Podcasts about Pastor Greg

Pastor Greg explains how we can remain strong in our faith despite our circumstances and who we're surrounded by. New to Echo Grace? We'd love to get to know you! Fill out a quick connect form at https://echograce.com/connect. Want to support our ministries & mission? Your generosity makes a difference. Give at https://echograce.com/give.

Pastor Greg explores how we can still praise God even during difficult seasons. New to Echo Grace? We'd love to get to know you! Fill out a quick connect form at https://echograce.com/connect. Want to support our ministries & mission? Your generosity makes a difference. Give at https://echograce.com/give.

We’re on an inspiring journey through the book of Acts here on A NEW BEGINNING. Pastor Greg Laurie is helping us learn from our spiritual forefathers and see how “The Acts of the Apostles” show us how to live more rewarding lives here and now, 20 centuries later. Today, in a message called A Life Well-Lived, Pastor Greg helps us consider the story of a young man in Acts chapter 7 that set a strong example for other believers to follow. It was an inspiring life, right up to the very end. — Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years. Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re on an inspiring journey through the book of Acts here on A NEW BEGINNING. Pastor Greg Laurie is helping us learn from our spiritual forefathers and see how “The Acts of the Apostles” show us how to live more rewarding lives here and now, 20 centuries later. Today, in a message called A Life Well-Lived, Pastor Greg helps us consider the story of a young man in Acts chapter 7 that set a strong example for other believers to follow. It was an inspiring life, right up to the very end. — Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years. Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Greg answers questions about God's timing and how we can trust in it.  New to Echo Grace? We'd love to get to know you! Fill out a quick connect form at https://echograce.com/connect. Want to support our ministries & mission? Your generosity makes a difference. Give at https://echograce.com/give.

Who do you know that seems to be a million miles away from God? Pastor Greg Laurie reassures us that no one is beyond the Lord's reach. Wednesday on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg brings us the story of two men who seemed far from God. We'll see what finally brought them to the faith. Support the show: https://christianityworks.com/channels/adp/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does the story of the Exodus have to do with the Gospel of Jesus?In this message, Pastor Greg Ford continues the conversation around the question, “Who is Yahweh?” and explores the powerful connection between the Old Testament story of Israel's deliverance from Egypt and the New Testament story of salvation through Jesus.Throughout Scripture, we see a consistent pattern: God saves before He instructs. Grace comes before truth. Salvation comes before law.Israel was trapped in bondage in Egypt, and God heard their cry, saw their suffering, and delivered them. Their salvation was not based on their performance, their obedience, or their ability to keep the law. God rescued them first, brought them into relationship with Himself, and then gave them instruction for how to live.Pastor Greg walks through this same pattern in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus, whose name means “Yahweh saves,” came to seek and save the lost. Through Jesus, we are not only saved from sin, but brought into relationship with God, adopted as His children, and formed into people who reflect His character.This message explores:• Why salvation comes before law• How the Exodus story points toward Jesus• The meaning of Yahweh and “Yahweh saves”• Grace before truth and why that matters• What it means to be adopted into God's family• Why God's commands are about how we treat one another• How Jesus fulfilled the law through love• Why conduct and spiritual formation still matter• How God forms us to become more like Him• Why we should never forget where we came from• How being rescued by God should change the way we treat others• What it means to live as an image-bearer of God in the worldGod did not rescue Israel from Pharaoh so they could become Pharaoh to someone else. In the same way, when God rescues us, He forms us into people who use whatever influence, freedom, and power we have to love others, serve others, and reflect His character.Jesus says, “Love each other as I have loved you.” Our salvation is not the end of the story. God saves us, brings us into relationship, teaches us His ways, and continues to transform us into the people He created us to be.If you are wondering who Yahweh is, what salvation really means, how the Old and New Testaments connect, or what it looks like to follow Jesus beyond simply knowing the rules, this message will help you see the story of Scripture in a whole new way.Watch the full message and discover what it means to be saved, brought into relationship with God, instructed by His truth, and formed into His image.If you've just made a decision for Christ, please respond HERE: https://www.one.church/jesusTo Support this Ministry: https://www.one.church/giveWebsite: https://www.one.church/One Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onedotchurchOne Church Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onedotchurchGreg Ford Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gregoryafordOne Church is on a mission to ignite a movement that reaches adisconnected culture.#onechurch #gregford #purpose

Our prayer life and our witness should create the expectation of revival. Our church services should be the delivery room of those expectations.

Jesus warned us that we may face persecution for our faith. It doesn’t mean we’re doing something wrong, in fact it may be an indication that we’re right with the Lord. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie points to that characteristic and several others that show us how we’re doing. If we’re walking closely with the Lord, these traits will be obvious. It’s good insight, and a good opportunity to take some notes. Pastor Greg is in the book of Acts today, reading from the New Living Translation. — Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years. Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jesus warned us that we may face persecution for our faith. It doesn’t mean we’re doing something wrong, in fact it may be an indication that we’re right with the Lord. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie points to that characteristic and several others that show us how we’re doing. If we’re walking closely with the Lord, these traits will be obvious. It’s good insight, and a good opportunity to take some notes. Pastor Greg is in the book of Acts today, reading from the New Living Translation. — Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years. Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If we spend quality time in the presence of the Lord, Pastor Greg Laurie says it'll show to those around us. But the opposite may be obvious, as well. Tuesday on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg helps us draw near to the Lord, following insight from the book of Acts. Support the show: https://harvest.org/resources/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Jesus tells his disciples and us today to “do his words” it doesn't mean there won't be storms in our lives as all of us absolutely know.  Sometimes it's storm after storm.  Where is the calm?   The calm is in our hearts and minds through one thing - faith in Christ Jesus.  He is THE Rock, not just “A” rock.  How we hold up during the storms of our lives is dependent upon our faith in Jesus, our Rock, our Redeemer.   What a foundation He gives us.  A foundation built for us by blood, sweat and tears of our Lord and Savior, Jesus, the Christ.  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, yes, but not the storms of the world although He could if He desired.  But that isn't the way He works.  He does the heavy lifting.  We do the trusting and believing.  Living inside the will of God is the safest place to be.  Living outside God's will, well, we are asking for trouble.   But even then, our Rock and Redeemer isn't going anywhere.  He is always ready to forgive, ready to lift us up again.  It's what our God does.  It's who our God is.     Isaiah 28:14–18 James 1:19–27 Matthew 7:24-29

Who is Yahweh? What is God really like, and how should knowing Him change the way we live?In this message, Pastor Greg Ford takes us into Exodus 5 and the story of Moses, Pharaoh, and the people of Israel to uncover a powerful picture of the character of God. When Pharaoh asks, “Who is Yahweh?” the question becomes a thread running throughout the story of Exodus and ultimately points us toward the heart of who God is.Through the contrast between Pharaoh and Yahweh, we see two completely different ways of viewing people, power, purpose, and leadership. Pharaoh sees people through the lens of productivity, usefulness, and what they can accomplish for him. Yahweh sees people, hears their cries, remembers His covenant, and knows them deeply.The Hebrew word “yada” helps reveal the difference. Knowing God is not simply having information about Him. It is relational. It is knowing and being known, understanding, connecting, and responding to who God has revealed Himself to be.Pastor Greg also introduces a simple framework for engaging Scripture: revelation and response. As God reveals Himself through His Word, we are invited to ask, “What am I learning about God?” and then, “How should I respond?” Scripture is not meant to simply give us more information or temporarily inspire us. God's Word is meant to lead us toward transformation.As the story of Exodus unfolds, the plagues reveal the power of Yahweh and expose the limitations of Pharaoh's power. God is not distant from human suffering. He is the God who hears the cry, sees His people, remembers His covenant, and moves toward those who are in bondage.And ultimately, the question “Who is Yahweh?” finds its fullest answer in Jesus.If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. He is the God who comes near, who cares, who saves, who leads us out of bondage, and who invites us not only to receive Him as Savior but to follow Him as Lord.This message challenges us to examine our own hearts. Are there places where we have developed a “Pharaoh mentality,” seeing people only for what they can do for us? Have we become hardened to what God is trying to reveal? Are we willing to respond when the Holy Spirit speaks?God hears your cry. God knows you. God sees you. And He invites you to know Him.Key Scriptures: Exodus 1–6, Exodus 5:1–2, Exodus 5:6–9, Exodus 6:6, John 14:8–9, Matthew 11:28–30Topics: Who is Yahweh, Exodus Bible study, Exodus 5, Moses and Pharaoh, knowing God, hearing God, the character of God, revelation and response, spiritual transformation, Bible teaching, Jesus as Savior and Lord, freedom from bondage, God's purpose, Christian faith, following Jesus, knowing God relationally, Old Testament, New Testament, Christian leadershipIf you've just made a decision for Christ, please respond HERE: https://www.one.church/jesusTo Support this Ministry: https://www.one.church/giveWebsite: https://www.one.church/One Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onedotchurchOne Church Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onedotchurchGreg Ford Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gregoryafordOne Church is on a mission to ignite a movement that reaches adisconnected culture.#onechurch #gregford #purpose

