call you to join a group, attend Men of Influence or Alpha.
In this series we are going to challenge people to be honest with themselves. The ability to be honest with yourself, even if it makes you feel bad, is a key to becoming a growing to be mature person. This series will be a call to resolve dissonance which is a lack of internal harmony. The tension between the truth and what we want to believe. This series is a call to become active and intentional in building and strengthening our faith and growing beyond the basics of Christianity. in this first message we will call people to learn the value and the power of honesty. We will call people to make a renewed commitment to honesty beginning with committing to be honest with themselves.
In this message we call people to share God’s heart for hospitality which is welcoming a stranger as a guest and letting that guest become a friend. In this message we ask our people to take the step to serve in the JW community. We also call people to Join a Group.
Needing to cope, and struggling to cope, are inescapable parts of the human life. While many of us tend to isolate and convince ourselves we're "fine" during times when we're struggling to cope, the true calling of the Church is to cope together in community. This means we're called to offer help to those struggling to cope, and to ask for and receive help from others when we're struggling to cope. Coping in community produces a strength and hope that we simply don't find anywhere else.
In this message we ask people to consider the ways they cope and if they could replace some unhealthy coping behaviors with others that are healthier. When we have healthy patterns in our life, we create margins and we are better able to take the punches that life throws at us. In this message we are challenged to compare ourselves not with each other but with the person we were yesterday.
In this message we begin to understand the unique work that trials and griefs play in the testing and perfecting of our faith, making God real in our everyday life.
The word cope means to deal effectively with something difficult or to face and deal with responsibilities, problems, or difficulties, especially successfully or in a calm or adequate manner. The word, to cope, comes to us through an Old English word that is derived from Latin which means to receive or take a blow with the fist. Life will sucker punch you. It will hit you at the worse time, when you are most vulnerable in a way that is often unfair and even cruel. What is worse is that these challenges rarely come one at a time. They come in groups, each trial multiplying the effect of the other. They feed on each other. Resilience, mental toughness and endurance are all required to live this life well in a way that honors God. What are the practices and patterns that we should be establishing in our lives that will allow us to face the persecutions, disappointments, pressures, suffering, trials and tests we face in this life? In this series we challenge people to set healthy patterns so that we will flourish in days when all is well and we will cope when life comes at us with both barrels. A sucker punch is a punch made without warning or while the recipient is distracted, allowing no time for preparation or defense on the part of the recipient. It is often thrown from behind. The term is generally used in situations where the way in which the punch has been delivered is considered unfair or unethical. Often it feels as if life or even God has sucker punched us. In this message we begin to deepen our understanding of pain, trials and loss.
One truth that is repeated in the Bible from beginning to end is that many people who think they are going to Heaven are not going to Heaven. In this message we will discuss four beliefs that will cause a person to almost go to heaven.
Jesus isn't interested in a performance. Instead He desires lives of worship full of justice, mercy and grace toward the people around us.
When we worship together, our experience of the fullness of God's presence deepens, becomes exponentially more powerful than we could ever imagine. When we worship together, the depth of our knowledge, personally, of God's love and faithfulness in all seasons of our lives, becomes our shared knowledge, celebration of, response to, the overwhelming love of God. When we sing our pain, our love, our faith in God, together, Jesus is seen, heard, felt, turned to, and believed in; more and more people turn to God and enter the journey we're on--the journey of worship that touches every area of our lives.
When worship gets personal, when all other distractions are removed, and it's just you and God, what song do you sing? This message is all about the right-now, personal, intimate love of God for you, and what it looks like to respond to God's love in times of personal worship, and not just through music! This is about being mindful of God, focused on His saving love and power through Jesus Christ, in all that we do. Worship is about our whole lives, and it reaches the deepest, most closely-held places within us. God calls you by name...will you go to Him in worship?
This message introduces the idea of how we can better understand the words we are singing and overall meaning of a worship song by considering three questions: Who is singing? Who are we singing to? What is the origin and intent of the words we are singing?
We often ask ourselves, “did I get anything out of worship today"? The better questions we should ask are, “did God get anything out of my worship today?, was God pleased with my worship?, was He satisfied in my worship?, was my worship focused on my needs or God’s pleasure?, was I prepared to worship God or did I just show up and hope something good would happen?". Today we are going to consider how to prepare a true heart for worship by considering the hymn, Come Thou Fount. In this hymn we challenge people to discover the true purpose of worship, to see God as He reveals himself, so that we can respond to Him appropriately by aligning our lives with His will and purpose.
Dad’s often struggle to know how to relate with their kids. So they tell jokes. There are things we know we want to say but do not know how to say those things. In this message we will encourage dads to find a way to say the two things kids long to hear; I love you and I am proud you are my kid. We also encourage everyone to find a way to express honor to our fathers.
This message calls people into our shared identity as those who serve in Jesus' name. The commitment of Serve is a call to live a lifestyle of service for others and for God. It is a call to actively follow Jesus - to know him and becoming like him - by following his example of serving. When we do, not only are people seen, loved, and helped, but we also come alive more and more!
In this message we call people to the commitment of Grow, which is a process of learning to becoming a spiritual self-feeder. It is a call to actively master the art of spiritual formation through prayer and mastery of the scriptures.
We have been commissioned to go out and make disciples of every nation, and that begins with the boldness to share our story and God's story with the people around us.
