For The Bible Tells Me So

Life isn’t so much about what God is getting you through, rather it’s about what God is working in you and out of you. Today we’ll look at some of the things God works out of our lives that demonstrate what He’s been working on inside of us.

Christians may be called to pursue unity through humility and service, but how far is too far? Is it possible to be too humble? Too sacrificial? If we want to find an example to follow, then we have to look at Jesus' life! Today we'll look at Paul's reflection of Jesus' ministry and see how Jesus is the ultimate example for long-lasting relationships.

We sometimes think that shared interests, goals, and beliefs are what hold a body of people together, but have you ever noticed that it takes more than sharing to really feel connected to someone? Shared values are amazing, but they don’t get us through the difficult days and sleepless nights we all experience. So what cultivates true unity? We’ll see today that unity isn’t built on what we share, but what we give up for each other.

Have you ever wanted to leave your mark on this world? Many of us want to make a difference, but we oftentimes get discouraged because we feel like we can’t make a lasting impact unless we have a certain amount of Instagram followers, or a blue check next to our Twitter handle, or a large Youtube subscriber base. But is that true? Do we need all of that in order to see lives changed? In Philippians, the apostle Paul shows us that God can create lasting change in our communities through us as we intentionally work together and live for Him.

Over the past few years, Human Trafficking awareness has been growing in big ways. Through movements like #MeToo, the scandals with Jeffery Epstein, and the exposure of trafficking services through well known online stores, we recognize that trafficking is a bigger issue than some of us may have imagined. So how do we as Christian understand the Human Trafficking system and fight for justice for those affected by it? Today, Bekka Barron joins the podcast to help us understand the world of trafficking so that we can apply God’s kingdom values into seeing solutions and care for those who are impacted in our community.

Would you rather stay, or go? Believe it or not, the Bible presents some insights into this very question. In today’s episode, we’ll get an inside look at Paul’s decision-making process and learn how our questions are essential to following Jesus wholeheartedly.

No matter how successful we are in this life, there will always be some kind of uncertainty about the future that we will have to deal with. The unknown is inescapable, and for a lot of us that’s the reason why we constantly experience stress and anxiety. So how do we face uncertainty with faith and not fear? Courage and not cowardice? The Apostle Paul shows us through his prison experience that he could be hopeful for the future, but in ways that we might not expect.

Have you ever been on a team but felt like your teammates were your rivals? The Apostle Paul experienced a similar sense of hostility from a portion of his Christian brothers and sisters when he began planting churches, but he knew how to keep a smile on his face through the adversity. How? By practicing contentment when others wanted competition. Paul knew that his contentment in Jesus would keep him grounded whenever someone would try to uproot him through their competitive edge. In Paul’s mind, he could find joy not in his relationships but with knowing that the Gospel of Jesus was advancing through the world.

The Stoics have often said that we can’t control the outcome of what happens to us, but we can control our response to what happens to us. In many ways, this is what we learn in Scripture. But today, we’ll see that God takes it a step further. Not only does God help us respond to life’s difficulties, but God creates new purposes through our difficulties. He alone can turn a bummer and make it into a blessing!

We all have people in our lives who we love, but do we know how to pray for them? How can we pray in a way that truly blesses their lives and builds the community around them? Today, we get to learn about a prayer that the Apostle Paul prays a prayer for the early Christians that touched not only their lives, but the people around them. When God’s blessings pour out on these prayers, God can do more in our people’s lives than we would ever expect!

The models of connection we saw growing up inform the modes of affection we use today. Whether you grew up in a home with loving parents or as some who was displaced and confused about love, you have grown up with a certain understanding of how to demonstrate love. But how does Jesus demonstrate love? And how does that affect the affections of our hearts? Today, we’ll look at the divine reorientation of Paul’s affections that occurred when Jesus grabbed a hold of his heart and see how Jesus can do the same for you today.

For most of us, we avoid hardship at all costs, right? I mean, who wants to intentionally experience pain, hurt, and loss? But what happens when difficulty comes your way and you can’t escape it? How do you handle what’s happening that’s out of your control? Today, we’re looking at the book of Philippians to see how Paul handled adversity. Not only was pain inevitable in Paul’s life and ministry, but it was and essential component for him experiencing God’s grace.

In a time when we have more Self-Help resources than ever before, it can become easy to believe that we can tweak our lives enough to become inherently good people. We can make all the changes we need to make in order to become better versions of ourselves, but what do we do with verses in Scripture that tell us that we’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God? How do we recover from something we can’t take back? Today, we’ll take a look at what Paul says to the Philippians about Jesus’ ministry to reconcile and save us for God. Because it’s Jesus alone who can bring about the good work of inner transformation and healing we need into our lives.

When you hear the word “community”, what do you think of? We all have different experiences when it comes to building relationships, but the one thing we all share in common is this - Community that is forged through hardship will survive hardship. God’s Spirit formed a community around Paul and the early church as they went through thick and thin together, and today we’ll see how God is calling us to build communities that do the same.