```html PRESCOTT CONFERENCE Married to the Backslider Pastor Greg Mitchell takingthelandpodcast.com → On the closing Friday night of Prescott Conference, Pastor Greg Mitchell preaches “Married to the Backslider” from Jeremiah 3—a message of hope for anyone who has walked away from God, and for the families, friends, pastors, and churches still praying for them. God has not given up. Keep believing. Keep praying. There is no distance too far and no life too broken for God to restore. Chapters 00:20 — The Power of Breakthrough Offerings 04:30 — Breaking Barriers Through Obedience 09:15 — Breakthrough, Fruitfulness, and Provision 13:53 — Understanding Backsliding and God's Mercy 20:10 — Why People Backslide 27:20 — God's Heart Toward Those Who Walked Away 34:02 — God's Unfailing Pursuit of Backsliders 37:30 — God's Word Is Still Working 41:08 — Prayer and Community in Restoration 44:35 — A Harvest of Returning Backsliders 48:14 — Testimonies of Transformation and Return 53:55 — A Call to Action for the Church All proceeds go to world evangelism. Locate a CFM Church near you → Premium Subscription for World Evangelism No ads. Early releases. Full-length Testimony Tuesdays. $3/month on Supercast $3.99/month on Spotify $4.99/month on Apple Podcasts Enjoying the Podcast? Help more people find these messages with a five-star review: Apple Podcasts • Podchaser #PrescottConference #PastorGregMitchell #Sermon #Backslider #ChristianEncouragement #Prayer #Revival```

Packinghouse's Wednesday night worship service from July 29, 2026. Pastor Greg teaches through Exodus 13, showing how God established lasting reminders so Israel would never forget His mighty work of redemption. The message explains the significance of consecrating the firstborn, observing the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and carrying Joseph's bones as continual reminders of God's faithfulness and deliverance from Egypt. Drawing parallels to the Lord's Supper, the study encourages believers to remember that their identity is found not in slavery to sin but in God's redeeming grace through Christ, trusting His guidance even when He leads them by the longer path. - Greg Opean - Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Have you ever felt like life is moving faster than your soul can keep up?In this powerful message, Pastor Greg Ford explores what it truly means to have a healthy soul according to Scripture. Beginning in Genesis 2, he unpacks the biblical meaning of the Hebrew word nefesh and reveals that your soul is your whole living self: your body, mind, emotions, relationships, desires, and life before God.In a culture that constantly celebrates productivity, busyness, and achievement, this sermon offers a biblical invitation to slow down, embrace God's rhythm of Sabbath, and allow your soul to be restored. Through passages from Genesis, Exodus, Psalms, and the teachings of Jesus, you'll discover why God created rest as a gift, not a burden, and how neglecting your soul can cost more than you realize.If you've been feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, spiritually dry, emotionally depleted, or simply disconnected from God, this message offers practical, biblical wisdom for finding peace and becoming whole again.In this message you'll discover:• What the Bible says your soul really is• The meaning of nefesh and God's design for human flourishing• Why Sabbath is about restoration, not religious obligation• How Jesus restores what busyness often steals• Five biblical keys to restoring your soul• How to recognize when your soul is unhealthy• Why remembering God's faithfulness renews your spirit• How to return to the Good Shepherd when life feels overwhelming• Why gaining the whole world is never worth losing yourselfNo matter how successful or productive life appears on the outside, God cares deeply about the condition of your soul. His invitation is not simply to work harder, but to find rest, renewal, and lasting peace in His presence.If you've just made a decision for Christ, please respond HERE: https://www.one.church/jesusTo Support this Ministry: https://www.one.church/giveWebsite: https://www.one.church/One Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onedotchurchOne Church Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onedotchurchGreg Ford Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gregoryafordOne Church is on a mission to ignite a movement that reaches adisconnected culture.#onechurch #gregford #purpose

In the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus demonstrates the importance of retreating—not as an act of giving up, but as a way of gaining perspective and preparing for what lies ahead. As a new school year begins and life quickly fills with schedules, responsibilities, and expectations, we are invited to follow Jesus' example by making space to pray, remember God's presence, and regain perspective. Sometimes stepping back is exactly what prepares us to faithfully step forward.

This week at NTC Massena, Pastor Greg continues our created for Series! Hitting on the Fear of the Lord, how we view God is crucial to our walk with him! Join us as we Worship and Grow together every week!

Pastor Greg Laurie points out how our culture has lost its way ?' good is considered evil, and evil considered good. But there's hope! Thursday on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg shows us how to follow in the footsteps of First Century believers who turned their upside-down world right-side up. Support the show: https://harvest.org/resources/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Greg Laurie says, "healthy Christians are hungry Christians, and they're hungry for the Word of God." If you're sensing a power shortage in your walk with the Lord, let Pastor Greg help. Tune in for Wednesday's edition of A NEW BEGINNING as we discuss "The Refreshing Power of the Word of God." Support the show: https://harvest.org/resources/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Greg Laurie guarantees, as you dig in to God's Word and study it, it will refresh you! And don't we all need that? Tuesday on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg points out just how our spiritual lives are energized when we enjoy a big helping of our spiritual food. Support the show: https://harvest.org/resources/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are the distribution of God's reign on earth, through which the Holy Spirit builds and expands the Kingdom of Heaven. In this sermon, we tied the bow on our full series by talking through the gifts of leadership, teaching, and administration. Though we are quick to put these in a box, Pastor Greg dives into the call that we all have to lead, teach, and guide the lives that are around us.

Packinghouse's Wednesday night worship service from July 22, 2026. In Exodus 11–12, Pastor Greg explains how the final plague and the first Passover reveal God's justice, mercy, and plan of redemption through Jesus Christ. He highlights Moses' growth from a fearful, reluctant servant into a faithful leader who simply obeyed God, reminding believers that success comes from showing up in obedience and leaving the results to the Lord. The message emphasizes that the Passover lamb, its spotless sacrifice, and the blood applied to the doorposts all point directly to Christ, whose death provides salvation for everyone who places their faith in Him. Ultimately, Pastor Greg encourages believers to find their identity not in their past or circumstances but in God's redeeming work, resting in the finished work of Jesus and walking forward as people who have been set free. - Greg Opean - Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Packinghouse's Wednesday night worship service from July 22, 2026. In Exodus 11–12, Pastor Greg explains how the final plague and the first Passover reveal God's justice, mercy, and plan of redemption through Jesus Christ. He highlights Moses' growth from a fearful, reluctant servant into a faithful leader who simply obeyed God, reminding believers that success comes from showing up in obedience and leaving the results to the Lord. The message emphasizes that the Passover lamb, its spotless sacrifice, and the blood applied to the doorposts all point directly to Christ, whose death provides salvation for everyone who places their faith in Him. Ultimately, Pastor Greg encourages believers to find their identity not in their past or circumstances but in God's redeeming work, resting in the finished work of Jesus and walking forward as people who have been set free. - Greg Opean - Wednesday, July 22, 2026

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are the distribution of God's reign on earth, through which the Holy Spirit builds and expands the Kingdom of Heaven. Join in as Pastor Greg tackles the taboo topic of tongues and its true relevance in today's world.

