Living Spring Podcast

What does it mean to be “persecuted?” All over the world people are confronted for their faith. For some it can even mean death. Jesus says it’s going to happen. So what do we do when it does?

According to Jesus, peacemakers (or shalom-makers) are blessed and called children of God in this kingdom coming from heaven. As God’s children we too have this peacemaking gene and are called to join God in the family business of making all things new. HOW? First, Biblical peacemakers trust God and God’s vision for the world; second they are honest about their own violence and sin; and third they dare to enter the messy and dark areas of our world expecting to meet Jesus there. 

Have you ever tried to do right, but something causes you to do wrong? It’s a spiritual heart condition that only God can cure. He wants to give you a new heart so you can fully experience him.

Have you ever broken a rule and later hoped for mercy? God delights in covenant love, so he will again show compassion. He will trample over evil; He will toss our sins into the depths of the sea.

What if someone invited you to a really good steakhouse? Super expensive. Would you eat right before you went? Of course not. You would want to savor everything. This is how it is like with God’s righteousness. Why would we ruin our appetite for something as important as righteousness.

How do you get what you want? Our culture encourages us to demand our rights, to push for what we want. But God has a different perspective and a different way of having us move forward. This week we talk about what it looks like to be humble and why that is so important.

In our culture,? we do not like to mourn. We often try to escape mourning by binge watching shows, playing video games, blaming others and medicating ourselves. Yet the Bible encourages mourning. More importantly, Jesus encourages it. This week we talk about why.

Jesus was a great teacher. People came all over to hear Him preach. He challenged the status quo and confronted the power structures of the time. But He also challenges us today with teachings that seem opposite. This week we talk about what it means to be happy and hopeless at the same time. We told you it was “Upside Down.”

Have you ever been in the ocean and gotten hit by a wave? Then another? It’s scary. Sometimes life can feel like that. First a diagnosis, then a bill and then more bad news. Where is Jesus during these storms? Sometimes it feels like He is not present. It turns out He’s a lot closer than you think.

What does it mean to be “born again?” Is it just for people that are beginning a journey of following Jesus or is it something that can happen to a seasoned follower of Jesus. This week we talk about where the phrase came from and what it means for us today.

We all love it when the people we don’t like are caught doing something bad. But what do we do when it is us that gets “caught?” This week we look at something even more important. How does Jesus respond to all of it?

How much do you need to have for Jesus to be able to use it? How much time, money, commitment. As we look at another famous story about Jesus we see that no matter what we have, if we bring it to Him, He can bless it.

Jesus was in the business of challenging the status quo. He is in the business of challenging the status quo in your life as well. This week we talk about a person whose? life was changed forever?r and how it affected him and those in power.

If you are new to the Bible you might not have heard of the story of Lazarus. If you aren’t new to the Bible you probably have. But how does Jesus handle this situation. Chances are, differently than you would expect.

Peter betrayed Jesus three times. He rarely got it right. Then something happened. After Jesus died Peter became bold. Increasingly bold. Then he became unstoppable. Peter’s life was forever changed over one event. The resurrection of Jesus. We’ll talk about how it effected him and how it can effect you.

We’ve all experienced times when others have not met our expectations. Maybe it was a teacher or spouse or even God. But what happens when we don’t meet our own expectations? How do we handle it? This week we look at a person that didn’t handle it very well so we can avoid the same mistake.

What do you do when others don’t meet your expectations? Even worse, how do you react when you don’t expect to be mistreated but are? This week we look at what Jesus has to say about and, even more importantly, what he demonstrated by His actions.

It’s one thing when your boss doesn’t meet your expectations. Maybe it’s your kids or your wife or your dog. It’s another thing when God doesn’t meet your expectations. This week we look at a man that did everything right and found himself in a place that had the potential to destroy his faith in Jesus.

Some people like hymns, some like praise songs, some like long sermons, some like....ok nobody likes long sermons. But what is church really supposed to accomplish? What if you are forced to attend a church that doesn't fit your "preferences?" This week we talk about keeping our focus on something beyond style.

Who’s more important? The coach or the player? We have been debating this for years. The coach needs to assess strengths and needs and design a system that creates an environment for success. On the other side is the player that needs to put in the hard work and execute when the time comes. This week we talk about the wonderful partnership between the pastor and the congregation.