LifeSong Extra Innings

Welcome to the final episode of the LifeSong ZOOM COVID-19 Monday Night Speaker Series with special guests Matthew and Chandra Anderson from Utah. We couldn't have two better people on for the finality of this speaker series. Matthew and Chandra have an incredible journey as a couple, in their marriage, as a family with five biological children and several others they have helped raised along the way. The calling on their lives by the Holy Spirit to be church planters and disciple-makers in one of the toughest places in the United States to do ministry is nothing short of miraculous. We hope you enjoy their testimony and what God has done in their lives, it is a beautiful and compelling story of what it means to live a Christ-centered life.

Thank you for joining us for this week's message. This week Pastor Harold unpacked Romans 5:1-11, and how pain is the touchstone of spiritual progress, character, and hope. Our hope is the most powerful weapon we have to win people for God. By sharing our experience, strength, and hope the Holy Spirit can achieve amazing results, but we must learn to participate in the kingdom calling all disciples of Jesus have on their lives.

Thank you for joining us for another episode of the LifeSong ZOOM COVID-19 Monday Night Speaker Series here on ZOOM at LifeSong. This week our guest is Ion Cheptene. Ion is a personal friend of Pastor Harold Long, and they were members of First E-Free Evangelical Church in the early 2000s in St. Louis, MO. Ion has lived anIon amazing life, below is a brief bio for tonight's special guest.

Welcome to this week's message on "The Great Commission." Pastor Harold Long breaks down Matthew 28:16-20 and asks the question, "what does a disciple's life look like?" The message will challenge you to reflect on what kind of disciple are you? Is your church a disciple-making church? What sort of things need to change in your life and the life of the church so to no be sterile and eventually wither and die? We learn how the eleven disciples all struggled with doubt and immaturity, but discover how the Holy Spirit fills in the gaps of their imperfection. There are many promises to be revealed in this scripture reading today, so we are glad you joined us.

Welcome to another episode of the LifeSong COVID-19 Monday Night Speaker's Series, featuring our guest speaker Joe Birch. Joe Birch is a 43 year veteran new's anchor in Memphis, Tennessee. Joe's testimony of his walk with God, and how he lives out the kingdom life is both fascinating and very entertaining. You are guaranteed to laugh, smile, and be inspired by Joe's storytelling abilities.

Thank you for joining us for today's message. Today we celebrate Pentecost Sunday and the power of the Holy Spirit in our presence. Our message today is influenced by 1 Peter 2:4-12, and is titled "A Movement in the Midst of Church Tension, COVID-19, and Racial Divide." In today's message, Pastor Harold unpacks our scripture reading and shows us the connection between Peter's message and the calling we all have on our lives as kingdom people. We look at how we are each a stone in the temple and that by coming together, we can experience the Glory of God in a way we cannot as individuals. Lastly, we apply our scripture reading to our returning to live church on June 7, 2020, response to COVID-19, and the racial divide and unrest surrounding the death of George Floyd. Your heart will be challenged and hopefully convicted by today's message. 

Thank you for joining us for Ascension Sunday. Our message today is titled "The Invisible Red Adam." In today's message, Pastor Harold unpacks Acts 1:1-11 and looks at the gender of the Holy Spirit and how the color red is significant when looking at all of creation, including humankind. The Holy Spirit serves an essential role in the Trinity, and unknown to many, the Holy Spirit was and is apart of all of creation. We hope you are blessed by today's message, and if you are, please share the message with others.

Welcome to our LifeSong Monday Night COVID-19 Speaker Series. This week our guest an international recording artist Hilary Roberts. Hilary is a dance/pop/adult contemporary artist with a number one hit on the Billboard Charts. Her new album will come out in August 2020. In the show notes below, you can find all the links to Hilary's website, social media pages, etc. In this episode, Hilary shares her entire life story, the good, the bad, and the ugly. She literally climbed from the pits of Hell to be reconciled and placed on top of the world both her music career, but more importantly, her spiritual life and purpose. We hope you find inspiration from Hilary's story. Please share this video with others, and bless those who need to hear Hilary's message of hope.

Thank you for joining us for today's podcast message. In today's message, Pastor Harold Long completes the message series titled "5 Dysfunctions Of A Family," with our message today titled "Dysfunctional Families Are Stingy With Grace." Pastor Harold helps define the word "grace," and some ways we can be graceful and show grace like Jesus. We will be in Acts 1:1-11, so get your bibles out and prepare your hearts for a message on God's grace.

