Emmaus Church SC: Recent Episodes
Emmaus Church SC
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f we aren't caught up in a fight that matters, we will get sucked into a bunch of fights that really don't matter. This Sunday we will honor our dads for Father's Day and hear an important word on what it means to "fight the good fight of the faith."
Parker Palmer once said, “There are moments, if I have eyes to see, that the life I am living is not the same as the life that wants to live in me.” If that is something you can relate to than be sure to join us this Sunday as we continue our time in the parables of Jesus. This week we will talk about you your bags of gold.
We human beings are innate storytellers. We have been using stories for as long as we can tell to explain the most important truths about God, ourselves, and life itself. Stories help us to "get it." To connect dots and make meaning. In light of this, its not surprising that Jesus' preferred way of teaching was storytelling.
A unique feature of the Bible is its intention. It's literature that intends to point us beyond itself. It isn't interested in just giving us some more information, but it's doggedly committed to facilitating an encounter with the One who can change everything.
The Bible is essential for the life of faith of a Jesus follower, but it can also be, well...a bit of a pain. Not just in the ways it challenges us, but in the ways it can trouble us and often leave us with more questions than answers. Then, how our questions are received by many in the church can make us feel like we either have to ignore our questions or just walk away from our faith all together. The good news is those two options aren't the only ones available to us. This week we are going to deal with some of these questions about the Bible, and probably stir up a few more, in search of a better way to walk all of this out.
This week Nick & Lindsey sit down with 2 special guests, their moms!
You can send us questions and comments by visiting emmauschurch.com/questions
This Sunday we will join in on the dinner party that takes place during the second part of the Emmaus story. This encounter challenges a lot of what believe about where God is located and invites us to always keep a seat open at our table.
This Sunday we are going to crawl inside the story from the scriptures that our church takes its name from-The Emmaus Road Encounter. Two disciples walk along together in their disappointment and disillusionment over what had happened to their friend Jesus. While they walk away from Jerusalem a mysterious stranger walks with them and offers a new and intriguing way to look at things.
Every now and then we like to take a Sunday and highlight some awesome organizations and people who are doing great work in the midlands. This Sunday we will be hearing from Jay Keck from The South Carolina Wildlife Federation and discuss the role the natural world can play in our faith practice.
In this episode we follow up last week's message and break down the story of jesus meeting the disciples fishing.
This week we continue our introduction to the practice of Lectio Divina by hanging out in a really fascinating encounter between the resurrected Jesus and his disciples who have gone back to fishing. There are some peculiar little details to this story that will be fun to get into.
This week we are joined by Dylan to discuss our first week of Lectio. We dive into the story of Doubting Thomas and try uncover a clear view of it's message.
This Sunday we are starting a new series that will take us through some of the stories about some of the encounters Jesus' first followers had with him after the resurrection. We will also be introduced to a really old way of approaching the scriptures called Lectio Divina that will position us to not only know about the experiences of Jesus' first followers, but also better understand our own experiences. First up, Thomas "the doubter." You don't want to miss this!
We talk The Cross, The Resurrection and everything in between.
send us your questions at www.emmauschurchsc.com/questions
The cross isn't just our means to reconciliation with God. It is also our model for a life well lived. This Sunday we will explore how a cross shaped life rescues us from one the greatest joy killers-entitlement.
We're back! This week we discuss further the cross, why it's important, & why the church needs to remain humble.
The cross. Celebrities wear it around their necks, organizations use it in their logos, athletes make the sign of the cross when they are up to bat or before they shoot a free throw. The cross is easily one of the most recognized symbols in the world, but do we really know what it means?
Forgiveness. Ugh. It's hard for all sorts of reasons, and yet it is the heart and soul of the Jesus way. This Sunday we will unpack a fascinating little teaching from Jesus that offers quite the profound approach to radical forgiveness.
What do you do when people you trust aren't trustworthy? When people go low it can be really hard to stay on the high road, but the lower we go the worse it gets. This week we will get super practical with a message on guarding our weak spots.
This week we are wrapping up the series "Get It Together." We're talking what it means to love, how you can't love like Jesus and be a jerk, & how tough love works as a Christ-follower.
