Sun, 18 January 2015
Following Christ is not a free ticket to everything we've always wanted. Jesus tells us that in order to follow him we must be willing to pay the price he requires of us. What is the price tag for following Jesus? |
Sun, 5 September 2010
An interesting story about the Israelites, after the famous battle of Jericho, involves one guy who thought nobody would know what he did in secret. It ended up costing him everything. In this message, Pastor Patrick Lander looks at the story of Achan. |
Sun, 8 August 2010
No matter how big or strong you are, there is something you fear. Whether we want to admit it or not, we all face fear. But for some of us, it's bigger. They face fear daily, and it controls their lives. They are consumed with fear. If you are struggling with fear, what should you do? How do you deal with fear? |
Sun, 25 July 2010
In this message, Pastor Rod looks at the third preparation principle. We can never accomplish what God has for us without spending time in His presence. |
Thu, 15 July 2010
We don't like preparation all that much. It's not always fun. We'd rather jump right in to what we want to do or what we feel God wants us to do. We see in the Bible, though, when God called someone, there was often a time of preparation. When we are ready to go, often God says, "Wait." |
Sun, 27 June 2010
Have you ever met a spiritual snob? You know, someone who feels they are better than you, because of their exalted faith? Jesus had a lot to say about spiritual snobs. In this final message in the Between the Lines series, Rod Loy examines the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. |
Sun, 27 June 2010
In this message, Pastor Rod looks at the Parable of the Sower. What was Jesus saying with this parable? What should we do in response? |
Sun, 27 June 2010
In this message, Pastor Gary Tomlinson talks about people who are hoarders: those who have a lot, but are stingy with God. Are you a hoarder? |
Sun, 6 June 2010
Prejudice. It's about more than black and white. And it strikes at the core of what it means to be a Christian. In Luke, chapter 10, Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. What does it have to do with prejudice? A lot, when you read between the lines... |
Tue, 1 June 2010
In the parable of the Unjust Steward, Jesus tells a curious tale about a wealth manager who learns he is to be fired. He uses his influence to cost his employer money, while setting himself up for the future. Strangely, once his employer finds out, he commends his dastardly former employee for his shrewdness and cunning. Why would Jesus teach using this story? What does it have to teach us today? |
Sun, 23 May 2010
What does Jesus think about empty seats in a church? |
Sun, 9 May 2010
Do you have talent? We see it in the media every day, and everyone is good at something. You've got a choice. You can use the talents God gave you for personal gain, or you can live according to God's priorities. It's not a meaningless choice. The way you live on earth determines where you live forever! (This podcast also includes Pastor Brad Russell's spur of the moment instant Mother's Day songs!) |
Sun, 11 April 2010
With so many messages bombarding us every day, who do we listen to? How can we really please God? What does it mean to follow Jesus? |
Mon, 5 April 2010
Sometimes, we find ourselves in traps: addiction, pornography, and many other things can keep us trapped in sin. Like a mouse attracted to cheese, there was initially something appealing in the trap. What looked good, easy, and fun at first didn't stay that way. It was a trap. All you want to do is get out, but you can't get yourself out of a trap. You need a Rescuer. |
Sun, 28 March 2010
What do you do when you are facing a big challenge, a huge test, or a devastating disappointment? It can be frightening, uncertain, emotional, and unsettling. Jesus faced what you are facing. He experienced the same emotions and thoughts. In this message, Rod Loy looks at how the Bible gives us an inside look into how Jesus prepared Himself for the biggest battle of His life. |
Sun, 21 March 2010
People pick a church for a variety of reasons, but what really matters in a church is whether its healthy or not. What is a healthy church? What are the core values of a church that is striving for health? |
Sun, 14 March 2010
We voted on one more scripture to include in the Ten for Life series, and chose Romans 8:38,39. As a culture, we like love stories and love songs, but there's a love that is bigger than all that. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God!
|
Sun, 21 February 2010
Every day, you make decisions based on priorities. And every day you send a message with those decisions. Where do we spend most of our time? How should we spend our time?
|
Sun, 14 February 2010
Have you ever been in a place where the world seemed to be closing in on you? You may have felt overwhelmed and overloaded, like there was just no way you could handle anything else. In this message, Pastor Brian Dollar talks about Philippians 4:13: "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." This passage of scripture was written by the Apostle Paul to people who were suffering. The passage has a lot to say to us today! |
Sun, 7 February 2010
In Matthew 22, the Pharisees ask Jesus, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" His answer was clear and simple for them, and for us. If you wan to know how to be a life-long follower of Jesus Christ, this is the starting place. |
Sat, 6 February 2010
In this message, Rod Loy looks at the signs of an unhealthy relationship. This is an important message for anyone, from students to adults! |
Sun, 24 January 2010
The fourth message in the Ten for Life series, in which Rod Loy examines ten scriptures that are key to the Christian faith.
