New Life Wichita

As hard as it is to believe, finding peace under pressure actually has more to do with perspective than it does circumstances. This message explains how.

Data shows we are the most stressed-out generation in history, and it's only going to get worse for the Next Generation if we don't learn how to handle stress better.

Mad About You. For most of us, our tendency is to feel others deserve judgment while we deserve grace, mercy and comfort. In the end, what's most concerning to God gets overshadowed by what's more concerning to me.

The God of "Bring Back," Not "Payback" God will often let us experience exaggerated consequences of our decision to tell Him "Thanks God, but no thanks" NOT to pay us back, but to bring us back.

Trying to Outrun God. We all run from God at some point. There is a conflict between what we want and what we perceive God wants for us, and our response is "thanks, God, but no thanks." In this message, we discover the reason why we do that and the irony that in our running, we run away from the very thing we desire most. Listen in!

There has to be an explanation! Saying Jesus was a "good teacher with some devout followers" just doesn't explain what happened a few days after his execution, let alone his impact globally over the past 2000 years. So, what really happened? 

On the surface, Christianity seems like a lot of wishful thinking at worst and equally valid as other world religions at best. But unlike every other religion, the foundation of Christianity is not the teachings of a man or just "faith." It all rises and falls on an event.

Why couldn't Jesus do what you and I do and simply say, "I forgive you?" We forgive people all the time, but we've never had to die for someone to forgive them. So, why? Why did He have to die?

Why would God come to live among us as one of us? He was never married. He was never a parent. He didn't have a job. He didn't serve as a role model for any of the roles we play. So why? Why did he live among us as one of us?

The order for most Americans when it comes to money is first to spend it, then pay bills, pay taxes, save it, and if anything is left over, give it. The end result for most is feeling like there is never enough. The good news is that God offers a permanent solution, but it requires us to get first things first.

In times of personal financial crisis, we WANT God to show up in our financial world! Here's how to make sure God always stays involved in the arena of your finances to where you have all that you need when you need it...and more!

Money already feels tight, so we tend to feel there is more to lose than gain in giving. The question is: how can we leverage money now so that in the future, our return is greater than we could ever imagine and can never be lost?

Being "rich" is far more than a number. It's a state of mind... It's learning to see everything we own and possess as it really is... To see it through the lens that the world will never show us.

We live in a culture that rewards busyness and belittles rest. However, busyness is not the problem; mis-prioritized values are. This affects our relationships with family, friends, and God. We desire to be known. To truly experience God, we must ask ourselves: What are we seeking?

Life can often feel overwhelming, pulling us in many directions. This busyness may rob us of connection and intimacy with those who matter most. How might this also affect our relationship with our heavenly Father? It may be time to reevaluate our priorities and perspective to experience God in meaningful ways. Listen in!

How can you hear what God has to say? The answer is... the Bible! The Bible is an incredible tool for listening to God's voice. But finding the right time and place to read it can be difficult. In this message, Chad outlines several strategies and tips for spending time alone with God's word so that you can hear from God in your daily life. Listen in! 

We live in a culture that sees gratitude as important but practiced in less significant ways. What would it look like to respond to gratitude in awe of what we've been given? In this message, you'll see that true gratitude has the power to change!

If we could see what God sees, we would be more inclined to do as God says. What a huge difference that would make in our complex, complicated lives. One of the greatest ways God speaks to us is through His written word. How do we use the Bible as a tool through which God can speak to us? Listen in to learn more!

There are times in our lives when we want God to do something... now. It can be easy to treat God like a vending machine. But what if the real challenge is in our listening? Imagine experiencing God in a life-altering way by getting to know our Heavenly Father instead!

Almost every religious system argues that what happens to you in the afterlife hinges on your good works. It's no surprise that some of us approach God the same way. There is a part of us that believes that our standing with God hinges on our good works. This means we underestimate the significance of what Christ did on the cross and overestimate the significance of our good works and deeds. But what would it look like if we changed our paradigm? We might experience God in more authentic ways!

The struggle for almost everyone who believes in God is not knowing where they stand with Him. The good news is that there is a standing invitation in which we can know with certainty where we stand and enter into something with God that seems and feels impossible, but it is the thing God desires most: Intimacy.

Distrust broke intimacy with God, and as soon as sin, sorrow and death entered the world, it resulted in our constant struggle with God. But God, in His relentless pursuit of us, took the initiative to do what only He could do: restore what was broken, and it is not based on our faithfulness. It's based on His.

Genuine relationship can only be had when there is freedom to choose, and from day one, God has given us the freedom to choose. Our problem is that a lie broke and continues to break the intimacy between us and our Heavenly Father.

Experiencing God. Intimacy is to be fully known and to know fully without the fear of rejection, but how many of us genuinely experience that with God? Could it be that we're too afraid, too busy, or too disinterested?