This Sunday we wrap up our Get It Together by taking a look at the final quality in our list from 2nd Peter-love. What's love got to do with getting our stuff together? Everything. We would love for you to join us as we bring what has been a really meaningful series to a close.
This week, we recap the message from last week on Mutual Affection. You're not gonna want to miss this discussion about retreating and returning!
Getting our stuff together doesn't happen in isolation. Most of our hurts and hang ups have something to do with other people and working them out will require us to risk being known. We would love for you to join us this Sunday as we discover what our life together has to do with us getting it together.
In this episode, we are joined by one of our favorite volunteers, Brooke Chehoski. We discuss everything from rocket science, fear vs love, & last weeks message on godlieness.
Godliness isn't a word we use all that much, but it is certainly a quality we need to fold into our faith. It's like deep tissue massage for our soul that works the grace of God deeper into our lives and leaves us willing to be more honest with ourselves and more gracious toward others.
Today, we're joined by a very special guest; Misty Burton! Please join us as we follow up on last weeks message on perseverance.
Getting it together doesn't happen over night, but it is the fruit of a long obedience in the same direction. This Sunday we will take a look at perseverance and the kind of mindset it takes to stay the course.
This weekend we are going to talk about self-control. Who wouldn't benefit from some more of that in their life? We would love for you to join us this Sunday for a super practical message about what self-control is, what it isn't, and how to get some more of it.
This week, Pastor Nick is joined by a special guest; Lindsey Cunningham! They follow up on last weeks message about Self Control.
A new sort of life is going to require a new way of thinking. In our effort to get it together we are going to have to fill our hearts and minds with a particular sort of knowledge that is more conducive to the life God desires for us.
In this episode, we follow up with Nick on his message on goodness. You can send us your questions by going to emmauschurchsc.com/questions
In our effort to get it together, we are going to have to get our mind right. We would love for you to join us this Sunday as we talk about the work that needs to be done in that valuable real estate between our ears.
New year, new series! This week we follow up week 1 of our new series Get It Together. We discuss a lot, including what it takes to grow as a follower of Jesus, & how to navigate that when you're living in community with others.
Send us your questions by going to emmauschurchsc.com/questions
This week we are starting a brand new series that will tap into that motivation we tend to feel this time of the year to get it together. So if you're feeling stuck, frustrated, or just ready for some new growth, be sure to join us for what is sure to be a really helpful series.
Happy New Year! In this episode, we catch up with Dylan Gunnels and recap his message on how to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.
send us your questions by going to emmauschurchsc.com/questions
This year's Miracle Offering will be given to Lutheran Services of the Carolinas to help them in their service to refugee families in the Midlands. Back to back crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine, and the ongoing turmoil in Israel and Gaza, has increased the intensity of refugee resettlement in The United Sates dramatically, particularly in Columbia. The Miracle Offering will be used to help keep newly resettled refugees safe, housed, and secure during this difficult transition period.emmauschurchsc.com/give
Over the last several weeks we have been readying ourselves for a different kind of Christmas. One that is more than nostalgic. One that embraces simplicity and creates some space for God to do a new work in us. Generosity is one of the things that makes the holiday season so rich. Finding that perfect gift for the people you love isn't always easy, but it certainly is a beautiful thing when you nail it. However, the generosity that honor's Jesus is one that is pointed in a particular direction and does just as much in us as it does in the recipient of our generosity.
In this week's podcast we are talking about the simplicity of Christmas and how sometimes the church loses sight of it.
Send us a question by going to emmauschurchsc.com/questions
Jesus wasn't born in a big fancy palace among royalty. He was born in a stable, surrounded by animals and the sort of people the world tends to forget about. The first Christmas was quite simple. Is that a word that you would use to describe how we celebrate the holiday? We are spending our time together this Advent preparing for a different kind of Christmas. One that doesn't leave us exhausted, disappointed, and broke. One that leaves us better than it found us. Last week we talked about making room for God, this Sunday we are going to talk about keeping it simple.
