Joy!Cast

This week we explore Mary, Jesus’ mother and the impact of her faith. The minute Mary agreed to be Jesus’ mother she became a Person of the Passion, one of the main characters in the story of Jesus’ last day. After the Christmas story we don’t hear much about Mary until we find her “near the cross” when her son Jesus was crucified. It was at this moment of deep grief we witness Mary’s deep faith.

Ash Wednesday is a call back to God to repent of the things that separate us from God, return to God by accepting God's forgiveness, and remember God's love and goodness.

Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is near, but sometime life looks and feels more like hell than heaven. Today we let Jesus teach us to see the heaven that is already near us.

The hope of Heaven someday, with Gods help, can give the courage and hope we need to persevere in difficult times.

Even without a scientific method to prove it, by faith, we can believe heaven is real based on what Jesus says about it.

Cyberbullying is on the rise. Children have taken their life over being bullied online. But kids aren’t the only one bullying. Our elected officials do it. Athletes do it. Recording artists do it. Movie stars do it. What we SAY MATTERS. Ours words have the power to raise up or tear down. Which raises a very good question. Who is going to set a better example? Listen this week to find out.

Jesus gave a new command before he was crucified. He said that His followers should love one another. And by doing this, people will know they follow Jesus.

As children of God, we were created to live in peace and love with one another but that can be difficult in our polarized world.  Listen this week as we explore how to live in unity and harmony despite our differences.

We were created to live in community not social media isolation. Listen this week as we explore what isolation looks like and the impact it can have on our lives.

A person’s identity is formed by their gender, their job, their family, their ethnicity, and so much more. And all are important. And all are secondary to our identity in Christ. Listen this week as we wrestle with having people “like” us and our identity vs “being like” Christ.”

A look at the classic Christmas movie Home Alone and its subplot of feeling isolated through the holidays.  This lesson focused on the Immanuel God, or God with us, even as we experience holidays that don’t live up to our expectations and are a potential source of pain.  What can Jesus say to a Blue Christmas?

Gods gift to save a fragile world just happened to be a fragile baby.

God wants each and every one of us to have a wonderful life.

Isaiah promised a savior would come to offer an undeniable peace for impossible times.

The hope that God sent to us is real and it has a name.

Fear is real and fear is a barrier to becoming generous. The fear of not having enough. But God's faithfulness to provide is stronger than our fear of not having enough.

One of the greatest barriers to generosity is fear. But in the story of Joseph of Arimathea we see how generosity helped him overcome his fears.  

Listen today as we explore the story of Zacchaeus. The grace Jesus gives changes how people give. A changed life changes lives.

The Fruits of the Spirit are something God wants FROM us. But have you ever thought that they are also something God wants FOR us.  Listen to the last message in the series to find out.

Patience means that we live by faith knowing that God will act with goodness and kindness. Patience is an act of deep faith.

Soil matters! Fruit trees produce more fruit and sweeter fruit depending on the quality of the soil. The same is true for spiritual fruit such as love, joy, and peace. Listen this week as Pastor Mark discusses the soils we can plant ourselves in where God seems to do God’s best work producing fruit in us.

Jesus promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead and empower every Christian (Acts 2:8).  However, as Paul points out in Galatians 5, there is a constant battle between the Holy Spirit and our own sinful desires.  Paul introduces the fruit of the spirit to help Christians identify the evidence of the Holy Spirit in their lives with the nine “fruit” (attributes) he outlines in this passage that all Christians should be producing in their lives.  As we give the Holy Spirit more control of our lives, the Spirit shapes us to be more like Jesus and rid our lives of the evil things in our sinful nature.

Difficult people are less difficult to love when we forgive them. 

If we fill our buckets with love, patience, etc we can actually become loving and patient. And then we can pour love and patience on the people in need.

Take the next step. You can play it safe and fly 2000 feet above the highest mountain, or you can learn to be a better pilot and fly through the valleys. We become better neighbors and love people better when we fly with them through the valley’s rather than play it safe and stay clear of their struggles. Playing it safe doesn’t help us grow. Being brave means our trust in God grows, our need for God grows. God is with us in the valley, growing our faith in Him. We don’t need to have every step through the valley planned, we just need to be ready to take the next step.