Hello Podrishioners, This message was recorded on Mother’s Day 2020. We hope you find the message beneficial with your walk with God. If you do

Here is the latest episode of our Monday Night LifeSong ZOOM Speaker Series. This episode features Rabbi Roxanne Shapiro. Rabbi Shapiro shared her faith journey, the history of Judaism, some myths about Judaism, how Judaism influenced Christianity and fielded questions from the live ZOOM audience. We hope you are blessed by this episode, and if so, please share it with others.

Welcome to this week's message titled "Dysfunctional Families Don't Serve Each Other." This is Part IV of V in our message series titled "5 Dysfunctions Of A Family." Pastor Harold Long, unpacks the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 9, verses 33-37. Today's message focuses on Love, Service, and Humility. We lift up three things a person can do to better be of maximum service to their family, friends, and community. Pastor Harold also shares three different poems this week to close out the message that is centered on the coronavirus and how to make the most of this time through love and service to others, starting with our own family.

Welcome to LifeSong Ministries Monday Night COVID-19 ZOOM Speaker Series. This week we had the privilege of having Author Daniel Kent joining us. Dan shares his faith journey and moves us into the discussion around his signature book "Confident Humility." We discuss the subject of humility, and Dan defines the true meaning of humility from the perspective of a Jesus looking God. We later touch on the subject of spiritual warfare, and his series of books titled "The Training of KZX12." Dan incorporates psychology, philosophy, and theology into the back story of his exciting series of books. Volume's Three and Four are in the works.

Today we continue our series the "5 Dysfunctions Of A Family." Our message today is titled "Dysfunctional Families Don't Talk About God." Pastor Harold unpacks Deuteronomy 6:4-9, and our calling to be the best educators and disciple-makers for our children. Talking to our families about God is not always easy, especially if you have never spoken to your family about God, or you are just learning to do so. We turn to the Gospel of Mark 6:1-6 and Mark 5:18-20 for the answers. We discover the meaning of the "prophetic curse" and how to avoid it.

Here is the recording of the first speaker in our LifeSong Monday Night Speaker Series, the Rev. Dr. Clint McCann. Dr. McCann is an Old Testament Scholar and Psalms specialist. Dr. McCann spent the evening discussing the Psalms. It was a lot of fun and an evening full of much wisdom to be learned. We hope you enjoy this session with Dr. McCann, and please join us for our regular Monday Night ZOOM Speaker Series as we make our way through this challenging time of quarantine due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus.

Hello Lifers and Podrishioners, Thank you for joining us today in the midst of COVID-19 and under quarantine. We are in our message series “5

Welcome to our Easter 2020 message titled "Who Are You Looking For?" Our message comes to us this morning via facebook live from our LifeSong facebook page, @Lifesongumc. This morning Pastor Harold takes into the Gospel of John, John 20:1-18, for a look at Mary Magdaline, Simon Peter, and John. We discover that it took a lot of evidence for the disciples to believe in Jesus, including Mary Magdaline, who probably loved Jesus even more than the disciples, but yet she needed to see Jesus to believe. This audio and video include the worship music of Brianne McGuill and Ethan Stech. 

Good morning from the New Testament Christ Church (NTCC) located in the old middle school in Reeds Spring, Missouri. Pastor Ron Rasmussen, from NTCC, and Pastor Harold Long, and Pastor Michael O'Sullivan from LifeSong Church,  collaborated to bring you this Sunrise Service. Pastor Ron is leading worship, playing guitar and pumping out rich lyrics with his deep deep voice. Pastor Harold is the facilitator for today's service, and Pastor Michael brings us the message from John 20:1-18. We hope you enjoy this community Easter Sunrise Service, and we hope to involve as many churches as possible to join us in the future.

Welcome to our new message series, "5 Dysfunctions of a Family." This is the first message titled "Dysfunctional Families Don't Put God First." Our message today was the first in a live stream series due to COVID-19. The musical guest is Robin and Tammy Hendry, who are professional musicians in Branson, MO, and members of LifeSong Church. Pastor Harold Long looks to all four gospels to help us understand why God expects us, as followers of Jesus Christ, to put God ahead of all things, including our own families. This may seem radical and even counterproductive, but we'll discover there are many blessings bestowed upon us when we place God at the forefront of everything we do in life.

Our message today is titled "Finding Peace and Serenity in the Wake of Covid-19." This is the last message in our series titled "I'M A LIFER." In today's message, we unpack Psalm 91 and how it can help us find peace and serenity in these crazy times dealing with Covid-19. Pastor Harold will challenge us on how to deal with this virus from a kingdom perspective and some practical ways we can live out our faith despite a mandatory quarantine and high levels of pandemonium.