We're back! It's officially the season of Advent and this week we're talking all about it. What gets you in the spirit of Christmas? If you wanna send us questions to be answered on the podcast, visit emmauschurchsc.com/questions
This Sunday we begin our time in the season of Advent. The Christmas season is meant to be a "different" time of year, but in reality, how we tend to go about it isn't really all that "different." We typically just take our normal and supersize it. We take everything we normally do and we just do more of it-we do more things, buy more things, and eat more things. By the time Christmas actually gets here we are sort of glad it's all over and we spend most of January recovering. This year, how about we have ourselves a different kind of Christmas?
Emotions. We sure do have some, don't we? Especially during the holidays. Our feelings are all over the place. This Sunday is a well timed conversation about having a healthy relationship with our emotions so we can not only allow ourselves to have them, but to also keep them from having us.
This Sunday we wrap up our time in the Apostle's Creed by clearing away some of the "extra" that gets in the way of the crescendo of our faith-the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.
This episode had to be a little short but we wanted to make sure you got our thoughts on forgiveness. We will be taking a break the next 2 weeks but check our social media & app for Deeper Dive questions and other resources!
Send us your questions at emmauschurchsc.com/questions
We have been spending our time together in worship walking through the Apostle’s Creed in order to get a in touch with the heart and soul of our faith. This Sunday we come to the confession “I believe in the forgivenss of sins.” This one is about as essential as it gets, but it can also be one of the hardest to really trust. God’s complete and total forgiveness for all of our short falls and wrong doings? Sounds to good to be true and if it sounds too good to be true, well then it probably isn’t true. Or, maybe not. Perhaps when we find ourselves thinking that our understanding of the faith seems to good to be true thats a sign that we are getting close to the real thing.
Death is a thief and the longer you live the more it takes from you. That's one of the few things we all have in common. In spite of all our differences, we are all familiar with the ache that stems from the loss of those we love. This weekend we are observing our first All Saints Sunday. It will be a meaningful time for us to make space for our grief, remember our hope, and honor our loved ones.
This week we talk all things the church. What does "catholic" mean? Can you have church when you're by yourself?
Don't forget you can send us your questions by visiting:
https://www.emmauschurchsc.com/questions
We have been spending our time together on Sundays working through the Apostle's Creed in a way that makes room for some of our doubt around what it affirms. The part we are going to get into this weekend is less of an issue for our mind and more of a issue with our heart. " I believe in the holy catholic Church..." Our struggle with this doesn't have to do with what it means, but more so with what it's done...the church that is. We are probably all over the place when it comes to how we think/feel about the church. It can be the best of us and the worst of us at the same time. This Sunday we will have a honest and hopeful conversation the church and why, despite all the frustration and disappointment, it is still worth being a part of.
In this episode we talk about The Holy Spirit. We share our thoughts about the Trinity & where the bible fits in all of it.
The goal of this series is to identify some of the extra that gets loaded onto our faith that can get in the way. In many church circles, the Holy Spirit gets handed a whole lot of this extra. This Sunday we are going to attempt to clear some of it off so we can get to heart of what it means to open ourselves up to the Spirit's presence in our lives.
In this episode of Let's Keep It Going, We catch up with each other and with the past few sermons going through Jesus and what we believe about him; all through following up on Pastor Nick's sermon series on The Apostles Creed.
If you want to leave us a question go to https://www.emmauschurchsc.com/questions
Was Jesus a real person, or just a mythological figure? Did he really die and rise again or was that just a story that the church made up to give shape to the movement? These are the issues we are going to get into this week as we work through the historical claims of the Apostle’s Creed.
The early Christian's were unwavering in their allegiance to Jesus and what he called the Kingdom of God-a new kind of reality marked by love for God, love for neighbor, and love for enemy. This commitment positioned them to invite the watching world into a radical alternative to the way the world was typically ordered. That opportunity is still ours today.
This week, we are joined by Summer Wiggleston! We get to know Summer and also follow up on Pastor Nick's message on what it means to believe in Jesus, as part of our series on The Apostle's Creed.
