Port City Community Church Podcast: Recent Episodes
Port City Community Church
Port City Community Church's mission is to Reach People and Help Them Walk With God. This podcast includes audio messages from Senior Pastor Mike Ashcraft and others. You can visit Port City online at www.portcity.church for additional content.
You are listening to our weekday Summer Podcast series where we are using this summer as a RESET — an opportunity for us to return to what matters most!
Throughout this series, we will focus on four foundational concepts that keep us anchored in our walk with God. This week, we will explore a Relationship with Christ.
Today's reading centers around John 15 as we focus on bearing spiritual fruit.
For more information, check out portcity.church/summer!
You are listening to our weekday Summer Podcast series where we are using this summer as a RESET — an opportunity for us to return to what matters most!
Throughout this series, we will focus on four foundational concepts that keep us anchored in our walk with God. This week, we will explore a Relationship with Christ.
Today's reading centers around 2 Corinthians 3:18 and Colossians 3:17 as we focus on making ourselves available to God.
For more information, check out portcity.church/summer!
You are listening to our weekday Summer Podcast series where we are using this summer as a RESET — an opportunity for us to return to what matters most!
Throughout this series, we will focus on four foundational concepts that keep us anchored in our walk with God. This week, we will explore a Relationship with Christ.
Today's reading centers around Philippians 3:12-14 as we focus on taking daily steps of faith.
For more information, check out portcity.church/summer!
You are listening to our weekday Summer Podcast series where we are using this summer as a RESET — an opportunity for us to return to what matters most!
Throughout this series, we will focus on four foundational concepts that keep us anchored in our walk with God. This week, we will explore a Relationship with Christ.
Today's reading centers around Matthew 11:28-30 as we focus on "walking with Jesus."
For more information, check out portcity.church/summer!
Loving God completely means really knowing His story of love for us. It means fully trusting that God's heart is good and kind. Loving God with everything we have also means letting His love live inside us and change us. When God tells us to love Him, He is not giving us an order, but inviting us into a close friendship with Him - the One who loves us unconditionally.
This summer, we want to take a breath, slow down, and feel the permission to return to the things that matter the most. Our world tells us we don’t have time to go back, we must push forward. But so often, the invitation of God is to stop and to return. This summer, we want people to be compelled to believe that the things that matter most are worth the effort and the energy to reassess and reorder in their lives! It’s worth it to ask ourselves honest questions like how is my relationship with God right now, how are my relationships with those in my community, how am I doing in carrying the responsibilities of the various roles I hold, and how am I currently leveraging the things I have been given for more than just myself?
Step by step, we embark on a journey to find solid ground beneath our feet—a foundation for all our dreams and hopes. Deep down, every longing we feel is really a longing for life. But in our frantic pursuits, we often miss the true source of fulfillment: our relationship with God. It's in walking with Him that we find real meaning and purpose. Sacrifice, forgiveness, grace, and humility are hard to come by without God's presence. Faith means trusting enough to take the next step, drawing life and peace from His Spirit. As we adjust to this new way of living, we discover the beauty of taking it one step at a time. Our walk with God isn't about proving we can do it on our own; it's about realizing we can't without His grace.
In our journey of faith, we often find ourselves needing help to stay faithful and to adjust to a new life with God. After being rescued from our old ways, it’s a big change to live under God's guidance. We sometimes resist help because we think we should handle everything on our own. But help isn’t just something you take; it’s a crucial part of being in a community. The real purpose of being helpful is to build connections, not just to fix problems. This means seeing the person behind the issue, rather than just the issue itself. We usually think in terms of problems and solutions, but relationships are about the freedom to love and be loved. While individualism can make us self-focused, we need to foster a sense of togetherness.
The goal of the Christian life is to become more like Jesus, showing His love and integrity in everything we do. Our mission is to reach people and help them walk with God. Being a disciple means transforming into the image of Jesus, not just doing good deeds. To reach others effectively, we need to grow and connect with people. Our willingness to care about others shows God's love through us. It's not automatic; we need to learn to care about the things that matter most. This is how we truly show our faith and the love of Christ to the world.
As we journey with God, we often cling to what's familiar when faced with uncertainty, rather than trusting His guidance step by step. But God calls us to follow Him, even into unknown territory. Bearing witness to His work isn't just about where we are physically, but it spans generations. Instead of letting worry overwhelm us, we're urged to shift towards genuine concern, which deeply impacts our inner selves. Worrying only fuels fear, but concern helps us see things with fresh eyes. It's easy to see others as enemies, but showing love and empathy takes intentional effort. It's a constant battle against cynicism and dismissal, but the rewards of understanding and compassion make it worthwhile.
Our society is plagued by a distorted view of sexuality, where desires run rampant and unchecked. The consequences of this unchecked desire reverberate through our lives, contributing to a culture of brokenness and harm. We've been misled into believing that satisfying our sexual appetites without restraint is the path to fulfillment. However, the truth is that such unchecked desires lead only to further degradation and pain. What we truly need is a reimagining of our understanding of sex and sexuality, where they find their proper place in the human experience. It's not about mere compliance with moral standards, but about embodying a distinct witness of integrity amidst chaos.
Our natural inclination isn't towards surrender but towards pursuing our own desires effortlessly. Nonetheless, God is actively working in the world, prompting us to join in. Every encounter presents an opportunity to trust and engage with God's plan. Yet, our tendency is to interpret these encounters based on our preconceived notions, hindering our ability to perceive as God does. Only by transcending our self-interest and embracing Jesus's perspective can we truly understand. This journey might bring uncertainty and require us to contemplate deeply, challenging our usual way of thinking. Ultimately, obedience stems from knowing and trusting God, leading us to submit radically and love others compassionately. Creating a community rooted in redemption demands this level of commitment, reminding us that if our perceptions of God align too closely with our own biases, we've distorted His image.
Through our close relationship with Christ, we come together as a community guided by His Spirit. God calls us out from the ways of the world to form a people dedicated to Him and then sends us back into the world as witnesses empowered by His Spirit. Forgiveness brings unity, bridging the gap between us and God and among each other. Building this togetherness requires deep discernment, cooperation, and wrestling with the implications of Jesus' resurrection together. Traits like grace, forgiveness, sacrifice, humility, and integrity, though contrary to worldly ways, have a profound impact when practiced. Our journey involves striving toward Jesus' Lordship and embracing our newfound unity.
The resurrection introduces us to a new way of living that isn't about rebellion or defiance, but about quietly and subversively challenging the norms. It gives us the ability to transcend the boundaries and barriers that tend to define and divide us, creating a different kind of life in this world, and moving towards a better world altogether. The Spirit's power is like a flood of God's love overflowing in our lives, and with our lives filled with this love, we can bring it to every aspect of who we are. Sharing our experiences isn't just about us; we're part of a larger community of witnesses, all testifying to what God has done and is doing. We can live in a deeply meaningful connection with God and each other, and through that, we can show others the transformative power of this connection.
Imagine stepping back into the dusty pages of Acts, where the early church ignited a flame that would spread like wildfire across the known world. Now, take a look around you. Could it be that we, as the body of Christ, are a continuation of that very story? Think of the New Testament as an unfolding narrative—a story we're invited to step into. To bear witness isn't just about speaking words; it's about bringing something to light through who we are and how we live our lives.
Deep within us, there's this longing for a future that's nothing short of glorious—a future where everything's renewed, not just patched up. It all starts with Jesus rising from the dead, marking the beginning of something entirely fresh, a total makeover for everything. Jesus is offering us a whole new life, and in Him, we discover purpose and promise like never before. But, here's the thing: none of this happens without forgiveness. It's like coming back to the loving rule of God after straying away. And in this redemption, suddenly, everything we do matters—it's all part of a bigger picture. That incredible power that brought Jesus back to life? Yeah, it's at work in us too, bringing us back to life in every sense. So, when we think about Jesus rising again, it's not just a random event—it's proof that nothing we go through is pointless.
To live out our faith and experience the amazing life that Jesus promises, we've got to keep close to Him, like staying connected to a power source. It's about letting ourselves be shaped and changed by what Jesus teaches us – that's the formation process. Understanding that God is the giver of life is a big deal. If we live like Jesus is the essence of life, it means finding our true purpose and joy by following his way. Living as if Jesus is life involves more than just going through the motions; it's about embracing a lifestyle where we let His teachings guide us. It's like shifting from a routine existence to actively being part of a life filled with faith, love, and the transformative power of what Jesus teaches us. It's about living a meaningful and purposeful life.
God's truth shows us what's real in the world. Jesus teaches us that we can't live life our own way and still expect things to turn out the best. He shows us that following God's plan, not our own, leads to the most fulfilling life. This truth also helps us see through the things we usually rely on, like our attitudes and desires. We're created by God for a reason, and living without Him won't bring true happiness. Jesus brings back the life we're meant to have. When we truly understand and follow this truth, we live in a better way. Jesus calls us to respond to this truth by trusting Him. Figuring out how to live by this truth in our daily lives is our ongoing challenge, but it starts with trusting Jesus.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus declares, "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved." Just as a gate provides access to a protected space, Jesus offers access to the kingdom of God. He is the gateway to abundant life, forgiveness, and reconciliation with the Father. As we embrace Jesus as the gate, we find refuge from the chaos of the world and discover the security of His loving presence.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus introduces himself using the powerful words "I am." These words are more than just a way for Jesus to identify himself; they invite us to explore and discover more about who God is. When Jesus keeps saying "I am," it's like he's asking us to dig deeper into understanding the heart of God. To reflect God’s heart, we need to know His heart. And where can we see it most clearly? In the life of Jesus. He challenges each of us with a big question: "Who do you say that I am?" This question Jesus asks is like a starting point for a journey. It's not just about figuring out who Jesus is; it's an invitation for us to think about and express what we understand about God and his character in light of Jesus. What does Jesus show us about God? Think of Jesus' life as a painting that shows us what God is like. Jesus is inviting us into a relationship and a relationship leads to a revealing, then a discovery, and finally, a response.
The essence of true living lies in stepping onto the other side of fear, and embracing a life of self-sacrifice and giving. It's a freedom discovered in the act of giving ourselves away, where the promise unfolds: in losing our life, we find it. This need for self-sacrifice isn't a mere concession but a vital aspect of following the path laid out by Jesus. It's our unique expression, not driven by seeking approval or trying to prove ourselves, but rather a fundamental response to the call to love well. However, fear often becomes the stumbling block, holding us back by fueling self-preservation. It's fear that hinders self-denial and stands in the way of genuine sacrifice. To truly live a giving life, a life of love, we must confront the fear that typically prevents us from sacrificing ourselves.It's precisely on the other side of that fear that this transformative way of life unfolds. The life we desire is only experienced by offering ourselves for others.
Our default setting is to try and get as much as possible while giving out as little as we can, which can make us feel like we're constantly trying to protect our interests. But in this struggle, we might miss out on the real power of selflessness. We tend to see denying ourselves anything as oppressive, fearing it might make us seem less valuable or restrict our freedom. But really, holding onto that mindset just leads us down a path of always wanting more and feeling entitled to it. On the other hand, embracing self-denial can bring a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment. When we take up our cross, we're accepting the challenges of life with courage and humility, knowing that it's through these struggles that we can experience grace and love. It's not about diminishing our worth, but rather finding a richer, more meaningful life by focusing on what really matters. And in the end, it's when we let go of our desires and follow the path set before us that we truly discover faithfulness and fulfillment.
In a world driven by demands and fixations on the self, Jesus' invitation to embrace the cross stands as profoundly counter-cultural. Embracing the concept of "Jesus equals life" is indeed a blessing, yet it entails a profound calling. Our concerns often obstruct the path to the life that God intends for us. Only through denying ourselves can we become and remain truly available. Jesus teaches that in a world steeped in denial, self-denial is the sole path to genuine living.
Entering into "messy" conversations with our kids can feel scary. We want to say all the "right" things, and we want to be able to answer any questions they might have. The reality is that we rarely feel prepared!
That is why we are SO excited to tell you about a resource from our church called "Walking Together!"
Walking Together is a book collection designed to help elementary-aged children process common yet difficult topics alongside their parents.
We have loved hearing how this collection has already been impactful to families. Today we thought it would be a great opportunity for you to hear about how these books visually have come to life!
So today, we sat down with author Katie Robinson and illustrator Samantha Slezak to talk about art, gifting, and the creative process. Katie and Samantha are two different generations of women who have been shaped by our church, and today we get to hear how they are using their giftings to encourage others in their walks with God.
You can learn more at www.portcity.church/walkingtogether!
In the journey towards stability, Jesus, in Matthew 7:7-8, offers a simple yet profound directive: Ask, Seek, Knock. It's not a formula to apply but a call to commit ourselves to truly "seeing" by following Him. Jesus isn't handing out principles; He's elevating the importance of reconciliation. Stability, it turns out, is all about proximity to Jesus. Our stability hinges on the depth of our trust in Christ, and our recognition that in Jesus and His Kingdom lies the fulfillment we seek. It's a persistent pursuit, an unwavering commitment to ask, seek, and knock until we find ourselves in the very presence of the One who brings stability.
We need to live with attentiveness to what is happening in our inner worlds. We have to do routine gut checks and learn to take inventory of our motives. We should take “snapshots" and allow ourselves (and others) to see what’s happening. The words of Jesus challenge us to confront the messiness of our hearts. At its core, this spiritual expedition calls for a focused examination of our motives and a deliberate consideration of our identity. Who we are becoming is intricately tied to what we hunger and thirst for—the desires that fuel our actions and shape our character.
Jesus introduces a radical reorientation to others—the way of grace and enemy love, extending beyond the first mile to the second. He calls us to take sin and fidelity seriously, emphasizing a commitment to a life that transcends the superficial and embraces the depth of grace. In this transformative perspective, stability isn't a product of our achievements but a result of embracing the countercultural teachings of Jesus. It's a call to find stability, not in our strength, but in surrendering to a kingdom where grace, righteousness, and justice reign supreme.
In the profound teachings of Jesus, we find a challenge to rethink the foundations of our control. Stability, a sign of maturity, is built on trust—a foundation supporting the weight of our hopes and emotions. What we rely on for security reflects our trust. True stability, found in Christ, brings peace in all circumstances. Fulfilling Christ's purpose means living as His people, navigating chaos with faith and hope. It's not just about how we navigate but the kind of people we become in the process. Our identity, more than our skills, shapes our journey through this world.
Epiphany is the moment of revelation when something becomes seen or unveiled. Similar to a light bulb moment, it's not about comprehending everything entirely but understanding something in a way that transforms your perception of everything else. The profound impact of encountering Jesus is emphasized, as he is described as the light of the world who entered darkness, making previously unseen aspects visible. Delving into the Gospel expands our worldview, revealing a more complex and challenging world ripe for redemption. His presence opens us to a new perspective on everything around us. What if we approached God's presence as if we were in the company of someone adept at navigating the chaos of a broken world with faithfulness and hope, and our responsibility was to stay close to that guiding presence?
This Christmas Eve we celebrated the gift of Jesus as Emmanuel, God with us. Join us in listening to this Christmas Eve message.
This year, we are inviting our church to participate in the Personal Retreat Experience. The Personal Retreat is titled "Between Chapters: Honoring Endings + New Beginnings."The Personal Retreat is designed in two parts to thoughtfully reflect on 2023 and to turn the page and look ahead to 2024. Each part has 5 sections. So, to help set a pace through this experience, we will guide our church through one section a day (starting December 27th), with various staff members contributing their voices and perspectives each day through the website and social media. This will take us through the last 5 days of this year and the first 5 days of the New Year, with the following day being Epiphany (our first Sunday gathering of the year).Our goal this year is to feel a sense of unity as we go through the Personal Retreat together. We hope this is something that you can encourage your small groups, family, and friends to participate in. We believe this experience will be impactful in your walk to finish this year well and to start this next year strong! Check out www.portcity.church/retreat for the full Personal Retreat and additional content!