Evangelism is at the heart of Pastor Greg Laurie’s ministry. From this radio broadcast, A NEW BEGINNING, to his television program, to his large Harvest evangelistic events, the Gospel is always a central component. Our mission statement is Knowing Him and Making Him Known. And today, from Pastor Greg’s new series called Refresh, we dig deep into some principles for effective personal evangelism by learning from the most successful evangelistic outreach in history. — Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years. Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Evangelism is at the heart of Pastor Greg Laurie’s ministry. From this radio broadcast, A NEW BEGINNING, to his television program, to his large Harvest evangelistic events, the Gospel is always a central component. Our mission statement is Knowing Him and Making Him Known. And today, from Pastor Greg’s new series called Refresh, we dig deep into some principles for effective personal evangelism by learning from the most successful evangelistic outreach in history. — Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years. Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Greg Laurie says, when you tell others about Jesus, it will refresh you, it will revive you, and it will restore you. Tuesday on A NEW BEGINNING, join Pastor Greg for an encouraging study on the joy of sharing the hope of Christ.Support the show: https://harvest.org/resources/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Packinghouse's Wednesday night worship service from July 151, 2026. In Exodus 8–10, Pastor Greg explains how each plague was a direct judgment against the false gods of Egypt, revealing that the Lord alone has power over creation while exposing the emptiness of idols and Pharaoh's supposed divinity. He highlights Moses' remarkable transformation from a fearful, reluctant servant into a confident leader who simply obeys God's commands and leaves the outcome in God's hands. The study also contrasts Pharaoh's repeated hardening of his own heart with God's eventual confirmation of Pharaoh's chosen rebellion, demonstrating the danger of continually resisting the Lord. Throughout the message, Pastor Greg reminds believers that God always provides a way of escape for those who trust His word, faithfully blesses those who walk with Him, and desires that people from every nation come to know Him through faith. - Greg Opean - Wednesday, July 15, 2026

Packinghouse's Wednesday night worship service from July 151, 2026. In Exodus 8–10, Pastor Greg explains how each plague was a direct judgment against the false gods of Egypt, revealing that the Lord alone has power over creation while exposing the emptiness of idols and Pharaoh's supposed divinity. He highlights Moses' remarkable transformation from a fearful, reluctant servant into a confident leader who simply obeys God's commands and leaves the outcome in God's hands. The study also contrasts Pharaoh's repeated hardening of his own heart with God's eventual confirmation of Pharaoh's chosen rebellion, demonstrating the danger of continually resisting the Lord. Throughout the message, Pastor Greg reminds believers that God always provides a way of escape for those who trust His word, faithfully blesses those who walk with Him, and desires that people from every nation come to know Him through faith. - Greg Opean - Wednesday, July 15, 2026

Aside from knowing the Lord ourselves, Pastor Greg Laurie says the greatest joy we can experience is bringing someone else to Christ. Yet so many of us don’t know that joy. Monday on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg helps us discover the refreshing power of sharing our faith.Support the show: https://harvest.org/resources/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We live in a world where wheat and weeds grow side by side, and our first instinct is often to pull the weeds. In this message, Jesus' parable challenges us to trust God's judgment instead of our own and to focus less on rooting out evil and more on cultivating what is good.

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are the distribution of God's reign on earth, through which the Holy Spirit builds and expands the Kingdom of Heaven. There is POWER in the gifts of exhortation and prophecy. Join us as Pastor Greg dives into “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Packinghouse's Sunday morning worship service from July 11, 2026. Acts 9:1–19 — The Conversion of Saul In Acts 9, Pastor Greg examines the dramatic conversion of Saul of Tarsus, showing how the greatest persecutor of the early church became one of Christ's greatest servants through a personal encounter with the risen Jesus. The message highlights God's power to transform even the hardest heart, reminding us that no one is beyond His grace and that our past does not disqualify us from His purposes. Through the courage of Ananias and Saul's complete surrender, the study emphasizes that God prepares each believer for a unique calling, often using life's hardships to shape us for future ministry. Ultimately, the passage encourages us to fix our eyes on Jesus, trust Him with the direction of our lives, and faithfully step into the assignments He places before us. - Greg Opean - Sunday, July 12, 2026

Packinghouse's Wednesday night worship service from July 13, 2026. In Exodus 7, Pastor Greg explores Moses' first confrontation with Pharaoh and the beginning of God's judgments against Egypt. The message highlights how God prepared Moses to faithfully obey even when success was not immediate, reminding believers that our responsibility is obedience while the results belong to the Lord. As Pharaoh repeatedly hardens his heart and the first plague exposes the emptiness of Egypt's false gods, the study emphasizes the danger of resisting God's truth, pursuing counterfeit spirituality, and placing our trust in idols rather than the living God. Ultimately, this passage encourages us to anchor our faith in God's Word, pursue Christ above signs and wonders, and trust His purposes even when the path ahead is marked by resistance. - Greg Opean - Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Packinghouse's Sunday morning worship service from July 11, 2026. Acts 9:1–19 — The Conversion of Saul In Acts 9, Pastor Greg examines the dramatic conversion of Saul of Tarsus, showing how the greatest persecutor of the early church became one of Christ's greatest servants through a personal encounter with the risen Jesus. The message highlights God's power to transform even the hardest heart, reminding us that no one is beyond His grace and that our past does not disqualify us from His purposes. Through the courage of Ananias and Saul's complete surrender, the study emphasizes that God prepares each believer for a unique calling, often using life's hardships to shape us for future ministry. Ultimately, the passage encourages us to fix our eyes on Jesus, trust Him with the direction of our lives, and faithfully step into the assignments He places before us. - Greg Opean - Sunday, July 12, 2026

Packinghouse's Wednesday night worship service from July 13, 2026. In Exodus 7, Pastor Greg explores Moses' first confrontation with Pharaoh and the beginning of God's judgments against Egypt. The message highlights how God prepared Moses to faithfully obey even when success was not immediate, reminding believers that our responsibility is obedience while the results belong to the Lord. As Pharaoh repeatedly hardens his heart and the first plague exposes the emptiness of Egypt's false gods, the study emphasizes the danger of resisting God's truth, pursuing counterfeit spirituality, and placing our trust in idols rather than the living God. Ultimately, this passage encourages us to anchor our faith in God's Word, pursue Christ above signs and wonders, and trust His purposes even when the path ahead is marked by resistance. - Greg Opean - Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Changed hearts.  This is what Jesus is after in this part of His Sermon on the Mount.  It is not about check lists.  They will ALWAYS be imperfect.  Even when we have a TO DO list, and start crossing things off on it, you can still see through the scribbles and be reminded of not being able to be perfect when it comes to DOING what is needed to be done.  Also, there are some things that remain on our TO DO lists unchecked as we either run out of time to do them or ignore them out of inconvenience.   Jesus reminds us in these verses that our imperfections are not going to go away on our own.  However, Jesus, Himself, absolutely can and did perfectly fulfill the LAW for us.  His righteousness redeems us, not our “trying” hard enough to DO the things we have to do.  No, God promises to give us NEW HEARTS through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Our lights shine because of our transformed hearts, not out of our ability or inability to be righteous by upholding, perfectly, the Law of God, which we can't.  But HE can and HE did, for You and for me.  He took our imperfections to the cross and he finished what was needed for us to be saved.  Check√ Isaiah 49:1-6 Philippians 2:12-18 Matthew 5:13-16

You've heard this story so many times you can't hear it anymore. In Luke 15, Jesus tells a story about two sons — one who runs into self-destruction and one who stays home and turns to stone. Most of us know it as "the Prodigal Son." Most of us have heard it wrong. In this first week of The Parables of Jesus, Pastor Greg unpacks why Jesus told parables designed to break open your view of the world — and why this one has been working on him for ten years. You'll wrestle with the stories you tell yourself, why you do that, and why both 'finding yourself' and 'being a good person' leave you lost. Whether you've walked away from God, never met him, or have been quietly resentful in the back of the sanctuary — this story ends without an ending on purpose. The question is...what will you do with it?