"Belong" is one of our Five Commitments at Jacob's Well, and is one of the first tools we receive as God's people. We're handed identity, we belong. But we have a way of feeling like we don't belong, based on human stuff. Jesus says different. And it's important to focus on peace and who we are TOGETHER. It's a positive, not a negative, and the other Commitments need "Belong" to have substance.
In this message people are called to create a rhythm of Sabbath when their tank is empty.
In this message we will discuss a path to renewal when our emotional feelers are stuck. This is a message about prayer and where to turn when we are stuck.
A personal journey into the very real “inner life” experiences of fear and anxiety, and how prayer and God’s word can bring hope.
This world is warring against our well being. It creates an environment in which, the normal state of the average person is fear, anxiety, sadness, anger and isolation. If we are not proactive and intentional about our well being we will slip into patterns that will steal our life and put us in “just get by mode.” The good news is that Jesus has come to give us a full and abundant life even in the midst of this broken world. He has also provided a path to renewal through the Holy Spirit, prayer and Scripture. In this message we describe three symptoms that we have been neglecting our inner life. We show people that they have been created with a body, soul and spirit and call people who have been neglecting their inner life to walk the path of renewal under the Lordship of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God and Prayer.
In this message we will celebrate that Jesus used His power and influence to bring redemption and the forgiveness of sins. He then empowers us to offer and declare forgiveness to those who put their faith in Him. We will celebrate this forgiveness and call people to fully embrace this forgiveness through a profession of our faith and the declaration of the forgiveness we have in Christ Jesus.
Earthly power, in and of itself, falls short of the reality of God's power. This power was fully realized in the power of Jesus as He fully surrendered to death on a cross. Jesus has a different definition of power, one that challenges our illusions about power; what it means, who it is for, and what its results are meant to be in the world.
Power is not evil, in fact God empowers us to serve the common good. Of course, power can be used for great evil and selfishness. We see that example in the High Priest Caiaphas and the religious leaders of Jesus' day. In this message we will call people to become aware of the power they have and ask them to consider how they use it. Do they use it to dominate and control? Do they keep it hidden because of insecurity and fear? Or do they use it with wisdom and gentleness to be a blessing to those they live with and lead. We are free to use our power for good when we realize we do not need to create and protect our own position and place because we have been given both in Christ.
This weekend we celebrate the deliverance that God brings in our lives and to all of us as the people of God.
This message will be a warning to all who would live small and seek to acquire things for themselves as an owner. Not only will power, wealth and status leave us unsatisfied, but we all must remember that at the end of our life we will give an account for all that we have done and said. We should seek to live a life as a steward who will give an account, and we should turn to God for mercy and forgiveness found in Jesus Christ.
We can learn from Esther's life how to move from an owner of our life, to God being owner of our life. Through her story we can be inspired to lay down our lives for others and see hope in our journey with God.
In the face of hatred and the reckless evil in this world, what can the people of God do? Mordecai was a man who had a radical trust in God and the sovereignty of his plan for his people and for the whole world. He saw his life not as an end unto itself, but rather as a means to advancing God’s plan. Mordecai's willingness to be used by God is a powerful example of stewardship. Once he achieves power he is an incredible example of a servant to his people.
In this message, we show how God set up events for things to work out in just the right way, at just the right time. We see that all of this was part of the bigger picture of Christ's redemption.
In this message, we introduce the King who seems to be the most powerful man in the world but is weak. We see that he was actually a person crippled by insecurity, anxiety and was easily manipulated. We see that his central problem was that he considered his position, power, possessions, and privilege entitled him to be served. We are called back to stewardship in which life is viewed as a trust and a gift to be used for the common good.
In this message, we introduce the book of Esther with special attention to the One who is not mentioned; which is God. We show that the God who is the one who is behind the story of Esther is the one who is behind the greater story of human redemption through Jesus Christ.
Evangelism always means proclamation, and it always involves communicating the message of the gospel using language the lost can understand. Evangelism is proclamation of the gospel. In order to be biblical evangelism, the full message of the holiness and love of God, the sinfulness of every human being, the atoning sacrifice and victorious resurrection of Jesus for our sins, and the necessity of repentance and faith, must be presented. Evangelism is proclamation of the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. We present the gospel message, but only the Holy Spirit can turn a person’s heart and mind toward Christ. Evangelism has the aim of persuading people to repent and believe in Christ. Evangelism is more than mere presentation of the gospel; it is persuasion with the gospel. Evangelism includes a call for the hearer to repent of sin and believe in Christ.
Calling is the gracious act of God by which he directs disciples to make disciples in a certain way, at a certain time, among a certain people, in a certain location, or through a certain vocation. Calls to service may be fluid, operating at varying levels and open to varying assignments from God. What must be constant in a disciple’s life, however, is faithfulness to God’s call, no matter the cost, until God calls the disciple to different service. Calls to service are discerned and affirmed not just individually, but as a member of the church on mission in the world through Spirit-led, Word-driven, prayer-focused examination of a disciple’s desires, gifts, abilities, and opportunities.
The call to salvation includes a call to vision and mission. Every person who responds to God’s call as a disciple of Jesus receives Christ’s command to make disciples of Jesus. Disciple-making is the God-given, Christ-enabled, Spirit-empowered duty of every disciple, whatever his or her station, location, or vocation. In this way, every disciple plays a significant part in the eternal purpose of God to glorify his name and display his love through disciples of Jesus made in every nation.