Joy is the opposite of cynicism, and if we can't find joy, we're likely to become cynical. Being in the presence of God brings a profound sense of joy. Joy isn't indifferent to our emotions, but it's not just about how we feel in the moment. When we receive joy, we need to be open and ready for it. It's like adopting a posture that lets us take in all the good things from God. Trust is crucial because it builds a path to joy. This joy is more than a fleeting feeling; it becomes a way of facing life. It gives us the strength to endure tough times, keep going, and have faith. Learning to trust is the key to discovering the fullness of joy. This resilient joy helps us keep moving forward, fueled by a belief that goes beyond what we can see, feel, or understand.
Jesus came to restore what was stolen. He declared, "I don't give peace the way the world does," challenging our worldly notions of peace. We'll uncover the key to experiencing true peace - one that passes our understanding and offers hope and healing to our troubled souls. Peace is not contingent on external circumstances, but on who He is.
Jesus doesn't come to whisk us away from life's challenges but instead walks alongside us in the midst of them. He entered into not only our mess, but also the messiness of humanity and our broken world. The very name "Immanuel" means God with us, signifying His abiding presence as the source of hope. During this week, we’ll explore the dichotomy between a "Hope for" mentality, rooted in circumstances, and a "Hope in" mentality, grounded in a personal relationship with Him. Our human tendency is to manufacture hope, peace, and joy through control, but we'll learn the importance of trusting God's plan over our own.
We are so excited to celebrate Christmas together! 🎄
To learn more about our Christmas Eve gathering times & locations on Sunday, December 24th, you can head to www.portcity.church/christmas.
For this season, we are trying a new audio podcast of our Christmas-themed devotions. We hope this can be a new way to help you engage in your relationship with God through scripture, reflection, and prayer throughout the week. You can listen to this during your quiet time, as you are making breakfast, on the way to work. You can subscribe wherever you listed to podcasts!
You can learn more about our family Christmas content and all the other ways you engage with our church this season at www.portcity.church/life.
We look forward to celebrating this Christmas season together. We'll see you soon!
Your unique part matters, and it matters greatly to the whole. In the context of a church, the story we tell is not just about doctrines or rituals; it's about the lives of each member making a collective difference. When a group comes together, leveraging their lives for a common purpose, the impact is nothing short of profound. It's a symphony of diverse talents, passions, and gifts, all harmonizing to be a compelling force of God's love in the world around us. Our mission is clear - to leave a noticeable difference in the places we touch. It's not about making headlines or seeking recognition; it's about being agents of transformation, extending Christ's love wherever we go. The world longs for authenticity, a genuine expression of love and grace, and we have the power to offer just that. We are co-authors of a story, each line etching a mark of God's love. Our individual contributions, woven together, create a narrative that can change lives and bring hope to a world in need.
We often overlook a paradox—the ability to leverage our hardships, failings, and weaknesses to draw us closer to God and make an impact for the Kingdom of God. Leveraging the hard stuff means not just enduring it but embracing it. It's about naming our sufferings and sharing our failings, for it's in this raw honesty that allows for healing to take place and hope to spring up. We often run from our struggles, seeking refuge in distractions or denial. But it's precisely when we face them head-on when we muster the courage to admit our weaknesses, that we allow God to work inside our hearts. It's easy to put on a façade of strength and invulnerability. We've been conditioned to believe that this is the way to navigate life. But the cracks in our armor, the moments when we drop our guard and expose our true selves, make the most profound impact. We connect with one another through vulnerability; through this same vulnerability, we connect with God.
We often forget that the sum of who we are—our time, gifts, work, resources, personality, and every facet of our existence—is a divine provision. But here's the catch: God's provision is never meant to end with us; it's meant to be shared for the benefit of others. Why, then, do we so often doubt that we have anything worthwhile to offer the world around us? It's because we hold a skewed identity that blinds us to the immense potential within ourselves and our circumstances. We play the dangerous game of comparison, often measuring our perceived deficiencies against the gifts of others. However, in the midst of this self-doubt, there lies an invaluable tool—discernment. Knowing yourself and understanding your unique blend of strengths and weaknesses is key. You can unearth the treasures within through discernment and learn to offer them to a world hungry for authenticity and generosity.
Our impact is most profoundly felt in the everyday, ordinary moments. We don't have to wait for grand gestures or dramatic events to make a difference. Instead, we have the privilege of offering God our actual, lived lives -- our mundane routines, small acts of kindness, and ordinary conversations. Our identity in Christ is the starting point for us to recognize our potential. It's not about striving to be someone we're not, but rather, it's about embracing who we are in Him. It's about understanding that we can reflect His love and grace to the world around us in our unique, imperfect selves. Deep within us, there's a God-given desire to create, to find meaning and purpose in our lives, and to make a difference in the world around us. This isn't a selfish pursuit; it's a reflection of God within us. When we tap into his desire and align it with His purposes, we discover a sense of fulfillment and joy that transcends the ordinary. Sacrifice isn't what we give up but what we make available.
God desires us to have a harmonious relationship with our finances, for it not to be a master over us but a tool we utilize to declare our trust and dependency while making choices that honor Him. Yet, this can only occur when we're willing to do the hard work and get gut-level honest about defining our relationship with money. Financial stewardship is not just a practical matter but a profound spiritual discipline. Gratitude and generosity are cultivated over time. Whether we are rich or poor, find ourselves with abundance, or are just making ends meet, there is potential and purpose in our situation and how we handle our finances, and the first place it transforms is our hearts.
Money isn't just currency; it's a window into the depths of our souls. It has an uncanny ability to expose the very core of who we are. When we peer into the mirror of our financial choices, we often find a reflection that might surprise us. Money unveils the condition of our hearts in a tangible way. It exposes our fears, our insecurities, and our trust issues. Our financial habits showcase our need for control and the depth of our faith and trust in God. By peeling back the layers and asking the hard questions, we can gain insight into what our relationship with money reveals about us.
Entering into "messy" conversations with our kids can feel scary. We want to say all the "right" things, and we want to be able to answer any questions they might have. The reality is that we rarely feel prepared!
That is why we are SO excited to tell you about a new resource from our church called "Walking Together!"
Walking Together is a book collection designed to help elementary-aged children process common yet difficult topics alongside their parents.
We believe that parents are the most influential spiritual leaders in their children's lives, so as a church, we want to help them lead their kids well.
To learn more about this collection, we sat down with the author, Katie Robinson, to talk about how these books will resource and give confidence to anyone looking to enter into "messy" conversations with the kids in their lives.
You can learn more at www.portcity.church/walkingtogether!
If money were a person, what would your relationship with them look like? Would it be a strained, complicated bond or a healthy, thriving connection? Fear can create distance, avoidance can lead to neglect, and pride and arrogance can strain our finances like a bad breakup. Discontentment can keep us constantly chasing more, and selfishness can turn us into emotional spenders. These money struggles are common and relatable, but there's hope. Just like any relationship, our connection with money can be formed and shaped!
A meal is a family space. At the table, you’re treated like family. Showing up to the table requires preparation - to consider yourself in the context of others. The table reflects both our belonging and our invitation to belong. A meal is a common space and a leveling space. At the table, we experience the reality of what we have in common. It is both an abundant provision and a declaration of dependence; grace works similarly. When we receive communion, we receive a new reality and a new responsibility. Our interactions are expressions that reveal and contribute to what we think about others.
Unity is one of the most widely accepted ideas, yet it is also one of the most challenging to put into practice. There are growing pains associated with learning to trust and be trusted. We value others for their sense of belonging and acknowledge their contribution to the whole. Mutual concern is what propels unity forward. We face struggles together; when we observe someone going through a tough season, we step into their struggle and offer emotional support. Likewise, when it's our turn to face difficulties, we invite others to stand beside us and do the same.
The world needs the Church because that's how Christ designed it. Therefore, we must strive to become the kind of church Christ envisions. We reside in a world that has been greatly worn down, causing us to view trustworthiness as a high standard when, in fact, it should be a fundamental aspect of our humanity. We are responsible for nurturing a sense of belonging as we support one another in love. We aim to create a safe space where individuals can hear the Gospel and contemplate its implications. A disciple is a friend and follower of Jesus, empowered by Him to love. Being a follower of Jesus means organizing your life as a learner, and that's why we need each other because you have never learned anything without someone else.
The table symbolizes both our sense of belonging and our open invitation to be a part of something greater. Here, we encounter the reality of our commonalities and receive the warm embrace of family. The Church should serve as a unique sanctuary for belonging—a community where our shared identity propels us towards collective responsibilities. This shared identity comes with a profound duty to care for, uplift, and support one another. We must cultivate a shared purpose by transcending our differences and nurturing an environment where love, understanding, and grace thrive. Our actions, or lack thereof, ripple through our community and beyond. One cannot engage in a community without leaving an imprint. The call to follow Christ is not a solitary journey but an invitation to embark on a shared path of faith.
ntegrity isn't something we reach like a destination; instead, it's a state where our inner strength guides our thoughts and actions. It means having the character to face reality faithfully while holding onto hope. Resisting dependence is rooted in pride, while fullness comes from experiencing God's sufficient grace. Wisdom helps us integrate our soul, and humility opens the door to grace, the source that sustains us in God's Kingdom. "Consider it joy" isn't just a mental exercise to make sense of life's challenges; it's an opportunity to find something greater amid life's difficulties. Navigating chaos with faith and hope isn't merely about willpower; it's a matter of embracing our true identity. God's grace is enough to support us through every season, and developing the character to face reality is an outcome of our faith.
Life flows from our core, and it's vital to understand that the stability we yearn for cannot solely depend on the ever-changing world. True stability, unwavering in the face of life's storms, is found in integrity. By grounding ourselves in God's wisdom, we discover a kind of stability that doesn't waver with circumstances and frees us from the need for constant comparison and competition. This wisdom stems from faith, not mere certainty. As we embrace humility, recognizing God's grace and receiving it with open hearts, our souls find unity, no longer divided. In this journey, we learn that honesty and confession lead to the discovery of grace, and living in forgiveness allows us to dwell in His boundless grace.
The way of life in God’s Kingdom is governed by trust, and you have to be able to trust yourself - that begins with learning to trust Jesus in everything and with everything. The war against sin isn’t your effort to behave but learning to trust—trusting Christ for your identity, sufficiency, and life. The application of wisdom is discernment, where we sense God’s voice and His movement and trust Him enough to take a step. In Christ, you can discern what to do in the life that you live to find the life that you actually want.
A good life in our world hinges on things falling into place just right, whereas the life Christ opened up for us is rooted in who we are at our core. Nowadays, we often talk about emotional health as the key. It's all about feeling good, but what we're really after is a sense of wholeness that goes way beyond feeling good about ourselves. This wholeness is about experiencing the kind of life Jesus offered and reflecting the amazing way God made us.
During the summer months, we've learned that delight is a formative force that shapes the desires of our hearts. It requires intention and an act of our will. Without focus, our desires can run wild, and embracing these lesser things makes our hearts susceptible and vulnerable. Instead, God invites us to renew our desires in a way that makes our hearts and souls come alive.
This week we conclude our Delight Podcast series by sitting down with Mike Ashcraft, Laurelyn Shaw, and Zack Hamby to talk about what this Summer of Delight has taught us.
For more Summer Sabbath resources, you can check out www.portcity.church/sabbath.
If this series has been helpful to you, we'd love to hear your feedback! Send us an email to Creative@portcitychurch.org.
Enjoy!
This week, we get to hear Tony Ripa talk with Geoff Banks about "enemies of delight." In today's episode, Tony and Geoff discuss how it's easy to get distracted with "doing" instead of learning to truly delight in Jesus.
Are you interested in weekday devotions that can be delivered directly to your email inbox? Check out www.portcity.church/devotions
For more Summer Sabbath resources, you can check out www.portcity.church/sabbath.
Enjoy!
f we find our delight in good circumstances or safety, it will eventually fall short. In our fallen and broken world, we all experience moments where we wonder, "What is the world coming to?" Our despair can become an enemy of delight. But, amid the struggle, God's glory is put on display. We must remember that our delight is not contingent on circumstances; it is anchored in Jesus, and that God can use anything for our good. When we look at the world and say, "What is the world coming to?", maybe that's where we should go.
Today we are reflecting on what we learned from our Sabbath Sunday practice- the helpful, the difficult, the confusing, and the things we want to take with us into the future as we learn to make Sabbath a more regular practice and rhythm. Today we’ll hear from our Wilmington Campus Pastor, Clay Everett, our Director of Community, Laurelyn Shaw, and our pastor of Children’s ministry, Rich Biagini. If you would like to share your feedback on Sabbath Sunday, you can go to www.portcity.church/sabbath or send us an email to creative@portcitychurch.org. Enjoy!
Our doing has become a distraction when it comes to true delight in Jesus. We most closely associate our relationship with God with the content that we consume and the things that we do. In a way, our doing has become an enemy of delight. The church has gotten preoccupied with culture and ourselves. We've done God's work without His presence and failed to realize that Jesus values people being in His presence more than He values their work. To delight in Jesus, we have to know Jesus. Finding delight in the presence of Jesus forms our hearts and desires. When we delight in the presence of Jesus, we will be forever changed.
This week, we get to hear from two awesome women in our church, Lauren Mendoza and Sarah Badillo, who have a discussion on delighting in ordinary life. Their perspectives are relatable, and their insights are helpful.
At the top of the episode, we all get to hear from some of our middle school students and leaders about what delights them!
For more Summer Sabbath resources, you can check out www.portcity.church/sabbath.
Enjoy!
Passive delights are just the things we instinctively enjoy without effort. We live in a way where as soon as something doesn’t “delight” us anymore, we start to look for other things. But everything we instinctively enjoy isn’t always the most helpful for the kind of life we want. Our affections are formed in ways that often undermine the things we value most. We either pay the price of attention in the discipline of our eyes or the malformation of our hearts. Proactive delight requires something from us. The point of spiritual practice isn’t perfection but ordering. Delight yourself in the Lord, and the desires follow.
Sabbath is a life-giving practice that God designed for us. He wove the rhythm of the Sabbath deeply into the fabric of the creation and embedded it intimately into the human soul. It's a time set apart to experience rest as we deliberately stop working and trust in God's provision. God modeled the Sabbath and then called us to remember and observe it. The goal of the Sabbath isn't rest; rest is a means to and a result of the Sabbath. The goal is to refresh, renew, and reorient us toward a life with God, where true rest and delight are found!
Today we get to hear from Laurelyn Shaw, our Director of Community, and Sam Noland, who is our Treasure Island Volunteer Coordinator talk about Delight and Sabbath. We also get to hear from a few of our high school students and leaders about what delights them!
We have created a Habit of Delight Experience that consists of eight practices that will help us better understand the concept of delight while experiencing it firsthand. You can learn more at www.portcity.church/delight.
Remember that this coming Sunday, July 9th, we are practicing a Sabbath Sunday. On this day, we will not gather together at our church building. Instead, we will use this time to intentionally rest and practice what we have learned through our Delight series.
To assist you in your time, we have made resources available to you, including a Sabbath Suggestions Guide for your day! For more information, you can go to www.portcity.church/sabbath.
If this episode was helpful to you, let us know by leaving a rating or review, sharing on social media, or sending us an email to creative@portcitychurch.org.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
The life we live today results from the practices we have formed along the way. Unhealthy habits bend our faith away from God and toward ourselves. Our direction stays the same when our intentions change, but our habits don’t. What we do habitually determines how we experience God relationally. The way to devotion is consistency, proactivity, and authenticity. True faith is cultivated by private discipline. When God-centered devotion becomes a habit, delight becomes a reflex.
Treating the summer like a Sabbath is not just an invitation to rest; it’s also God’s invitation to delight in Him! As we journey through summer together, we want to encourage our church to create a habit of delight by developing intentional rhythms that direct our heart’s affection and attention toward God.
We have created a Habit of Delight Experience that consists of eight practices that will help us better understand the concept of delight while experiencing it firsthand. You can learn more at portcity.church/delight. Today, we’ll hear from our Music Director, Brooks Joyce tell us about the importance of the first Habit of Delight- worship. And then we will have an opportunity to practice together with Rolin and Taya who will lead us in song. Enjoy!
How we see delight determines whether or not we indeed find it. If delight is merely a commodity, we will settle for whatever brings it quickest and sustains it the easiest. When everything is about us, we are living in the superficial. We can’t offer God our true selves or experience true delight when steeped in superficiality. Sadly, we settle for the superficial because we can control it, but faith resides outside ourselves when we loosen control. The source of your delight is found wherever your faith lies. The subject of your faith determines the durability and sustainability of our delight. How we see faith determines how we live in it, and how we see God determines our ability to experience true and lasting delight.