I am sad to report that all of our messages until further notice will be pre-recorded due to Covid-19. Today's message is titled "True Grit - A Kingdom Response to Covid-19. In today's message, Pastor Harold looks at the subject of "True Grit" and why it's essential when confronting adversity. We will also explore Covid-19, and what is a true "kingdom" response to this crazy virus that has the world tipped upside down. The message this morning starts with a BIG SUPRISE, so we hope you are ready to be surprised.

Today the title of our message is "Show Him Who You Are." If you are a Marvel fan and have watched the Black Panther, then you know where this quote is from. It's what Queen Ramonda screams out to her son King T'Challa when he was losing his match for the title of Black Panter. You will have to watch the rest of the movie for the many messages the film represents. We also look at the lives of Susanne and John Wesley, Jesus and his mother Mary, Jesus and his Father, the Church as a whole, and then we segway to YOU the individual. We all were born with unique gifts that only we can develop and use for the kingdom of God. So our calling is to "Show Him Who You Are." Our main text today is Acts 27, and we read from the Message Bible.

Today we discuss the human condition of downcast. We look at what the author of Psalm 42 and 43 has to teach us. We unpack the condition, cause, and cure. This is Part II of V of our new series, "I'M A LIFER."

Today's message is titled "Together is Better" in our new March 2020 message series titled "I'm A "Lifer." This message series is part I of V for this message series. In today's message, Pastor Harold unpacks 1 Corinthians 12, and what it means to belong to the body of Christ. He also unpacks what it means to become a "Lifer" at LifeSong Church. What is shared in this message is relative to any Christian, church, or context! We hope you find the message enlightening.

Welcome to episode #14 of LifeSong Extra Innings. In today's podcast, we have a special guest with us, Pastor Preston Ulmer. Preston works with the Church Multiplication Network and is the Founder of The Doubter's Club. Here at LifeSong, we had the privilege of having Preston teach on Sunday, February 23, 2020. You can find the link to the message below in the show notes. This interview is in connection to his message "Tearing Down The Things That Tear Us Apart." We discuss the origin of Doubter's Club, and why creating spaces with folks who don't think like us is not only how Jesus describes kingdom living, but the only way we are ever going to confront the division that America and the world faces.

Thank you for joining us for today's message titled "Tearing Down The Things That Tear Us Apart." This message is Part IV of IV for our message series titled "Divided We Stand Divided We Fall." We are blessed for today's message, which taught by Pastor Preston Ulmer, founder of Doubter's Club. Pastor Preston delivers powerful teaching on Luke 14:21-24, helping us to understand who Jesus invited to the banquet, and it's not who most people assume that it is. Preston also shares with us how "Doubter's Club" got started, and what Doubter's Club is, and what it is not. If you would like to contact Pastor Preston Ulmer, you can reach him by email at ulmerpreston@yahoo.com. If you are interested in Doubter's Club, click the link to view their website: https://www.thedoubtersclub.com/.

Welcome to episode #13 of LifeSong Extra Innings Podcast. In today's podcast, Pastor Harold sits down with Dr. Clinton McCann and Amanda Tello, both Liberation Theologians. The discussion centers around Latin America and the many challenges these countries face because of their poor economic conditions, systemic oppression, and superpower influences and exploitations. The goal of this conversation was to compare and contrast the current state of relations and experience in Latin America against the kingdom of God's model for living. What can kingdom people do to help resolve the divide in America, the Church, and our neighboring countries? What do critical spiritual principals taught throughout both the Old and New Testament teach us about kingdom living, and what kingdom living should resemble in the world? We discuss poverty, division, racism, history, borders, strangers, immigrants, border walls, policies, real-life experiences, in an attempt to give a clear picture of life from the perspective of indigenous people, and demonstrate how they experience the world. We discuss the experience of living in Branson, MO, located in the Ozark Mountains, from the perspective of the Latino population, who have migrated to the Branson, MO area for the hospitality jobs, but also for a safe place to raise their families.

Thanks for joining us for today's message titled "Covenantal vs. Contractual Faith?" This message is Part III of IV of our message series "Divided We Stand Divided We Fall." In today's message, Pastor Harold compares and contrasts marriage and faith as it relates to the type of faith we believe possesses vs. the reality of our faith. Are we truly the great spouse we believe in our minds to be? Are there fruits, as a result, of our faith being lived out? Would our spouse or outsiders view our certainty of belief that we are a "great spouse?" This message will be a challenging message for many, but one that may prove liberating. This message we attempt to explain why most Christians demonstrate little difference in their lifestyle compared to non-Christians. This argument is validated by numerous polls and describes why this dead faith adds to the divide in America, the Church, and the world.

