Mission Church: Teaching Podcast

During the runup to Christmas, there are often two types of experiences we find ourselves in: On the hill or in the valley. Here's where we're going with this; no matter where you find yourself, God is with you! On the hill celebrating His faithfulness in your life, and of course in the valley where the pain of humanity is felt in full force. It's in the valley that we find one of the often neglected Christmas stories, the story of Jesus' dad, Joseph. It's time to discover just how close God is, even in the darkest of places.

There are many names used to describe the nature and character of Jesus: Wonderful Counselor, King Of All Kings, Prince Of Peace; but the name Immanuel... for us, might be at the top of the list. Why? Because it's meaning, in the most simple terms is; God with us for the purpose of us with God.

We're not sure what you think of when you think of God but we believe it is super important for all of us to, at the very least, think of God as the “God of GO.” 2/3rds of the name of God is "Go." after all! It's like a window into the heart and history of God going to us. From creation to the incarnation, to the inception of the Church through the gift of the Holy Spirit; friends we worship the God of Go!

Let's play a little game called: Two Truths And A Lie. (Yes, we know it has the word "lie" in it, and it's ok to play games in church, friends.) Anyways, when asked, "Is spiritual Growth something God does or is it something I do?" how would you respond? Are we simply spectators in our spiritual growth? Do life and growth go hand-in-hand? Is there a participation piece that we're missing? Can you guess what the two truths are?

What's the point of gathering at church on Sundays? Come on, we've all asked that question before; right? Well, instead of just saying, "Because you're supposed to." (Seriously though, who would want to go anyways with a reason like that?), we thought we could actually talk about the "why" of gathering and how it's a core value here at Mission!

We love secrets, don't we? Like that shortcut in Mario Kart that no one else can find or the recipe for your favorite restaurant's Ceaser Salad dressing. Whatever it is, there is something about secrets that give us a feeling of #Winning. But what if you had the secret to everything? Well, that is what we're here to talk about.

Quick question: How do you know when you're living your best life? Is it kicking back on a beach somewhere? Maybe it's just being at home on the couch with a bowl of Doritos and the big game on your big screen? In 1 Timothy 6:19, we're challenged with a path to "living our best life" that takes an unexpected turn.

Most of us could agree that aspiring to be something is a good place to start... but also a bad place to end. If aspiration is the end then it quickly becomes an exercise in futility. And here's the point, the goal of life is to actually become something, and that something is someone who lives and loves more and more like Jesus lived and loved. How? Well, Doing something about it would seem like the natural progression; right?

What does it mean to truly BE RICH? We all know someone who we would consider rich; right? Well, what if we told you that "richness" is overrated and not that rare. However, according to a verse in 1 Timothy, there is a measurement we can all use to better understand where we're placing our hope and how to live rich lives.

If your life so far was a resume would it be filled with regret, guilt, or maybe even shame? So often we are defined by what we've done in the past. But when will we refuse to allow our past to hijack our present? Can our guilt really be outmatched by God's grace? Let's find out.

Have you heard the term: G.O.A.T. when it comes to sports? It stands for "greatest of all time." and the debates are endless. Think Michael Jordan vs Lebron James. (Which we all know the correct answer to that is M.J.) Here's the interesting part though; who's the best and what makes them better than the rest isn't just a sports thing. It's actually an all-of-life thing. That's why understanding what truly brings about greatness is so crucial to our lives. So, let the real G.O.A.T. discussion begin!

We’ve all been to parties or functions; and as we’re meeting new people, what is the #1 question we ask: "So… what do you do?" What is our fixation with occupation? Since when did we let what we do become the most asked about aspect of our lives? Don't get us wrong; work is good, but work is not God. To say it another way; You were meant to do stuff but you were never meant to have the stuff you do, define who you are. Right?

Do remember those nursery rhymes you learned as kids? Hickory Dickory Dock, Jack and Jill, The Itsy Bitsy Spider; how about this one: "Sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt me." Uh, yeah, not true; right? We've all experienced the power of what people can say and, though "sticks and stones" bruise a person, words can often break us. Whose words are we giving power to these days? And more importantly, are we believing them?

We share a lot of differences, but there is certainly one thing we all have in common and that is we all want, in life, positive outcomes. Agreed? But how can we influence these desired outcomes? Well, let's think about it. No, seriously, thinking is actually the "how" and brain science is now revealing what God has already confirmed: What has your head, has you.

Are you weird? Hold on a minute! Let us explain what we mean by that. Do you live your life in such a way that demands a gospel explanation? That's the question we're really trying to ask here. If God is sending us out to our neighborhoods and networks with the good news of the gospel, then the next logical question would be; "What do we do when we get there?" The answer is more normal than you think.

After getting swallowed by a fish and spit back out days later, you'd think that Jonah deserved a little breather; right? However, the urgency to God's rescue plan for Ninevah remained unchanged. And guess who do you think God still wanted to deliver the news? Yep, you're catching on now; the same guy that still smelled like he spent a few nights in the belly of a fish. It's time for Jonah to go!

When you think about God providing something to save us, odds are that a huge fish doesn't come to mind. However, that's exactly what we see happen in the book of Jonah. Needless to say, that had to be distressing to this runaway prophet. And yet we see what Jonah does as he comes to grips with his situation; he calls out to the only one who could save him.

What does it mean to make room for more in our lives? It starts with asking; "What is the "more" on the mind of God?" So, that's exactly what we're gonna do as we dive into the first chapter for Jonah and discover where God is leading us as a church!

Author, speaker, and global activist, Danielle Strickland, ups the urgency for all of us with four essential steps to seeing God's Kingdom revealed on earth and in our everyday lives.

Here's the paradox we face today: We have more access to information, podcasts, blogs, and books on how to find rest, how to get rest, and how to rest well. And yet, we are... exhausted. What does 'real rest' even feel like? Well, guest teacher, Hannah Gronowski takes us into the book of Matthew to discover the source of rest and perhaps even the reason we're tired of being tired.