As we look to explore Sabbath through this lens this summer, we recognize that our delight cannot be dependent on favorable circumstances.
Last week we got to sit down with Cheryl Jacobs, who is a part of our church family. In our conversation, we got to hear Cheryl’s story- and her experience with loss, walking with others through grief, her experiences of growing up in Wilmington as an African American woman in the 1960s and 70s, and her thoughts on how our church can engage with racial reconciliation. As today’s episode is being released on Juneteenth, we felt like it would be valuable to share this conversation in its entirety. We believe that this episode will be insightful, encouraging, and helpful.
In this conversation, Cheryl and Maddie discuss opportunities like serving with local community farms or “Encounter The City,” which is a guided tour of Wilmington that interacts with some of our local partners throughout our community. If you would like to learn more about the opportunities our church offers, you can go to www.portcity.church/mobilization, or you can reach out to us at mobilization@portcitychurch.org.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Our eyes aren't lighting the world around us but rather the life within us. Deeper desires and redeemed affections require more than just a passing gaze or being enticed; we must learn how to remain, seek, and see. What catches our attention will capture our hearts, and what we treasure will ultimately drive our pursuits, so we need to pay attention to what we pay attention to.
Welcome to our new weekly Delight podcast series, where we explore what it looks like to treat this summer as a Sabbath!
This summer, we invite you to slow down, rest, and trust in the promise of Psalm 37:4 that when we delight ourselves in the Lord, the deepest desires of our hearts will be met in Him.
To kick us off, we get to have some fun with a "Questions With Caleb" segment followed by a conversation with Mike Ashcraft, Clay Everett, and Laurelyn Shaw.
For more Summer Sabbath resources, you can check out www.portcity.church/sabbath.
Enjoy!
From the beginning, God gave us a desire for delight and the means to experience it, so it’s no wonder that delight comes naturally to us. It's not a question of if we delight, but what we delight in. Every longing at its core is a longing for life. Christ is life. All around us, there are things that spark joy, spur delight, and move us deeply. We can and should enjoy these blessings, but we need to take it a step further - not just delighting in the gift itself, but taking it all the way by finding our delight in the ultimate gift giver - God Himself. We become what we want, so we have to cultivate patterns that disrupt the natural pace and appetite that we inherit. Delight is encountering something good and allowing its goodness to awaken us to what we want, and what our heart and soul ultimately want is a connection with its Creator, Sustainer, and Provider.
Poverty isn’t first an economic problem but rather a matter of dignity. Dignity is simply the innate worth of another person. We don’t give dignity; we honor it; to honor someone’s dignity, we need to see and notice them. Listening honors dignity. Saying someone’s name demonstrates dignity. Trusting another brings dignity. Dignity is the lens through which we see redemption. We learn to bring dignity to hard things by bringing grace and dignity to despair by bringing hope. It is not about finding things worth doing but finding worth in the things we are doing. Serving is offering ourselves to others for their good and contributing to the good of the world around us.
Sometimes to understand someone else's perspective, we have to leave our "normal," leave our "routine," and enter into a different space.
On today's Midweek Meditation, Corey leads us through a contemplative reflection through Pepper's story and week six of our series, Radical.
As we continue to explore the heart of servanthood, Mike Ashcraft sat down with Laura Bullock, about serving in the city. In their conversation they discussed what it looks like to show compassion and care for others, especially those who are in need or marginalized in our society.
Our vision for the future isn’t simply about reaching the next generation but rather about working together so that a generation yet to be born will have a view and reverence for God… a vision for His Kingdom, and to find their place in the story of His redemption.
On today's Midweek Meditation, Mike leads us through a contemplative reflection through week five of our series, Radical.
A church is only as strong as its willingness to prioritize the next generation, so we want to be a church that invests in those who come after us - to know them, love them, and share the love and hope of Jesus Christ. God’s love involves a generational expression and generational responsibility. It requires a shared commitment displayed through personal ownership. Serving is the language of love. In the way of Jesus, the pursuit of greatness resides in answering the call to serve.
On today's Midweek Meditation, Geoff Banks leads us through a contemplative reflection through Psalm 16:1-5 and week three of our series, Radical.
During this special worship gathering, Mike Ashcraft leads our community through a reflective exercise utilizing Psalm 16. While reflecting on the words, we take a moment to breathe and fill ourselves with hope, courage, and faith.
Today we will take a look at John 13, the story of Jesus washing his disciples' feet. We can learn much about God's character from this passage, but today we will focus on humility. Humility is the security that comes from a clear and accurate view of yourself.
On today's Midweek Meditation, Zack leads us through a contemplative reflection on Jesus' humility and week three of our series, Radical.
Often, our conscious or subconscious thought is that if we give too much, there won't be enough, and we will be left wanting, needing, or without. So, we tend to withhold or ensure we have what we need first and then offer our surplus. But when we trust God, we find He is working to help us want to do what is good- and even more, He gives us the power to do it!
On today's Midweek Meditation, Laurelyn leads us through a contemplative reflection through week two of our series, Radical.
Living in a culture of distrust, we hesitate to give ourselves away fully. Having been burnt, taken advantage of, or let down, we resist getting involved and responding to the needs around us. Life without love is to live without an adequate foundation for the relationships we long for. Nothing holds us together, so we drift apart— disintegrated, distrusting, undermined. The opposite of serving is withholding. The opposite of a servant is a preserver. But, we miss out when we hold on. Amid learning to give our lives away, we discover, experience, and share the fullness of life God promises.
This past Sunday, we began a new teaching series on serving called "Radical." But what does serving have to do with "the life we are searching for?"
On today's Midweek Meditation, Clay leads us through a contemplative reflection through Mark 8:35 and week 1 of our series, Radical.
The way of Jesus stands in stark contrast to that of the world. In God’s Kingdom, greatness doesn’t come from selfish ambition, entitlement, and making a name for ourselves but instead takes root through humility, sacrificial love, and giving ourselves away for the sake of those around us. Christ redefined greatness by flipping its pursuit upside down. The world’s version and vision for greatness affects and shapes how we see and pursue our purpose; unfortunately, it’s rarely life-giving. The beautiful thing about the way of Jesus is the freedom it provides in its simplicity. We don’t find our purpose by obsessing about it; we step into it when we look outside ourselves. If we give our lives away, the reality is we’ll never be lacking in purpose. Serving flows from fullness and having a high view of God and ourselves - it’s not merely an activity, but a way of life. By learning to live from this source we are able to give ourselves away fully individually, and be a beacon of hope collectively.
"Can I lose my salvation?” is the question that emerges when we view grace through a transactional model and a crime and punishment view of the Gospel. Instead of trying to figure out if we can lose our salvation, what if instead, we learned to find it? We find salvation by finding His grace sufficient in the moment for the moment. We allow the weight of our desires and emotions to rest on the foundation that promises this newness of life. The promise of resurrection is the possibility of newness. The power of the resurrection is that we live in a world where we will experience deep grief, but our hope runs deeper.
What is Holy Week? Why is it important? How do we participate? In today’s Midweek Meditation, we discuss all these things and more!
To further engage with our Holy Week resources and plans, check out portcity.church/holyweek 🕊️
We live in a world where force or threat of force ultimately gets stuff done and makes things happen. Our violent tendencies are more subdued than we might think. Yet, violence is often the most natural overflow of disappointment or threat to our way of life. Palm Sunday confronts us with two opposing ways of ordering our lives. There is a confounding and disruptive nature to the way of Jesus. He often shows up in the exact opposite way that we think He should show up. In His Kingdom, we are free from fighting, forcing, and being chronically defensive. We don’t have to go to war over every issue and aren’t measured by our outrage. As we draw life from our reconciled relationship with our God, we are shaped and formed into His image while participating with Him in the life made available to us.
The church is simply a community of ordinary people gathered around an extraordinary God! When we gather on a Sunday we bring with us our everyday ordinary, often messy, lives. We show up with our victories and defeats, our successes and failures, and our hopes as well as our fears. When we are courageous enough to bring both, a beautiful collision takes place where we as a community can be known, accepted, and loved. Gathering on Sunday is an opportunity to bring our past weeks in surrender and look to a new week ahead full of hope, serving as both a culmination and launching pad to life with God!
Mistakes, failures, and shortcomings are not a sign of weak faith, but rather a sign of being human. Often we evaluate the health of our life with God with a scorecard of successes and failures, when in reality we could better measure it by our readiness to return to God. There are no shortcuts for formation. We must be committed and continue. A life with God will inevitably be marked by mistakes, which can either lead to runaway from God or hide in shame. Or we can learn the beautiful rhythm of returning to God through confession and repentance! In confession we are not simply agreeing that sin is bad, but that sin is separating us from the life we most want to live— the life for which we have been made. Repentance is a return to wholeness. Confession is formative work that allows our everyday ordinary lives to be fertile soil for the fruit that comes from a life with God.
Keeping in step with the Spirit is an unfamiliar way in the grind of life. The middle is where we want to speed up and get on with it or get out of it. Working for the weekend often has us walking right past Wednesday. Yet, we must create a space in the middle to pause and reflect. By finding hope in the middle, we honor the mundane. God breathes life in the little moments, where we experience a deep abiding life with Him.
Your everyday ordinary life matters extraordinarily. The small moments that make up your day matter more than you realize. Life with God is not primarily experienced in a Sunday Gathering, a midweek Small Group, or even a daily quiet time- no matter how good or how critical we believe them to be. Rather your life with God is experienced and expressed in the everyday ordinariness of your actual lived life! Your everyday, ordinary life is the very place where God wants to meet you, bless you, and grow you! Leveraging your everyday life starts with a change in perspective that helps reframe what you are looking for and allows you to see God’s extraordinary work.
The journey of faith isn't a quick fix for a good life, but rather a way of life that requires attentiveness, resolve, and stubborn faithfulness. It can be easy to let our lives drift toward apathy, but devotion to God leads us to continue pursuing God, trusting that when we draw near to God, God draws even nearer to us! Gracious resistance prioritizes God’s presence over our comfort. We pray that we will become a counter-cultural community of well-rested people who aren't prone to cynicism or apathy but rather a hope that finds its expression in how we care for the world.
Because of the way Daniel had served and been helpful in the past, he was remembered in a time of need and called upon. Despite the fact that Daniel had a different God, served the previous king, and came from a different culture, he was still valued and trusted. When we do life with God well and live as citizens of heaven in the midst of today's culture, even outsiders see value. There is a pervasiveness to the wisdom of God’s Kingdom. While it may seem foolish to some, it is distinct in its nature, leavening the culture we live in. The church today can be known for the way that we love and serve in the same way that Daniel was known for his wisdom and helpfulness.
The world's wisdom is unfulfilling and empty - we demand things from it that it will never be able to give us. The rule of fear that governs worldly wisdom is a force that operates out of deficiency, while the power of God's love works out of abundance. Disorder follows anywhere endless comparison and competition are present. Where the world's wisdom fails, God's wisdom prevails. When we learn to trust the wisdom of God's Kingdom and live in that way, it redeems us and the world around us in which we exist. Wisdom yields responsibility. Gracious resistance depends on God's wisdom rather than the self-sufficiency of worldly wisdom.
As followers of Jesus and citizens of God’s Kingdom, Daniel’s story is our story- we too live exiled in a foreign land,in a culture that is drastically different from the culture of God’s Kingdom. We can respond to this dynamic in several different ways. We can attempt to force the world’s culture to make ourselves more comfortable or we can slowly begin to assimilate into the culture we are surrounded by. Both of these are dead ends. When we try to force culture to make us more comfortable, we typically fail and leave people angry. When we assimilate into the culture around us, we lose our distinctness. Thankfully the life of Daniel shows us a third way. The faith and character we see in Daniel didn’t spring up overnight. Daniel didn’t rely on a few faith principles to get him through his circumstances. His life speaks to the power of long obedience in the same direction- how we bend culture not by fighting against it or being conformed by it, but by entering into it with humility, courage, discernment and dependence on God. By doing so, our lives too will graciously resist and quietly bend culture around us towards Jesus!
Choosing a word isn’t the finish line, but the starting point. We might not know what the new year will bring or the circumstances we will encounter, but by committing to a word, we have a lens to assess our response to them and see God at work. Mark a moment, draw a line in the sand, and gather stones to build a monument that declares your dependence on God for all He has in store for you in 2023. But, don’t keep your word to yourself, share it with others so they can encourage and challenge you to step into the person God is inviting you to become.
In today's Midweek Meditation, we sit down with our Senior Pastor, Mike Ashcraft, to discuss the final week of our teaching series, "Created To Become," selecting our "One Word for the year," and how we commit to the journey for this year. For more information, check our portcity.church/word.
We'd love your insight if you would like to give us feedback about this series or the podcast format. You can email our team at Creative@portcitychurch.org. We look forward to hearing from you!
We are always becoming, always being formed. The question is what is shaping us? Are we going to fall into old habits and thought patterns that keep us repeating what we’ve always done? Or can we see something different? Can we develop a vision for who God wants us to become and remain with Him as He forms His heart in us? The steps we take determine the life we experience.
By choosing a word, we move in a direction that takes us a step further along the path to becoming. We might not know what the new year will bring or the circumstances we will encounter, but by committing to a word, we have a lens to assess our response to them and see God at work. There is no single way or perfect prescription to pick our words. The process is as unique as we are. Regardless of how we have arrived at our words, we know God will meet us there - that if we keep it before us and use it as a lens to respond to the world around us that God will shape our character and transform our heart.
We want to close this series by doing more than just revealing our individual words for the new year. We hope that collectively as a community, we will mark a moment, draw a line in the sand, and gather stones to build a monument that declares our dependence on God for all He has in store for us in 2023.
Change is possible, but focus is required. God created us to live in a way and at a pace that He established. He made a way for us to experience the life He has intended us to live and become the kind of person He's calling us to be. Rather than doing nothing about everything, My One Word invites us to do something about one thing. In today's Midweek Meditation, we sit down with our College Ministry Director, Carson Goslee, to discuss week three of our teaching series, "Created To Become," narrowing down our "One Word for the year," and how we can focus in a world of disctraction. For more information, check our portcity.church/word.
We live in a constantly and chronically distracted world, leaving us in a state of partial attention. The pace of our lives seems to force us to divide our attention to get everything done. Our diverted mind takes an unintended toll on our hearts. What catches our eye will capture our hearts and garner our affection. We need to pay attention to what we pay attention to. God is always at work around us, yet, we are often too preoccupied to notice. Attention has a price; it always costs us something, but the good news is we get to choose what lays claim to our focus. Seeking the Kingdom of God first doesn't mean missing out but seeing everything else correctly.
Change is possible. Focus is required. God created us to live in a way and at a pace that He established. He has made a way for us to experience the life He has intended us to live and become the kind of person He's calling us to be. Rather than doing nothing about everything, My One Word invites us to do something about one thing. Picking a word provides a way to pay attention to God’s promise of formation. It serves as a single lens to see the connection between the various areas in our lives that can get divided.
Our desire to be better isn't random but by design. The push we feel to change and become is God-given because we are created in His image. But what does that really mean?In today's Midweek Meditation, we sit down with our Director of Community, Laurelyn Shaw, to discuss part two of our teaching series, "Created To Become," narrowing down our "One Word for the year," and how to pay attention to who we are becoming. For more information, check our portcity.church/word.
Most of us measure our lives based on what we do; we determine our value by what we accomplish. Instead of making a list of everything we need to get done, we must first consider what kind of person we hope to become. As we think of the person we want to become, no one ever responds by saying they hope to be more bitter, angry, jaded, and cynical. Instead, we instinctively rattle off virtues like loving, kind, forgiving, patient, and generous. Our desire to be better isn't random but by design. Our quest to become has the fingerprints of God all over it, revealing our innate desire to bear the image God created us to display. The push we feel to change and become is God-given. Scripture opens up in Genesis 1 with the creation story, reminding us that we are image-bearers. Who we are is rooted in who God is at His core. Our quest to become has the fingerprints of God all over it, revealing our innate desire to bear the image in which we have been created. Who we become matters more than what we do. So, we resist the lure of performance by tending to the depth of our character.
