Renew Communities Teaching Podcast

If you’re part of the family of God you’re called to be part of His story and he’s give us meaningful activities for us to participate in together. In week 2 of our series we explored the sacraments, what they mean, why they matter and how we can do what we’re called to do today.

God wants you to be part of His family. From the beginning He loved you and He’s done what was necessary to make a way for you to be His child. For the first Sunday of 2016 we looked at what it means to be a child of God, how we relate to Him as Father and how we live together as an extended family.

One of the most known titles Jesus holds is the Prince of Peace. The question remains though - where’s the peace? In our Christmas Eve gathering we talked about what this title means, what this peace looks like and how you can experience that kind of peace by receiving Jesus as your King.

The prophet Isaiah said Jesus would be the Everlasting Father. That was true 700 years before he was born, true while He walked the earth and true today. In week 3 of our He Shall Be Called series we talk about what it would mean for Jesus to be your Everlasting Father today.

In week 3 of He Shall Be Called we explore the name Mighty God. What we find in this name is that  Christmas is more than a precious story about a little baby asleep on the hay - Christmas is the story of the Mighty God putting on flesh and blood and declaring war on the darkness.

Christmas is a time to reflect on the impact that Jesus’ birth had on the world. It’s easy to think of it as an event that happened long ago but this newborn King’s impact reverberates even today and can make a dramatic difference in your life. In week 1 we talk about what it means for Jesus to be the Wonderful Counselor and how you can receive Him as this King.

Jesus’ call to last place living was more than just a posture we ought to take - it was Jesus’ leadership philosophy. In our final week of the Life in Last Place series we explore what leading from last place looks like, the adjustments we have to make in the process and how invested God is in the ways that all of us are leading.

Living in last place can be truly difficult day in and day out because so much of how we’re built is to fight for our own well being. In week 4 of our Life in Last Place series we uncover how gratitude is the most important practice we have in taking last place.

In week 3 of our Life in Last Place series we take a look at how Jesus’ used the power that God had given him, how we use the power we have and how we can leverage our power to live our lives in last place.

Jesus says that if you want to be great in his Kingdom you have to be last so he calls his followers to be servants of all. In week 1 of our Life in Last Place series we explore what it might mean to actually serve those we encounter in every single circumstance - even those we don’t think we should have to serve - and we explore what makes this so difficult.

We have become the church we dreamed of back in 2011 but every now and then as you enter a new season you begin to dream about what that next leg of the journey might look like. As we enter into the TheNext5 years we sense God expanding what the vision he gave us in the beginning might look like. On Sunday we shared the vision of Renew Communities for ‪#‎TheNext5‬ years. Get all the details at thenext5.com.

Money is often the thing that clutters our soul the most. What if there was a way to simplify your life and unclutter your soul by giving away a percentage of what you make? In the final week of our Simplify series we talk about God's promise to provide and bless our opportunity to give back to him.

Millions of Americans are in deep debt - some to the point that it's crippling. In order to simplify your life you can't ignore your finances and in order to simplify your finances you must understand why your finances can get so far out of control. In week 6 of our Simplify series we diagnose where Debt comes from and work towards a treatment plan that connects you to God's vision for your life.

One of the most complicated aspects of life is money. We need it for everything we do and yet no matter how much you have there's always a feeling (or a temptation to believe) that you just don't have enough. If you want to live the life God's called you to live you need to simplify your relationship with money and that can only happen if you accept God for who He is and money for what it is. In week 5 of our Simplify series you get to decide will you follow Jesus or follow the money.

One of the hardest aspects of simplifying our lives and uncluttering our souls is knowing what to do with all the pain and hurt that has happened in the past but is still impacting our lives today. In week 4 of our Simplify series we take a look at how forgiveness works in God’s economy and very simple steps we can take to pursue wholeness through forgiveness and reconciliation.

Often what makes life so complicated is a lack of clear direction and a heart that will latch on to just about anything to take us into the future. In week 3 of the Simplify series we talk about how God can direct our steps, the ways we can hear and understand what he’s saying to us and how his word can light our way.

Relationships can get complicated quickly. Competing visions, misunderstanding, poor communication and selfishness can take those we are closest with and bring deep separation. Sometimes the undefined nature of our relationships can create confusion and unmet expectations can break our hearts. In week 2 of our Simplify series we focus on how we simplify our closest relationships through some of the most important conversations we can have with each other.

There’s an old saying that “speed kills” and for many of us this is true for our lives. Speed is killing our family, our dreams, our joy and so much more. Often we can convince ourselves that the answer would be more hours in a day or more days in a week but what if the answer isn’t more but less? What if the greatest need you have is the ability to focus on who you want to become so you can determine how you’re supposed to get there. In week 1 of our Simplify series we’ll talk about how you can get focused and what a focused vision for your life will help you find the pace that can really produce the life God made you for.

In almost every letter Paul writes to different churches he thanks them for their support and Phillipians is no different - but here he shares some of what gives him the ability to carry on in the midst of adversity as he does he challenges the listeners to join him. In week 10 we learn about contentment, thanksgiving and why we should give what we have to give to God.