We don't try to run our cars for very long on empty, so why do we run our lives that way? In this message, Rod Loy looks at the cure for burnout. Is. 40:31 "…those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
Category:Vidcast
-- posted at: 4:06pm CDT
|
Mon, 18 January 2010
The third message in the Ten for Life series, in which Rod Loy examines ten scriptures that are key to the Christian faith.
This week: 2 Chronicles 7:14 - "...if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." |
Sun, 10 January 2010
The second message in the Ten for Life series, in which Rod Loy examines ten scriptures that are key to the Christian faith.
This week: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16) |
Sun, 3 January 2010
The first message in the Ten for Life series, in which Rod Loy examines ten scriptures that are key to the Christian faith.
This week: Proverbs 3:5,6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will keep your paths straight." |
Sun, 13 December 2009
A lot of our destructive behaviors, inappropriate actions, and a lot of
negative circumstances are because we are searching. We don't have
peace. Peace is not something we need every once in awhile. We need
it every single day. Everyone needs peace. How can you find peace?
|
Mon, 7 December 2009
What is joy? It is an inner feeling of contentment that is far greater
than a temporary happiness. It's a life outlook -- a different
perspective. It's hard to explain, but easy to spot in others. True
joy is a gift from God!
But how do you get joy? Can you maintain it? |
Wed, 25 November 2009
Pastor Randy Jumper talks about another of God's gifts: Freedom!
|
Wed, 25 November 2009
You can't buy it, you can't earn it, but you can have it.
In this message, Pastor Rod talks about wisdom. |
Sun, 8 November 2009
Grace:
You can't earn it, you can't buy it, but you can have it. |
Sun, 11 October 2009
So far in this series, we've talked about how we can forgive. In this
message, we come at it from the other side. What do you need to know
and what do you need to do when you are the one who requires
forgiveness, when you are the offender?
|
Sun, 4 October 2009
You are going to be hurt in life. It's inevitable. When it happens,
though, our response is our choice. The Bible says we should forgive.
Great - now how do we do it?
|
Sun, 20 September 2009
Why is forgiveness one of the hardest things we have to do? A lot of
times, we don't really understand forgiveness. In this message, Rod
Loy uncovers what forgiveness really is, and why it's important to
forgive.
|
Sun, 13 September 2009
Another myth we sometimes carry about God is that he can't use us, and
doesn't have a plan for us, because we aren't perfect. Only "perfect"
people can do great things for God. Well, a short look through the
Bible shows that God used plenty of imperfect, and sometimes plain
messed up people, for great things. You feel messed up? Join the
crowd!
|
Sun, 6 September 2009
We believe a lot of myths. Sometimes, our myths are formed from our
attempts to understand difficult situations. We can't find a logical
reason why we haven't been healed or helped, so we reach incorrect
conclusions about God. We decide that we are too small, and God is too
busy, to care about us.
|
Sun, 30 August 2009
You can convince yourself of almost anything. What starts with a
feeling can become a fact. We sometimes talk ourselves into a
self-concept, and even a God-concept, that has no basis in fact. Are
you really hopeless? Is anyone too far gone for God to care about?
|
Mon, 24 August 2009
Many people view God as angry and unforgiving. But in the Bible, we
see a different story. In this message, Rod Loy looks at how Jesus
dealt with betrayal.
|
Sun, 16 August 2009
One of the challenges of so many religious systems being taught today
is too much emphasis on ourselves: if we accomplish enough, if we do
enough good, we can obtain miracles or salvation. Even many Christians
feel that if they don't have enough faith, God may not provide
miracles. Is there a formula? Does your healing or your miracle
really depend on what you say or do?
|
Sun, 9 August 2009
Have you ever felt like you don't matter? Like you are worthless,
insignificant, and overlooked? Sometimes people think God sees them
that way, too.
|
Sun, 2 August 2009
People believe a lot of myths about God. One of the biggest ones
people struggle with is "I've messed up too many times. I believe in a
loving God, but I'm beyond that. I don't think God would want someone
like me. I need to clean up my life before I can go to church."
In this message, Rod Loy looks at this myth and talks about the truth of God's love for everyone. |
Mon, 27 July 2009
Life in a family is often a lot of fun. But, challenges can arise and
hard times come. At some point, every person and every family will
find themselves facing an unexpected crisis. What do you do? What
role does your faith play in how you deal with life's unexpected
problems?
|
Sun, 5 July 2009
It's easy to have opinions and theories on raising kids if you don't
have any. One thing parents find is that no one formula works for
their kids. The Bible says, "train up a child in the way he should go,
even when he is old he will not depart from it." That's a great
passage, but how do we do that?