We are all becoming something. The question is, are we aware of who we are becoming? In today's Midweek Meditation, we sit down with our Wilmington Campus Pastor, Clay Everett, to discuss our new teaching series, "Created To Become," "My One Word," and how to pay attention to our spiritual formation. For more information, check our portcity.church/word.
We all want to be different, but many don't know how to get there. Rather than a vision of becoming, our drive for change primarily finds its fuel in regret. In our quest for transformation, we don't need more quick-fix promises but a lens to see God's work in our lives over time. Vision-fueled action is more powerful than regret-based restraint. Unfortunately, life's normal, natural pace won't lead us to become the person God created us to be. We need something different to become different - a disruption from the routine. My One Word is a tool in our spiritual formation, a tangible way to seek God in our daily lives and abide in Him. Becoming who God uniquely created us to be is a life-long journey where transformation occurs through daily dependency over time.
To experience fresh starts in our lives, we need to learn how to create finish lines. We need to finish things well and learn from those experiences to see what God has done so we can be prepared for what He wants to do in the future.Over the past year, God moved in and through the people and community of Port City Community Church. Mike Ashcraft, Clay Everett, Laurelyn Shaw, and Perry Green sit down and use the Personal Retreat as a lens to discuss some of what we’ve learned in 2022, and look forward to all God has in store for our church in the new year. We hope this conversation will help you to finish well, so 2023 feels like a fresh start!
Jesus told us very clearly that there will be trouble in this world, but He follows these words with a call to hope. He will return one day to right every wrong, wipe away every tear, and usher in His Kingdom in full. We instinctively look for signs of hope amid the troubles of this world. Our hope rests in the reality that one day we will be free from what plagues us here and God's promise of redemption of everything broken. We look ahead to when all things will be made new, His promises fulfilled, and our longings satisfied.
Rest for our souls, the burden of worry lifted, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. These are some of the unfathomable and gracious promises Jesus declared over us. Yet, experiencing the depth of these promises requires us to embrace another - Christ’s abiding love. It serves as the source we draw from over and over again - knowing it never returns empty. But, what does it look like to abide in the promise of Christ’s love? This is what we want to explore during our time together.
Fully embracing God’s promises is easier said than done - life happens and we hesitate, doubt, or forget His faithfulness to us, which is what makes today’s promise of a helper in the Holy Spirit such a gift. The Holy Spirit provides comfort and wisdom by reminding WHO we are and WHOSE we are.
Yesterday, we explored Jesus’ promise of rest for our weary souls and how its found in an abiding relationship with Him. Yet, we often resist slowing down and embracing His rest because worry directs our steps. Jesus speaks into our worry with His next promise that reveals the thoughtful care He provides us.
This week, our time together will focus on the promises of Jesus and how they provide us with enduring hope, unshakable security, and a peace that passes all understanding. We start our exploration of these promises with an invitation from Jesus to rest; which is ironic on a Monday, at the beginning of a work week, smack dab in the middle of the holiday season.
Jesus' return is not an interruption to our wants but is their fulfillment. His return is the final disarming of evil - those little glimpses of God's goodness we see now replaced with the complete picture of His love and redemption. We will experience wholeness and completeness - all that is broken is finally redeemed. The call of Advent is this: Jesus is purifying Himself a people zealous for the redemptive work in the world. What would it look like if we were the kind of people who live with passion for what Jesus wants in every sphere and every moment we are entrusted with?
We devoted our time this week to meditating on the prayers of Jesus and the insight they provide on His character, focus, and nature. Each prayer has been powerful in its own way, but today's prayer uttered by Jesus while enduring the unbearable pain of the cross is where our hope resides - His forgiveness.
Moments before Jesus is betrayed, arrested, and eventually crucified, we see, in John 17, Jesus doing something He rarely did - praying for Himself. He's not teaching the disciples how to pray or praying about the concerns and circumstances of others; Jesus recognizes the impending crisis and chaos coming His way and that leads Him to seek out God's presence and strength. These recorded words give us a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse of the Son praying to His Father in a time of need.
This week's time centers on the prayers of Jesus and how they provide insight into Jesus' mindset, nature, and heart. Through it all, we see that the impending cross was in the background of each prayer, standing in the shadows of His life and ministry. Nevertheless, Jesus knew what awaited Him, and in today's passage, we see Jesus' troubled soul meeting a willing spirit.
Jesus understood how simple, yet at the same time incredibly complicated, our connections with others can be. Nevertheless, the oneness of believers was such a priority to Jesus that it served as the topic of His most extended prayer, and it's this prayer we want to meditate on today.
This week, our time together will focus on the prayers of Jesus and how they give us profound insight into the things that occupied His mind and burdened His heart. They reveal what matters most to Him. Prayers put to words the emotions, thoughts, and concerns rumbling deep in our souls.
The chaos we see and experience in the world is the trajectory of sin and brokenness. It speaks to our propensity to divide, blame, and separate to preserve our way. We emphasize borders to keep others out and leave ourselves isolated and insulated to ensure our comfort and security. But we need each other. Redemption resides when we enter in and participate with God together as a family - seeing our collective role in the world. We must pay attention to how we handle our influence and consider how the world responds to our activity. When we bear witness to the way of Jesus to the world, we leverage a force that ushers in the redemption we long for and that which God intends.
This week, our time has centered on why Jesus entered humanity; through it all, we've seen it was ultimately for His glory and our good. We'll touch upon this today as we consider the life-changing liberation an encounter with His love brings.
For many of us, we define the holiday season as one of the few times that we see the family and friends that we care about. The weeks, months, and sometimes years of separation can make reconnection that much more special. On the other hand, when reconnection doesn’t happen, whether due to distance, loss, or circumstance, it can be heartbreaking. The weight of grief and the sense of separation diminishes our spirit. Today, as we look to the life of Christ, we will consider the pains of a different separation and the lengths God will go to seek and save the lost, and then, celebrate in their reconciliation
At one point or another, we've all pondered the question, "WHY JESUS?" Why did He come? Why was He needed? Why does He matter? Fortunately for us, Jesus welcomed that question and was more than willing to provide an answer, and it's the answer we want to look at today.
Today's reflection confronts a daily battle taking place behind the scenes; it's a tension we all face - humility versus pride. Those are our options, and one always wins out. We all pursue convenience to some degree and living in today's age, it is easy to experience. Everything we could ever want or desire is at our fingertips. Convenience is the ultimate value in our culture. But Jesus offers a different way of living - defined by a servant's heart.
Jesus knew His purpose - to do God's will. So if Jesus was all about loving people and caring for their needs, it leads us to reason that God's will is others-oriented and always lies outside ourselves. Those faithful steps of obedience are where Jesus drew His strength. It works the same for us. By giving ourselves away, we refresh our souls.
Consider for a moment the absurdity that for centuries we’ve been celebrating the birth of someone who, at the time, arrived to no fanfare in a small farming village in the Middle East. Somehow, this individual who grew up and became a simple carpenter changed the course of human history. No one has had a more significant impact on shaping this world and culture than Jesus Christ. But, why Jesus? What makes Him so remarkable and why does His life bring us such hope as believers? What we do with Jesus matters.
I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Often, we view these words of Jesus only through the lens of salvation and what awaits us in heaven. Yes, it encompasses those aspects, but there is something deeper Jesus wants us to understand. Jesus isn’t talking about a place we will go to someday; He’s speaking about a person who wants to be in a life-giving relationship with us every day.
When Jesus came, He brought freedom and peace, He brought order and goodness, His light didn’t bring ease, it made us right with God. Often, we look for Jesus when things are hard and when we feel like we’ve done everything we can. What if today we looked for the light that He provides in the everyday moments of our life.
Yesterday, we considered how our spiritual hunger, those deep longings for meaning, purpose, and value, find their ultimate satisfaction in Christ Jesus - the Bread of Life. Today, we want to remind ourselves that we all need the intentional and compassionate care of a Savior, and we need look no further than Jesus, the One known as the Good Shepherd.
Today, we encounter Jesus right after He pulled off a culinary miracle by feeding 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. With their hunger pains gone, the crowd marveled at what transpired. Having a captivated audience, Jesus took the opportunity to speak about a different type of hunger and thirst - this time a spiritual one.
The Christmas season often centers on Jesus' birth. A baby in a manger is safe and adorable and doesn't require much from us. We can celebrate the story and go about our business - no disruption, no changes. But there is so much more to Advent than "there being no room in the inn." His arrival has implications. Advent means "coming." where we not only celebrate Jesus' first coming but also anticipate that He will come again. It's the season of "already/not yet." In the space between, we make room in our hearts for Christ to reside while living with hopeful expectations. Rather than a dreadful ending, His return is a blessed hope that brings redemption and reconciliation to all things.
Love isn’t passive at all; it is a force that acts on the world profoundly, often disrupting the patterns that protect the status quo. It is the force that breathes worth and value into the soul of another. Jesus invites us to a radically different way of life under the rule of a fundamentally different authority. God’s love is the source of goodness, expressed in reconciliation. Goodness is the fruit that comes when God’s love overflows in our lives. God doesn’t call us to change or fix the world; He urges us to love it as we trust Him.
Jesus continually elevated love as the highest call, yet, embracing this love when it requires us to extend it to someone else is easier said than done. Love needs relationships and cultivated spaces where relationships can flourish. We pursue reconciliation and redemption in all places. It's the message we carry with us wherever we go. An encounter with Christ's love influences how we interact, respond and care for those around us. It shapes the way we see others. Goodness is the fruit that comes when God's love overflows into our lives.
Formation is the process of becoming, which enables God’s Kingdom to become more normal and less foreign. Yet, old habits die hard - there are still other voices and values that still hold weight. Forced good creates “good” habits devoid of the deep goodness in your heart. To remain and stay aware of His work and intention is to walk in the Spirit. We take our cues by capturing our thoughts while listening to His voice. To live in submission to God is not our duty; it is our design. When we encounter the goodness of God, the call to goodness isn’t a command; it is an invitation to belong and become.
What makes something or someone "good"? What do you think of when you hear the word “goodness”? For most of us our minds naturally drift toward the concepts of virtue, morality, or being well behaved. But the picture Scripture paints goes much deeper than behavior. From the creation story, to the ancient confessions, to the life of Jesus, to the early church we see a weaving of good that is both attractive and compelling. Goodness is not a forced morality that demands others comply with our standard, rather it is a fruit produced in us as we abide in Christ. The source of goodness is God’s love that forms us and shapes us, and then leads us to love others! Redemptive love is the expression of goodness that compels us to care, to not give up hope, and to honor another person without manipulation or control. Goodness then, is the return to God’s original design made possible in our lives and in our community by the good news of the gospel.
The reason you struggle isn't that you're broken - it's because you're human. However, the direction in which you struggle matters. You struggle in the right direction when you struggle toward Jesus Christ and His Lordship and head toward being known, challenged, and loved in community. You have to have people around you who long for your formation. Care is cultivating space to live freely to live wholly. We experience God's fullness the same way we receive God's grace. It is available in the moment, sufficient for the moment. Wholeness isn't a state in which we arrive but rather a reality of dependence from which we live. It's the integration of our fractured hearts and scattered souls.
The world exposes us to many competing and inconsistent philosophies about who we are and how we should live. Unfortunately, if we listen to them long enough, we allow these lies to morph into our story. These default narratives become well-worn roads we travel down; following them sends us down paths we never intended to travel. The hope of the Gospel is the start of a new story. We no longer need to settle for the story we find ourselves stuck in. Instead, we can think our thoughts and make them obedient to Christ. The people we trust play a part in our formation process. We must surround ourselves with voices that speak louder than the enemy's lies. We care for others when we help them encounter Jesus and His redemptive work.
In authentic connection, we trust others enough to struggle together. To live safely within the care of a community does not mean that we are left unchallenged or always agreed with. Instead, living safely actually requires bravery! We must be brave enough to trust. We must be brave enough to share our stories, and brave enough to enter into someone else's story. Instead of trying to control the outcome of our healing, we simply avail ourselves to be known and allow our struggle to find a safe place to be shouldered.
We often view the need for care as a sign of weakness on our part. If we were strong enough, we'd be self-sufficient; so when we encounter something we can't handle on our own, we reason there must be something wrong with us. However, care is not a result of being needy but rather part of the human experience. Rather than preventing healthy connections, accepting care and tending to others causes trusted, formative relationships to flourish. If we don't develop strong enough connections to struggle together, we will never trust enough to belong. Care is where we find ourselves free to bring who we are (which includes what has happened) with the hope that we will become who God created us to be. Caring for the needs of our community requires a collective effort and a shared responsibility.
God designed our relationships to form us, not merely affirm us. He made us for connection, but we often settle for acceptance. To live safely in the care of another requires risk. It's easy to grow disenchanted when we recognize the difficulty and tenacity necessary to partake and participate in relationships that form and shape us. The source of our connections determines the strength and depth of our relationships. Formative connections flourish when the exchange of life is sourced by God's love and secured by our identity in Him. Without mutual trust and shared experience, the way of Jesus will only reach our heads and not our hearts. A trusted connection provides a space to be ourselves and to become ourselves.
We will always have an excuse for why we aren’t different. Whenever we struggle alone, we only increase the pressure of our temptation. The more we struggle alone, the more likely we believe that secrets are safe and acceptable. For deep, meaningful formative connections to flourish, trust is required. What we share allows us to be known and available to know another. Connection is to exchange life with one another as we trust enough to live safely within the care of our community. These relationships need to be fostered and nurtured - they require something of us and something from us. We need to be a safe place for everyone to share who they are (the good, the bad, and the ugly) as we learn to trust, walk, and step into our new identities in Christ and who God created us to be, both individually and corporately.
In our broken world, distrust is justified and seems the only way to protect ourselves. But our self-protection keeps us from embracing the kind of life God created us to experience together. The source of our connection will determine the strength and depth of the relationship. Humanity will only share the oneness we long for within the wholeness we are made for. Our wholeness is determined by how much of His life we are willing to receive. The currency of connection is trust. The goal is to learn to trust enough to live within the care of each other.
Created in the image of a relational God, the desire for relational connections is wired into our DNA. Unfortunately, we often resist this depth of connection out of a fear of rejection and of what authentic connection may require of us. Yet, the collective reach of our church begins with the health of our connections, displayed in a willingness to include, to avail ourselves to others, and to allow our relationships to form and shape us into the people God is calling us to be. The implications of the Gospel are both personal and corporate. God's work isn't just about your life being changed, but life exchange with one another. Connection is to exchange life with another as we trust enough to live safely within the care of our community. It is the first step in the reconciliation we long for.
We all play a part in shaping the culture of our community. Culture is the spontaneous, recurring patterns that shape who we become. As our individual hearts expand, so does our collective expression. We bear the integrity of His image and bring the influence of His love. If we're to become a redemptive community that brings profound healing, it takes everyone. We can't mistake trivia, knowing about God, for depth, a deepening connection with Him. We cannot grow in our depth with God and remain indifferent toward others. God didn't command us to change the world; He called us to love it. Redemption is relational. Our blessing is for the world around us.
Our mission as a church has always been “To reach people and help them walk with God.” But what do we mean by REACH? How do we know when we’ve done it? How can we do it better? This Fall, we want to rethink and redefine what we mean by REACH. Reach is not about building our brand or some attempt to boost attendance. Reach is not a strategy. It can't be measured by the number of people attending our gatherings or even the scope of our influence. That’s far too passive and outdated as our culture shifts. Reach is about paying attention to our hearts and what we are willing to care for. Reach is a mindset that shapes how we see the world around us.
Many of us stand on the water’s edge, wondering why God won’t do anything extraordinary to show us the way. And the reason is that we haven’t yet done what He has asked us to do. God invites us to take a step, and when we follow Him, He shows us the next step and calls us to trust. Clarity does not come with knowing the path; it comes with taking the step. God is always leading us to have faith—and then more conviction. He doesn’t operate according to our version of normal. We are moving out into places where we don’t yet know. So, we prepare, resolve, and surrender today because tomorrow God is leading us into a place that will require us to trust.
