Westheights Teaching Podcast

IT'S COMPLICATED: TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF THE NEW TESTAMENT Message by Josh Mutter – May 25, 2025 “It means you'll have either an incomplete view or something will be in your line of sight because of the position of the seats — like a pole, speakers or the sound board — and you won't be able to see the entire stage.” RECAP… Read more...

IT'S COMPLICATED: TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT Message by Josh Mutter – May 18, 2025 The Old Testament is the defining story of the Jewish people. Isaiah 1:18 NIV Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. The story of the Jewish people has been shaped by the tragedy of the exile.… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – May 11, 2025 BIG IDEA:  It's complicated.   THREE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BIBLE 1. The Bible is ancient – understanding it takes work because its world is not our world 2. The Bible is ambiguous – it rarely gives us clear answers, inviting discernment over certainty… Read more...

Message by Lisa Goetze – May 4, 2025 “There are four sentences that lead to wisdom … “I don't know. I need help, I'm sorry. I was wrong.” Character of Armand Gamache, Louise Penny, Still Life (St. Martin's Paperbacks) Scriptures used (click for link to passage): John 21:1-14… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – April 20, 2025 BIG IDEA:  Jesus meets us where we are and changes what we believe is possible. John 20:19-23 (NIV)  On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace … Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – April 13, 2025 BIG IDEA:  Jesus invites us to be honest with ourselves.   Matthew 23:29-36 (NIV)  “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our … Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – March 30, 2025 BIG IDEA:  What's inside matters more than how we look on the outside. Matthew 23:25-28 (NIV)  Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First… Read more...

Message by Christin Taylor – March 23, 2025 BIG IDEA:  Jesus gives us the power (and love) to give and serve.   Matthew 23:23-24 (NIV) “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice,… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – March 16, 2025 BIG IDEA:  Jesus calls us to integrity over self-interest. Matthew 23:16-22 (NIV)  Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.' You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold,… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – March 9, 2025 BIG IDEA:  Authentic discipleship is centred on Jesus.   Matthew 23:15 (NI)V  Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – March 2, 2025 BIG IDEA:  Chasing appearances can cost us what really matters. 1. Faith should lift us up and not weigh us down. Matthew 23:1-4 (NIV)  Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must be careful to do everything… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – February 23, 2025 “Peace with God paves the way to peace with ourselves and equips us to make peace with others.” Andy Stanley BIG IDEA:  Peace with God makes ultimate happiness possible. 1. Sin interrupts our peace with God. Romans 5:12 (NIV)  Therefore, just as sin entered the … Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – February 9, 2025 BIG IDEA:  Happy people systematically give their lives away.   OBSERVATION 1:  We will be unhappy when we are consumed with ourselves. OBSERVATION 2:  We can serve and volunteer our way to happiness.   1. Selfishness will not lead to happiness. Galatians 5:19-21… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – February 2, 2025 (HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!) HAPPINESS REMINDER:  Happiness is more about “who” than “what.” BIG IDEA:  We undermine our happiness when we confuse pleasure for happiness.   John 10:10a (NIV)  “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – January 26, 2025 HAPPINESS REMINDER:  Happiness is more about “who” than “what.” BIG IDEA:  Money can contribute to our happiness IF we manage it well.   Matthew 6:19-24 (NIV)  “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy,… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – January 19, 2025 HAPPINESS REMINDER:  Happiness is more about “who” than “what.”   BIG IDEA:  Happiness is the end result of how we decide to live now.   Matthew 5:3-10 (NIV)  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – January 12, 2024 Happiness Reminder: Happiness is more about “who” than “what”.   BIG IDEA:  No thing can bring us the happiness that we seek.     Peace is essential to our happiness. Happy people are at peace with themselves Happy people are at peace with other people. Happy people… Read more...

Message by Terry Wiens – January 5, 2025 Matthew 5:48 (NIV)  Be perfect therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect. 1. Best place to start to understand what perfection means: Pharisees Ourselves Jesus Matthew 5:17 (NIV)  “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – December 29, 2024 BIG IDEA:  The hope of Christmas is that God is with us when things go from bad to worse. Matthew 2:13-23 (NIV)  When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, … Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – December 22, 2024 BIG IDEA:  God's hope is good news because the forgotten are seen and included. Luke 2:8-20 (NIV)  And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – December 15, 2024 BIG IDEA:  Joy will grow in us when we hold onto the hope of Jesus.   1. Humility helps us find the joy we are looking for. Luke 1:46-50 (NIV) And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.… Read more...

RELIEF, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE IN THE NAME OF CHRIST Message by Kim Lester – December 8, 2024 Mark 12:29-31 (NIV)  “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – December 1, 2024 BIG IDEA:  Jesus brings hope to the disenfranchised. Isaiah 9:2-5 (NIV)  The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – November 24, 2024 BIG IDEA:  In Christ, we belong together. Romans 12:2-8 (NIV)  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me … Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – November 17, 2024 BIG IDEA:  There is more to prayer than having our requests answered.   1. Some prayers aren't answered because they are plain stupid. 2. Some prayers aren't answered because they contradict other prayers. 3. Some prayers aren't answered because… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – November 10, 2024 BIG IDEA:  Jesus is the Saviour of the world.   The Bible seems to suggest that our eternal destiny has less to do with what we believe and more to do with how we live our lives. Psalm 92:7 (NIV)  … though the wicked spring up like grass and evildoers flourish, they will… Read more...

