Living Spring Podcast

Many of us know the parable of the prodigal son. But there are 3 players in the story. This week we talk about how each character shows up in our lives at one time or another. Sometimes all three.

Jesus emphasizes the commitment of our lives required of his followers, stressing that true discipleship commands self-sacrifice and a willingness to prioritize God's kingdom above all else. As we continue our journey through Luke this week, Pastor John talks about how surrendering personal desires, taking up one's cross daily, and embracing a life of humility and service, reflect the profound sacrifice modeled by Jesus.

This week, Pastor John talks about The Sermon on the Plain. Jesus teaches us a message about caring for the poor, cautioning the rich, and encouraging love and generosity. He urges us to embrace a transformative ethic, centered on mercy, forgiveness, and treating others with kindness.

This week in our exploration of Luke, Jesus invites us to release our grip on worldly possessions and fully commit to following Him. His desire is for us to trade materialism for a life focused on spiritual fulfillment and the everlasting kingdom of God.

Temptation can be as small as something that is not a sin, but has the ability to carry us away from God’s will for our lives. This week, Pastor John continues with our journey through Luke where Jesus faed temptation after 40 days in the wilderness and how that relates to our lives today.

Luke does an amazing job of investigating the life of Jesus. In this introduction we learn why he embarked on this journey and what the implications are of Jesus coming to us at a specific time in history. 

In moments of unexpected challenges, our immediate emotional reactions can catch us off guard. Jesus imparts wisdom on the significance of aligning our thoughts, empowering us to manage emotions, especially when our physiological responses threaten to overwhelm our senses. As we wrap up our series on "What, what?", Pastor John delves into the scriptural teachings about gaining authority over our minds.

Understanding the Bible requires understanding the context and choosing a translation that resonates personally. This week, pastor John talks about how approaching the scriptures with humility, seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit, maintaining a structured plan, consistent pace, dedicated place, and having a supportive community contribute to a more meaningful engagement with the Bible.

All to often we strive to exceed our limits. This often results in life imbalances that contradict God's intended design for us. Pastor John highlights the significance of creating a margin in our lives this week, illustrating how doing so fosters a closer connection with God without exhausting ourselves in the pursuit of life’s challenges.

In this week's sermon, Pastor John explores the question of how we can discern if we have truly heard from God. Exploring seven key ways through which Bible scripture serves as a guiding light, he unravels the various ways in which God communicates with us. Join us this week to better understand the ways God speaks to our hearts.

We are reminded today by the Apostle Paul that we are to be anxious about nothing. What, what?! How are we supposed to do that in the world we live in today? Today Pastor John highlights talks about what the Bible tells us about how do deal with anxiety.

Today we are reminded that Jesus wants the very best for us. All we have to do is ask of Him, and then not doubt he will answer our prayer.

This week we celebrate the coming of Jesus as Pastor John talks about how our most joyful moments have come after taking a risk. Much like Mary & Joseph took a risk when they travelled to Bethlehem to make way for the Messiah.

This is part two of a two part sermon. Christmas is all about celebrating the coming of our King. But what kind of kingdom does He rule? This week we talk about 10 principles of the kingdom that Jesus establishes and why it is, in fact, good news.

From the beginning of creation God wanted to be in relationship with us. Time and time again, He would make a way to bridge the gap and we would end up choosing something different. This week we begin part one of a two part sermon on the Good News of a new Kingdom he wants to establish.

Sometimes during the holidays we can get so wrapped up in our to-do list that we forget one of the most important points of Jesus’ birth. It is good news. Why? That’s what we talk about this week.

We all decorate for Christmas. But do we actually prepare? This week Pastor John talks about two different approaches to having Jesus arrive.

A posture of gratitude can change our entire view of the circumstances around us. This week Pastor John talks about how gratitude vs. ingratitude can change the smallest of perceptions in our broken world.

Joy, a fruits of the Holy Spirit, is a welcomed gift in today’s world full of stress, sadness, and anxiety. When we depend on our external circumstances to be joyful, we are often left wanting. This week, Pastor John talks about how allowing the Holy Spirit to be in charge of our thoughts and emotion, we can be joyful in any circumstance.

We all have that one time we were wounded in our life. Maybe it was a parent, a spouse, a mentor, or just someone you were close to. We are called to forgive them like the Lord forgave us. Just how do we do that? This week, Pastor John talks about how David was pursued relentlessly by King Saul for nothing other than Saul was a broken leader and David forgave him for trying to kill him.