All good things come to an end, including this podcast series. It seems like we started this journey only yesterday with a question: what if we treated the summer like a Sabbath? For the past ten weeks, we've embraced the disruption summer brings by slowing down and letting the words from the book of Psalms wash over us. By doing so, we gained insight into the profoundness of the human heart and the depth of God's love and faithfulness. In these quiet moments, we sensed God's presence, heard His voice, and gained clarity on the well-being of our souls. As this is our final Summer Sabbath podcast episode, we want to mark a moment with a special time of reflection and worship. We will take a journey through the Psalms one last time together, pausing to read a verse from each week and then leading you through a prayer prompt.
Throughout his long life, the author of Psalm 71 faced adversity, misfortune, and times of trouble. But, as he reflected on God's faithfulness every step of the way, he remained confident God would be by his side during his present trials. Today, as we dig deeper into this passage, we'll see the transformational power in our difficult seasons.
Our time together this week has us in Psalm 71, contemplating the words of an aging writer in trouble; his enemies look to capitalize on his fragile condition. While reflecting on a lifetime of faithful devotion, he declares his continued trust in God. He asks God to save him again - not so he can enjoy retirement, bask in his glory days, kick up his feet, and live the good life, but to do something unexpected: share his faith with the next generation. It is this point we want to consider today.
Returning to Psalm 71, we encounter our author looking backward to garner the strength to move forward in his later years. As he reflects on his life, both the good and the bad, he considers the source of his hope. The legacy left behind were decades of dependency and countless examples of God's protection and presence, and for that, he offers up praise.
Persevering faith and steadfast endurance characterize Psalm 71, our passage for this week's study. Its confident words come from an aging author reflecting on his current distress through the lens of a lifelong faith, declaring God's heart is to provide refuge and rescue to those who call on His name.
What do you hope defines the Church you call home? What would be the prayer you utter for your community? What do you wish the people of your town would say when talking about your Church? Is it something like, "Oh yeah... that's the community who's reliant on prayer, focused on serving, making a difference in hurting places, welcoming everyone, or displaying love through their actions." A reputation like that requires something from each one of us and it gets built one small step of obedience and faith at a time.
Every day, all around us, we are confronted with brokenness. We see needs in our neighborhood, our city, and our world. We may even feel a nudge to get involved, do something and take action, but fear, doubt, and inadequacy win out. Some of us allow our convenience, comfort, and complacency to justify our inactivity. We shrink back, turn away, and hope someone else will rise to the occasion. But, Christ asks you and me to play a vital part in healing our culture.
This week's time inside Psalm 67 has challenged us to look outside ourselves by setting our sights on the world around us. The author pours his soul out to God in prayer, not for personal blessings, but for a day when all nations will praise God's name. In that gap between the prayer and its culmination, we reside and play a part in its fulfillment. Today, we want to consider how our message to the world is a heart and life transformed by Christ's love.
The seven short verses of Psalm 67 pack quite a punch, jolting us from our tendency to think of faith through an individualistic lens. Rather than a consumer or critic, it invites us to be a contributor to the work God is actively doing. Instead of pondering what the Church can do for us, it challenges us to consider how we can be the Church in the places we call home as well as to our hurting and lost world.
In our divided and jaded world, Psalm 67 brings us hope while giving us responsibility for its restoration. Amid our selfish, me-focused culture, the beautiful liturgy that is Psalm 67 challenges us to take our attention off ourselves and set our focus outward. These words sung for centuries among different faith traditions and various languages across the globe are a melody of mission, a tune for togetherness, and a hymn dedicated to His name glorified among the nations.
This Sunday, July 31st, our church will practice a “SABBATH SUNDAY.” On this day, we will not gather together at our church building. Instead, we will use this time to intentionally rest and practice what we have learned through our Summer Sabbath series.
Our hope is that “Sabbath Sunday” will be a day for our church to collectively take a deep breath, cease striving, and rest in God’s provision. We encourage you to invite your family or friends to deliberately set apart a portion of this Sunday for Sabbath.
To assist you in your time, we will make resources available to you, including a short “Sabbath Sunday” video that you can watch, this podcast, and an additional video made specifically for kids, and a Sabbath Suggestions Guide for your day!
Blessings.
The words of Psalm 63, this prayer from David, contains both moments of praise and meditations. We can appreciate its contents and insight by reading it. However, we can experience and unlock its powerful truths when we pray along with it, and that’s what we want to do today. This episode will be intentionally different in its format and flow. As we read a portion of Psalm 63 together (verses 1-8), we will pause at different times to meditate on and pray through those words.
For the last few days, the words of David captured in Psalm 63 have brought us comfort and insight on quenching our spiritual thirst, the power of worship, and the art of dependency. A common theme thread through each verse is the power that comes through a mind centered on God. We want to delve deeper into this topic today and recognize that our minds shape our hearts, direct our eyes, and guide our steps.
As we continue our journey through Psalm 63, we witness worship erupt in the wilderness. While on the run as others attempt to take his life, David directs his praise to the One who created his life. Like David, God wired us to worship. It is part of our DNA to give our affections and attention to something greater than ourselves
There were numerous, justifiable reasons for David to be dismayed as he looked around at the desolate wasteland he now called home while writing Psalm 63. Yet, David didn’t give in to discouragement; He fought against those feelings by leaning on past experiences where God displayed His love, protection, and provision to him.
How we fill ourselves amid adversity is critical to how we recover. We need to create space for recovery. By tending to our hearts, we learn how to respond with courage declaring, like David, our need for God. Amid those dry places, David recognized his spiritual thirst in Psalm 63. By strengthening our faith, we activate a sustaining source that we can rely on no matter what comes our way.
When we hear the word “sabbath”, our minds naturally gravitate toward a picture where it’s quiet and we’re alone. There’s no one else around except for God while we rest and recharge. And even though this is a critical and needed spiritual practice, togetherness should play a part in our ability to rest. The invitation to follow Jesus is an invitation to a family, and family makes time for family. We invite people into our world - the good, bad, and ugly and welcome them into every part of who we are.
A jaded heart is unusable to God. A prideful heart doesn't believe it needs God in the first place. A fearful heart will never come out of hiding. But, a broken and contrite heart - that is one God not only welcomes and accepts but is eager to capture and transform. We display a broken spirit and contrite heart when we come humbly before God, acknowledging our sin and proclaiming God’s goodness. By doing so, we express our desperate and dependent need for God and His mercy.
The many months of hiding his sin left David spiritually stagnant. David longs for a sense of intimacy and connection. We cannot lose our salvation, but our struggles possess the power to rob our joy and the connection we feel with God as we distance ourselves from Him. An immense and inexpressible joy is available to us; we tap into it when we are honest about our hearts, and express gratitude for all God has done for us.
What’s taking place on the inside is bound to show on the outside. Even though cleaning our hearts on the outside might fix our problems for a moment and perhaps draw the admiration of others for a bit, it doesn't address the root issue. David didn't need a well-groomed version of the heart he already had but an entirely new heart from God. And so do we.
No matter how much he tried, David couldn't flee the constant reminders of his sin and the consequences that came with it. When it comes to our hidden sins and struggles, the ones we keep to ourselves deep inside, we act in much the same way as David. We avoid and attempt to escape it. We numb, medicate and distract ourselves. We try to ignore it and go about our business. None of these shortsighted tricks work on our regret, shame, grief, and misery - freedom only comes through acknowledgement and confession.
Psalm 51 opens up with an anguished plea, "Have mercy on me, O God." Gone are the justifications and denials, replaced by an apologetic and remorseful spirit. David's once hardened heart has not only softened; its contriteness is on full display, laid bare before God. David saw the depth of his struggles, but he also caught a glimpse of the depth of God's unfailing love and great compassion.
At times, life can feel chaotic. Everything and everyone demands our time and attention. We’re all busy, and some of us are burned out. We move from one thing to the next, and if we’re not careful, we miss moments to recognize God working around us, speaking to us, and inviting us to pay attention. Yet, it is possible for us in the middle of chaos to experience sabbath moments of rest by looking for what God is doing, treasuring the moment, and pausing to process.
This week's time spent in Psalm 46 has reaffirmed our trust in God as our refuge, strength, and ever-present help while realigning our hearts with His ways. Recognizing His greatness, faithfulness, and protection invites us to stop striving and, instead, depend on Him in every circumstance. Rather than rush past this powerful insight, Scripture, specifically the book of Psalms, invites us to engage in a contemplative practice called Selah. If the original authors found Selah as a necessary and important exercise, so should we, and that’s why we want to practice it today.
Today, we turn our attention to Psalm 46:10: "Be still and know that I am God." At first glance, this beloved verse seems tailor-made for a summer centered on rest, especially when it falls on a Thursday - near the end of a busy and demanding week. But, what if our interpretation and understanding of this passage can be a worthwhile spiritual practice while at the same time taking it entirely out of context? Perhaps our answer is found in what drives and motivates us to run ourselves ragged, pushing ourselves to the limit.
God's provision and peace are not only constant; they're also abundant. Unfortunately, over the years, some have hijacked, distorted, and twisted the meaning of abundance to the point where it looks nowhere close to God's original intent. Abundance has nothing to do with our wealth, prosperity, or personal well-being. It's about God and uplifting others.
Regardless of whether our hearts are heavy or jumping for joy, His presence and help are beside us. In the bad and the good, His Spirit is there to guide, encourage, and inspire us. The God we worship isn't detached, distracted, or distant. During our most significant times of need, He isn't sort-of there or halfway paying attention. Neither is He bothered or annoyed by our pleading, conversation, and prayers; God cherishes the dialogue and invites us to come to His throne with our needs, fears, and hopes with bold confidence.
Psalm 46 runs similar to many other poems inside the book of Psalms. The author finds themselves in some uncertain circumstances with chaos unfolding around them. But, rather than begin with words of distress, Psalm 46 opens up with a declaration - God is our refuge, strength, and ever-present help. We find safety, security, and rest for our weary souls in God. A fortress might not change the dire circumstances taking place outside its walls, but under its roof, a refuge keeps you safe, a feeling we all desperately need to experience.
Sabbath isn’t just a day to not work; it’s a day to delight. We pull away from the pressure to perform and achieve to delight in what God has already done and the faithfulness and love He will continue to show. We delight in the things around us that reconnect us to God and breathe life into our souls and spark joy in our hearts.
Before we head into the weekend, we want to reflect one last time on Psalm 42 and how its author dealt with a downcast soul. So far, we've witnessed him engage in different habits that uplifted his spirits - recognizing his spiritual thirst, bringing his doubts and questions to God, preaching to himself, and acknowledging God's love by recalling His past faithfulness. These practices cause something to rise within us and spill out from us: worship.
We all fight with forgetfulness, especially with our faith. We suffer from spiritual amnesia. We get so caught up in the here and now that we forget how many times God carried us through challenging times. Forgetfulness rears its ugly head most often during these moments of struggle. When we come face-to-face with adversity, we forget all that God has done for us.
We need to learn to stop listening to ourselves and start speaking to ourselves. We respond to the enemy's lies by shouting back God’s truth. This is what’s taking place in Psalm 42. The author is having a tough conversation with his soul and not pulling any punches. He goes further than simply asking why his soul is downcast; he urges it to continue hoping in God and praising Him.
In trying circumstances, what we do with our doubts and questions matters. Doubt can become a barrier toward faith, an excuse to give up hope, or utilized as an opportunity to take determined steps of faith and obedience amid trying times. Faith is not having all the answers but being convinced enough to commit and continue with courage. It is our faith that pleases God because faith requires trust and humility. Honest doubt fuels pursuit.
Despair is the backdrop for Psalm 42. In an attempt to capture the depths of what he was experiencing, the author leans on a familiar imagery in Scripture – water and thirst. The author finds himself beyond thirsty, but he’s not looking for relief from his circumstance; he has an aching longing for a relationship with his Creator. Like our bodies require water to function, our souls desperately need God to flourish. Because God created us in His image, we have a spiritual thirst that only God can satisfy.
How do our moments of quiet, rest, and reflection help us process what we see and experience? Mike joins us to share how the Summer Sabbath experience is helping him navigate all the turmoil and difficulty present in the world.
Our responsiveness to His grace and guidance hinges on our ability to remember and rejoice. And, in today’s episode we want to practice just that - and spend some time remembering and rejoicing in God’s faithfulness, care, and forgiveness.
Before, our hidden struggles encouraged us to hide from God. With sin creating distance, the last thing we’d want is for God to be close; we'd resist looking to Him for guidance. But, now things are different - a restored relationship influences how we respond to His direction going forward. Since He is responsive to us, God invites us to posture our hearts to be responsive to Him.
Being vulnerable and availing ourselves requires bravery, honesty with God, and a persistent trust that He can do more with our mess than we could even imagine. When we acknowledge our struggles, radical forgiveness, unconditional love, and redemptive grace reach the deepest places of our souls.
If God didn't design our hearts and souls to bear sin, how do we reconcile this with our desire to manage it? Our lives depend on getting found. There is no healing in hiding. To come out of hiding means to stop trying to cover our faults and sins.
As we turn our attention to Psalm 32, we'll witness a different type of turmoil; rather than something beyond our control, this fight resides within ourselves - the pains of hidden struggles, unconfessed sin, and covered-up shame. Our natural tendency will be to avoid this tension and to avoid exposing our darkness to the light, but when we do, we rob God of the opportunity to show a different side of His character - the One who graciously forgives.
As we’ve walked through this passage together, we saw the ups and downs of David’s faith journey - confidence and contemplation along with struggle and pleas for guidance. David ends Psalm 27 with an encouraging rallying cry that he speaks over not only himself, but to you, me, and his readers - “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
The pleading from David continues but shifts to a desperate prayer for guidance - ” teach me Your way, O Lord.” For God to be our teacher, we must posture ourselves as humble students willing to listen, receive, and act upon His wisdom, correction, and guidance.
Up to this point in our journey through Psalm 27, David's confidence in the Lord has been rock-solid, expressing itself through courage, celebration, and contemplation. Today, we encounter a vastly different David - one shaken and struggling. He can't sense God's presence or hear His voice. Instead, he's crying out to God. His words feel oddly familiar because his laments have, at times, been our laments.
The person who finds themselves blessed is the one who meditates on the law of the Lord day and night. David isn’t calling us to leave the world behind and embrace a monastic lifestyle. Instead, his words encourage us to enter into a mindset and heartset inclined toward God.
Anyone who has found themselves in crisis, periods of waiting, or trying circumstances understands Psalm 27 isn't two separate psalms, but an accurate representation of the human experience, the highs and the lows, of navigating troubling times. What we do in the waiting matters more than we realize - it is here where our faith gets tested, formed, and shaped.
We speak of “searching for God,” “exploring spirituality,” and “finding faith.” But what if we have it backward, and God is the one pursuing us?What if our job is not to go find God but stop running and hiding? Not to discover the light, but step out of the shadows? Not to earn God’s love, but simply receive it? Jesus reveals a pursuing God who comes after us, and when He finds us, a celebration ensues. The question we’re left with is not whether we’ve been good enough, jumped high enough, or sought hard enough... the question is: “Do we want to be found?”
Today’s episode will be a bit different in its format and flow, and this switch is done with intentionality. First, we will read Psalm 23 together. and then use its words to offer a prayer back to God. As we meditate on the psalm verse by verse, we will be reminded of His goodness while strengthening our understanding of His truth.
Up to this point in Psalm 23, David has described God as a caring shepherd who leads and watches over his flock. Then, in verse 5, the imagery changes from a loving shepherd to a gracious host who throws a victory feast. But, it's not just an ordinary party; it's a celebration in the presence of our enemies. The conquering king invites his honored guest to the table not in a giant banquet hall but on the battlefield!
Our valleys don't need to be places of despair but the very spot where we declare our trust in God. We're often guilty of chasing mountaintop experiences or yearning for green pastures, BUT we recognize our need for a shepherd most in those valleys. His presence doesn't eliminate the existence of evil, but it does eradicate our fear of it.
Let's address the elephant (or, in this case, sheep) in the room about Psalm 23. We don't like to be dependent on anyone but ourselves. In our eyes, being compared to a helpless and foolish creature prone to wander isn't a badge of honor, especially in a culture that applauds self-sufficiency and encourages hiding our weaknesses. Yet, the more determined and defiant we are to go our own way, the more we display our stubborn "sheepish" qualities.
