The Source Houston

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The Source is a community of people who gather to deepen our relationships with God and with each other. We are believers and doubters, seekers and runners, worshippers and listeners. We hope to become a hospitable community where everyone is able to come

First Methodist Houston


    • Mar 2, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 26m AVG DURATION
    • 595 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Source Houston

    Thrive: “Joy: Thriving in God's Strength” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2025 39:43


    We are struggling with the concept of joy in the face of something ending. And it's not the ending we want, but it's the ending we need. We don't like change, but if you want to work towards the goodness of God, if you want to see that good ending, it takes being a person of purpose, love, and hope. Ken asks, “do I really hate endings?” Sometimes good endings catapult us to more joy! Sometimes the problem is that we can't have the ending AGAIN. Sometimes the only things worse than a bad ending is no ending at all. Nehemiah 8:10, 12:27-28a, 30-31, 38a, 40-41a, 42b-43 fmhouston.com

    Thrive: “Kinship” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2025 33:35


    How many of us when we look at any institution do we say “I trust that”? The more people that are involved, the less we want to trust it. Institutional trust is at an all-time low. It's a hindrance, not a help. In the meantime depression, anxiety, isolation is on the rise. Too many people are trying to do it alone - because it does not feel safe to do it together. Somehow we have to create spaces that defy the distrust of organizations. And we have to be brave enough to realize that the only way to do that is to not live lives in isolation. Nehemiah 6:15-16, 8:1-12 fmhouston.com

    Thrive: “Abundance” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2025 22:54


    At the heart of what we struggle with, so many times, is that we do not believe transformation can take place. We don't believe we can fix what's wrong without money or power that we don't have. We want to see transformation in our lives, we want to see change for the better. But we feel like we're not in a place to make that happen. When we talk about abundance, we get uncomfortable. It's all surrounded by our belief about what it takes to have abundance. Because the world has a definition of abundance. But that definition flies in the face of the desires God has for us. Nehemiah 5:1-18 fmhouston.com

    Thrive: “Witness” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2025 30:36


    Nehemiah knew the immense pain that his people were going through, and so he sought to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. Because he knew that if people are ever going to switch from a life of survival to a life that is thriving, they need a sanctuary. If we want to be witnesses to the deep love of God, we need to be a people who create sanctuary. Nehemiah 2:9-12a, 15a, 16-20; 4:1-9, 13-15 fmhouston.com

    Called For A Purpose: “The Power of Pentecost” - Lance Richards

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2025 22:05


    As the church prepares for a massive vote on the future of the church, Lance returns to the Book of Acts and the story of Pentecost. “When we talk about membership in the church, it comes from this passage,” he reminds us. “We are part of one body.” God is calling us to a Pentecost moment, to be all together, one body, one movement, a light shining brightly on a hill. “Movements begin with faith, not certainty.” On the day of Pentecost, the disciples got busy praying. We need a Pentecost moment, too. But it can only happen when the church comes together in prayer. fmhouston.com

    Called For A Purpose: “A Future with Hope” - Lance Richards

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2025 14:41


    Lance often is asked for things by his children that aren't the best for them, and after turning them down for a long time, he'll allow them to discover the downsides for themselves. Free will comes with choices. But it doesn't shield you from consequences. When God tells that He knows the plans He has for us, sometimes it doesn't feel like good news. Sometimes it's not exactly what we were hoping for. But God has a bigger purpose in mind than anything we could ever imagine. Jeremiah 29:1, 4-14 fmhouston.com

    Called For A Purpose: “Claimed By God” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2025 25:44


    When I hear the words “good news,” it feels good, doesn't it? At the church, we love it. When we say “good news,” what does that mean? The idea of good news as something perfect, as paradise, feels good to say. But if we're honest, something that feels good to say doesn't make the world not gray.' How often does the bad news weigh so much heavier than the good news? Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 fmhouston.com

    Pushing Back The Dark: “Guide Us to Thy Perfect Light ” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2025 24:33


