The Orchard Grove Podcast: Recent Episodes
Orchard Grove Community Church
Pursuing Christ and allowing Him to satisfy our thirst for fulfillment is essential for a meaningful and purposeful life. Turning to worldly things for satisfaction and completion will only leave us feeling empty and unfulfilled. By focusing on our relationship with Christ, we can find true joy and contentment that surpasses anything this world has to offer.
Jesus invites us to His banquet to live a fuller life. By putting other priorities ahead of Him and relying on excuses to justify our decisions, we reject His invitation. You are invited to Jesus' banquet, so don't let excuses stand in your way.
We all grow and change as we mature in life. The things we believe when we are young may not serve us when we are older and wiser...so thankfully God sets us free - free from the "rules" and beliefs of the past!
Freedom comes in many facets. It's one of the greatest gifts from God. And it has a greater purpose than just freedom for its own sake - but to serve others in love.
Our lives continue to speak to others even after we are gone. Hebrews 11 says that Abel still spoke even after he died. This message is to get us to think about what message our lives will send.
This week we remember the suffering of Jesus. But what was it for? Why is there so much suffering in His story and in ours? Does suffering ever have a purpose?
It's about growing by looking past the surface of religious practices to the levels that change our hearts. And then change our world.
Prayer connects us to God. And God gives us peace. Not because all our prayers are answered the way we want, but because we know He is working things for our good.
We grow in our relationship with God when we don't have to go through a religious system but have direct communication. Jesus showed us the way.
Ps 90:12 tells us to count our days to become wise - not by figuring out how much we have left to live, but by figuring out how to live with the time we have left.
The story of Cain and Abel represent two fundamentally different approaches to life. Life is not just what you do, but how you do it. The key comes down to our attitude. It is basically faith and trust, or resistance and resentment.
Focusing on a few random, yet essential themes to help us through the start of the holiday season.
Several factors of our modern society have led us to a place of isolation which is unique in human history, and so are the mental health challenges that go with it. Science and scripture agree...it's not good for the human to be alone!
The childred of God leave Mount Sinai and head to the promised land. They pledge to follow all of God's commands and God promises to go before them.
Moses continues to give more detailed laws about being responsible to your neighbor: to take responsibility for your actions and to remember God in all that you do.
Moses prepares the people to meet with God. The mountain trembles as God speaks to them.
How to respond when you are attacked. Stay aligned with God. Surround yourself with strong people. Pass it on to the next generation.
The signs/plagues of Exodus 7-11 raise a lot of questions about our faith in and understanding of God. How can we find hope in all this hurt?
The most important thing you can ask is "Who is God?" and "Who am I?" Moses explores these questions with God in the burning bush.
When God prompts us to go and get involved, it’s natural to doubt ourselves. But God is already aware of our inability and wants us to trust the Divine ability to work through us.
It’s best if we live from God's grace, instead of for it. Real religion is about loving and serving others, not “pleasing God.”
Whenever people suffer they wonder why. And wonder if things will get better. Paul explains that God works things out for the good.
The only way to change the world is to change the people in it. And the only way to change people is to change their hearts. So, how do we change the human heart?
When we say Jesus is the answer, what are we saying He is the answer to? How does Jesus actually fix real problems in our world, in Paul's day or in ours?