Life Stone Wesleyan Message Podcast

With so many questions about what happens when we die shouldn’t Christians not just talk about Heaven but model Heaven? The Gospel isn’t a theological concept to talk about but a powerful influence that changes our lifestyle. When we think about Heaven we think about all the aspects that benefit us, but let us not overlook one major theme of Heaven: community. There is no isolation in Heaven, There is no me time in Heaven, and there are no introverts in Heaven. That being said, Heaven should be experienced when we engage the communities we find ourselves in. There are Kingdom principles that can be instilled and activated in our lives right now. When we do this we allow people to get a taste of Heaven but that requires us being hospitable, generous, authentic, and willing. How can we make the Kingdom of God experienced on earth?

Like Lazarus rose from the grave, so too can we arise. Like the lame man that never could walk until Jesus changed his life, so too can we arise. Like the little girl that everyone gave up on and doubted, so too can we arise. It is hard for us to wrap our minds around the resurrected King Jesus and everything that has made possible. It is even harder for us to consider what the Risen King tangibly means to us. Jesus rose from the grave so we can rise from sin, hopelessness, and mundane religion. A resurrected Savior enables us to live a resurrected life which means we are able to live above the circumstances we find ourselves in. Arise to new possibilities. Arise in new identity. Arise with new attitudes. Arise with a new purpose. Arise, and see how Jesus rising from the grave 2,000 years ago has the power to change your life today.

Like Lazarus rose from the grave, so too can we arise. Like the lame man that never could walk until Jesus changed his life, so too can we arise. Like the little girl that everyone gave up on and doubted, so too can we arise. It is hard for us to wrap our minds around the resurrected King Jesus and everything that has made possible. It is even harder for us to consider what the Risen King tangibly means to us. Jesus rose from the grave so we can rise from sin, hopelessness, and mundane religion. A resurrected Savior enables us to live a resurrected life which means we are able to live above the circumstances we find ourselves in. Arise to new possibilities. Arise in new identity. Arise with new attitudes. Arise with a new purpose. Arise, and see how Jesus rising from the grave 2,000 years ago has the power to change your life today.

Like Lazarus rose from the grave, so too can we arise. Like the lame man that never could walk until Jesus changed his life, so too can we arise. Like the little girl that everyone gave up on and doubted, so too can we arise. It is hard for us to wrap our minds around the resurrected King Jesus and everything that has made possible. It is even harder for us to consider what the Risen King tangibly means to us. Jesus rose from the grave so we can rise from sin, hopelessness, and mundane religion. A resurrected Savior enables us to live a resurrected life which means we are able to live above the circumstances we find ourselves in. Arise to new possibilities. Arise in new identity. Arise with new attitudes. Arise with a new purpose. Arise, and see how Jesus rising from the grave 2,000 years ago has the power to change your life today.

Relationships change with time, and when we aren't nurturing them they are falling apart. There is one relationship that, if prioritized, will make us strong relationally: our relationship with God. To say God values relationships is an understatement. Too often we act as if our relationship with Him is the only one that matters, but we deceive ourselves. How husbands treat wives, wives treat husbands, parents treat children, children treat parents, employees treat employers, and church members treat church members will all impact our relationship with God. How do we nurture relationships? We build them up, we progress in them, we strengthen them by setting goals. Where are you going in your relationship with God? Where are you going in your relationship with your husband, wife, children, friend, employer, and church? The problem is too many of us allow circumstances to dictate our relationships when God calls us to create circumstances that strengthen our relationships.

Relationships change with time, and when we aren't nurturing them they are falling apart. There is one relationship that, if prioritized, will make us strong relationally: our relationship with God. To say God values relationships is an understatement. Too often we act as if our relationship with Him is the only one that matters, but we deceive ourselves. How husbands treat wives, wives treat husbands, parents treat children, children treat parents, employees treat employers, and church members treat church members will all impact our relationship with God. How do we nurture relationships? We build them up, we progress in them, we strengthen them by setting goals. Where are you going in your relationship with God? Where are you going in your relationship with your husband, wife, children, friend, employer, and church? The problem is too many of us allow circumstances to dictate our relationships when God calls us to create circumstances that strengthen our relationships.

Relationships change with time, and when we aren't nurturing them they are falling apart. There is one relationship that, if prioritized, will make us strong relationally: our relationship with God. To say God values relationships is an understatement. Too often we act as if our relationship with Him is the only one that matters, but we deceive ourselves. How husbands treat wives, wives treat husbands, parents treat children, children treat parents, employees treat employers, and church members treat church members will all impact our relationship with God. How do we nurture relationships? We build them up, we progress in them, we strengthen them by setting goals. Where are you going in your relationship with God? Where are you going in your relationship with your husband, wife, children, friend, employer, and church? The problem is too many of us allow circumstances to dictate our relationships when God calls us to create circumstances that strengthen our relationships.