We've been spending our time together on Sunday mornings walking through the Apostle's Creed while asking the question, "what is the least I can believe and still be a Christian?" The hope isn't to water down what it means to follow Jesus, but to declutter it a bit. This week we are moving into the heart and soul of the whole thing-the Jesus stuff. First up-what it does/doesn't mean for Jesus to be "God's only Son."
In this week's episode, Nick & Lindsey follow up on last Sunday's message from our series, "The Creed: What the Least I Can Believe & Still Be A Christian?" Not only do they share some of their personal beliefs, they also discuss some of the questions from the Deeper Dive.
The Apostle's Creed opens with, "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of the heavens and the earth." This week, we will talk a bit about what it means, and doesn't mean, to affirm this conviction.
We're back with another episode. We discuss the Apostle's Creed, what it means to put your belief in something, and how we can hold all this together by loosening our grip on some of the inessentials.
The Apostle's Creed is one of the oldest and most widely accepted professions of faith in the church. One of the things that makes the Creed so helpful isn't just in what it says, but also in what it doesn't say. It's easy for all this extra to get added to our faith and for non-essentials to be made into essentials. The thing about all of this "extra" is that it can get in the way. The Apostles Creed provides a concise summary of the most fundamental convictions of a Jesus follower. For the next 7 weeks we are going to work our way through it in order to hold all the extra more loosely and commit, more fully, to the essentials.
We are convinced that the church is called to be a good neighbor to people who call their community home. This Sunday we are going to talk a bit about what that means in practice and spotlight some really incredible work that is being done in the Midlands.
We're back with another awesome episode. We're joined by our guest speaker from last week, Latoya Reed, as we get to know her and discuss some parts of her message that really hit home!
Feel free to send us your questions!
Reference from Sunday - Colossians 3:23-24
Labor Day is like the junk drawer of American holidays. It's an occasion for all sorts of things. It marks the end of the summer so you better get that last swim in before the pool closes. It's your final weekend to wear white, and apparently it's a good time to buy a mattress. Historically, Labor Day is a time when we celebrate the dignity of our work by taking a day off. This week we will be talking about the most important kind of work-the work we do for and with God.
In this episode, through the magic of Zoom, we catch up with our Finance Guru, Nate Gibson! We also wrap up our Summer Playlist series, by having an extended discussion on the story of Esther.
Feel free to send us your questions!Reference from Sunday - Esther 4:12-16
Over the last three weeks we have covered just about every genre of story there is. We had Job (tragedy), Jonah (comedy), and Ruth (romance). This Sunday we wrap it up with action. The book of Esther reads like an espionage thriller.
In this episode, we catch up with our Student Min. Director, Adrienne Dodge! We also follow up week 4 of the Summer Playlist series, by having an extended discussion on the story of Ruth.
Feel free to send us your questions!
Reference from Sunday - Ruth 1
This Sunday we will be learning about a book in the Bible that may get you a little hot under the collar-the book of Ruth. Make no mistake, this story wants to do more than get you all hot and bothered. On the surface, the book of Ruth is an endearing romance, but when we consider the story behind the story we see that the romance is a vehicle for a really subversive message that calls the people of God to remember what it means to be the people of God.
In this episode, we catch up with our Director of Mercy & Justice, Dylan Gunnels! We also follow up week 3 of the Summer Playlist series, by having an extended discussion on the story of Jonah.
Feel free to send us your questions!
Reference from Sunday - Jonah 1:1-17
Is there anything better than laughing? Studies show that laughing is good for our heart, our mind, and our body. I mean 15 minutes of laughing can burn 40 calories. The book we are going to learn from this Sunday is the closest thing to a comedy that you will find in the Bible-the book of Jonah. Yes, Jonah wants to make us laugh, but not simply to be funny, but to help us drop our guard so we can receive a really challenging message about the unruly nature of God's grace.
In this episode, we get to learn more about our Kid's Director, Kara Taylor. We also discuss the new series: Summer Playlist, and have an extended discussion about last Sunday's message on Job.
Don't forget to send us your questions!
Reference from Sunday - Job 1:1-3, 6-22 NIV
This week we started a new series: Summer Playlist. We will be looking at 4 obscure books in the Old Testament that all have at least one thing in common-they challenge much of the conventional wisdom we find in the rest of the scriptures. This series would be like the playlist your mom-conformist friend made for you with a bunch of songs you would never hear on the radio.