Hi Podrishioners, Thank you for your joining us for the latest episode of the LifeSong Extra Innings Podcast. In today’s podcast, Pastor Harold Long sits

Thank you for joining us for Part II of IV of our February 2020 message series "Divided We Stand Divided We Fall." Our message today is titled "Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely." The title of our message is taken from a famous quote by Lord Acton. Lord Acton was a British politician and historian of freedom. The question we are tackling in this message series is, why are our country and the world so divided? We look at the history of the human race from a biblical perspective and the founding of America as we know it. We look to Genesis, 1 Samuel, the Psalms, and the Gospel for how to make sense of it, along with well documented European and American history. This Gospel of the Kingdom is not interested in the politics of any brand to advance the Kingdom. It isn't to say that this leader or that leader will help advance legislation that helps the Kingdom cause, but Kingdom people can't put their faith in an earthly leader, their faith and alliance are with Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. 

Hi Podrishioners, We hope you enjoy this interview with the grandson of a historical figure named Te lah nay. Te lah nay was a Native

Today we started a new message series for February 2020. The title of our message series is Divided We Stand Divided We Fall. Our message today was titled "The Super Bowl of Life." This series is capped off with a Kansas City Chief's Super Bowl win, which is incredible. Our scripture reading was Acts 4:23-37, and we read from "The Message" Bible. We highlighted the Red-Black game and a game that can be applied to life. The Red-Black game reveals a lot by us personally and helps explain why American is polarized. This game challenges us to look at how we play the game at home, work, and life. This message will challenge you at the core of your being, and force you to inventory if you are sold-out for the world system or the Kingdom of God.

This is an interview with Alan Barrymore, Shelter Manager at Tri-Lakes Humane Society in Reeds Spring, MO, located in the Ozark Mountains on January 21, 2020. Alan gives us the history of their shelter and then takes us on a tour of the facility. During our time together, he explains how Tri-Lakes is a no-kill facility. They also house 700 to 800 dogs and cats a year out of their shelter. Please check out their website for pricing and how to adopt one of these furry animals. This interview is part of our latest message series, "The Gospel According to Dogs." During our message series, we reveal how dogs don't have a voice and depend solely on humans for their wellbeing; unfortunately, humans do a poor job overall on providing for God's creatures and creation. Don't let that be you. If you have room in your home for a new companion and family member, then please head down to Tri-Lakes and adopt one of these dogs or cats for your home.

Today we conclude our message series "The Gospel According to Dogs." Our message this morning is delivered by Pastor Michael O'Sullivan, and the title of the message is "Cat and Dog Theology." Pastor Michael contrast cats and dogs and humans and God. This is a powerful message challenging us to look inward and be honest about how we approach God in our lives.

Today is Part III of IV of our series "The Gospel According to Dogs." Our message today is titled "God Loves The Bullied. Our foundation scripture is Romans 12:9-21. We look at the effects of bullying on dogs, children, Jesus, and believers. We also provide steps for those being bullied, whether they are a child, teen, young adult, adult, or senior. Our message features some great stories today. We look at the life of a famous hound named "Marshall" and then two young British lads who call themselves "Bars and Melody." We hope you find the message enlightening to the truth about bullying and some hope in how to deal with your bully if you are currently being bullied. Please know that God loves the bullied, and will provide the wisdom and direction for how to have victory over your bully.

Today's message is titled "Obedience Leads To Spiritual Maturity." This is Part II of IV of our January message series "The Gospel According to Dogs." In our message we look at Hebrews 5:7-14 and what it means to be obedient and what it means to experience spiritual maturity. We hope you enjoy today's message, and it helps you grow in your faith.

Today we start a new message series titled "The Gospel According to Dogs." This is a three-part series, and today's message is titled God Diggity Dog." Our message today is focused on Matthew 15:21-28, and Caananites and Canines. We hit on three main points throughout the message, with some fun mixed in as well.

Thank you for joining us today. Today we finish our Christmas Advent Series titled "Christmas Out of Focus." Our message today is titled "Don't Be Afraid," focused on Matthew 14:22-33. We look at the phrase "Don't Be Afraid,'' and then we discuss the issue of fear and anxiety. We focus on three myths surrounding the subject of fear and anxiety, in addition to four actions you can take to face your fear and anxiety with an encouraging spirit.