Racing minds. Endless to-do lists. Unread txts. Random calendars. All of it can feel like so much, right? If we let the circumstances of life determine the way we live, then chances are that we will live lives that are hurried and frantic. But if we allow God to determine the way we live, then we can be assured that there is a life of peace ahead of us. Today, Andy will close out our Sheltering In Grace series by talking to us about how God reorganizes, shifts, and changes our lives for the better.

The struggle is all too real when it comes to finding our purpose for life. Some of us feel like we know exactly what we were built for while others of us barely have the motivation to get out of bed. So, what are we made for? What does God have to say about purpose? Today we’re beginning a new series called “Blessings Behind Bars” where we’ll take a look at the book of Philippians - a book written by a Christian inmate named Paul - to see what God has to say our reason for being alive.

The Bible shows us time and time again that God moves through His people when they pray. This is where relationship with God really develops. So as Christians, we know that we should pray, but what about when it’s hard? What if you don’t feel like praying? If prayer never feels right, then is it really worth it? Today, Andy Ramsey will share with us how simple prayers and simple faith can lead us into deep intimacy with God.

For many of us, the recent conversations around race have been confusing. The difficulty of it all causes many of us to either give up, feel like it isn’t worth it, or totally shut it out of our lives. But the question we have to ask ourselves as Christians is this - How does Jesus inform my thoughts and actions concerning race relations? Today, our good friend Danté Stewart was kind enough to help us navigate the intersection of faith and race in a conversation called "Closing The Gap". We’re all on this journey together and with the guidance of God’s spirit, we’ll learn more deeply how we can love mercy, do justly, and walk humbly with our God. Follow Danté: @stewartdantec Book Recommendations from Danté Stewart: “I’m Still Here” by Austin Channing Brown “The Color Of Compromise” by Jemar Tisby “Democracy In Black” by Eddie Glaude Jr. “The End Of White Christian America” by Robert P. Jones

Considering the rapid pace of media associated with the pandemic and civil unrest we’ve been experiencing recently, it’s worthwhile to take a moment and pause. What is happening? Why do I feel the way I do? Am I trusting in God? How is Jesus continuing His ministry of salvation through all of this? Here, we take some time to reflect on what’s been happening and remembering God’s vision for the church through times of crisis. Catch an original poem written by our good friend Chelsea Kerr called “It Starts With Me” at the end of the episode!

There are many reasons for this stay at home measure, but for us Christians there’s a unique opportunity here that isn’t talked about in Buzzfeed’s “Top 10 things to do in Quarantine” article - For followers of Jesus, we an opportunity to go deeper in our relationship with Jesus. So today, our good friend Andy is going to talk to us about some of the barriers we face when trying to get to know Jesus and how we can break through to know the real Jesus.

In today's society, it can be all to easy to tie our sense of worth to our list of accomplishments. But what happens when we don’t accomplish what we set out to do? How do we move forward when all we want to do is beat ourselves up for messing up again? Today, our good friend Andy Ramsey begins a new series called “Shelter In Grace” by first sharing with us his own journey of failure and the hope he has found in the approval of his Heavenly Father.

Why does the Bible have so many old stories in it? What does the Bible’s account of Israel’s history have to do with my faith today? The short answer is that it’s crazy important! Not just for our understanding of God, but for our acceptance of Jesus. In Acts 13, the apostle Paul presents to the Israelites a snapshot of the story between God and Israel so that the necessity of Jesus was on full display. At first glance this may seem unrelated to you, but as we’ll see this story has deep implications for our faith today. Instagram: @calvaryyam Marco Polo: DM on Insta to be added to the conversation!

The Bible talks a lot about sin, but why is it important to overcome sin? Where does it come from and how do we defeat it? The bad news is that sin is way too big and powerful for any of us to beat ourselves. The good news is that Jesus defeated sin and that He allows us to share in that victory! In today’s episode we’ll look at the origins of sin so we know how to recognize its sneaky patterns, and how Jesus brings us into His great triumph over sin. If you need someone to come along side you as you make the decision to follow Jesus and turn from sin, txt Riley at (831) 915-4705. 

Ok, ok, so we’re not talking in this episode about “friends with benefits”., but we are talking about a friendship that produces some amazing benefits to our lives. Friendship with Jesus is not only possible, but it’s the essential relationship that will provide joy and purpose in life! If you’ve viewed your Christian faith as merely a set of standards or practices, then you’re missing out on one of the true riches found in Jesus - Friendship with Him.

We all come across moments when we feel like we can't move forward in our Christian lives. Maybe we feel stuck emotionally, in a rut with habitual sin, or totally uninterested in growing spiritually. Whatever the case, scripture reminds us that we have an aid station at every breaking moment in our spiritual marathon. Riley takes us to Hebrews to show us that Jesus will carry us across the finish line of every difficult season we experience.

Jesus' journey to the cross happened over 2,000 years ago, but Jesus' example still speaks volumes to our current moment in history. One of our Young Adult Ministry leaders, Thor Sawin, takes us to 2 Timothy 1 to help us reflect on the story of Jesus and His example of processing grief, loneliness, and suffering.