What's the best team you've ever been on?
In this episode, we wrap up the discussion from James; How he challenges us in ways that make us better together.
Don't forget to send us your questions!
Reference from Sunday - James 4:1-12 NIV
This week we are wrapping up our series through the book of James by unpacking his desire and dream for the sort of community the church could be. The good news is that it's the sort of community we all long for. The even better news is it's the sort of community the world needs to see right now.
Do you have difficulty finishing books, movies, shows?
In this episode, we continue the discussion from James. How he challenges us to think about how we spend our time in light of two realities-our mortality and God’s will and the clarity that comes from it.
Don't forget to send us your questions!
Reference from Sunday - James 4:13-17 NIV
There are times when what we need most is a wake up a call. Not a bunch of niceties that make us feel all warm and fuzzy, but a challenge to wake up and pay attention. This week's passage from James is definitely one of those. It comes in like a splash of cold water with the intention of waking us up to how we are spending our most precious resource-our time.
In this episode of Let's Keep It Going, we continue our discussion on James. We discuss Deborah's sermon from Sunday on faith & deeds. We also answer your questions on faith, deeds, heaven, & everything in between.
Don't forget to send us your questions!
Reference from Sunday - James 2: 14-26 NIV
Recommended Reading - The Freedom Of Self-Forgetfulness
This week we get into what has made the book of James one of the most controversial books in the NT-the relationship a person's faith (what they believe) and their works (how they live). How exactly does a life get turned around?
This episode of Let's Keep It Going, we continue our discussion on James. We discuss the wisdom of being slow to speak, slow to judge, and quick to bless.
Don't forget to send us your questions!
Reference from Sunday - James 1:19-20, and then 3:1-12 NIV
07/02/23
There's a good chance that most of your biggest regrets have something to do with something you said, or didn't say. Our big mouths can create lots of trouble. This week we will dive into what the book of James has to say about the things we say.
On our first episode of Let's Keep It Going, we continue the conversation we started on Sunday about the wisdom the book of James offers us when it comes to navigating the trials that come our way.
Reference scripture from Sunday - James 1:1-8 NIV
Recommended Reading - Unapologetic by Francis Spufford
Don't forget to send us your questions!
06/25/23
This week we kick off a new series through THE most practical book in the Bible-James. James isn't all that interested in theoretical ideas or concepts, but instead is laser focused on helping followers of Jesus work out their faith in real life situations. First up, navigating unexpected trials that come our way.
Sure, the world is all sorts of mixed up, but the mess isn't just "out there" is it? The mess we need to be most concerned with is the one we carry inside of us. This week we take a much needed look in the mirror so that we can reflect back to the world the grace God has offered us.
This week we are wrapping up our Cardio series. Last week we talked about some of things about the Bible that actually challenge our faith (if you missed it you can go back and listen on the app and the podcast). We want to explore the gift that the Bible is to our faith. When you consider all of the revolutions it has sparked, and all of the reformers it has inspired, why wouldn't you want to read it? We are going to get really practical and even try some of the practices we have been looking at together.
This week we are going to deal with some questions about the Bible, and probably stir up a few more, in search of a better way to walk all of this out.
This week we are going to approach Jesus' famous Golden Rule (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you) as a practice. This little maxim wasn't offered to just simply be admired, but to be put to good use particularly when we are interacting with difficult people. Have any of those in your life?
This week we are going to get into the spiritual practice of Sabbath. It's an intentional time during the week when we turn aside and rest, but not in the way you're probably thinking. Sometimes the way people talk about Sabbath makes it sound like you're supposed to be bored on purpose and call it spiritual. As we will see, the real intention behind sabbath is anything but boredom.
This week we will look at the most necessary sort of spiritual cardio-prayer. When we pray, it may feel like we're just talking to the ceiling, but prayer is one of the primary ways we allow God to form our hearts.
Purpose is one of the deepest desires of our heart. We all long for meaning and for our lives to count for something. Indifference is often what gets in the way of us living a meaningful life. This week we are going to talk about the practice of keeping our hearts open and allowing them to break.