    Ken doesn't stay up for New Year's Eve anymore. But the year has begun, and he's not going to lean in with a soft start. And the scripture today isn't a soft scripture. Every time we think about this star, we think about the journey of the wise men, but Herod saw something different. Herod saw a threat. Matthew 2:1-12 fmhouston.com

    Christmas Eve: “Humble Beginnings” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2024 24:54


    The shepherds waiting in the field were at the bottom of society. They were the forgotten, the unknown. They had no reason to believe that they rated a grand announcement of the birth of the Messiah. Sometimes, we wonder, “is the light of Jesus really here?” The shepherds got their answer in a dramatic fashion, ours may be more understated - but the answer for both of us is the same. The shepherds remembered that Israel's greatest king had been a shepherd himself. A humble beginning doesn't mean that God doesn't have grand plans in mind for you. Luke 2:1-20 fmhouston.com

    Pushing Back The Dark: “The Search For Peace” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2024 25:36


    Peace is something we often say that we want. But how often do we chase after it? How often do we define peace by the terms of idleness? Yet idleness is something we're very uncomfortable with. How often when we're being called to be patient, we really don't want to hear that word? How often do we confuse patience with idleness? James 5:7-10 fmhouston.com

    Pushing Back The Dark: “Do Not Be Anxious” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2024 28:23


    In your early childhood, you learn to deal with anxiety, and that learned response carries over through your whole life. We think that the solution to anxiety is in our personality, but these things are formed for us long before that. So now, what do we do? Maybe dealing with anxiousness is not about our learned response, and it's something deeper than our personality. Maybe there's something that shapes us to be the people that we are called to be. Philippians 4:4-7 fmhouston.com

    Pushing Back The Dark: “Determine What Really Matters” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2024 19:55


    Righteousness is one of those words where we've lost its significance. It's so far out of reach we put it out of our minds. But Paul is telling us there is no difference between righteousness and love. To live justly is to live rightly. To live justly is to love steadfastly. Look outward. Yes, it's about Christ in you, but the question you should be asking is “how is Christ in them?” Philippians 1:3-11 fmhouston.com

    Pushing Back The Dark: “Abound in Love” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2024 19:02


    As we journey to hope, sometimes that can be complicated. Hope is one of those things that feels good to say, but when we look for it, can be hard to find. It's so easy to believe we can't. How many things get in the way? Plus, Ken tells the story of getting ripped off at the Alamo. 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 fmhouston.com

    The Power of &: “Us & Them” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2024 16:23


    What if someone came up to you and said ‘you're one of them'?” We build places of trust and belonging based on the idea that there has to be a them. But what we're doing is distancing ourselves in order to feel a little safer in this world. Faith in Jesus, being one in Christ, is something so much bigger than an ‘us and them' reality. Galatians 3:23-29 fmhouston.com

    The Power of &: “Faith & Works” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2024 20:46


    Today's message is from the Book of James, and that means that Ken is continuing his lifelong goal to get the church to love the Book of James as much as he does. James 2:14-26 fmhouston.com

    The Power of &: “Love God & Love Neighbor” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2024 23:16


    Nothing can stop the story of the love of God. Not even a fire alarm. Mark 12:28-34 fmhouston.com

    Abundantly More: “Filled” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2024 20:57


    As we hit the crest of this political season, it's easy to just pick a bad guy, or to not care about what happens. Unfortunately, our faith, whether you want to believe it or not, is super political. Politics is just part of what it means to be human. But Ken wants to be very clear: the ethic and life of Christ does not begin at the ballot box. That's not where faith begins. Faith begins with people who want to look to Christ to live a life that is rooted and established in love. Ephesians 3:14-21 fmhouston.com

    Abundantly More: “Grounded” - Eric Pugh

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2024 27:12


    What does it mean for us to be grounded in God through Christ? The writer of today's scripture highlights this three different times, to let us know that being grounded is not just important, it is intrinsic to our being, it is the foundation of all things. 1 Corinthians 3:5-23 fmhouston.com