Message by Dr. Christin Taylor – November 3, 2024 GENESIS 2:8-9 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – October 27, 2024 BIG IDEA:  God invites us to find His redeeming presence, even in the hardest parts of life.   1. Suffering challenges our assumptions about how God works. Psalm 91:9-11 (NIV)  If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – October 20, 2024 BIG IDEA:  Faith is lived out in gracious, honest conversations about hard topics.   1. Fear can be a barrier to us handling this conversation well.   2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)  For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – October 13, 2024 BIG IDEA:  Christianity gives us meaning amidst the hardships of life.   1. Our sense of meaning is fragile when it comes from within ourselves. 2. Where we find our meaning will determine our response to suffering and hardships.   John 11:17-26 (NIV)  On his arrival,… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – October 6, 2024 BIG IDEA:  Following Jesus is not about affirming a system of beliefs.   1. The need for us to be certain is a bigger threat to our faith than doubts and questions are. Matthew 10:37-39 NIV  “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves… Read more...

Message by Karmyn Bokma – September 29, 2024 SOUL: the spiritual part of a person believed to give life to the body, and in many religions, thought to live forever. NEPHESH: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion. That which breathes, the breathing substance or … Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – September 22, 2024 Our Mission: To help people find and follow Jesus Our Vision: A vibrant community of followers of Jesus that serves our neighbours by meeting needs and showing love BIG IDEA:  We want to be making a positive impact on our neighbours. 1. The love that we have for our neighbours… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – September 15, 2024 Our Mission: To help people find and follow Jesus Our Vision: A vibrant community of followers of Jesus that serves our neighbours by meeting needs and showing love BIG IDEA:  We want to be in growing relationships with one another. John 15:12-17 NIV  My command is this: Love… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – September 8, 2024 Our Mission: To help people find and follow Jesus Our Vision: A vibrant community of followers of Jesus that serves our neighbours by meeting needs and showing love BIG IDEA:  We want to be in a growing relationship with Jesus. John 15:5-11 (NIV)  “I am the vine; you are… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – September 1, 2024 BIG IDEA:  God is at work in the transitions of life. 1 Kings 19:19-21 (NIV)  So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. Elisha… Read more...

Elijah: Perspective is Everything! (1 Kings 19) Message by Dave Patterson – August 25, 2024 In critical times, are you prepared, equipped, capable? Have you mined: The Gold Within? Background – What's in a name? – Jezebel vs. Elijah – Crises of conflict: drought, dualling deities, death threat Managing… Read more...

Message by Charmaine Stulp – August 18, 2024 Genesis 2:7 (NIV)  Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Isaiah 53:3  (NIV)  He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Benefits … Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – August 11, 2024 BIG IDEA:  God is part of our story even when we are experiencing a crisis in our beliefs. Acts 8:26-39 (NIV)  Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch,… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – August 4, 2024 BIG IDEA:  Jesus is God's presence with us in the crisis of loss. John 20:11-18 (NIV)  Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – July 28, 2024 BIG IDEA: Our relationship with God equips us to navigate the crisis of expectations that we may face. Daniel 6:1-9 (NIV)  It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable… Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – July 21, 2024 Big Idea: God welcomes our bold prayers in moments of crisis. Exodus 33:12-23 (NIV)  Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' If you… Read more...

Message by Dave Patterson – July 14, 2024 1 Samuel 21-22 OPENING: MEET THE ROBINSONS 1. WILD AND WEARY – When feeling desperate or targeted, we should run to sanctuary. Where is sanctuary for you? Where or how do you find God in this world?   2. WILD, NOT WASTEFUL – How do you leave sanctuary? Do you leave … Read more...

Message by Anita Giardina Lee  – July 7, 2024 John 10:14-15 NIV  I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Message by Josh Mutter – June 30, 2024 ASK YOURSELF: What is the real life difference that following Jesus has made in my life? Big Idea: Being a follower of Jesus means sharing Jesus with the people in our lives. Colossians 4:2-6 NIV  Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that … Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – June 23, 2024 Big Idea: Our relationship to Jesus empowers us to rethink how we engage in our relationships. Colossians 3:18-4:1 (NIV)  Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in … Read more...

Message by Josh Mutter – June 9, 2024 Big Idea: When our identity is intertwined with Jesus, it shows up in our character and relationships. Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV)  Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above,… Read more...

Message by Hailey Tollefson – June 2, 2024 Mark 2:1-12 (NIV)  A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed… Read more...

COLOSSIANS: AVOIDING LEGALISM Message by Josh Mutter – May 26, 2024 Big Idea: Being Jesus-centred means that we say “no” to legalism.   Colossians 2:16-23 (NIV)  Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath… Read more...

COLOSSIANS: LORDSHIP Message by Josh Mutter – May 19, 2024 Big Idea: The Lordship of Jesus orients us in a way that results in true fulfillment. Colossians 2:6-7 NIV  So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught,… Read more...

COLOSSIANS: A FRESH PERSPECTIVE Message by Josh Mutter – May 12, 2024 Colossians 2:4 NIV  I tell you this so that no one may deceive you with fine-sounding arguments. Big Idea:  When our attention is on Jesus, he will give us insight into how to navigate life's complexities and opportunities. Colossians 1:24-25 (NIV) … Read more...