Relationships change with time, and when we aren't nurturing them they are falling apart. There is one relationship that, if prioritized, will make us strong relationally: our relationship with God. To say God values relationships is an understatement. Too often we act as if our relationship with Him is the only one that matters, but we deceive ourselves. How husbands treat wives, wives treat husbands, parents treat children, children treat parents, employees treat employers, and church members treat church members will all impact our relationship with God. How do we nurture relationships? We build them up, we progress in them, we strengthen them by setting goals. Where are you going in your relationship with God? Where are you going in your relationship with your husband, wife, children, friend, employer, and church? The problem is too many of us allow circumstances to dictate our relationships when God calls us to create circumstances that strengthen our relationships.

Streets of gold. Huge mansions. Reunited with loved ones. Big parties. No tears. No sin. Never ending. We all have spent time dreaming about what Heaven will be like, but we can get a good glimpse by reading the parables of Jesus. We can have an idea of what Heaven is like, but why waste our time dreaming about the details when the scriptures tell us we can't fathom it? The beauty of Heaven is this: Jesus is on his throne, and we will worship Him in His glory. Heaven is going to change everything for us. We will see more clearly, hear more clearly, and think more clearly. We will act faithfully, react faithfully, and interact faithfully. Heaven is God's people doing God's will in God's ways, perfectly. Yet, when Jesus teaches us to pray, He instructs to pray for God's will to be done "on Earth as it is in Heaven". That leads me to believe that Jesus made it possible for us to bring Heaven to Earth if our prayers are directed toward living as citizens of Heaven on Earth. The question is how does a citizen of H

They knew there was more to life. They tried finding satisfaction in the things of this world, but satisfaction never lasted. The prophets, major and minor alike, told of a Savior who would liberate, conquer, and redeem. In the darkest of days, the story of the Messiah was the hope for the people of God. Unsure of when the Christ would arrive, they lived their lives knowing there was more in store for them. The Silent ages barely moved on. Where was God? Why wasn’t He speaking to them? Where was His Christ? Where was the new life that was promised? Then it happened. A teenage girl, pledged to be married, bravely told her future husband that she was chosen to carry The Son of God. The future husband humbly accepted their fate. The Child was born and praised among the animals. One by one, Jesus began to fulfill the prophecies, sometimes in ways obvious to the mind of man and sometimes in ways crafted by the mind of God. Slowly, people began to realize The Child was the Christ, The Messiah, The Savior of the Wor

They knew there was more to life. They tried finding satisfaction in the things of this world, but satisfaction never lasted. The prophets, major and minor alike, told of a Savior who would liberate, conquer, and redeem. In the darkest of days, the story of the Messiah was the hope for the people of God. Unsure of when the Christ would arrive, they lived their lives knowing there was more in store for them. The Silent ages barely moved on. Where was God? Why wasn’t He speaking to them? Where was His Christ? Where was the new life that was promised? Then it happened. A teenage girl, pledged to be married, bravely told her future husband that she was chosen to carry The Son of God. The future husband humbly accepted their fate. The Child was born and praised among the animals. One by one, Jesus began to fulfill the prophecies, sometimes in ways obvious to the mind of man and sometimes in ways crafted by the mind of God. Slowly, people began to realize The Child was the Christ, The Messiah, The Savior of the Wor

They knew there was more to life. They tried finding satisfaction in the things of this world, but satisfaction never lasted. The prophets, major and minor alike, told of a Savior who would liberate, conquer, and redeem. In the darkest of days, the story of the Messiah was the hope for the people of God. Unsure of when the Christ would arrive, they lived their lives knowing there was more in store for them. The Silent ages barely moved on. Where was God? Why wasn’t He speaking to them? Where was His Christ? Where was the new life that was promised? Then it happened. A teenage girl, pledged to be married, bravely told her future husband that she was chosen to carry The Son of God. The future husband humbly accepted their fate. The Child was born and praised among the animals. One by one, Jesus began to fulfill the prophecies, sometimes in ways obvious to the mind of man and sometimes in ways crafted by the mind of God. Slowly, people began to realize The Child was the Christ, The Messiah, The Savior of the Wor

They knew there was more to life. They tried finding satisfaction in the things of this world, but satisfaction never lasted. The prophets, major and minor alike, told of a Savior who would liberate, conquer, and redeem. In the darkest of days, the story of the Messiah was the hope for the people of God. Unsure of when the Christ would arrive, they lived their lives knowing there was more in store for them. The Silent ages barely moved on. Where was God? Why wasn’t He speaking to them? Where was His Christ? Where was the new life that was promised? Then it happened. A teenage girl, pledged to be married, bravely told her future husband that she was chosen to carry The Son of God. The future husband humbly accepted their fate. The Child was born and praised among the animals. One by one, Jesus began to fulfill the prophecies, sometimes in ways obvious to the mind of man and sometimes in ways crafted by the mind of God. Slowly, people began to realize The Child was the Christ, The Messiah, The Savior of the Wor