    Abundantly More: “Rooted” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2024 20:47


    Ken went for a hike with some friends, and came across a massive tree, deeply rooted. And wondered what it would be like to be such a tree, with roots deep in the ground, fed by a babbling brook. To relate to it, he tells the story of Jeremiah, who is struggling to be a prophet of God. Because prophesy has never about prediction, it has always been about purpose. And what Jeremiah wants to see is God's purpose. We are on a long journey. But as we seek God and his purpose, our roots get deeper. It is never too late to experience God's grace, to sprout and deepen and flourish. We simply must dwell at the riverside. Jeremiah 17:7-8 fmhouston.com

    I Believe: “Witness” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2024 22:57


    We have spent the summer walking line-by-line through the Apostles' Creed, trying to learn and understand our faith. And now, that we've come to the place to live it. If this is where we have rooted our entire lives, are we proclaiming it? Mark 8:27-30 fmhouston.com

    I Believe: “I Believe… In The Resurrection of the Body” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2024 22:38


    Sometimes it's just important to take a look. And this is going to be a “take a look” Sunday. Today's sermon is about the resurrection of the body, and that's a tricky subject to answer questions about. Because we can understand what the resurrection of the body meant then - but what does it mean to us today? 1 Corinthians 15:12-14, 20-23, 35-50 fmhouston.com

    “Neighbors In Action” - Kathrin Meier & Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2024 24:11


    Kathrin Meier, the director of Neighbors In Action, an organization that works in Port Houston, a 97% immigrant community that is 98% low income, visits The Source to talk about what it means to partner with a community in need. “We think we take Jesus to the poor, but we really find him there.” Ken follows and continues the message. Matthew 25:31-40 fmhouston.com

    I Believe: “I Believe… In The Communion of Saints” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2024 22:26


    When we talk about forgiveness, it stirs us up, right at the very the heart of things. It reminds us of the forgiveness we need, and the forgiveness we need to give. And those who feel like they don't need to ask for forgiveness tend to elevate themselves over the people they view as worse. How do we talk about forgiveness without stirring up feelings of shame and guilt? Matthew 26:26-29 fmhouston.com

    I Believe in the Holy Catholic Church - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2024 33:10


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    I Believe: “I Believe in the Holy Spirit” - Amanda Davis

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2024 26:12


    When we study the Holy Spirit, we often we try to narrow it down and make it so simple, that we miss out on the best parts. But the truth is so much more robust than we can imagine. The Holy Spirit shows us that our God is not a distant God. He advocates for us. And even in the darkest hours, where we feel isolated and alone, the Holy Spirit is with us. John 14:15-20, 25-26; 15:26-27; 16:7-15 fmhouston.com

    I Believe: “I Believe in Jesus… Who Ascended Into Heaven and Sitteth at the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty” - Amanda Davis

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2024 22:11


    As we recover from the damage of the Hurricane, Amanda explains that while we know what it means NOT to have power, the same power that raised Jesus from the grave is the power that's in us. When we find yourself in challenges, we need to think, “…but, God.” God is big enough, powerful enough, for anything we encounter. What does it look like when we're a slave to fear, a slave to our addictions? It means we cannot be who God intended us to be. …but, God. Ephesians 1:17-23, 2:4-7 fmhouston.com

    I Believe: “I Believe in Jesus...The Third Day He Rose Again From the Dead” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2024 24:59


    “What makes a bad thing become a good thing?” Have you ever looked back at something terrible that happened to them, and seen the way it turned out to have become a good thing in the end? 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 fmhouston.com

    I Believe: “I Believe In Jesus… Who Was Crucified, Dead, and Buried” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2024 23:52


    Ken breaks down how through the crucifixion, Jesus became our high priest. He is the restorer. But he took the lowest form he could when he did it. “If you are going to participate in the life of Jesus, it is impossible to separate from a call of being a family. You cannot do it. There is no taking hold of the grace of God and rejecting your brother and sister.” Hebrews 2:10-18 fmhouston.com