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're joined by Eric Holmstrom, Lead Pastor of Purpose Church in Pomona, California. Founded more than 150 years ago, Purpose Church has a rich legacy of ministry and is currently experiencing significant growth following a healthy leadership transition. In this conversation, Eric shares lessons from succeeding a beloved long-tenured pastor, building on an existing culture, and leading a historic church into a new season of impact. Are you preparing for a succession transition—or wondering how to lead after a highly respected predecessor? Eric offers practical wisdom on navigating change with humility, honoring the past, and creating momentum for the future. Following a beloved predecessor. // Succeeding a pastor who led for 31 years can feel intimidating, and Eric is refreshingly honest about the insecurities he faced. During the transition process, he wrestled with feelings of inadequacy and wondered whether he was the right person for the role. Yet he found confidence not in his abilities, but in God's calling. A defining moment came on the morning of the congregational vote when he reflected on Isaiah 41:13: “I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you.” That promise became an anchor throughout the transition. The gift of a healthy handoff. // Eric credits much of the success of the transition to the generosity and wisdom of former lead pastor Glenn Gunderson. During the public handoff, Glenn introduced Eric to the congregation as “your new lead pastor” and then added, “and my new lead pastor.” That simple statement communicated trust, unity, and support. Glenn also intentionally stepped back for several months to allow Eric to build relationships with the congregation before gradually returning to participate in ministry. The result was a transition marked by health rather than division. Focus on what only you can do. // One of Eric's biggest adjustments was determining how to spend his time as lead pastor. He quickly realized he could be involved in almost anything, but shouldn't be. Instead, he narrowed his focus to vision, spiritual direction, staff development, and culture. While pastoral care remains important, he sees his primary role through the lens of Ephesians 4: equipping leaders who then shepherd and disciple others throughout the church. You are not the exception—you are the example. // One of the most significant initiatives Eric introduced was an employee spiritual commitment for church staff. He noticed a tendency among ministry leaders to unintentionally exempt themselves from practices they encourage others to embrace. Reading Scripture, serving, giving, participating in groups, and pursuing spiritual growth are not just expectations for church members—they are expectations for staff as well. After months of discussion, clarification, and prayer, the entire staff committed to a shared set of spiritual standards designed to strengthen culture and integrity across the organization. Building an intentional invite culture. // Purpose Church has also seen momentum through strategic “Sunday Funday” invite events. Rather than creating dramatically different experiences, these Sundays closely resemble a normal weekend service while adding elements that make inviting easier. Eric intentionally tells the congregation exactly what will be taught and who the message is designed for, helping members identify specific people to invite. This approach has contributed to increased attendance, more baptisms, and a growing number of people taking first steps toward faith. Shepherd people where they are. // Looking back, one of Eric's biggest lessons is the importance of meeting people where they are emotionally during a transition. Some church members were grieving the departure of a beloved pastor, while others were brand new and excited about the future. Rather than forcing everyone into the same experience, Eric sought to pastor each person according to their unique journey. This posture of empathy helped create trust during a potentially difficult season. To learn more about Purpose Church, visit purposechurch.com or follow their ministry online for resources, messages, and updates. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Risepointe Do you feel like your church’s or school's facility could be preventing growth? Are you frustrated or possibly overwhelmed at the thought of a complicated or costly building project? Are the limitations of your building becoming obstacles in the path of expanding your ministry? Have you ever felt that you could reach more people if only the facility was better suited to the community’s needs? Well, the team over at Risepointe can help! As former ministry staff and church leaders, they understand how to prioritize and help lead you to a place where the building is a ministry multiplier. Your mission should not be held back by your building. Their team of architects, interior designers and project managers have the professional experience to incorporate creative design solutions to help move YOUR mission forward. Check them out at risepointe.com and while you’re there, schedule a FREE call to explore possibilities for your needs, vision and future…Risepointe believes that God still uses spaces…and they're here to help. Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. So glad you’ve decided to tune in and you’re going to be rewarded for that today. We’re having a conversation that I know there’s a whole bunch of leaders that are on the front end of this decision. And today you’re going to get a chance to kind of peek up over the horizon and see potentially where your church is going to be in a few years. You’re going to want to stick around for this entire conversation. We’ve got Eric Holmstrom with us. He is the lead pastor of Purpose Church, which is in Pomona, California. Rich Birch — It originally started as Spadra, if I’m pronouncing correct, Baptist Church 150 years ago. It’s one of the fastest growing churches in the country. It’s diverse, multi-generational of every age and stage. And Eric has been the lead pastor since 2024. Welcome to the podcast. So glad you’re here.Eric Holmstrom — Well, thank you so much, Rich, for having me. I am a huge fan of you and what you’re doing. I love how you’re supporting and helping church leaders and ministry leaders. So thanks for letting me join you today.Rich Birch — Oh, come on. That’s super kind. Glad you’re here and really looking forward to learning from you today. Why don’t you kind of give us a bit of your story and tell us a little bit about Purpose and kind of set the context for us.Eric Holmstrom — Yeah, well, Rich, that’s really cool too that you knew the name of our original church. It was Spadra Baptist, I think, was back in the day.Rich Birch — Spadra.Eric Holmstrom — And it’s actually, our church is 156 years old. So our church was started three years before the city of Pomona even became a city. And so a group of people came into this area and felt God calling them to plant a church here. And for 156 years, we’ve been in different parts of the city, but always here in Pomona, feeling called by God here. And so I am lead pastor number 19. Rich Birch — Wow.Eric Holmstrom — And so I’m just a blip on the radar here. And unless Jesus returns, Lord willing, there will be lead pastor 21, 20, or 20, 21, 22, 23. And they won’t even remember me. They won’t even know anything about me and God will continue to do a great work through this church. Eric Holmstrom — So I came here, my wife Sarah and I came here. We had one kid at the time, Charlie, and we came here 13 years ago. And you know felt like, this is a great, healthy church. The lead pastor, our our former lead pastor, Glenn Gunderson, just an amazing man of God. Him and his wife, Kimberly, and their family, they led here for 31 years as our lead pastor and just such a legacy leader.Eric Holmstrom — So when we got here, I started as the high school pastor and, I you know, wasn’t sure how long we’d be here. Loved the ministry, loved that ah there is a multi-generational, very diverse congregation here in terms of even diverse socioeconomically.Eric Holmstrom — So I love the opportunity to get to do youth ministry. That’s what I was passionate about and excited about and just wanted to faithfully follow God. I mean, that’s where my story of faith really began was going into my freshman year of high school. That’s when I got saved. That’s when I gave my life to Christ. I was at a camp, summer camp, went there looking for a girl and I found God. And my life was forever changed because of that, because of this camp and the local church that discipled me.Eric Holmstrom — And so got into youth ministry, came here, ah was a high school pastor for 10 years here, did a total of 18 years in youth ministry, and then began to sense that God was calling me and my family to step into this new season. And our lead pastor was encouraging of that. He really saw that in me. Eric Holmstrom — But then in our church polity, in our structure here, there had to be a church vote. And so I interviewed, got grilled by, search committee…Rich Birch — Yes.Eric Holmstrom — …had an amazing, you know experience, a challenging. And at the end of it, uh, you know, we went before the congregation and there was a vote and I got enough votes to become the next lead pastor. Rich Birch — Love it. Eric Holmstrom — And the baton was passed and it was such a healthy transition. Our, our former lead pastor, pastor Glenn, I’ll never forget on that that ah Sunday when he passed the baton to me, he said to our whole church, he said, this is Eric, your new lead pastor, and this is Eric, my new lead pastor.Rich Birch — Oh, wow. What a gift.Eric Holmstrom — And so he just got it. It was a powerful statement and very humbled. And and yeah, and then he him and his family kind of for six months ah gave a little space for me to bond with the congregation.Eric Holmstrom — And then their, you know, they’re back in the rotation now. We see them about once a month and then they’re with their grandkids and doing other things. But ah but he preaches here still. Pastor Glenn preaches here about three or four times a year still. Rich Birch — Love it. Eric Holmstrom — And so it’s been a beautiful, healthy transition.Rich Birch — That’s so cool. I love the fact that you’re, you know, you know, there’s 19 pastors been there over those 150 years. I love that context of you setting yourself in like, hey, ah you’re in one in a line.Rich Birch — A couple of years ago, I was in London, England, and was at a church and was talking to the vicar. And he was, we were just walking around their building… Eric Holmstrom — Wow. Rich Birch — …and he said, yeah, this wall over here is a thousand years old. Eric Holmstrom — Yeah. Rich Birch — And, and