If the Bible had a soundtrack, Psalm 23 would likely be the first track. Its comforting words have brought hope and courage to countless individuals wrestling with grief, sorrow, and trials - and rightfully so. Yet, our familiarity with this passage can have adverse effects over time. Because we can recite it, we think we "know" it, and as a result, we lose sight of the beautiful insight it provides on God's character and His love, care, and faithfulness to us.
God was so serious about us experiencing the Sabbath that He commanded it. He invites us to work from rest rather than the inverse. But the pattern of our lives is often the latter. We work…then we crash, and in doing so, rest becomes a form of recovery or even survival. We carry all the pressure for everything we have to do. Sabbath is about trust, and we reveal our confidence and faith in God when we embrace the call to rest.
Over the past week, we’ve slowed down, sat with, and reflected on the inspiring words of Psalm 1. So today’s episode will be a little different - as we want to help you articulate the things you’re learning, sensing, and feeling, as well as the ways God has spoken to you through Psalm 1.
Today, we will see that delighting in Scripture and enjoying God’s presence does something in us. It molds and shapes us; the question is - into what?
God created a way for us to take hold of unshakeable joy and lasting contentment - something the author of Psalm 1 refers to as being “blessed.” Today, we want to take a closer look at what the “blessed” person does to feed and fuel their soul and how it makes their heart come alive with delight.
In today’s episode, we’ll continue exploring Psalm 1, looking at the first two verses and exploring the age-old question: Does God want me to be happy? Or is there something greater He wants us to experience?
Today is the beginning of our weekday Summer Sabbath podcast series!
Rather than rushing through this summer, our hope is to find new rhythms of sabbath rest together - and one way we can do that is through the podcast you're listening to right now! This week we are reading from Psalm 1 and letting its beautiful and powerful words wash over us while providing space for God to speak to us. You can listen straight through this podcast as you drive to work or walk around the neighborhood, or you can sit down with a Bible and journal and hit pause at any point to spend some additional time reading and processing. However you engage with our weekday podcast series, we are excited that we as a church can engage in reading through Psalm 1 together! Blessings.
For many of us, we view an invitation to rest as a nice thought but hardly available or realistic. Rest feels like a luxury that busy people can scarcely afford. We excuse it away by saying, “You don’t know my schedule or the demands on my time.” Ultimately, we will rest when we believe things are under control or under our control, to be more specific. We tend to think of rest as a means to an end. Rest allows us to do what we do; rest enables us to keep going. As long as we go where we desire to go and nothing changes or accelerates, we are fine. But, what inevitably happens is that rest becomes a survival function, and the lack of available rest undermines our peace and creates chaos in every relationship and circumstance. We treat rest as a means to an end, but true rest depends on something other than our awareness that we need rest. Rest is a by-product. But, a result of what?
The challenge in our world isn't that we cannot agree; we refuse to agree. Creating an endless variety of "them" serves to justify us. We try to get the most power with the least amount of responsibility. But what if there is no "them" and only "us"? Rather than divide and separate, the message of Christ brings people together. Christ demolished the dividing wall by entering the space that separates. He closes every gap where division grows. We belong to each other. Because we are reconciled to Him, we are reconciled to everyone else. Our personal applications of Scripture have corporate implications. Whenever we hear something, it always comes with responsibility. The force of God's love, pursuit, and promise is available to those who trust it.
This summer, we invite you to join us on a journey to find rest… but we’re not talking about a vacation or an escape from responsibilities. For the next ten weeks, we are exploring what it would look like to treat this summer as a Sabbath. “Sabbath” is a time set apart to experience rest as we deliberately stop working and trust in God’s provision.
To help us find new rhythms of sabbath rest together, we will release a weekday podcast to prompt us to pull away from the regular grind of the workweek and prioritize our walk with God. Each week on the podcast, we'll focus on one Psalm, taking a different perspective each day. This will allow the scripture to encourage, challenge, and inspire us. Every episode, we will take some time to reflect on what God is trying to say to us through the words we read. Then we will take a few moments to respond to what we hear, and finally, we will close in a time of prayer.
We hope you will join us, starting next Monday, as we begin this Summer Sabbath series!
The teachings of Jesus provide wisdom on how to live in and contribute to God's Kingdom while the grind of redemption continues to happen. We do not belong to the world, but we have a responsibility for it. We represent God's presence and are responsible for God's intention. Scripture nourishes, sustains, and breathes life. We read, and we receive. Responsive hearing gets displayed in our obedience. The result of our responsiveness to God is love. If God is love, we reflect His image by loving those around us.
Our call is to bear God's image, not simply keep His rules. Understanding this drastically transforms the way we approach Scripture. It's not about compliance but connection - not about following rules but fostering a relationship. In Scripture, we encounter God's love for us - ultimately revealed in Jesus. We witness God's pursuit of us - God didn't just show up; He entered in. And, we see God's promise of redemption - we are new creatures who have something to contribute.
We bring our perspective to everything, including reading Scripture. What we see frames our understanding of it. We need to see something beyond what we are already looking for. To discover what God has to say requires us to do more than read the Bible; we need to hear from God. So we enter in and listen. Reading Scripture helps us understand our salvation and experience our life of redemption. As we begin to understand the healing Christ provides to us, we recognize that He invites us to work toward the healing of the people and places around us. God builds His Kingdom and brings His rule not by force but through love - He accomplishes this through us. We offer what we have for the flourishing of others. Redemption is not the process by which we belong in the world but rather the restoration of all relationships because we belong to God.
Discovering what God has to say requires us to do more than read the Bible; we need to hear from God. His voice is soft and subtle, so we must tune our ears and posture our hearts to hear it. The story of the Bible helps us understand and experience our salvation. We need to sort and wrestle this out with each other. We're created to be image-bearers which is a far more beautiful call than being rule keepers. To bear one's image entails intimacy, understanding, and obedience. Stepping into this role is done together. We learn with one another for one another.
We all have a way we approach the Bible, a lens through which we read and interpret it. Most of the time, we read the Bible with questions in mind without considering them since they are so innate and assumed. When we open the Bible, we find what we are already looking for while overlooking what we are afraid of. We do this because our minds instinctively work to eliminate contradictory elements and synthesize and justify our positions and beliefs. The freedom of giving up a black and white view of Scripture allows the truth to become full of color. We have to learn to read Scripture for transformation, not simply information - this takes work, time, and each other. When we come to the Bible to see what God says, we may miss the more critical invitation to see God. He invites us to behold, wonder, and believe. We have to work hard not to get stuck in our faith and pursuit of God but to stay curious. The formation of our lives into His image will be a wrestling match - one we do TOGETHER.
We've grown up with a Gospel picture that is inadequate and insufficient to compel us toward a full life. The good news of Jesus is so much more than simply a choice between heaven and hell. We are so used to hearing the Gospel presented with the question: If we were to die, do we know where we would go? Instead, we need to ask ourselves a better question: What if we didn't die? Do we know what it means to truly live? If we answer that question, the first question doesn't matter. Jesus came to bring life to anything that keeps us stuck. He speaks life into the chaos, and His resurrection ushers in restoration. Resurrection power brings life to places that were once dead. The point of the resurrection is not to understand how it happened but to experience it.
When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, the people waving palm branches and shouting, "Hosanna!" were expecting a revolution. Jesus freed them from a corrupt, oppressive system - just not the one they expected. The donkey Jesus rode on served to represent a peaceful rule by a humble king. He was ushering in a new way for us to live as His new humanity. We live in the space where God is working to redeem all things, and He does it through us. There is a subversive nature to the Gospel. It undermines and removes the power that this world possesses. Jesus fills us with grace and love so that we can give it away. His love compels us to love because we are free. An encounter with Christ changes us… and then the world around us.
We love slapping labels on ourselves and others. The problem is: that labels are lazy - not loving. They allow safe distance and require no effort on our part. We create lines to define how people participate in society, shaping the way we see and interact with one another. The lines we draw to preserve our way and exclude others, Jesus keeps erasing. We witness this in the story of Zacchaeus. Jesus looked up, noticed the tax collector in a tree, and called him by name. He crashed the party and made Himself at home. It's Christ's love that compels us to pursue and include. There is dignity in being named. Names humanize while stories foster understanding. The "other" is a person with a name and a story - someone loved by and made for God. When generalizations become personal, the only path to take is a relationship.
We need more information to be convinced of Christ's love; we need an encounter. To truly encounter Jesus is to be compelled by Jesus. That is why we want to take a step back and see Jesus with fresh eyes. The stories we read in the Gospels aren't simply moral lessons designed to make us better people; they are moments in which we get to see God revealing Himself to us through Jesus. And what we see is that we stand accepted and we belong. Knowing our identity and that God already approves of us frees us from grasping for identity and approval from others. If our family of origin can be a place where we experience deep wounds, then perhaps our family of redemption can be a place where we can experience deep healing.
We cannot be formed into the image of Jesus by ourselves; it's our relationships that shape our formation. God causes our growth while inviting us to play a role in the growth of others. But, we can't waste our time focusing on the fruit our lives produce; we need to pay attention to the soil around us. Our responsibility is to manage our growing conditions by abiding in Jesus and letting Him form us. As He does, we become rich soil God uses for others to grow. It is easy to think that someone else will do this job. But God doesn't want someone else to do it; He wants US. When we pass the work of God's Kingdom off to someone else, we stop ourselves from being formed and stunt our growth. God uses broken people to do beautiful things. Taking part in the formation of others requires us to meet people exactly where they are and love them. And that is something we all can do.
Carrying for each other doesn't turn us inward, shrink our perspective, or inhibit our reach; The care we display to one another is the starting point for caring for the world around us. Our willingness to tend to our walk with Christ and concern for others' formation shapes the church's growth. One catches the vision when they feel the responsibility. We hope those that call Port City home would consider their contribution, show up for the sake of others, and encourage people towards courage. Our responsibility to one another is a weight we must feel.
Port City Community Church is not a place; it's a people who gather together, serve together, and live life together for the sake of the world around us. An others-focused, servant-hearted, and humbly-driven community doesn't just happen by chance. Remaining connected to Jesus and each other will require strength, endurance, and patience. It takes commitment to remain and a willingness to stay rooted so that fruit can be born. A time of ripening develops us to the point of readiness. When fruit is ripe, it is ready. God is inviting us to be fruitful in a way that nourishes others.
Submission is not a response to power and authority—it is a response to trust. When we submit to one another out of our love for Christ, we acknowledge the legitimacy of the other person. One can't experience change without being challenged deeply, especially in our relationships. To yield to the value of another is an act of dependency. There is an inherent submission in living under grace. Dependence applied is being able to trust God with other people and trust other people with God. The need for humility and others-focused love should define our relationships and life in God's Kingdom.
Dependence feels like a temporary necessity until we can do things ourselves. However, dependence isn't a means to an end but rather how God intends us to live. The skill of self-control is dependence. Exhibiting self-control puts us in a position to discern God's activity and trust it. Disciplined dependence is about paying attention to what we think and see. Participating in a new humanity requires us to be attentive in each moment.
Social isn't a game not measured by our status, but how we participate and represent the new humanity created by and defined by Jesus. The way we leverage authority over our heart, mind, hands, and feet matter. Everything He has done for us should affect everything about us. There are needed skills to navigate this new culture and embrace our new identity. When we get unsettled with unfamiliar things, we will feel the pull to return to familiar things and our old ways. We are born again into a way of life in which God's Kingdom becomes more normal and less foreign. The world is not black and white. Practicing the skill of discernment enables us to navigate the gray.
The Gospel is a radical reorientation of what it means to be social. One relationship defines all others. More than anything else, our relationship with Christ should shape how we interact, relate, and respond to the world around us. Jesus didn't just make us into a new person; He made us into a new people. A relationship with Christ is personal but never intended to be private. Our new corporate identity has implications on our individual lives. It gives us a new perspective, culture, and skills we need to practice. A willingness to practice is the only way for the ways of God's Kingdom to become less foreign and more natural to us.
There is plenty of fuel for a vision to retreat, escape, control, or build our comfortable kingdom with our familiar tribe. But participating and contributing to the renewal of all that God intends requires something far more profound. We need a vision for the Gospel compelling enough for the sacrifice that it will require. Redemption grinds through time and history, with starts and stalls. The promise of God's redemptive promise at times looks unstoppable and, at other times, barely recognizable. The challenge of redemption is belief-- believing it will happen because it often defies our calculations. God's redemptive plan has little concern for our comfort but promises a depth of joy and peace that we cannot experience otherwise.
Scripture urges us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling - this isn't a call for more effort and earning, but instead speaks to the posture we must display as we confront our sin and struggles as well the world's brokenness. We expose those places where doubt, pride, anger, and fear have taken hold and fight back with greater hope. We sit in stunned silence not only by the significance of our sin but the tremendous outpouring of Christ's love, forgiveness, and grace. Finally, we strive for deeper dependency and greater faith that reframes and reshapes everything about us. We remember by entering into our struggles, naming our brokenness, and declaring the hope we have in Christ.
When we take our sin seriously, we learn to see the beauty of forgiveness and experience the power of love. Healing is happening in places we can't see. Recognizing that we live in forgiveness as one who stands forgiven dramatically alters how we navigate the brokenness in our lives and the world around us. We break the cycle of struggles by allowing them to see the light of day. Confession is refusing to conceal our deepest distrust, misdeeds, and attitudes with God and trusted others so we may experience His ready forgiveness and healing. We fight back with a greater hope by exposing those places where doubt, pride, anger, and fear have taken hold. Small acts of obedience can become declarations of trust.
Everyone would agree we live in a crazy world full of broken people and systems. We have plenty of opinions and viewpoints on the cause and the solution to our woes. The condition of our world often lures our hope. If the world gets better, then we will feel better - the state of our world determines the condition of our soul. Living this way leaves us on shaky ground with restless hearts. Sin is what's wrong, and everything else we encounter is just a symptom of it. We tend to think of sin behaviorally, while God wants us to see our struggles relationally. Sin isn't about a broken rule but broken trust. It involves depending upon anything other than God as the source of our identity, sufficiency, and life.
Obedience is learning how to respond to what God is doing in front of us, around us, and in us, which requires vision. Mike Ashcraft and Carson Goslee sat down and talked about the 2022 Personal Retreat and the importance of carving out moments for reflection and articulation. We want to pause and consider what the events of 2021 felt like and look forward to the future with great anticipation and expectation.
On Christmas, as we live within the middle space of hope seen and hope fulfilled, we celebrate the arrival of Jesus and wait for His return. When Jesus says He’s “the way, the truth, and the life,” He wasn’t giving us directions to Heaven, but demonstrating the path to experiencing freedom and fullness right here and right now. Every time we forgive, love, and extend grace, we bring a bit of His heart to the world around us.
Forgiveness is more than a clean slate; it's the road we must travel to experience true freedom. It serves as the operating system within God's Kingdom.vIn our relationship with God, there are no borders or any "no trespassing" signs, we have complete access to Him, and therein, He has full access to us. We can offer our whole hearts to God because He has forgiven every part of it. The way of Jesus is the way through. Jesus' death on the cross not only paid for our sins but freed us from its power and rule. Deliverance is more than an escape; it is salvation. The way of deliverance is the journey out of bondage.
The haunting sense that there won't be enough drives our actions. The prayer for daily bread is where God's faithfulness intersects with our dependency. Our willingness to trust in God's provision pushes against our natural tendencies to rely on our ability to provide for ourselves.
The promise of daily bread goes beyond our basic needs and affirms His promise to provide for every purpose He has for us. The provision for God's will requires us to trust moment by moment and declare our dependence on Him.
We see what we want to see. The lens of sin's separation distorts our perspective and is the plight of life in our broken world. We see dimly through a cracked and fragmented reality while catching glimpses of how things are supposed to be. To be separated from God is to leave us endlessly wanting and chasing, but to be reconciled and restored to Him is where we find the fullness of joy. The beauty of Christmas is the miracle of the incarnation: God's love made visible for all to see. God's essence cannot be contained within everything that we see. Yet, the fullness of His glory, He displayed entirely in Jesus. We desperately want to understand, but instead, we should pray for eyes to see. Describing, articulating, and sharing are vital parts of the process of learning to see that shape our prayers. His presence is more important than His direction.