    I Believe: "I Believe In Jesus… Who Suffered Under Pontius Pilate" - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2024 27:22


    In today's sermon, Ken's digging into a verse that has sometimes been used by the church to marginalize and hurt other people. But this is not not just an indictment of what other people have done - Ken wants to show us how easy it is for the people of the church to hurt each other. John 18:28-19:16 fmhouston.com

    I Believe: “I Believe In Jesus… Who Was Conceived By The Holy Spirit, Born Of The Virgin Mary” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2024 27:37


    One of the major themes we see in scripture is God as love, God as compassion. And in Jesus, we see that expression, so that we might come to know that fully. A lot of times we float right past Advent and go to Easter. But not today. Today we focus on the divine intersection of God and man, of the eternal and the temporary. Colossians 1:15-20 fmhouston.com

    I Believe: “I Believe In Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2024 22:28


    Ken remembers the playground teeter-totter from being a childhood - the use it was designed for, and the way it was used for chaos instead. But it captures how many times unity feels so close to us - we can almost touch it, and yet we can't. Ken mourns that teeter-totters are mostly gone now. Because there's a joy in watching a child wait for someone to join them, to create community together, and then to see the dream realized. Philippians 2:5-11 fmhouston.com

    I Believe: “Maker of Heaven and Earth” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2024 26:36


    As we continue through our series on the Apostles' Creed, Ken wants to give us some perspective today. Depending what we're going through, our world is small or kinda big. And the world can get so big that it overpowers us, and we lose hope. Astronauts see the world from space, and it changes the way they interact with it for the rest of their lives. There's something profound that happens if we are willing to let our world be expanded. Isaiah 40:10-14, 18-31 fmhouston.com

    I Believe: “I Believe in God the Father Almighty” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2024 19:19


    When Ken was studying scripture in seminary, he had a professor who would always turn him back to the text. “Let it be fresh. Read it again.” So Ken asks us to take the story of the Prodigal Son and read it again, and let it be fresh. Because it's an easy story to miss the boat on. It's not the story of a son - it's the story of two sons, and of a father. Of selfishness, and self-righteousness. And learning to recognize the true message of God as Father. Luke 15:11-32 fmhouston.com

    Arise: “Live The Life Of Heaven Here” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2024 26:06


    When Jesus meets with Nicodemus, he is stuck. He sees who Jesus is, but he can't get past the practical and see what's really happening. That's our challenge, too. God hasn't just moved, he is MOVING, he is here and now WITH us. And our invitation to that is through His Son. God is calling us to look out into the world and recognize that we've been given a foundation. We can look out into the world and seek the deeper questions of life. John 3:1-17 fmhouston.com

    Pentecost Sunday - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2024 25:48


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    Arise: “Make The Most Of Every Moment” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2024 17:33


    This is Ascension Sunday and Senior Sunday, and Ken finds some similarity between the two. Graduating high school closes a chapter, but it's not an end - it's the beginning of something else. When Jesus returned from the dead, the disciples thought he would restore Israel, but instead, he's suddenly gone, like David Blaine. The disciples are left stranded, sure that this is suddenly the end. But they're wrong. There's something they're not expecting on the horizon. Acts 1:1-13 fmhouston.com

    Arise: “Finding Jesus Wherever You Wander” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2024 21:25


    Ken considers an unexciting day of the week, when it's just another Tuesday, and the world is getting you down. We meet the disciples after Jesus has been resurrected, as they are fishing, believing that the remarkable part of their lives is now over. Because sometimes things don't end the way you want them to. Sometimes they just end. But sometimes when you think that you've been forgotten, you can discover an unbelievable amount of love. Sometimes a Tuesday doesn't have to be just another Tuesday. John 21:1-14 fmhouston.com

    Arise: “Believe Where You Have Not Seen” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2024 16:27