This week we start a new series called Cardio. Our English word cardio comes from the Greek word "kardia," which means, you guessed it, heart. In our vernacular cardio is a word we use for exercise that strengthens your heart. What resistance training is to your biceps and glutes (ow ow), cardio is to your heart. When the scriptures speak about the heart, they aren't talking about the organ in your chest, but about the deepest part of who you are. It's the you-est part of you there is. In this series we are going to be talking about exercises and practices that can strengthen our hearts and quite honestly, save our lives.
This Sunday will be a tad bit different than usual. We will be sharing some exciting news about the Home Campaign and important information about what's next. For those who are new-ish or curious, this Sunday will give you a good idea of who we are.
He is risen! This morning we will celebrate that in the end love and life triumph over fear and death.
This Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. We will hear a word that gets to the heart of what makes Jesus so challenging and also so intriguing. It will definitely get us ready for Easter!
This week is going to be a surprise. Reason being this issue is something that's easy to see in other people, but it's harder to recognize it in the mirror. But it's in there alright, and it gets the best of a lot of us.
This week we are starting a brand new series called Heart of the Matter. Any Don Henley fans out there? Besides the awesome 90's vibes, this series is going to call us to take a serious look at some of the things that can get stuck in our hearts that wind up making a mess of our lives.
We are convinced that the church is called to be a good neighbor to people who call their community home. This week we are going to talk a bit about what that means in practice and spotlight some really incredible work that is being done in the Midlands.
This week we are wrapping up our series through the miracles of Jesus by looking at what is without a doubt the STRANGEST one of them all. It involves blindness, spit, people who look like trees and an invitation to see everything a bit more clearly.
This week we are going to look at the one miracle story that is recorded in all 4 Gospels-the feeding of the 5,000. Like with all the other stories-there's the miracle, and then there is what the miracle is pointing to...a God who can take our little bit and use it to accomplish a whole lot.
When things have been bad for a long time it gets harder and harder to believe they can change. It's much easier to try and just accept that bad is how it's always going to be. In this week's miracle story we will see that when Jesus gets involved, giving up isn't our only option.
This week, we are continuing our series through some of the miracles of Jesus looking at a story of a desperate woman whose feeble faith opened the door for something amazing to happen in her life. If you feeling like you're hanging on by a thread, this message is for you.
This week we will look at one of Jesus most iconic miracles-the calming of the storm. This story has a lot to say to us about who Jesus is and what God is up to in and through him, but it also has something to say to us about our fear and how we can keep it from getting the best of us.
In this message we will crawl inside the story about 4 people who dig a whole through someone's roof to get their friend to Jesus. We will talk about urgency, grace, and our role in instigating miracles.
We are starting a brand new series called Signs and Wonders. For the next several weeks we will be doing a deep dive into some of the miracles of Jesus. Before we do that, we need to clear the way a bit and deal with some of the reasons we often struggle with these stories and miss the point all together. It will be a great primer for what is sure to be a powerful series...
As great as our first Round Table was, we recognize there is still so much to talk about. For starters, how about all the questions from the audience that we didn't get a chance to talk about that night? Nick and Dylan recorded a conversation where they discussed these questions and more.
Love is a word that we get a lot mileage out of. We toss it around all of the time. The real kind of love, the Advent kind of love, goes beyond words-it’s got some skin on it. This week we will talk some more about the kind of love that shows up in flesh and blood.
We are getting into the theme of peace. We find talk of peace all over the first Christmas story. It’s in the messages of the prophets, it’s on the lips of the old priest, and it’s even sung about by a choir of angels. We all want peace, but what exactly is peace? This is important for us to get right because what we believe about peace will determine how we pursue it and as usual, God's idea of peace is way better than ours.
Joy is at the heart of what makes this season so great. You don’t just kind of feel joy. When it hits, joy completely takes over and leaves us better than it found us. We are going to talk about the joy that Advent offers and how we can facilitate a bit more of it in our lives.