In this message, Rod Loy looks at some thoughts about what's important when you are raising kids. |
Sun, 28 June 2009
It's not a popular topic on Christian TV, and it doesn't sell many
books, but the Bible deals constantly with the topic of suffering in a
believer's life. How should a Christian respond to persecution, hard
times, suffering, and hardship?
|
Sun, 21 June 2009
All too often, when Christians encounter opposition from the world,
they freak out, busying themselves with forwarding e-mails, and getting
angry at the government, or whatever is the target at that time. What
if Christians took all the time they spent being angry and instead
spent that time praying? In the book of First Peter, Peter gives us
strategy about not how to react to the world around us, but how to
influence it through love.
|
Sun, 14 June 2009
Living for Jesus and demonstrating your faith is easy at church. It's
accepted and popular. But it's not so easy everywhere else. Like it
or not, we have to live out our faith in the real world. So, how do
you do it?
|
Sun, 31 May 2009
Unresolved conflict -- broken relationships between people who claim to
be followers of Christ -- is the reason many unchurched people want no
part of church. We often try to pretend such conflict doesn't exist.
What does the Bible say about conflict? What should we do when this
happens to us or to other Christians?
|
Sun, 24 May 2009
The church should be a hospital for the broken - for people with a
past, for people who have messed up. It is a place where people can be
restored. Too often, though, the church is known as a place where they
shoot their wounded. How should the church react to people who've
messed up? What is our role as Christians in helping broken people get
whole again?
|
Mon, 18 May 2009
How could a loving God allow me to hurt like this? Why haven't I been healed? Why hasn't God answered my prayers?
Rod Loy looks at these and other questions in this message. |
Mon, 11 May 2009
Just like the ill-fated egg of the nursery rhyme, sometimes it seems
like we will never be able to put it all back together again. In this
message, Rod Loy looks at how to get your life back together when
everything seems broken.
|
Sun, 3 May 2009
There are studies that indicate that the average American household
carries between $8,000 and $10,000 balance on their credit cards with
interest rates in the high teens. Many owe much more. Being in debt
is like being in chains: your decisions are based on how much you owe
on your cards.
In this message, Rod Loy challenges some commonly-held attitudes about credit and debt. |
Mon, 27 April 2009
Most Americans are crisis-oriented. We wait until there is a problem,
most likely a major problem, before we take action. We say "an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure," but we don't live that way. When
a problem comes, we want a quick solution, a bail out, when we should
have been working to prevent the problem all along. It's especially
like that with our finances. In this message, Rod Loy looks at
"preventative" measures with our money.
|
Mon, 20 April 2009
TV, newspapers, and the Internet have been filled with bad news about
the economy. As economic pressure increases, people are becoming
increasingly worried. Why does it make us worry, and what can we do
about worry in uncertain times?
|
Mon, 13 April 2009
Re-start. Reboot. Control, Alt, Delete. The answer to every problem in the computer world is to re-start. And when you do? Miraculously, when the computer comes back on after re-starting, everything works again. That's all it takes. A re-start wipes out your mistakes - like they never happened. What if life was like that? Have there been times in your life you wish you could just re-start? |
Sun, 5 April 2009
We say it all the time, "Every Soul Matters to God." But do we really believe that? Did Jesus really die for everyone's sins? Are there some people who are just too bad for God to forgive?
|
Sun, 29 March 2009
In our world, we want everything right now. This even applies to answers from God to our prayers. God works on a different time scale, however, and in the end we always see that He has perfect timing.
|
Sun, 22 March 2009
Nobody likes it when life is like a roller coaster - filled with high highs and low lows, and frightening twists and turns. We'd prefer that things sail along, always getting better. But that's not how it usually works! In this message, Rod Loy looks at what we can learn from both the highs and lows of life.
|
Sun, 15 March 2009
Are you in a storm? Not a weather event, but has something happened in your life that has completely rocked you, whether its health, financial, or relational problems? In this message, Rod Loy shares some observations about what to do when you find yourself in a storm.
|
Sun, 8 March 2009
We all have a past. Sometimes people are afraid to come to church, because they think they will be condemned for their past. This was not the model Jesus showed us though. In this message, Rod Loy looks again at the encounter between Jesus and the woman with a sinful past. The way Jesus transformed her life is the way He can transform your life!