His name, His Kingdom, and His will collide with what we most easily and most naturally want to push - our name, our kingdom, and our will. Praying in the name of Jesus isn't a tagline to get what we want, but a posture of humility and dependency that transforms our hearts to want what God wants. It's an invitation to see and behold, where delighting in Him shapes our desires.
Prayer is not how we get God to do our will, but how our will gets shaped by His. "Thy will be done" means that God has a purpose for every moment and circumstance we face. Our obedience isn't about us proving something to God, but the activity of God redeeming what God has intended. God never promises to change our circumstances, but He does guarantee to change us. Thus, the answer to our prayers is often found in our obedience.
Right before Jesus offers up the Lord's prayer, He tells us that "God knows what you need before you ask Him." In our classic, efficient, American fashion, we scratch our heads and wonder, "So, why should I bother to pray if He already knows what I am going to pray?" What fuels these feelings of futility is our low view of prayer that limits prayer to merely confession or requests. We either compile a list of things we've done wrong or rattle off things we want or need. We fail to recognize that the miracle of prayer is not the answer but the access we have to our Creator. If revelation is the way of relationships, then prayer is the language of connection.
The future carries a weight, significance, and urgency to it. It isn't just about what happens to us in the future, but the realities we create for those yet to come. The Church in the next season will have no choice but to look very different. We can no longer remain stuck in the wrong war. The casualty in the culture war is not the loss of an issue but the loss of a generation. There is a generational expression of God's work. Therefore, there is a generational responsibility. We have to prepare the church for the next generation and prepare the next generation for the church. Every one of us, regardless of the generation we are in, has a part to play.
The systems we create to navigate the world around us end up bearing the weight of our hope and trust. Whatever holds this cherished position in our lives receives our attention, affection, and devotion. We break our hearts against our idols as they crumble under the pressure of our worship. But, what catches our eyes will eventually capture our hearts. This is why we need to focus our eyes on Him. As God reveals Himself to us, we will see more fully who we are to become in Him.
Amusement is rarely benign because boredom devastates our faith. Idle hands have nothing on an undisciplined mind. Curiosity is an instrumental faith practice that affords us space to engage with God, asking questions about one's faith and life. Embracing discovery keeps us hopeful for the future and involved in the process of learning and growing. When we fail to carry ourselves in this way, we attempt to seize control, create systems, reduce, and crystallize. We inadvertently think that we have figured God out. However, seeing new things sometimes comes at the expense of the old things. There is unlearning required with each new season.
The Gospel message, with everything pointing to Jesus, is simple, yet at the same time utterly complex. It interrupts and disrupts what we know, ushering in something new. Due to its refractory nature, we have to take on a posture of humility and curiosity to allow this message to shape our view of the world and how we see ourselves. Wrestling out the implications leads to more insight and understanding and the need for more faith, dependency, and trust.
Sometimes God feels aloof and hidden, like a mysterious wizard behind a curtain. We wonder in frustration why God makes it so challenging to get to know Him. If God would clearly lay out who He is and what He wants from us, we assume it would lead to our unquestioned obedience and a stronger relationship. But, deep down inside, this motivation to know God isn't to further a relationship but to fulfill our need for predictability and control. We reduce to understand, and in doing so, we remove the mystery, and with it, the need for faith. Jesus was wholly content with this dynamic, often speaking in parables and answering a question with another question. Revelation is the way of relationships, including one's walk with God.
Our values are the ideas and principles that inform how we interact with the world around us.But, as broken human beings, sometimes the surface level becomes more important than what is happening underneath or inside our hearts. Over time, as our values from the world shape our picture of Jesus, He appears less and less like a King. Because when Jesus looks like us, He isn't all that powerful. Jesus desires to turn our values into something new, something better, something beautiful. He cares more about our hearts and motives than our behavior and mindless obedience. Jesus is calling us to go beneath the surface because that is where HE does the work. After dying to ourselves, we have to learn to depend on Christ and allow Jesus to be the thing that drives and shapes us.
The words inside the Sermon on the Mount conflicted with the worldly values of the times. But, here's the thing: very little has changed over the years. The same agenda pushed by culture in the days of Jesus is present today. Fight for the spotlight, indulge until you are satisfied, never show weakness, and always remember to look out for your interests.So, what supposedly awaits us if we follow this plan? Adoration, fame, recognition, security, contentment, satisfaction, and relief await us on the other side. Yet, for some reason, we never seem to arrive at this destination. Jesus arrives on the scene and lets us know we are looking for life in all the wrong places. Are you searching for a life of fulfillment? Thirst for righteousness. Do you want to experience true joy? Love and fight for justice when others hate. Do you desire true significance? Serve others. Are you yearning for peace? Keep your heart pure.
Living a life of faith at home takes place through intentionality and investment, defined by humility and servanthood. We make time for others and breathe worth and value into those around us. We desire to be a home where everyone feels welcome. Imagine if we were the place in town that people flocked to, not because of all the bells and whistles, but because of the loving, humble, and Jesus-centered culture we create. We can only do this TOGETHER. Creating a space like this requires something from us.
When the cycles of pride and fear continue to spin, people can feel trapped and held captive. Breaking free seems impossible, but the message of Christ's forgiveness and mercy unlocks hope and freedom. The gates of hell can't resist the ways of Jesus and His love. It is this message that we carry with us wherever we go and in whatever we do. Jesus gave us the keys to His Kingdom to bring freedom to those held captive by the ways of this world.
Jesus is forming and making us into a place where He resides and reigns. Creating a space like this requires something from us. Within a thriving community, there are clear expectations, a strong foundation, and a common good. The foundation and force of this movement is the reality that Christ reconciled us to the Father. A place like this doesn't happen accidentally but arises due to a shared sense of ownership and responsibility. Each family member contributes to their home's culture. What happens in YOU is what gets expressed through US.
If home is where the heart is, we want our heart to reflect Christ and Christ alone as a community. As for our house, we desire to be a formative community with a redemptive activity that works for the good of God's purposes in the world. A shared hope centered on Christ (LIFE WITH GOD) combined with a shared experience (TOGETHER) leads to a shared burden (THE WORLD).
We often forget how life-giving having a place to call home is to our soul. Home energizes and invigorates. It refreshes and refocuses. Everyone longs to find a place to call home. In our divided, chaotic, and polarized world, fewer and fewer places exist that provide a measure of hope and peace. When people think of Port City, we want them to feel at home and know they belong. Creating a space like this requires something from us.
As you enter any new season, the most important thing is what you believe and where you set your mind. Why? Because what gets your attention will ultimately demand your affection. God designed your mind to awaken your heart. The war for your soul takes place on the battlefield of your mind. You fight back by attacking anything that undermines God's work in your heart.
Whatever you seek first will likely determine what you see first. But, unfortunately, very few of us pause and consider where we set our eyes. Instead, we run to one thing after another, looking for fulfillment. Christ invites us to something different: to remain, dwell, and abide. The measure of eternal life is not where you end up but by the experience of life with God right here and right now. We don't find our purpose by obsessing over it but rather by giving ourselves away.
Temporary things will never lead to long-term satisfaction. When we search for fulfillment in all the wrong places, we only find shame, disappointment, anxiety, depression, and regret. We’ve been running to dry wells our whole lives hoping for a drink to quench our thirst. But, unfortunately, doing so leads us further away from the thing we need the most. Only Jesus can ultimately satisfy. Christianity is not about self-help; it’s about a Savior who invites us to drop our bucket.
Being born again is the starting point - not the finish line. When we view Christ's offer of eternal life as merely a ticket into heaven, we miss out on more than we realize. Inheriting eternal life isn't about what we get when we die but what we rightfully possess in the present moment. We draw eternal life in the same way we draw our physical energy: we breathe it in.
There are no perfect moments. However, moments of failure are opportunities for formation in disguise - every step matters in our walk with God. When we shortcut the formation process, there is a cost. Our stability is affected, and our ability to experience grace is hindered. It's hard to extend grace if you are unable to experience it. We must learn to lean into the discomfort and try not to rush through it. God is always at work, with formation happening in the background. Jesus invites us into a process, a journey, and a new way of life, so give yourself a measure of grace.
We all have religious baggage that frames our perspective. If we encounter Jesus and only know what we've always known, perhaps we haven't drawn close enough. How we approach God matters. When we encounter Jesus, He invites us to consider something different. He hasn't called us to execute on His commands but to live in His love. We trust Him with our hardened heart and allow Him to replace it with a heart that is responsive to Him.
The questions of "who am I?", "do I matter?", and "where do I belong?" swirl around in our heads all of the time. Almost from birth, we're told that we must performto gain approval and produce to be loved. Our performance bags leave us questioning our worth, developing a pattern of constant competition, living with not-step pressure, and shrinking back while losing self-confidence. Faith isn't about what we do for God but what God, through Christ, has done for us. We need to remember and remind each other that our identity is not rooted in our performance but our relationship with Jesus. We all struggle under the weight of baggage, but God is in the transformation business and invites us to drop them and live free.
Relational baggage gets packed when something from our past negatively impacts our relationships in the present. When we travel through life carrying relational baggage, we lose the opportunity to experience God's true freedom. If we ignore our bags, those negative emotions begin to take root in our hearts and bleed into other connections. We need to do the best we can to live in and from God's grace and forgiveness. There is freedom in letting it go because it releases us from the weight of our anger, resentment, bitterness, and all the other negative emotions that come into play. We play a part in how healthy we become. It's okay to have baggage; it's not okay to live from that baggage.
When we make ourselves real to Him in our prayers, God has a way of making Himself real to us. God possesses infinite creativity and imagination, and when we stay open to what He alone can do, we’re more likely to see it every day. God usually moves through subtle ways, including our questions. Our questioning can be the building blocks of a beautiful faith. Asking well starts with Jesus. Even a little bit of faith in Jesus’ hands is a powerful thing.
No one is too far gone or out of reach from His grace. God can overcome even the most difficult circumstances from our past. We may not be in a place where we can see it or feel it, but He can bring beauty from ashes. He doesn't hold us at arm's length until we get our act together; He wants to love us into a new beginning with Him. It's through this encounter that the way we approach, interact and care for others. Everything starts with love. Because Jesus loves so perfectly, He can help us discover new ways to love. It's an honor and a blessing to see what God has done for us happen to others. One of the best ways we can love God and love each other is through our prayers.
An encounter with Christ changes EVERYTHING about us. It alters how we see ourselves and those around us while changing how we perceive our past and respond to our future. When we are in Christ, we possess a new identity that brings healing, hope, and the redemption of the past. God takes all of it - the good, bad, and ugly - and He uses it for His glory and purposes. The old is gone; the new has come. Yet, sometimes it doesn't feel that way, and we can doubt that transformation has taken place. As followers of Christ, we have to recognize that identity in ourselves and be open to allow others to call it out of us.
Chronic affirmation eliminates accountability. Acceptance is a base point - not the goal; it’s the formation of our character and hearts. When we confine our relationships to places where our viewpoints, motives, emotions, and actions find themselves constantly affirmed, there is no need to change. Remaining silent when others struggle speaks volumes about how much we care for that individual. Yet, before we correct, we must first connect. With trust and love as the foundation and empathy and vulnerability present, accountability provides a clear path where nothing is standing between two individuals.
Vulnerability is a crucial component of our growth and transformation because others can only love us to the extent that we are known. We have to share who we are, not who we think people want us to be. Vulnerability isn't weakness; it's strength. Removing off our masks takes courage and boldness. Yet, the current version of vulnerability we applaud, which champions "that's just who I am," is twisted. It encourages people to open up, but does not foster change by indirectly attaching people's struggles with their identity and demanding acceptance. Transformation entails a vulnerability that provides a safe space for people to be loved as they currently are but challenged to take those first steps into who God made them to be.
In today’s world, empathy is in short supply. We live our lives as if there is only one way to see the world, and it’s from our perspective. We’re quick to project rather than protect. We fill in the gaps instead of being curious and standing in the gap of someone else’s struggle. The person we see at first glance is often a poor representation of who that person is. Relationships require questions. By listening first and speaking last, we take on a posture that pursues understanding, one that recognizes a right response is often better than a right answer. Often, people aren’t looking for advice; they’re searching for empathy. We can’t bear someone else’s burden if we fail to take the time to understand what weighs them down.
Even though life is getting back to somewhat “normal,” our relationships don’t need to follow the same route. Instead, we can work toward something different. We have a unique opportunity to revamp and reevaluate our connections - the time has come to define the relationship. By doing so, we can toss aside our misconceptions on trust, empathy, vulnerability, and accountability and exchange them for what God intended our relationships to be: a redemptive outlet to experience and express God’s love.
Everyone has some insecurity or shame that we think if anyone knew we struggled with this, our life would be over. We think that the worst thing would be for someone to find out about struggles. But, the worst thing would be that no one knows, and we fight our weaknesses alone. Shame, anxiety, and despair multiply in isolation. Struggling in the right direction isn’t about trying harder but a change in perspective. We need a trusted friend who will share our struggles and reorient us to Jesus and His grace. Shared weakness is the beginning of shared perfection.
Our struggles become our story, but we get a say in determining its contents. We either let our struggles define us or shape us. We can overstate the struggle, let it overpower us, and tell a tale of regret and shame. Or, we can allow God to shape and form us through the process and write a story that declares our trust in God's faithfulness and redemption. The challenge facing all of us is to struggle in the right direction.Our inner critic's hyper-critical, over-calculating voice speaks into the inconsolable longing and fear to matter and contribute something of worth. We need a perspective shaped by something other than our inner critic. Our weakness and insufficiency are not an indictment of our worth or a harsh reminder that we're not perfect, but rather a beautiful reality that we do not have to be.
The burden of perfectionism views endurance as a nuisance, punishment, and another example of failure. Perfectionism despises the process while failing to see it's the only way to perfection. Our purpose has a process, and it requires us to be present. The most critical moment to be faithful is in the moment we don't want to be. God's not interested in our perfection; He is concerned with our pursuit of Him. Transformation is a process where the struggle is inevitable. Resistance builds strength, and strength only shows up through the act of surrendering to God. We struggle in the right direction when we remember and trust that His promise is redemption.
Driven by our perfectionist thinking, we believe that we can avoid the haunting shadow of shame and the fear of unworthiness if we can perform perfectly. In our futile quest for perfection, we either give our struggles more power than they deserve and allow them to become our identity, or we give up hope, settle for the status quo, or pretend like we have it all together. Our push for perfection finds its fuel in our desire to avoid confronting the reality that we need something or, in the case of Christ, someone. Where there is perfection, there is no need for grace, forgiveness, love, faith, or trust. The ugliness of perfectionism causes us to miss and experience the beauty of the Gospel. We’re so concerned with what we’re doing that we lose sight of what God has done. We are enough, because Christ is enough.
The cross stands as the greatest demonstration of God’s love. On those wooden beams, a collision and compression of human sin and divine grace took place. Two systems collided and compressed together in a moment where the Creator touched His separated and estranged creation. The cross is what God endured as He forgave. We typically consider the call to repent as a threat of bad news when viewed through the cross; it serves as a response to good news. To repent is to return and remain returned to the King who sets us free.
When we collide with the cross, we find the fullness of life our heart has been yearning for. Forgiveness is humanity’s greatest need. Forgiveness through the cross is God’s greatest gift. God’s ultimate act of love was an act of giving himself away. Jesus came to do for us what we couldn’t do on our own. He entered into this world to bring us value and communicate our worthwhile reconciling us to God. Our soul is awakened to a depth of love and a depth of life that we cannot know existed, except for the cross.
Living in a broken world has distorted our viewpoint and understanding of love. In turn, we settle for cheap substitutes, pursue twisted alternatives, or give up on being loved altogether. God had to demonstrate true love because we have a hard time recognizing it. God not only saved us from our sin, He rescued us from spending our days living unloved. Love is not something we agree with or disagree with; neither do we reciprocate it; love is something we receive. God made a way for us to return to the life-giving relationship He called us to experience.