For centuries, followers of Jesus have been using the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas to reorient themselves to the bigger story we are apart of and to remember that this story has a happy ending. We are going to have an old fashion sort of Advent and spend these weeks reflecting on the four traditional themes of the season-hope, joy, peace, and love. First up is hope.
As we head into the week of Thanksgiving we are going to spend some time talking about gratitude. There are few spiritual disciplines as vital as giving thanks.
When it comes to the topic of human sexuality and gender identity, the conversation is filled with nuance. That conversation becomes even more nuanced as it relates to the church. As followers of Jesus, how do we build community in the church amidst the theological, sexual, and gender diversity? How do we wrestle with the scriptures as well as the stories of our LGBTQ friends in such a way that honors both and still gives life? How can we begin to look more like Jesus in the midst of this potential difference? Apologies for the audio quality of certain microphones, those levels will improve around 32 min. Thank you!
In this message, we are wrapping up a 10 week series all about relationships. We will get into why it all matters so much. As followers of Jesus, how we people is about more than just getting our own relational needs met. How we people is how we spark change.
In this message, we are going to keep the conversation going by digging into one of Jesus’ most profound teachings about navigating conflict in our relationships. We will get into what to do with/about gossip, the need for a 3rd party, and when to let a relationship go.
If you are in a relationship with someone long enough, there’s bound to be some conflict. We can’t avoid it. Not if we want to have any relationships with some depth to them. In this message we will dig into one of Jesus most spicy teachings and learn a bit about how to navigate conflict the right way.
Last week we were challenged to begin exploring some of the baggage we have inherited from our family of origin. We are going to talk a bit about what to do next. Once we have started to unpack our wagon, how do we begin to move in a new direction?
So much of our people-ing is influenced by how we have been peopled. Often, the first step forward requires us to look back.
In this message, we will get to hear a word from Pastor Pastor Michael Slaughter. He is the pastor emeritus at Ginghamsburg Church where he served for nearly 4 decades as the lead pastor and helped to spearhead a movement ordinary people committing to God’s extraordinary call on their lives. His passion to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted is what fuels his calling to challenge Jesus’ followers to trade in “easy believe-ism” for radical discipleship.
Falling in love is the easy part. Nurturing the sort of love that can last…that’s the hard, and yet it’s also the most meaningful part. We are going to get down in the trenches and talk about how to develop the sort of love that stays the course. What we are going to get into applies to all of our most meaningful relationships.
Do you have a hard time saying no to certain people? Are you tired of having the same old fights with the same people? Have you had enough of bailing that one person out of the same kind of trouble? If so, this message is a crash course on establishing healthy boundaries in our relationships. So much of the conflict in our people-ing has to do with a misunderstanding of what is our responsibility and what isn’t.
Not every week of this series will be about our romantic relationships, but this week definitely is. Hubba, hubba. Often, when it comes to our love life, we buy into the myth that if we could just find the right one it will make everything right. We are going to get into how this makes our single, dating, or married lives way harder than they have to be.
This Sunday we are kicking off a new series on all things relationships. Our relational health has a significant impact on every other aspect of our lives-physical, emotional, spiritual-its all connected. And so we can’t neglect it, but that’s exactly what we do, isn’t it? Not dealing with it isn’t a strategy for dealing with. At least not a helpful one.
We have experienced a lot of growth over the last 6 months and with all the new faces we thought it would be a good idea to share a bit about the kind of church we are working to be. So whether you are new to the community, or you have been around for a while, join us as we take some time to remember who we are!
Jesus has some strong things to say about our tendency to judge one another, and for good reason. This message will unpack one of Jesus’ most quoted teachings and have an honest conversation about why judgement is so harmful.
The cross stands at the heart of the Christian faith. It is easily one of the most recognizable symbols in the world, and it’s also one of the most misunderstood. In this message, we will wrestle with one of the biggest misconceptions about the cross, and in doing so, get to the heart of why the Gospel is such good news.
Wonder is defined as a feeling of surprise and appreciation. It’s when we find ourselves wide eyed and acutely aware of the gift that is our life. Wonder is about as good as it gets and in this message, we will be talking about the role God intends for it to play in our lives and how we can experience a bit more of it.