Discomfort & Indifference. When we see someone we care about making bad decisions, we can confront them or hope someone else does. We often say nothing, but we should ask ourselves: are we really being kind, or are we letting fear, discomfort, or indifference keep us from what love requires?

Fear is a byproduct of our ability to think about what might happen in the future, and it can protect us from harm. However, living with too much fear can cause us to be self-absorbed, distracted, and overly protective. But the good news is: You don't have to be afraid even when there's something to be afraid of. Fear does not have to control us!

Anger. Could something deep inside us be the source of both war and peace? Through James, the brother of Jesus, we see a connection between wisdom and peace. How we view, handle, and channel our emotions, particularly anger, is crucial.

Envy causes us to compare and compete with others in an unhealthy way. It brings arrogance when we're winning and discouragement when we're not. It's like chasing after the wind. How do we stop envy from controlling us?

When it comes to guilt, many of us either wallow in it by reliving the past or deny it by making excuses. Guilt causes us to be out of balance. How do we stop guilt from controlling us?

Fear. Anxiety. Guilt. Anger. What is the primary emotion that competes for control of your life? Today, we begin a brand new message series that deals with the emotions and voices within us that compete for control. First, let's look at the heart. 

What do you think Jesus believes is the biggest threat to us today? It's easy to believe that the church's greatest threat comes from outside the church. Unfortunately, the church's greatest threat is from within. The good news is that Jesus never intended it to be this way. In this message, you'll discover what it means to be the church of Jesus. You'll learn that it's a movement of Jesus in our community, for our community, and for the world.   

Have you ever felt the wonder and awe connected to what God has done in the world? Towards God's love and grace towards you? Have you lost that sense of wonder and awe? It's time to get it back. It matters!

What we call "church" didn't begin as a place or a building. It started as a movement envisioned and launched by Jesus. Those who accepted his message were bold, confident, and courageous but were never rude. We should take note and continue to follow their example! In this message, we explore more! 

For us as Christians, sometimes, the easiest thing to do is nothing. But we have the honor and responsibility to provide for the next generation what we wish the previous generation had provided for us. This may require us to inconvenience ourselves for something greater than ourselves because what God wants to do in and through us is a big deal!

Jesus's death was a final payment for my sins and yours. But when the church first began, a natural question surfaced right away: What shall we do to live out Jesus's transformational teachings and commands? It was clear then (as it should be today) that the answer was not to become jerks in his name. Listen to learn more!

God's name has been stamped repeatedly by Christians on behavior that He finds despicable. When the church (or a church) loses its way, people get hurt, and the movement of Jesus suffers. So, how did the church drift so far, and what should the Jesus movement really look like? Listen in, and you'll discover that it was never about a building but something more significant than that!

Heaven will not be equal, and we should not want it to be. What we live here determines what we will have there, and ultimately, Heaven is not our final destination. In this message, we wrap up our series on Justice & Judgment for All.

Jesus believed in justice. We can believe there's a Hell because Jesus believed there was one. But how could a good God send people to Hell, and if people go there, what would it be like? In this message, we'll look at these questions and more!

Jesus promised to bring justice, and contrary to what most believe, Heaven and Hell will not be the same experience for everyone. What we do in this life doesn't just determine when and where we go; what we do determines what it's like when we get there. What we learn from Jesus is that every day matters!

If God is supposed to be so good, why is there SO much injustice in the world? Why is there so much injustice in MY world? Will this ever be made right, and if so, how?! Join us as we start a brand new message series: Justice & Judgment for All. 

Imagine if you had a lost child and no one was willing to search for them? There is something of immeasurable value lost to God, and we've been invited to join the search!

We tend to confuse our assumptions about how our life plans will go and God's actual plan for our lives. So, what should we do when our hopes and dreams don't come true?

Our natural response to when we do wrong (a.k.a sin) is to cover up and conceal. The lie we believe is that more sin will lead to freedom...which it never does. The good news is, God provides the better and only real option if we're to truly be free.

Some degree of deconstruction is inevitable for everyone. Situations or circumstances may change how we view faith. However, deconstruction doesn't have to be destructive because faith is the active process of engaging with God in real and authentic ways.

God loves us, wants the best for us and wants to make His will for us clear. The key is, we must move beyond our ability to interpret circumstance and ask more fundamental questions.

Eventually, we all face fear, loneliness, exhaustion, anger and rejection. If we don't know how to respond, we not only hurt ourselves, but the people around us...usually the ones we love the most.

Discovering three timeless truths from Proverbs that lead to a fulfilling life.

A person who's unable to forgive themselves for decisions in the past eventually transfer those feelings of "I don't like me" to God and others. But how do we break free?

We have all been hurt, wounded or betrayed. Time does not heal all wounds. Forgiveness is not for the benefit of the offender, rather it's for our benefit. So, how do we get there?

What are we to do with our justified anger when we've been hurt or wronged?

To forgive someone who has hurt us feels like doing THEM a favor! They owe us! Why should we do THEM a favor by forgiving them? There is a very important reason why.