Not only does the breakthrough and transformation we crave lie on the other side of surrender, but so does our ability to rest. Humble submission paves the road that leads to freedom, where we find real rest. Everything starts with rest. When we seek Him first and find our delight resides in Him, God forms our heart to match His desires and then fulfills them. He promises not only to fill the space created by our surrender, but to overwhelm it with His sufficiency and provision. We live a surrendered life not to offer our effort but to declare our trust. We must lose our life to find His.
When we meet resistance, encounter doubt, or our circumstances don’t change, the temptation to return to our former life and ways of doing things rises. Regardless of how futile, frustrating, or fruitless they may be, we resort to it because it’s “what we know.” Why? Because our past doesn't go away slowly. We avoid the responsibility to change whenever we believe we can’t, which is an assault on our trust in God and His transformational power. Rituals allow us to wage war against returning to our past and challenge our tendency to go back to the way things were. They serve not only to remind us but to allow us to experience the reordering that's taken place through Christ. We need to remind ourselves about our freedom and carve out moments to experience it.
When you offer your bodies as a living sacrifice and step out in faith, you can expect a collision and test. If you believe you've got god "figured out," your god is way too small. We do not understand the depth of life found in God, and also, we do not understand the depth of death found apart from Him. If every part of creation responds to God, every aspect of us should as well. To fear God is not to withhold. Healthy fear is not cowering but rather empowering. Our tendency is always to go back, but God calls us to walk in future faith. Experiencing a crisis of faith isn't a matter of if, but when. A crisis of faith isn't a marker of bad faith, but a growing faith.
We tend to think of being acceptable as measuring up to an agreed-upon standard. We either work feverishly trying to live up to that standard or give up hope of ever fitting the bill. Neither way leads to freedom, which makes what Christ did on our behalf so liberating. The bar isn't what we do or don't do; it's about being rightly related to God. Where there is forgiveness, there is no more sacrifice required. Forgiveness isn't a thing that we do; it's a place where we dwell. Where there is forgiveness, there is no more sacrifice required. We live in forgiveness as one who owes God nothing. When we know we don't owe Him anything, we find the freedom to give Him everything.
Making a sacrifice to appease God feels misguided, outdated, and irrational. But, if we take a step back and look a little closer at our own lives, we can't help but notice we're still erecting altars and presenting sacrifices in an attempt to pacify God and relieve our conscience; they just look a little different. We run ourselves ragged trying to appease God, failing to realize, or in some cases, fully trust that because of Christ's sacrifice, God is already pleased with us. We don't know what to do with our freedom because we've grown so accustomed to life in captivity. Familiar misery can be more appealing than uncertain hope. Whenever someone leaves one season for another, a reordering must take place. God's purpose in the ritual and rhythms was to reorder our hearts and minds to live in this new way. Learning to live in a new way requires something from us. The altar serves as a reminder of a reordering and an invitation to trust. Our willingness to surrender hinges on our ability to remember.
The world is well aware of what the Church is against; they need to see what the Church is for. To be for something requires us to walk with someone. Getting local reframes our perspective on the issues facing our world. Stories help us understand; a name helps us humanize. Redemption is always relational. The way we relate to one another is our witness to the world.
The world isn’t problematic; it’s broken. Brokenness requires redemption, and redemption is always relational. Togetherness becomes what we are willing to be responsible for and own. If we want to be the church God intended us to be, we’ve got to be willing to enter the messy places. We pursue togetherness to bring dignity and worth to a person, not a resolution of a problem.
We rally against “those people.” We point the finger at, judge, and despise “those people.” We reason the world would be a better place if “those people” saw things from our perspective. The place for change is local and personal. The redemption of the world is going to take place relationally. Yet, togetherness will never take root if we remain distant and objectify others. Sin splits things apart that were meant to be together. We’ve mastered the art of continued separation and have become professionals at dividing people into categories. Our passion for reconciliation begins when our hearts break over broken relationships. We can’t do anything about the headlines, but we can do something with the person right in front of us. Unity is elusive, but togetherness is available to us every single day.
Break my heart for what breaks Yours is a dangerous but much-needed prayer. When we find ourselves wanting to avoid or defend something, we need to heed this as a call to stop and consider that God is trying to teach and stretch us. Unless we discover God's heart for His people and His world, we will end up doing what we have always done. By overlaying our expectations onto God, we end up trying to figure out how God fits into our system and reduce His ways down to ours.
In this polarized and divided world, the concept of togetherness remains volatile. It can be benign, shallow, toxic, and even harmful. But, togetherness possesses the potential to be healthy, encouraging, challenging, hopeful, and helpful. It can serve as a place where we share burdens and celebrate success in life-sustaining and life-giving ways. Togetherness has a trajectory, and we each play a part in shaping & steering its direction.
When we were young, growth seemed natural and available. As we grow older, change seems to stagnate and become unachievable. We get so used to what God has done and "should do" that we stop longing to know Him and, instead, we settle for what we have always known and experienced. We spend too much of our lives bouncing back and forth between stagnation and frustration. Without a disruption, we drift aimlessly in the direction we've always gone. Change is possible, but focus is required. Clarity comes from sustained focus over time. My One Word replaces our broken promises with a vision for real change. Rather than swearing off the past, with your word, you're moving toward the future. Your best doesn't remain in the past; it resides in the present with an eye to the future.
Joy is the resulting emotion of being loved by God that fuels life with Him so that it drives and defines everything else. The invitation is for our lives to overflow with joy and praise. Joy reaches its consummation in its expression. It is not complete unless it gets expressed. We share what we love with others. What we receive, we can't help but give away. What takes place in the depths of who we are will eventually rise to the surface through our demeanor, words, and actions. Our joy isn't dependent on the outcome of our situation but the awakening in the process. The struggles of today will be the stories of redemption tomorrow.
God designed our minds to awaken our hearts. Because of this, we need to stop and see things that awaken our hearts to wonder. By putting our minds to work, we empower our hearts to stay alive and vibrant. Enjoying things takes time and attention. It's not something we can do flippantly. Joy is the resulting emotion of being loved by God that fuels life with Him so that it drives and defines everything else. We've been made by God and for God, which means we won't find meaning, purpose, and joy apart from Him.
Sometimes, joy looks like surrender. Other times it takes the shape of dogged dependency or gritty relentlessness that trusts Christ’s love is sufficient. It’s in these encounters where Christ forms and shapes us. Joypossesses the power to make an appearance in our sorrow and struggles. Both in the good and bad, the source of our joy never departs or runs out. Amid the restlessness, we can experience rest by remaining.
We often confuse joy by equating it with emotions like excitement, happiness, and being cheerful. Because we tend to view joy in this shortsighted way, we get frustrated when we don't experience its comfort so easily. Depending on our circumstances to produce joy is a futile exercise. Joy feels like a dangling carrot that remains just out of our reach. "Choosing joy" isn't as easy as it sounds, no matter what those Hallmark cards try to tell us. We can't just flip a switch and choose joy, but we can set our sights and see it. Joy isn't circumstantial; it's relational. It's available now, and it's unrelated to our circumstances because it resides in God's presence. Joy is the resulting emotion of being loved by God that fuels our life with God and drives and defines everything else. The good news that brings great joy is that God is with us.
When it comes to our faith, we tend to believe that our answer should always be YES. But, what if our willingness to say NO possesses the capacity to fuel our intimacy with God and the transformation of our souls? We want to introduce you to "The Practice of Not's." These practices force us to stop, slow everything down, and ponder what stories and emotions emerge when our typical patterns and tendencies encounter resistance. A battle occurs as we reflect on the WHY: why do we respond or think this way? Why do we justify our actions or words? Engaging in the Practice of Not's helps us understand our heart's true affections and longings. By deliberately saying NO or refusing to do things we're naturally inclined to do, we create a void. It's in that space that we allow something else to rise and fill it. God's presence and grace meet us there.
Our mind monkeys wage guerrilla warfare on our soul. If we fail to realize we're at war, we won't show up for the battle and fight. We juggle our thoughts and allow them to bounce around with little to no consideration. Without stewarding our attention, we will live at the mercy of whatever entertains us. Our hearts take their cue from where we set our eyes. What we look for fuels our desires. Every sin pattern starts with a single thought origin. But, it doesn't have to be this way. We possess the ability to think our thoughts. We can stop and consider what we are seeing, feeling, and thinking. We change the direction of our train of thinking by altering our driving thought. Our hearts get squeezed from the pressures of the world's patterns or transformed by renewing our minds. The choice is ours.
We struggle to see God working not due to His lack of activity but rather our lack of attention. Without even knowing it, we craft stories about ourselves and God, and they become our default narrative. If nothing changes, neither do we. We have to get beyond assessing our reactions and learn to mine for meaning. Writing down our thoughts convince our mind we’re serious about slowing down. This practice allows us to see what we’re thinking without being blinded by what we’re feeling. It helps us see our story unfold and gives us a tangible way to submit what we see to God. By slowing down and paying attention, we gain perspective, clarity, and insight, not only about ourselves, but the One who created us and knows us best. Our past experiences don’t define our story - a fresh encounter with God does.
We’ve all heard that our time is the most valuable thing that we have. There are all sorts of tools that help us manage this valuable commodity. But there is something even more valuable that we have at our disposal - something that affects us more deeply than anything else. Sadly, we have very few mechanisms that help us steward it well. Believe it or not, our culture works to undermine this thing and steal it away from us. What is it? The most important thing about you, even more important than how you spend your time, is where you give your attention. Why? Because the price of your attention comes at the expense of your soul.
Jesus stands as the most influential person in human history. His impact on our world is undeniable. Yet, the influence He has on our heart hinges on our answer to a single question: "Who is Jesus, and what do I do with Him?" We often become disenfranchised by the Church when we don't have a clear picture of Jesus. A Jesus who is simply "nice" isn't able to enter into the dark world of our struggles and issues. When we know Jesus, the real Jesus, we can’t help but be compelled to follow Him.
Trust is the foundation of any relationship; without it, there is no connection or vulnerability. This holds true in our relationship with Christ. He's asking us to trust His heart, character, and ways. How we come to Him matters; the posture of our heart dictates our response. We have to see Jesus as worthy of giving our life to a purpose greater than ourselves. The only way to walk in the way OF Jesus is to walk in the way WITH Jesus. As believers in Christ, we aren’t called to end the chaos but to navigate it faithfully by remaining close to His side. God gives us enough light to take our next step of faith, not illuminate our entire path. The faith that was sufficient in the past is not enough for what we need in the future. Small acts of trust lead to more significant steps of faith.
Seeking and seeing are two vastly different things. God inviting us to "seek first His Kingdom" means that we do not readily see Him at work and compels us to pay attention. Navigating the chaos taking place in our world requires incredible wisdom and discernment. If we believe God's Kingdom is unshakable, then we need to learn how to see it so we can face any circumstance that comes our way with confidence, courage, and hope. We see what we cannot yet see by seeking. Blindness gets met with faith because of God's promise of revelation. How things get revealed in relationships is by shared experience - we need to spend time with Christ. By looking to Jesus, we learn more about God's love, character, and ways. Revelation isn't about creating anticipation or some dramatic experience; it's merely the reality of a relationship.
Many of us operate our lives with an "apology theology." When we believe forgiveness provides a license to continue to do what we want, we show a limited understanding of forgiveness, grace, and what it means to be a relationship. As a result, we cheapen grace. On the other hand, some of us walk around in a constant state of condemnation, shame, and guilt. We attempt to make up for our mistakes and earn His love. We lose sight that forgiveness isn't a system we exchange, but a state we call home. Forgiveness means we don't owe anything. Our chains have been broken, but sadly we keep holding on to them. We have to consider what holds us captive to understand freedom. Don't worry about bringing the fullness of your mess to Jesus. Sometimes the hardest thing to believe is that we simply have to believe.
If something is broke, you fix it - that’s what we’ve always been told. We can all agree that we live in a broken and hurting world. Yet, when it comes to how we heal and solve these issues, disagreement and disillusionment creep in. Many of us reason that if we fix all the problems, we will finally experience peace. Problems drive a solution mindset; purpose fuels a redemption mindset. Our sense of frustration and anxiety serves as an indicator of our deep need for Jesus. Brokenness is met with hope because of the promise of Christ’s redemption. The way of Jesus is not a strategy for solving the world’s problems or fixing our issues, but rather a way of life under His rule as Our King. God-like love is a force that breathes worth and value into the soul of another. As Christ-followers, when we encounter brokenness, we enter into it, empathize with those who are hurting, serve, and bring hope.
We love loopholes that keep us from obeying Jesus. We distract and entertain ourselves with lesser things to avoid being moved by the brokenness around us. We look for ways to exclude while Jesus invites and encourages us to include. We ponder who we can keep out while we should be asking, “who can we invite in?” The power to make someone our neighbor gets sustained by His love for us. The way of Jesus redeems and heals our poverty, brokenness, bondage, and blindness. The love Jesus uses to pursue us is aggressive and tenacious. God-like love is a force that breathes worth and value into the soul of another person. God entered into our mess so we could wade into the problems in our world. We bring dignity to another soul by making them our neighbor.
Who is Jesus? Don’t answer so quickly. What we do with Jesus has massive implications on how we interact and see the world around us and our part in it. We often miss the things that make Jesus so compelling because we are trying to figure Him out, place Him in a box, or explain Him away. All at the same time, Jesus was overtly subversive, puzzlingly clear, and profoundly deliberate. The message He proclaimed was a radical one that tore down the rule of law and religious establishment. So, we want to slow down and look at the way of Jesus and what made Him unique. We perceive the Word of God by tuning our ears to His Son. To know what God’s character is like, we must pay attention to Jesus.
Change doesn't start with a strategy; it begins with surrender. We will not get God's vision on our terms. Jesus calls us out to surrender then sends us back into the world to serve. Every act that contributes to healing brings the force of the Gospel on our culture and bends it towards God's Kingdom. The unfinished business is to bring a Gospel presence that affects the culture. Everything we do has the opportunity to add to the chaos or to contribute to the healing. God hasn't called us to do everything, but He's called us to do something. The influence we leverage is both an individual responsibility as well as a corporate opportunity. Faith only requires the next right thing. God is redeeming His creation through the lives of His redeemed people.
Jesus didn't come to fix our bad behavior. He came to free us from a governing rule that causes us to get stuck in destructive patterns by extending to us an opportunity to live under the direction of His love. Before we can impact our world, Christ's love must first impact our hearts. The way of Jesus is complete, full, and sufficient, but it's also ongoing and unfolding. It's not what we know that matters, but rather the things we trust enough to live by. A pattern of preparation allows Jesus to do His purifying work within us. We're redeemed through a new allegiance and purified through a fresh surrender. To surrender is to trust.
Study Guide -https://portcitychurch.box.com/s/02m57c636o0a5q5izzrxmkbcwu3ufa13
The way we live speaks louder than our words. We bear the integrity of God's image and leverage the influence of His love. The voice of our church is what WE say to the world around us—how we trust and handle being trusted matters. Sound doctrine goes deeper than sound thinking. It doesn't serve as a checklist for our behavior, but rather provides a framework to foster God's work deep within our hearts. The influence we leverage comes from the influence we receive. An encounter with God's truth must shape the way we live our lives. His grace is the source of our counter-cultural force. What we do now matter to the generations to come. We have an individual responsibility as well as a corporate opportunity to make an impact.
Study Guide -https://portcitychurch.box.com/s/wd4z58xi83ebvq1uxxbakq7o7l2a9ki8
Even though Paul penned his letter to Titus thousands of years ago, his words speak to issues facing our modern world - individualism, consumerism, and disorder. We fight for control and look out for number one. We reason that if everyone believed, thought, and see the world the same way we do, all the problems would disappear. But, it's simply not the case. As Christians, we have a choice: we can add to the chaos of our world or contribute to the healing of our culture. The unfinished business before Titus, and us as well, is serving as an attractive reflection of the Gospel presence in the world at large. Living this way requires us to be dependent on grace and pay attention to our lives and the impact we have on others. We should be helpful, hopeful, and bring value to the places around us.
Instead of listening to a message, we’re going to have a conversation about one of the most powerful, and yet one of the most intimidating parts of our faith, the Bible! Our hope is that through this conversation we would learn together what the Bible is, why we would read it, and how we can begin to understand what it has to say to us today. We believe that the more comfortable and confident we become with the Bible, the more God can use His Word to form us into the people He has created us to be!