They knew there was more to life. They tried finding satisfaction in the things of this world, but satisfaction never lasted. The prophets, major and minor alike, told of a Savior who would liberate, conquer, and redeem. In the darkest of days, the story of the Messiah was the hope for the people of God. Unsure of when the Christ would arrive, they lived their lives knowing there was more in store for them. The Silent ages barely moved on. Where was God? Why wasn’t He speaking to them? Where was His Christ? Where was the new life that was promised? Then it happened. A teenage girl, pledged to be married, bravely told her future husband that she was chosen to carry The Son of God. The future husband humbly accepted their fate. The Child was born and praised among the animals. One by one, Jesus began to fulfill the prophecies, sometimes in ways obvious to the mind of man and sometimes in ways crafted by the mind of God. Slowly, people began to realize The Child was the Christ, The Messiah, The Savior of the Wor

Every day people turn to Google to answer questions of different magnitudes. Religion, politics, fashion, family, health, business - Google knows it all! From "Are we alone in the universe" to "How do I get a passport?" to "Where do babies come from?" to "Is it bad that I talk to myself?", 3.3 billion questions are entrusted to Google each day. That is 1,375,000 questions per hour asked to a search engine. The omniscient Google answers 22,916 questions per minute and 382 questions per second. These aren’t just "How do I remove a shoe scuff?" type of questions. People turn to Google to answer "What is my purpose?", "How do I overcome anxiety?", "Why am I so angry?", "Am I unlovable?" What would we do without Google? Maybe that is the problem? We’ve made a search engine insensible while putting the Creator of the Universe on hold. Maybe we wish God was more like Google? That He would just answer our questions and not bring up anything we don’t want to talk about. That He could be an app on our smartphone that w

Every day people turn to Google to answer questions of different magnitudes. Religion, politics, fashion, family, health, business - Google knows it all! From "Are we alone in the universe" to "How do I get a passport?" to "Where do babies come from?" to "Is it bad that I talk to myself?", 3.3 billion questions are entrusted to Google each day. That is 1,375,000 questions per hour asked to a search engine. The omniscient Google answers 22,916 questions per minute and 382 questions per second. These aren’t just "How do I remove a shoe scuff?" type of questions. People turn to Google to answer "What is my purpose?", "How do I overcome anxiety?", "Why am I so angry?", "Am I unlovable?" What would we do without Google? Maybe that is the problem? We’ve made a search engine insensible while putting the Creator of the Universe on hold. Maybe we wish God was more like Google? That He would just answer our questions and not bring up anything we don’t want to talk about. That He could be an app on our smartphone that w

We believe that God has gifted all of us to be a strengthening presence in the Church. Ephesians 4 tells us God has gifted us with Apostles, Prophets, Evangelism, Shepherds, Teachers. Each of us have been equipped with the authority to build up each other and the privilege to experience the gifting of others. APEST unpacks are designed to give us a deeper understanding of not only our gifting but the gifting of others. It is through applying our gifting and understanding others that the Church truly moves as the hands and feet of Jesus.

Every day people turn to Google to answer questions of different magnitudes. Religion, politics, fashion, family, health, business - Google knows it all! From "Are we alone in the universe" to "How do I get a passport?" to "Where do babies come from?" to "Is it bad that I talk to myself?", 3.3 billion questions are entrusted to Google each day. That is 1,375,000 questions per hour asked to a search engine. The omniscient Google answers 22,916 questions per minute and 382 questions per second. These aren’t just "How do I remove a shoe scuff?" type of questions. People turn to Google to answer "What is my purpose?", "How do I overcome anxiety?", "Why am I so angry?", "Am I unlovable?" What would we do without Google? Maybe that is the problem? We’ve made a search engine insensible while putting the Creator of the Universe on hold. Maybe we wish God was more like Google? That He would just answer our questions and not bring up anything we don’t want to talk about. That He could be an app on our smartphone that w

Every day people turn to Google to answer questions of different magnitudes. Religion, politics, fashion, family, health, business - Google knows it all! From "Are we alone in the universe" to "How do I get a passport?" to "Where do babies come from?" to "Is it bad that I talk to myself?", 3.3 billion questions are entrusted to Google each day. That is 1,375,000 questions per hour asked to a search engine. The omniscient Google answers 22,916 questions per minute and 382 questions per second. These aren’t just "How do I remove a shoe scuff?" type of questions. People turn to Google to answer "What is my purpose?", "How do I overcome anxiety?", "Why am I so angry?", "Am I unlovable?" What would we do without Google? Maybe that is the problem? We’ve made a search engine insensible while putting the Creator of the Universe on hold. Maybe we wish God was more like Google? That He would just answer our questions and not bring up anything we don’t want to talk about. That He could be an app on our smartphone that w