    In the story of Doubting Thomas, Ken feels that Thomas gets a bad rap. He's not asking for anything extra, all he asks for is what everyone else already got. He wants the same resurrection experience as everyone else. “How many times in the life of our faith do we feel like everyone else is experiencing a resurrection life, and we are missing out?” John 20:19-31 fmhouston.com

    Arise: “Proclaim Forgiveness” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2024 25:23


    What dwells in your heart? Seriously, ask yourself that question today. Sometimes it feels like we're just playing 20 Questions with ourselves to figure out who we really are. Luke 24:36-48 fmhouston.com

    Easter Sunday: “Why Do You Look For the Dead?” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2024 19:43


    The distance between Good Friday and Easter is waiting for us, because we know the end. But for the disciples and Jesus' followers, it was just pain and loss. But when they get to the tomb, they don't find what they were looking for. Their plans of grieving are interrupted by by an amazing Word of God. Luke 24:1-12 fmhouston.com

    We Strive To Bless: “Seek God Daily” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2024 26:31


    What sticks out to today's core value to Ken is the word “prayer.” But that's a word that can cause a bit of a freak out. It's the thing that we talk about all the time - and also the thing we DON'T want to talk about in depth. Mark 10:35-45 fmhouston.com

    We Strive To Bless: “Embody Christ” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2024 19:02


    Jesus was asked ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?' His answer to that question creates a guide for this week's core value: what it means to embody Christ. Luke 7:18-23 fmhouston.com

    We Strive To Bless: “Love All” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2024 25:02


    Ken has a problem with today's passage - legitimately! Not with what Jesus says, but with how the church has used those words. Luke 6:27-38 fmhouston.com

    We Strive To Bless: “Be Authentic” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2024 26:20


    For a while, the buzzword within churches was “community” - now it's “authentic.” In both cases, it's an admission of things the church has lost. Luke 11:33-42; 12:1-3 fmhouston.com

    Putting God's Love Into Action: “God's Love” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2024 28:23


    Ken looks to one of the most popular section of the Bible as he reads 1 John. The world that we live in doesn't seem to be very hostile to the idea of a god that is love. But what does that mean? 1 John 4:7-21 fmhouston.com

    Putting God's Love Into Action: “Transforming Lives” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2024 28:07


    What does it mean to have transformed lives? Sometimes it feels like we're just playing 20 Questions with ourselves to see what's dwelling in our heart. Colossians 1:3-14 fmhouston.com

    Putting God's Love Into Action: “Do Not Conform, Be Transformed!” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2024 26:22


    Ken introduces the church's new mission statement, and begins a multi-week process of breaking it down piece by piece. fmhouston.com

    Unshakable Joy: “Joy Guides Us To Worship Jesus” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2024 23:43


    Ken starts the New Year by opening some presents from the congregation, though they have some warnings to them. fmhouston.com

    Christmas Eve: "Good News Causes Great Joy for All People!" - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2023 23:36


    Ken decides to tell the familiar story of Christmas in a new way, since we sometimes have a hard time living into what we're reading. To help us embody the story, he starts off a little differently: "so there's some dudes hanging out in a field." The tone is light, but Ken has some things on his mind this Christmas. He wants us to recognize the importance of where the Messiah's birth was announce. “This is for everyone, but it is announced in the forgotten spaces.” fmhouston.com

    Unshakable Joy: "Entertaining Angels" - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2023 21:04


    Today's message concerns two different encounters with angels - one in which the visited couldn't come to terms with the idea that the truth might be different than what he'd always known, and one where they accepted the vision God had for them unquestioningly. fmhouston.com

    Unshakable Joy: “Joy Rebuilds And Restores” - Ken Coneby

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2023 22:31


    Ken is flashing money in church, but he promises to repent. He tells the story of when he first got his own money - and when he first discovered the obligation of debt. “And then I realized that money is just a thing. Sometimes we let things get bigger then they are, when most of this world is just us.” Isaiah 6:1-4, 8-11 fmhouston.com

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