then he had similar, they have ah really literally written on the wall, all the pastors through the years.Eric Holmstrom — Yeah.Rich Birch — And he pointed at some guy and said, that guy is written in a play by Shakespeare. Like he’s literally a character in Shakespeare.Eric Holmstrom — No way.Rich Birch — Yeah. So I was like, man, that’s just a, you know, thinking about legacy this is a very different way to think about it.Eric Holmstrom — Oh, oh, oh.Rich Birch — Right. And I’ve been around forever. Well, let’s go back to those early…Eric Holmstrom — And Rich, I, I…Rich Birch — Oh, sorry. Go ahead. Yeah, go ahead.Eric Holmstrom — Oh, was just gonna I wish you could come and see our church because we have this like heritage wall of like, you know, our church, different seasons, doing different things, buildings, groups, whatever. And there’s a wall of all of us like lead pastors. And you should see that wall. These lead pastors are like the most distinguished, like, you know, FB then their last name, Reverend, Doctor. And they’ve got the suits and the glorious beards and they look amazing. And then there’s me, this buffoon, who is this guy? Like who how did if he make this cut?Rich Birch — One of these things doesn’t belong.Eric Holmstrom — I don’t fit in, but I’m just humbled and honored that God would choose me. D.L. Moody has that line, or his son, Paul Moody. D.L. Moody is one of my mentors, and ah you know historical mentors. But his son, Paul, said that ah about his dad, he said, D.L. Moody never got over that God would use him, despite all of his handicaps. And that ah his wife, the love of his life would choose to love him.Eric Holmstrom — And I just feel like I’m that I'm that man. I'm just I’m so amazed and honored that I get to be a part of this legacy church and that my wife and my family love me. And that, you know, I’m just, I feel very grateful and humbled.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so cool. Well, let’s go back to those early days of the transition. You know, what’s going through your head when you’re following in the footsteps of someone who’s been there for 31 years? That’s a significant time to step in on. What were what were you aware of, you know, in those early days? What was kind of thing that was bubbling around in your head?Eric Holmstrom — Oh, oh my gosh. Okay. The thing bubbling around my head is, am I an idiot? Like why? This is like following Rick Warren. This is like following Billy Graham. Like why? I mean, Pastor Glenn Gunderson is one, just he’s nationally known, internationally. He’s he’s just such an incredible, amazing pastor and leader, and 31 years here at our church, just faithfully leading.Eric Holmstrom — And so why would I want to follow him? Like that, it just, ah you know, so there was a lot of insecurity and just fear around that. I’m thinking through the whole process for anyone that’s gone through a similar process, just feeling very vulnerable, honestly. Eric Holmstrom — I mean, lots of people in our church and different groups were having conversations about me and whether they saw me in this role and, ah you know, that that just felt very exposing and and made me feel very vulnerable.Eric Holmstrom — And at the same time, like really excited, like really the going, wow, like this, this would be a dream. You know, I think for me, I went through kind of a life planning, my wife and I went through a life planning process with an executive pastor of another church and and and a life coach. It was amazing experience. And basically what surfaced for me is, you know, I feel like my calling is to lead every generation to leverage everything they have to advance God’s kingdom.Eric Holmstrom — And so I really kind of grew through my ministry years of going, I really am passionate about leading every generation. And leading every generation to make a mark, to to leave a legacy, to do something great with their lives.Eric Holmstrom — When I gave my life to Christ going into my freshman year of high school, I remember praying, Lord, ah I’ll follow you. I’ll become a Christian, but you’ve got to make it an adventure. Because to me, I felt like, well, maybe being a Christian would be a boring thing. And I felt like God was laughing going, you have no idea what adventure is. Adventure is being a Jesus follower. And and so I just want people to wake up to the adventure of following Christ. Eric Holmstrom — And so I had those mixture of emotions of insecurity, fear. I remember the morning of the congregational vote where, you know, we had done this like six months of work and interviews.Eric Holmstrom — And it all came down to how many people were going to gather in the room, how many people were going to vote.Eric Holmstrom — There there had to be at least in our polity structure, at least two thirds of the people had to vote in favor of me being the next lead pastor. And I’m getting calls and texts from buddies who are like, Eric, we’re cheering you on. Can’t make it tonight. Sorry, man, have this pizza dinner. And I’m like, I’m like, bro, I need you there. Like I need you in the room.Eric Holmstrom — But but anyway, that morning, I was on a run and just feeling so insecure, feeling, you know, Satan was just bringing to mind all my sin, all my shortcomings. And man, the Lord met me. I feel like I got this vision and this picture of Jesus holding my right hand. And I was going, wow. Like it was just powerful. But then I’m like, okay, where is that in the Bible? And then the Lord led me to Isaiah 41:13, “for I am the Lord, your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear. I will help you.”Eric Holmstrom — And was going, okay, if, if, if we’re going to step into this next season and Lord willing, you know, we, we’d love to be here 20, 30 years, however long the Lord would have us here. I believe Jesus is holding my right hand and he is leading me and helping me through our amazing staff and our board and our congregation and our volunteers and everyone involved.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good. And, you know, for context, a part of the reason why we’re talking to you is because your church has been flagged as one of the fastest growing churches. Eric Holmstrom — Yeah.Rich Birch — So listeners, like, let’s put this in context here. This transition happened and the church continued to accelerate and reach more people…Eric Holmstrom — Yeah.Rich Birch — …which I think can be a fear on the on the side of maybe the departing leaders. They’re like, hey, what’s going to happen? Is this thing going to go sideways? Well, it hasn’t. It’s actually continued to accelerate. So, and I even have seen this even as we’ve you know kind of interacted today. Eric Holmstrom — Yeah.Rich Birch — How do you think about honoring what’s happened, so honoring the past…Eric Holmstrom — Yeah.Rich Birch — …honoring the leadership and what’s happened there, but still really continuing to lead god lead the church into what God has for the church, into something new. How has that tension, I’ve seen you model it already in this conversation…Eric Holmstrom — Yeah, yeah. Rich Birch — …but how does that work out you know in your leadership?Eric Holmstrom — Oh, that’s such a great question. And what’s awesome is like, we don’t have to fake it here at Purpose Church because our lead pastor, our former lead pastor, Glenn Gunderson, did such an amazing job creating a church culture here where, you know, he used to always say, ah this church is is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.Eric Holmstrom — He would always talk about, um we’re a church that goes after the one.Eric Holmstrom — And we have ah a… a high celebrate recovery culture here, model here of people come as they are. And and really it’s it’s it’s a beautiful church to be a part of in terms of, you know, we’ve had people on our staff who were homeless sleeping on our church campus and then we offered them a job. They went through recovery. Now they’re leading different ministry areas. Eric Holmstrom — We’ve got people on our staff who were very high up in, in, industries that ah are just really dark and broken. And God has redeemed them and we brought them on our church staff and now they’re working for God’s kingdom and doing great things.Eric Holmstrom — And so, our church culture has always been one of, especially under Pastor Glenn’s leadership, of we want to reach people that are far from God. Our vision is everyone everywhere following Jesus.Eric Holmstrom — We literally mean everyone, wherever they’re at, following Jesus, which means there’s a starting point for their relationship with God. And they continue, that we continue being discipled, continue growing in our relationship So what I’m trying to do is, especially as I started in this role, is honor what’s been, because we’ve got this amazing momentum moving forward because of their hard work.Eric Holmstrom — And because of this church culture that has been created. So we’re trying to honor the past, trying to thank God for the ways that he has led our church and then continue to move into the future and and start new ways of reaching people through some invite Sundays that we’ve done through different sermon series, through reaching out to our neighborhood and our community more.Eric Holmstrom — And so, it’s been an awesome progression and you’re right. We have seen a lot of growth ah while Pastor Glenn was our lead pastor and by God’s grace, he’s continued to grow this church over the last almost two years that I’ve been the lead pastor.Rich Birch — Yes, that’s great. So let’s again, we’re thinking about these early days, you’re in this chair. How did you get clarity on where you should be spending your time? It’s an interesting shift, right?Eric Holmstrom — Yes.Rich Birch — You go from being the person on the team to now you’re responsible for the team, ultimate flexibility, you can make up your own day.Eric Holmstrom — Yes. Yes.Rich Birch — How did you figure that out?Eric Holmstrom — Yes. Yes. And that’s the word, that’s the hardest part for me is in this role as lead pastor, I could get involved in anything I wanted to, right? I could schedule a meeting with anyone. And and so I had to quickly discern, okay, what does the church need most from me? And what is it that only I can do and only I should be doing? Eric Holmstrom — And so what kind of quickly surfaced for me is I need to be giving my best energy towards what’s the vision and direction of our church.Eric Holmstrom — What’s the spiritual direction of our church? Now, I’m not just casting vision by myself. I’ve got an amazing executive pastor, Pastor Greg, who he he’s he’s a rock star. I mean, he hired me here at this church. And then through this process, I became his boss. Rich Birch — Oh wow.Eric Holmstrom — And he is just, he is such an