Willow Creek Community Church Weekend Podcast

Many people think of God as temperamental, just waiting to blast us for messing up, like God has a short fuse, ready to blow at any time. But the Bible says exactly the opposite. God has a long fuse. He doesn’t fly off the handle, he doesn’t over react.  God is patient with us and we cannot outsin his love and the redemption available to us through Jesus.

Big problems are catalysts for big prayers. God moves through the prayers of His people, especially when those prayers are anchored in His promises. Using Joshua 10, we will look at how we can approach the problems of our lives as opportunities to see God show up in big ways. Sun standing still - never before had God moved that way - it moved the heart of God. Prayer + God can more than what we ask, think or imagine.

The tongue has the power of life and death. ... Gen 1 = words bring life; Gen 3 = words bring death.  John 1 = Jesus the Word uses words to bring light and life. Then an application section on life giving words of 1. Affirmation 2.. Speaking the truth in love.  3. Affection

Big problems require big prayers. God moves through the prayers of His people, especially when those prayers are anchored in His promises. When we pray, God can do more than we could ever ask, think, or imagine!

God had promised his people the promised land, but they would need to work hard and fight for it. God called Joshua to lead the people, and told Joshua he would need courage for the calling. Joshua was able to lead people to take the hill because of a clear call from God. In the same way in our own lives, we grow in courage when we gain a clearer picture of what God is calling us to do and when we are anchored in His word.

God’s people had to maneuver through the wilderness to get to the promise. A wilderness is any season of our lives between where we used to be and where we want to be, and moving forward from the desolate spaces requires tenacity and courage. This week, we will look at Joshua 3 and discuss what we should do if we want to see God do amazing things that move us forward.

God had promised his people the promised land, but they would need to work hard and fight for it. God called Joshua to lead the people, and told Joshua he would need courage for the calling. Joshua was able to lead people to take the hill because of a clear call from God. In the same way in our own lives, we grow in courage when we gain a clearer picture of what God is calling us to do and when we are anchored in His word.

Taking a look at a parent/child relationship. These days things seem to be falling apart for so many people, especially for Parents & Children. Anger, bitterness, and resentment creeps in and relationships are torn. When this happens, a Parent/Child defaults to sitting in either the Self chair, the Spiritual chair, or the Shame chair. But there is one other chair we can choose...the Surrendered Chair. We are all in one of these chairs. What chair are you sitting in?

Our brothers and sisters can be our greatest friends or our biggest enemies. Looking at the story of Joseph and his brothers, we see heartache, but also redemption. When it comes to our siblings, are we able to forgive those closest to us?

Motherhood consists of moms from all across the board: working moms, stay-at-home-moms, single moms, adoptive moms, empty-nesters, and moms of children with special needs just to name a few. These moms gather and share what being a mom means to them, each coming from their own unique perspective.

From the beginning, family was God’s idea: a source of help, comfort, and friendship, but our families often fall short of those expectations. Even though our families may be broken, baptism is a way of celebrating those who’ve become part of God’s eternal, perfect family.

As Christians, we’re told to be a light, not hide our light. By being the light of Jesus in service to others, we show what can happen when a church works together to make a lasting legacy--worldwide. Jesus calls us to be a light to the rest of the world, so let’s be a church that is continually growing, moving, and giving. Let’s offer hands of help to our neighbors, near and far, and share the love of Jesus with them. We’re told to be a city on a hill that cannot be hidden: it’s time to let our lights shine as we serve, share, and give, being the hands and feet of Jesus wherever we go.

We want to be the kind of church that our communities would miss if we were gone. We want to be a church known for generosity and open-handedness where we live, work, and play. To do that, we ought to have a prayerful, listening posture (BLESS) with eyes towards meeting the real needs of people around us.

Everyone has the ability to change the world right where they are; be willing to learn, value others, and collaborate to make gospel-centered change.   Jesus calls us to be a light to the rest of the world, so let’s be a church that is continually growing, moving, and giving. Let’s offer hands of help to our neighbors, near and far, and share the love of Jesus with them. We’re told to be a city on a hill that cannot be hidden: it’s time to let our lights shine as we serve, share, and give, being the hands

The Easter story starts all the way in the beginning. God created a beautiful world. But while there beauty in the world, there is also pain, destruction, and devastation—so much so that we not only feel far from beauty, but far from the God who created it. And just when it feels like we are left condemned with the broken pieces of life in our hands, Jesus masterfully recreates and brings dead things to life. 

As we listen to the stories and the needs of people, how are we intentionally serving them to meet their needs? And as we build relationships, get to know stories, and serve people, we begin to gain the credibility to share the hope we have in Jesus.  Jesus modeled this by changing the world from the bottom, up.  Jesus said, “I’m not going to change the world on a power trip.  I’m not going to take over the government and change lives from the top down.  That’s how the world operates.  That’s what the world thinks greatness is.  I’m going to change the world from the bottom up.”

Jesus communicated a LOT by the seemingly mundane act of eating at Matthew’s house with him and his socially outcast friends. Something powerful happens when we come across tables from one another and share nourishment. The first thing Jesus did after Matthew said “yes” to “follow Me” was share a meal with him. He didn’t have him take a class on how to be a disciple.  He didn’t get Matthew started studying the bible and memorizing Scripture. He went to Matthews house to eat.

 Jesus is the one we follow. His whole life was a blessing to the world. Every place that he went, every person he encountered experienced a “God moment” in his presence. Jesus lived out the BLESS practices in his daily life on earth, and he did that by beginning with prayer. If we are going to help people take next steps with God, we have to begin with prayer.  But we have to also listen. Get to know people. Listen to their stories, genuinely get to know people: their struggles, their pains, in the places God sent you.Jesus models this by showing us that He didn’t assume He knew what people needed. So He asked questions. He listened. The best way to accomplish the Jesus mission of reaching  and restoring is to be a “blesser,” not a “converter.”

At the heart of the Gospel is reconciliation. Jesus’ prayer was that His church would be one. During this message, Dave Dummitt will preach about the ethos of reconciliation, Jesus’ vision for His church, and how that starts at the individual level. Are we pursuing peace and reconciliation in the relationships around us? Dave will address reconciliation at Willow; sharing about ways the Elder Board and senior leadership team have been pursuing reconciliation with those hurt and broken from Willow’s recent history. Dave will teach towards ways we can link arms with the “Big C” church and go farther together. Dave will also teach towards racial, political, socioeconomic, and other needs for reconciliation.