|
Mon, 2 March 2009
The gospel of Luke records that one of the Pharisees invites Jesus to his house for a meal. This was not a friendly gesture, as the Pharisees meant to question Him, and try to trip Jesus up and put Him in His place. Why would Jesus even go into such a situation? Because he knew someone would be there who would need her sins forgiven. Rod Loy looks at the story of this meeting between Jesus and an "unclean" woman.
|
Fri, 27 February 2009
It's a famous story in the Bible. Some men bring their friend, who can't walk, to Jesus, so He will heal him. The crowd in the house is so thick that they actually lower their friend down from the roof. Jesus did something that nobody expected, though. In this message, Rod Loy looks at the greatest miracle that happens in an encounter with Jesus, which often receives little notice.
|
Sun, 15 February 2009
There are people in the world today that other people don't want to think about. If you see someone with a "Will Work for Food" sign, you try to ignore them and hope they don't see you. There are many people that society considers invisible. Maybe you are made to feel invisible by the people around you. In this story, and today, Jesus sees the the "invisible." And He sees you.
|
Sun, 8 February 2009
Does it seem like life is falling in on you? Things may seem hopeless, but Jesus sees not only your need, but He sees you. In this message, Rod Loy looks at the story of Jesus and the Blind Man.
|
Sun, 1 February 2009
Maybe you sit in church, watch a Christian television show, or listen to a podcast. You may even go through the motions of being a believer, but deep down, you just aren't sure about the whole thing. You are a doubter. Maybe you want to believe, but you still have questions. It's okay to have questions. Doubters are welcome. In this message, Rod Loy looks at one of the most famous doubters in the Bible: the disciple Thomas. Through him, we can learn what to do when we doubt.
|
Sun, 25 January 2009
In this message, Rod Loy looks at the Biblical story of Jesus and the woman who was caught in adultery. His reaction to her speaks volumes to us today. It's sometimes hard for us to understand, but God offers us grace, and will transform us from our old lives into something new!
|
Sun, 18 January 2009
A transformation is a significant, all inclusive, life-changing moment. You move from something to something else. A transformation is a God-enabled, supernatural shift in your nature or character. Where is the best place to start a transformation? A healthy church! In this message, Rod Loy examines the traits that make up a healthy church.
|
Sun, 11 January 2009
There are some things in life that you can "sort of" do. If you go swimming, you can actually jump in and swim, or you can sit on a raft, or just put your feet in the water. That way, you're "kind of" swimming. But there are things in life that you can't "kind of" do. Following Christ is one of them. In this message, Rod Loy looks at the problems we can face we don't give every part of our life to God.
|
Fri, 9 January 2009
At the beginning of every year, a lot of people make resolutions. They are usually about exercise, family time, getting out of debt, and so on. These are all good things! But what if you need more than a resolution? What if you need a total transformation?
|
Fri, 9 January 2009
This is the concluding message in the Lift! series.
|
Wed, 10 December 2008
Who are your favorite people to spend time with? Chances are, they are people that make you feel better about yourself. Some people are lifters--they make you feel good when you are around them. Other people are "downers," and have the opposite effect on you. What can you do to be a lifter in the lives of others?
|
Wed, 10 December 2008
According to the Book of Revelation, there are three kinds of people: those who are "hot," meaning they are close followers of Christ, those who are "cold," meaning they have no knowledge of God, and those who are "lukewarm," meaning they are supposedly followers of Christ, but don't live according to His Word. In other words, they are hypocrites. What happens when you are "lukewarm"? In this message, Rod Loy examines how people become lukewarm, and how they can get "hot" again.
|
Mon, 8 December 2008
You can tell a lot about someone by what comes out of their mouth. What would someone listening to you think about you? Even more, if you are a Christian, would anyone know it by the words you say? In this message, Rod Loy examines the importance of our words.
|
Thu, 4 December 2008
Certain times of the year or events can cause us all to feel blue and even get depressed. What causes this issue in our life? How can we fix it?
|
Thu, 4 December 2008
Feeling down about yourself? Feel like you're not good for anything? You need a lift! In this message, Rod Loy looks at the causes of poor self-esteem, and how we can find our worth in God.
|
Mon, 27 October 2008
We are running a race. It's a race to share the Gospel of Jesus with the world. Sometimes things get tough. Don't quit! In this message, Rod Loy continues the missions series, The Race. (Note: certain names and places have been edited to protect believers in hostile countries).
|
Mon, 20 October 2008
Jesus gave the church instructions on what we should do: preach the gospel to all the world. With those words, He started the most important race in all history. Time is counting down. The race is on. It's time to jump in and run the race. Today, not later. Today!
|