amazing, humble, incredible executive pastor.Eric Holmstrom — He’s been a lead pastor before and has no desire to be a lead pastor again. So he is just been, he was such a champion carrying our church through that season of transition and now being an amazing executive pastor.Eric Holmstrom — So, you know, we’re developing vision through time with my executive pastor and our strategic team, our pastors. But at the end of the day, I’m seeking the Lord going, okay, God, taking in all of this inside and time away with you. What’s the vision and direction you’re leading our church in? What’s the spiritual direction? And then for me, a core role that I have here is developing and discipling and training up our staff, our pastors and our leaders. And then, of course, as a pastor, I love doing congregational care and and there is time built into my schedule for that. But honestly, if I’m doing my job best, according to Ephesians 4:12, I’m equipping the saints for ministry. Rich Birch — Yeah.Eric Holmstrom — And so really what I need to be doing is pouring into our staff here, who are then caring for and ministering to our congregation, many of whom I only interact with, you know, many of our, much of our congregation, I only interact with on Sunday morning when I see them or, um you know, if they happen to come forward or we send an email, it’s really our church staff and then our high capacity volunteers who are discipling, mentoring, coaching, walking with the rest of our church. So that’s where I’ve been focusing a lot of my attention.Eric Holmstrom — Also on culture. That’s become a really important one. You know I’m constantly thinking through, okay, what do I need to be focusing on externally for our church?Eric Holmstrom — But then what about internally? How do we be the healthiest we can be as an organization and as a church? And so we did something this last year, we basically took a year and said, we are going to develop ah what we ended up calling an employee spiritual commitment, where we are making some decisions as a staff and a team This is who we are going to be. This is going to be our culture. Eric Holmstrom — Because Rich, I have discovered that the longer you become, longer you’ve been a Christian and and and once you get on staff or become a high capacity volunteer or whatever, Satan likes to trick us into thinking that we become the exception. Eric Holmstrom — And so what I’m telling our staff all the time is you are not the exception. You are the example. Rich Birch — good.Eric Holmstrom — As soon as you join a staff, you start thinking, you know what? I don’t need to tithe here or give, that’s what other people do. I don’t need to serve because I work here at the church. I don’t need to read my Bible for my own intimacy and time with the Lord. I just read my Bible to prepare sermons. I don’t need to be in a life group. That would be hard for me as a church staff member. That’s for ever…. So I’m gonna tell everybody else, you need to be reading your Bible, you need to be tithing, you need to be serving, you to be in a life group, but those things don’t apply for me because I’m the exception.Eric Holmstrom — Wrong. Peter talks about it in 1 Peter 5. Be an example. Be an example the flock.Rich Birch — Love that.Eric Holmstrom — So we made some commitments and we worked on them. We prayed through them. We talked about them with our staff and we shared them and then gave people four months to say, hey, if you’re not about this, that’s okay.Eric Holmstrom — You’re still Christian. You just can’t work here, right? And like try to be as gracious and kind as we as we could be say, hey, we’re not saying you’re not a Christian.Rich Birch — Wow. Yes.Eric Holmstrom — We’re not saying you don’t love Jesus. We’re just saying. These are going to be the commitments we are going to keep as the staff and the leaders of Purpose Church so that we can look at our congregation and say, we want to be an example to you, not an exception to you.Eric Holmstrom — So I’ve been really wrestling with that culture of our staff, culture of our church, and then also kind of vision direction, spiritual direction of of where we’re going and developing.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good. I’d love to talk a little bit more on the rollout of the commitments. I think that’s that’s amazing. Eric Holmstrom — Yeah.Rich Birch — And um you know you know you brought it up there. Hey, we’re going to give the four months for you to wrestle through this and think about it. Maybe just double click on that because I think it’s great that you’re calling your team to that.Eric Holmstrom — Okay.Rich Birch — But just give me a little more about well how that went. What would you do different if you’d done it again? What went well? What didn’t go well?Eric Holmstrom — Totally.Rich Birch — What would you advise the clients if they called and said, hey, we’re thinking about doing something like that?Eric Holmstrom — Yeah, so it really started with me and our executive pastor and our chief of operations here. We were in a meeting and we were like, look, we just think it’s important that our whole staff embody these values. And then we asked each other, hey, would we be willing to lose amazing people who are doing amazing work, but don’t necessarily fit with our culture? Like, would we be willing to lose them? And we all looked at each other and said, you know what? It’s worth it. It’s worth it. It feels like the right thing to do. It feels like the step that honors God.Eric Holmstrom — And so it started with that commitment and that that, you know, recognition, like we may lose people in the process. And then, you know, we started to work on it with our pastors and our staff, roll it out. But before we did that too, we we sent it to our lawyer and we sent it to our trustees.Eric Holmstrom — They looked through it. We sent it to our lawyer because they’re like, are we doing anything illegal here? And ah our lawyer wrote back the most beautiful, you know, I guess maybe this is one of the ways you know, like, you’re you’re a lead pastor is like when when when you get an email from your lawyer that’s like really affirming, you start crying.Eric Holmstrom — And so I’m just like, she she she sent me an email, she sent us an email and she said, I stand by all of these commitments. And if I lived in your area, because she’s, think she’s in Alabama. She said, if I lived in your area, I would go to your church because I would want to be led by a staff like this. Rich Birch — That’s so good.Eric Holmstrom — And so it was very, very affirming. So it was important to run it, you know, to collaborate with our pastors, run it through our lawyer, ah run it through our trustees, getting all the input, all those things. And then we shared it with our staff.Eric Holmstrom — I wrote kind of like a cover letter for, hey, here’s my heart behind it. It’s because I want you to be a healthy leader.Rich Birch — That’s good.Eric Holmstrom — It’s because I want you to be an example. It’s because I want your work in ministry to be meaningful. And I care about you as a leader. And I care about the health of our church. And then we shared it with the staff and said, hey, you’ve got, I think it was three three months to pray on this. And then we need you to sign this and commit to this as we go into the new year together.Eric Holmstrom — And and and thankfully, everybody committed to it. We had, but but that three to four months also gave opportunity for conversations. And we invited those. You said, hey, there’s anything unclear in this for your situation or your season of life, like, let’s talk about this.Eric Holmstrom — And it was really, really great. It gave us a lot of opportunities to have conversation, clarifying conversations, and to help people not misunderstand things, but to understand the heart and and how it might apply to them.Eric Holmstrom — And it’s been really cool to see our staff… Rich Birch — that’s cool. Eric Holmstrom — …invested more in groups, invested more in setting that example for our church.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s great. I love that. And, you know, what even a great kind of alignment thing to go through as you’re starting to lead, you know, to say, hey, let’s try to define what is going to be really important for us. Rich Birch — So going in a totally different direction. You mentioned it as we kind of flew through there and love invite culture stuff. And so you mentioned invite Sundays. And so that caught my eye. Tell me about those. How have they function? How does that look different than from what you’ve done before? Yeah, just kind of unpack that a little bit for us.Eric Holmstrom — Yeah. Yeah. Well, Rich, I’ve heard on your podcast, which by the way, I’m a big fan of unSeminary. I think your podcast is awesome. And I’m a big fan of seminary. I went to seminary. I went to two different seminaries.Rich Birch — Yes.Eric Holmstrom — I love seminary, but I think we can learn so much from each other. And so to everyone listening, I’m just so grateful you’re joining us today. And I’m always getting on our staff here as they’re joining, as they’re, you know, becoming a seminary student, as they’re going to graduate school to, hey, continue to serve in a local church.Eric Holmstrom — When I went to seminary, there were several students, colleagues who were only doing seminary. They were disconnected from the local church. And I’m like, what are you doing? You’re missing out on applying what you’re learning. Rich Birch — It’s so true.Eric Holmstrom — But there’s so much that seminary can’t teach you or doesn’t teach you. And so podcasts like yours, Rich, like the one you have here is absolutely amazing. Eric Holmstrom — One the things you’ve talked about on your podcast is how most people are invited to church by somebody else. So so we do you know promotions on social media and on our website and you know all that stuff. But we wanted to prioritize equipping our church and giving our church family an excuse for to invite their friends and their family to church.Eric Holmstrom — And so we have four or five of these invite Sundays every year where we try to keep them very similar to what somebody would experience on a Sunday morning, just heightened a little bit. So we’ll get bounce houses. We’ll we’ll bring a food truck in. We’ve even kind of experimented with like launching into a series. So we did a spiritual warfare series in the fall called “The War You’re In.”Eric Holmstrom — And it launched on our invite Sunday. And the the the idea was, let’s give these new people who are coming chapter one of this story of this book and see if it piques their interest. But weeks leading up to that, we’re telling our church family, we call them Sunday Funday. how we kind of brand them, but we