Merry Christmas Eve 2019. We are continuing in our Advent message series "Christmas Out of Focus. In our message, today titled "Christ is Christmas," we are looking at the Gospel of Luke, 2:1-20, and why did Jesus come to earth. Was it only for the salvation of humankind? Or was there more to it? Is it really about putting "Christ" back in Christmas or is it realizing that "Christ" is Christmas? We listen to a debate between two children debating who is the greatest Santa Claus or Jesus Christ. I bet you know how this debate ends. Lastly, what is our responsibility as Kingdom people when it comes to Christmas.

Thank you for joinings us today. This morning we concluded our message series titled "Christmas Out of Focus." Today's message is titled "God is the Dream Weaver." The inspiration for this message comes from Matthew 1:18-25 and Gary Wright's 1972 smash it "Dream Weaver." We look at the meaning and inspiration behind Wright's mega-hit and how today's Gospel points to God as the only legit Dream Weaver. There is power in the problem, that is the big takeaway from today's message. Jesus is with us, even in our darkest moments. Our job is to remain obedient, even with the nights are long, cold, and dark. 

Today we continue in our Advent Series "Christmas Out of Focus." Our message today is titled "Are You The One?" Pastor Harold unpacks Matthew 11:2-19, and why John the Baptist found it necessary to ask Jesus, "are you the one?" This is a question that every believer and non-believer has proposed in their lifetime. He also weaves in the subject of "peace" as it relates to today's Scripture.

We are in week two of our Advent Christmas Series "Christmas Out of Focus." This week's message was titled "Bias Blind Spots" and centered around Matthew 3:1-12. This message challenges us to look at the blinders of "self" that keep us from seeing the Christian life for what it really is supposed to be about, and therefore cause us to experience Christmas out of focus.

Hi Podrishioners, Welcome to our 2019 Christmas Advent Series “Christmas Out of Focus.” This is week one, and the message is titled “The Perfect Christmas.”

Here is Part VII of VII of our 40 Days of Prayer Message Series. This message is titled "When God Says No." Pastor Michael O'Sullivan delivers a beautiful message, and helps us understand why no is an answer to prayer, and why does God say, "no" when necessary.

Today is Part V of VII in our message series "40 Days of Prayer." Today's message is titled "How To Pray Throughout The Day." Our message today is delivered by special guest speaker Larry Abshier. Larry teaches us how to pray throughout the day and gives us some practical suggestions on how to make that happen. We hope this message blesses you and helps you grow deeper in your faith. 

Today we are in part four of seven in our message series "40 Days of Prayer." Today's message is titled "Praying in Five Dimensions." Pastor Harold Long takes us through today's message, helping us to look at God in more than two dimensions, which so many do.

Welcome to week three of our seven-week message series "40 Days of Prayer." In today's message, Pastor Harold Long reminds us of who God truly is. God is a good good Father. Yet, so many of us don't truly know this, and it shows in our inconsistent prayer life. Our hope after listening to this message that your commitment to your prayer life grows by leaps and bounds.

Hi Saints and Podrishioners, This morning we are in week two of 40 Days of Prayer. Today’s message is titled “A Beginner’s Guide to Prayer.”

This is the first of seven messages to kick-off our new fall growth campaign and sermon series "40 Days of Prayer." This message was pre-recorded by Pastor Harold Long and will be the foundation message to launch our new series. You can go directly to the message by clicking this link: . https://www.lifesongumc.org/sermons/do-you-really-want-to-grow-up/, once you open the link, you will be able to view the Lesson Plan for this message and the Small Group Leadership Guide for leading your small group discussion of Lesson One of Seven.

Hi Friends, Family, and Podrishioners, Welcome to LifeSong. Our guest speaker Rachel Rotert delivered Today’s message. Rachel is the author of “God’s Great Love Story.”

Thank you for joining us for another episode of LifeSong Extra Innings. In today's episode, Harold interviews Rachel Rotert, the Author of "God's Great Love Story - From Garden to Glory - A 7-Week Journey Through the Bible." "God's Great Love Story" is Rachels's first published book. Rachel takes the reader on a journey through the Bible in a creative way by applying a narrative approach to reading the Bible versus a systematic approach. "One reason why people struggle reading the Bible is that they don't know where to begin." Rachel shares God's love story with us in a way that we can all relate and comprehend and makes for a great read and study as a family. Rachel has a deep love for music, especially the calling God has on her life with her profession as a music therapist, so we spend some time asking Rachel to share that part of story with us as well.