Love is a word that gets thrown around a lot. Whether it’s tacos, our favorite team, or our friends and family…we “love” a lot of things. In this message we will talk a bit about what love really is, how it holds us together, and how it will lead us forward.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all that’s wrong in our world. From the troubles in our own lives, to the issues in our communities, and then you have the constant bombardment from the 24 hr news cycle of all that’s happening around the world. The temptation is to hunker down, grow cynical, and just block it all out. What we will see as we sit with this final passage in Philippians is that thankfully there is a better way to handle all of it. A way that is better for us, better for our world, and better for the ones who will come along after us.
We are getting close to wrapping up our time in the book of Philippians. Here at the end Paul is making sure to say thank you to his friends for showing up for him, but in a strange way, he’s also saying “you’re welcome.” You’re welcome for what? You’ll have to listen to find out.
What could a guy on death row possibly have to say about joy? Quite a lot actually. Paul uses the word 9 times in the book of Philippians. The passage we are looking at in this message brings it all together and will teach us a good bit about what joy is, what it isn’t, and how we can experience more of it. We would love for you to join us!
How many of us feel stuck? Stuck…it’s one of the worst feelings we have. Often what can keep us from moving forward is something behind us. In this message, we will get into one of the apostle Paul’s most well-known and most well loved teachings and learn a bit about pressing on toward what is ahead.
What do dogs, mutilators of the flesh, and bears have in common? Hint: it has something to do with circumcision. There’s a word that will get your attention!
When it comes to understanding big and important truths it can be helpful to have real life flesh and blood examples. This is why we love stories so much…they communicate big important truths in a way that helps us get it. The passage we are going to be looking at works sort of like that. It helps put flesh and blood on what we have been learning so far in Philippians and reminds us that the Kingdom of God doesn’t need lip service from admirers…it needs examples people can see.
Philippians is a letter that has a lot to say about joy. In this message, we will deal with one of the things that often robs us of joy; our grumbling. If you are finding that your joy is on short supply, you may have a case of "the grumbles".
Looking back can be clarifying. Maybe you’ve had a chance to visit the house you grew up in, or the apartment where you and your spouse first made a home. It can help connect you to your roots and remind you of important things you may have forgotten. In this message the passage we are going to get into is a lot like that. It’s believed to be one of the first hymns or creeds of the church. It offers us a chance to get in touch with the earliest convictions of the church and reconnect with what made the Jesus movement so revolutionary. If you’re feeling a bit weighed down by the heaviness of the past several weeks, this message will help offer some perspective.
So the church in Philippi seems to be dealing with persecution from all over the place and yet Paul is zeroed in on their relationships with one another. What gives? In this message, we will really dig into how our lives togetherplay into our life with God and the gift that that jumbled mess can be for the world.
If we are going to get anywhere with the stuff that really matter: significant relationships, meaningful work, healthy living, etc. there will be plenty of times when we have to appeal to something that is truer than our thoughts, feelings, or urges. We will have to be people of conviction. In this message, we will learn from Paul about being the kind of people who stay the course.
Life isn’t fair. Sure, a lot of the pain and frustration that we experience is the result of our own poor choices, but not all of it. Horrible things happen every day to people who didn’t deserve it. How do we handle all of that? This week in Philippians we will hear from Paul about the sort of mindset that is required of us if we are going to hold it all together when everything falls apart.
When it comes to our life togeteher, hurt is going to happen, but that's not all that happens. Connection, intimacy, being known, working through stuff... the depth we experience from all of that makes the risk of getting hurt worth it.
We started a brand new message series through the book of Philippians. This letter contains some of Paul’s “Greatest Hits.” “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” “Forgetting what is behind, I press on towards what is ahead.” “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” All of those gems can be found in Philippians. But this letter is more than just fodder for Christian coffee mugs or bumper stickers. This letter, written from prison, has been encouraging and inspiring people for nearly 2k years and, as we will see, it still has a lot to say.
Pastor Nick takes some time to celebrate how amazing our planet is-the one we call home. We are going to talk a bit about how an awareness, connection, and appreciation for nature can play a vital role in our life with God.