tell our church family, hey, Sunday Funday is coming up. Don’t come to church alone. Invite your neighbor, invite your friends. Who’s your one more that doesn’t know Jesus? This is a great opportunity to invite them. And and every Sunday here at Purpose Church is a great Sunday to bring somebody. Rich Birch — Right.Eric Holmstrom — I do a salvation message about once a month or so. We’ve seen a lot of people surrender their lives to Christ this year. We’ve had more baptisms this year than we had in the last 10 years. It’s just been incredible. So we’re seeing people take those first steps, but we’re trying to equip our church family. We’re telling them, hey, here’s what we’re talking about.Rich Birch — That’s good.Eric Holmstrom — Leading into Easter. I mean, Easter is an invite Sunday for us. It’s a big outreach Sunday for us. So multiple weeks leading up to Easter, I’m telling our church family, this is what I’m talking about. You know, this this Easter, last Easter, our theme was a second chance. So I’m telling our church family, hey, if you’ve got somebody in your life who needs a second chance, this is their Easter. This is the service for them. Eric Holmstrom — So I’m trying to, we’re trying to help our congregation get excited about what’s happening here, equipping them with flyers, talking about what we’ll be talking about, making it an environment through ah worship, greeting the message through the atmosphere and the environment. I mean, I think one of our secret sauces here at Purpose Church is we don’t have the biggest budget, but we’ve got big hearts. Rich Birch — That’s right.Eric Holmstrom — The people of Purpose Church have big hearts. They love people well. They make people feel at home and welcomed here. And so we want to leverage that. We want to see new people coming on our campus and and giving all of us an opportunity to welcome them, love them. And and and we’re seeing people stick around, which has been exciting.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so cool. Love that. Just to call out friends, ah there’s a lot there that you should rip off if you’re listening in. There’s so good. I love that. But one of the things that many churches miss on trying to build invite culture is we we think that like if we kind of surprise our people, that they’ll like that. It’s like, oh, there’s some big thing happening on that day. You’re going to want to invite your friends to be here.Rich Birch — That’s actually not how people think. You need, they need to be very predictable. The fact that you’re saying, this is exactly what we’re going to be teaching on. Do you know someone who asks questions like this, this, and this? You need to get them to be here that day. That is a great best practice there for sure. I love I love that.Eric Holmstrom — Oh, thanks Rich.Rich Birch — As opposed to like, oh, hey, it’s going to be great, um you know which just doesn’t mean anything to people.Eric Holmstrom — Yep. And and we used to do like Easter services at a different location, you know, with more seating.Rich Birch — Right.Eric Holmstrom — But we’ve just gone, man, we want the experience to feel as similar as possible on a Sunday morning. So our church family’s equipped to know what are we going to be talking about? What’s going to be happening? But then for that new person who comes, we want them to feel the familiarity of the parking experience, of dropping off their kids, of where they’re sitting.Eric Holmstrom — And so that as they’re making that decision, “Am I going to come back again?”, they’ll know what that experience is going to be like. And then of course, we have an amazing next steps team that’s following up with these people. That is, we’re getting information. We’re inviting them to scan a QR code to connect with us. We have a gift for them. And then our team is doing a great job of following up with them and helping them take the next steps that they want to take.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s so good. Well, let’s think about the succession question again, you know, going back to that conversation. So for a pastor who might be listening in today, who is, they are the person that is going to be, you know, taking the baton. Eric Holmstrom — Yeah.Rich Birch — Maybe they’re before the actual transition, but they’re thinking about their first 90 days, 100 days.Eric Holmstrom — Yes. Yes.Rich Birch — What would what advice would you give to them? How how would you help them think about their their their initial days as they’re launching off?Eric Holmstrom — Oh, that’s so great. Okay. So the first thing I tried to do was to make a commitment that I’m going to shepherd people and pastor people right where they are. And what I mean by that is there were people in our church who were grieving that our former lead pastor was leaving. And what they didn’t need from me was vision, vision, vision. What they needed from me is, Hey, I get it. I’m I’m sad too. Like I’m going to miss him.Eric Holmstrom — And and so our job was to shepherd and pastor them. And by the way, I told this to all of our staff and our pastors. I said, don’t feel like you have to you know hype me up or or if people are sad that things are changing, that you have to try to convince them. Like there’s that whole change curve. It’s going to take people time and people are on different places. And so shepherding and pastoring people who were really struggling and and having a difficult time with the change, meeting them where they’re at.Eric Holmstrom — There were also people who had recently come to our church. I just met ah a guy last Sunday who’s been coming for like a couple months now and he’s brand new to our church. And he’s like, man, I love it here. Love you, Pastor Eric. And and there was a guy who preached like a couple of weeks ago. I think he like led the church for like 30 years or something. He was great. He was amazing. Eric Holmstrom — I’m like, Oh my goodness. You don’t know pastor Glenn Gunderson at all. You don’t know him.Rich Birch — Yes.Eric Holmstrom — And and so what he needs is vision for where we’re going.Rich Birch — Yes.Eric Holmstrom — So pastoring and shepherding people right where they are, instead of trying to force everybody into one category.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good.Eric Holmstrom — Second thing that I just felt the Lord leading me to do that I’ve just continued to do is I start every single sermon the exact same way. I tell our church every single Sunday, I greet the new people and it’s it’s a for everybody, whether you’re new or you’ve been a part of our church forever.Eric Holmstrom — I greet them the same way. I say, I love you. And most importantly, God loves you. And that sort of came out of me asking this question, what do I wanna be remembered for? Like, what’s the thing that at the end of the day, these people are not gonna remember all my sermons, all my points, but if they if they remembered one thing about me as their pastor, what would it be? And it’s that I would want them to know I love them and that God loved them.Rich Birch — That’s so good.Eric Holmstrom — And 1 Thessalonians 2:8 really like has been my ministry motto. Paul says, because we loved you so much, we cared for you, we shared the gospel and we shared our lives as well. Rich Birch — That’s good.Eric Holmstrom — So Paul’s talking about this this ministry that’s born out of a deep love for the people that you’re pastoring. And so I I’m always praying right before I preach. I pray the same thing. God, would you put your message in me like a fire in my bones? And would you help me to see these people the way you see them and to feel about them the way you feel about them?Rich Birch — That’s so good.Eric Holmstrom — And I’ve had moments when I’ve been preaching where it’s like, I just feel like the Spirit of God deposits into my heart his incredible love for them. And I start tearing up over something.Eric Holmstrom — But but I tell them every Sunday, I love you. And most importantly, God loves you. So that when I give them a convicting word, a challenging word, something where I’m calling them to a higher standard, they know it’s coming from a pastor that doesn’t want to beat them up or that doesn’t care about them or is trying to build some platform.Eric Holmstrom — It comes from a pastor who loves them and who is deeply, deeply convinced that God loves them. So I’m sharing that with them um each Sunday. And I’ve heard from a lot of people that that that really resonates and and feels significant for them.Rich Birch — Yeah it’s good. Eric Holmstrom — Yeah. Rich Birch — I think that’s great. I think the the thing to point out there that I think is, I just think is amazing is good is I think oftentimes we when we think about that kind of transition we can go to the like immediate the tactics or the whatever you know like oh make sure you meet with all these people or whatever. And what I’ve seen in churches that this transition has gone well is there’s a humility with both leaders, which both of you, which you have described him in these conversations today, like that, you know, when Glenn passed it to you, there was ah that humble moment. And he obviously continues to, you know, he gave some space, but has continued to handle himself in a humble way.Eric Holmstrom — Yeah.Rich Birch — You’re handling yourself with humility as well. And, you know, the, I like that you’re pushing on really ah a deeper issue, which is like, do you love these people at the end of the day? You know you’re not taking over some organization this is a family that you’re called to lead. And so I mean I think that’s just so good. That’s fantastic. Eric Holmstrom — Yeah. And then, Rich, I would just want to say too, in addition to that is then starting to cast some vision and direction for, okay, where is God taking this church? So one of the things we did is we started to a new rhythm of Vision Sunday once a year. So we actually, it’s coming up in a couple Sundays. We try to do it right before summer. We do it actually, it aligns with our fiscal budget year. So one of the things that we tried to make a a commitment around is, hey, we’re gonna be a vision-driven church. We’re gonna have vision-driven budgeting. So it’s not just, hey, can I get $1,000 more than last year or whatever? It’s it’s what’s the vision that God has given you for your ministry, for your department, and we’re budgeting around that. Eric Holmstrom — But that starts with me as I’m with my team, I’m a collaborative visionary. And as I’m hearing from the Lord, what’s the vision and direction for our church? And so ah first Sunday of June, we do a big vision Sunday where we celebrate what God has been doing. And where we cast vision for the next year. And so that’s part of what I’m doing too.Rich Birch — That’s good.Eric Holmstrom — And what I did early on and continue to do is to keep vision in front of our church of where are we going? What things are we starting? What are we praying and hoping to see the Lord do? And what’s their part in that?Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good. Well, this has been a fantastic conversation. Any final words just as we wrap up today’s discussion?Eric Holmstrom — Yeah, absolutely. Well, I would just say that the last thing I would want to say is I think as as a lead pastor or, and if preaching is a high priority for you, recognizing that we do so much leadership through our preaching. Rich Birch — That’s the truth.Eric Holmstrom — And so that that became a really important thing for me in terms of figuring out, okay, how do I go about writing the sermon? How do I edit the sermon? How do I prepare and practice the sermon and then ultimately get some evaluation on the sermon?Eric Holmstrom — And so that’s been a journey for me of of learning how to do that well. And I think some of the things I’ve I’ve learned along the way is there’s parts of it you don’t love and that are more challenging. For me, it’s the editing. Eric Holmstrom — And I think a lot of preachers and pastors are probably like that. You know, on Mondays, I’ll start going, man, I think I only have a 15 minute sermon here. By Thursday, I’m like, I’ve got an 80 minute sermon here. And so the the I think the difference between good sermons and great sermons is great sermons are are are ones where we cut out the good stuff. It’s all good stuff, but we cut out the good stuff to make enough room for the great stuff. Eric Holmstrom — And then getting people’s feedback, you know? So after i write the sermon, I edit it, I still practice my sermons even before delivering them I have a rhythm of, they gotta be done by Thursdays because I wanna enjoy some of my weekend. And so I’m practicing my sermons, but then, after preaching my sermons, I have kind of an evaluation form that I give different people in our church to give me direct feedback because there’s things I’m not seeing.Eric Holmstrom — And especially leading up into Easter and some of these invite Sundays, I’ll actually deliver my sermon to several people on our staff. They’ll give me direct feedback. And sometimes it’s not what I want to hear. Sometimes the story I’m so excited about, they’re going, hey, you know what? I don’t think it fits here. Or and my sermons have always been better because of their feedback.Eric Holmstrom — And so that’s something I’m really passionate about is helping. Rich Birch — That’s good. Eric Holmstrom — We started a preacher’s club. That’s part of the, one of the things that I’m trying to do in terms of developing our ministry leaders. And so we started a preacher’s club where we meet once a month and, everyone gives, you know, or one or two people will give a 10 minute sermon and we give each other feedback. I share with them some tips and tricks, things I’m learning, and we watch other sermons and evaluate them. Eric Holmstrom — And so ah that that’s been an important aspect, I think, for me is really is realizing that that for for our church, 90% of our community interacts with me on a Sunday morning through my sermon. And so I want to be really intentional to shepherd and pastor and care for them and to give them the very best that I can. And so that’s been some of the process for me. Rich Birch — So good. That’s, that’s fantastic. That’s like a little preaching clinic you just gave us there. That’s so good. So many good things to unpack there. This has been a fantastic conversation, Eric. I really appreciate your time today. If, where do we want to send people online? If they want to track with you or with the church, where do we want to send them?Eric Holmstrom — Oh man, well, you could go to our church webpage, purposechurch.com. We’re on Instagram, Purpose Pomona. You could follow me on Instagram, eric.h.holmstrom. Good luck spelling that. But I would love to you know I would love to interact with you on Instagram. That’s kind of the only place that I’m at. But yeah, thank you. And Rich, this has been a really rich conversation rich rich conversation I appreciate you, man.Rich Birch — Nice.Eric Holmstrom — And I’m I'm grateful for your ministry.Rich Birch — Thanks so much for being here today.

What are you building your life on for security?In the final message of **The Prophetic Anthology** series, Pastor Greg Ford explores one of the biggest struggles revealed through the Minor Prophets: **false security**. Throughout Scripture, the prophets challenged God's people for placing their trust in things that could never truly save them, from power and prosperity to status, control, and human systems.The nation of Israel believed they were secure because they had the right history, the right identity, and the right religious practices. But the prophets revealed that true security does not come from what we have, what we achieve, or what we can control. True security is found in God.In this powerful message, Pastor Greg unpacks how our reasonable desires for power, pleasure, peace, and connection can become distorted when fear takes over. When we lose sight of God as our source of security, we can begin looking to success, money, relationships, approval, and control to fill a place only He can fill.Through the message of the Minor Prophets and the words of Jesus in Matthew 25, we discover that God's kingdom is built on something completely different from the world's systems. Jesus calls us to live with compassion, generosity, justice, and love by creating communities marked by belonging and true connection.This sermon will help you identify:• Where you may be placing your security outside of God• How fear can drive control, anxiety, and unhealthy patterns• Why prosperity is not always proof of God's approval• How Jesus invites us into a life of purpose, peace, and community• What it means to live as followers of Jesus in a disconnected cultureIf you've ever struggled with anxiety, insecurity, comparison, materialism, or the pressure to prove your worth, this message is for you. God is inviting us to stop chasing false security and find lasting hope in Him.Watch the full sermon and discover how Jesus brings true peace, purpose, and belonging.If you've just made a decision for Christ, please respond HERE: [https://www.one.church/jesus](https://www.one.church/jesus)To Support this Ministry: [https://www.one.church/give](https://www.one.church/give)Website: [https://www.one.church/](https://www.one.church/)One Church Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/onedotchurch](https://www.facebook.com/onedotchurch)One Church Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/onedotchurch](https://www.instagram.com/onedotchurch)Greg Ford Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/gregoryaford](https://www.instagram.com/gregoryaford)One Church is on a mission to ignite a movement that reaches a disconnected culture.#onechurch #gregford #purpose

They often say values are caught more than taught. We can proclaim “do as I say not as I do” all day long, but we have to go the way in order to show the way. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie brings good encouragement for dads. Pastor Greg brings some deeply personal insights today from his own life . . . growing up without a dad, for the most part, but learning how to draw from Scripture and from other positive role models around him. Harvest Crusade tickets are fully claimed—but it’s not too late to participate and witness what God does on July 11. Invite your loved ones to watch online with you and make sure you join the waitlist in case more tickets become available. — Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years. Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all have a Father we can look up to. Even if the man we called dad was a disappointment, or abusive, or just less than loving, we have a Father in heaven who loves us. And today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie points out, even if we never knew our earthly father, God is there for us. How does Pastor Greg know? From first-hand experience. Today he brings us a powerful message called, How to Be a Father When You are Fatherless. Harvest Crusade tickets are fully claimed—but it’s not too late to participate and witness what God does on July 11. Invite your loved ones to watch online with you and make sure you join the waitlist in case more tickets become available. — Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years. Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you pass along the cold, hard truth and a warm and loving way? Is it in the words we choose . . . the body language we present . . . the context in which it’s expressed? Yes, yes and yes. But more than that, today Pastor Greg Laurie points out that it comes from a heart of genuine compassion and concern, energized by God’s love. Today here on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg begins the final message in his series in First, Second and Third John. The Harvest Crusade is coming to Angel Stadium on July 11! Stay updated on all important event details. — Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years. Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you pass along the cold, hard truth and a warm and loving way? Is it in the words we choose . . . the body language we present . . . the context in which it’s expressed? Yes, yes and yes. But more than that, today Pastor Greg Laurie points out that it comes from a heart of genuine compassion and concern, energized by God’s love. Today here on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg begins the final message in his series in First, Second and Third John. Harvest Crusade tickets are fully claimed—but it’s not too late to participate and witness what God does on July 11. Invite your loved ones to watch online with you and make sure you join the waitlist in case more tickets become available. — Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years. Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you really believed Jesus could come back at any moment, would it change how you live today? That’s what Pastor Greg Laurie explores on this edition of A NEW BEGINNING. It’s not about guessing dates or decoding headlines, it’s about being ready. Pastor Greg offers some fresh perspective, and a helpful reminder that Jesus isn’t coming back for a perfect person, just a prepared one. So open your Bible, and join us for a hopeful look at the signs of the times. The Harvest Crusade is coming to Angel Stadium on July 11! Stay updated on all important event details. — Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years. Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.