Podcasts about pastor megan

Standalone Message: Pentecost: God's People, God's Church, God's Mission - Pastor Megan Wood (06/07/2026) by Word of Life Assembly of God

 …And Paul is the original Brandi Carlile?? Okay, that's maybe a step too far. Nonetheless, go along for this wild ride in which Pastor Megan explores why specificity matters (to Bad Bunny and to God), and how staying gentle might indeed be the most powerful thing we can do (a la Brandi and, remarkably, Paul).Sermon begins right away.Scripture: Acts 2:1-21; Philippians 4:4-7 Resources:BibleWorm podcast: Episode 742 - The Diversifying Power of the Spirit, Amy Robertson and Robert Williamson, Jr.Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show, 2026Stay Gentle, by Brandi CarlileSMC Congregational CovenantImage: “Together we are America”

What is God actually looking for when he looks for worshipers? In this episode, Pastor Megan Rauschert opens up John 4 and gets straight to the heart of it. True worship is not a song, a feeling, or a performance you put on for the people around you. It is a pure, surrendered, spirit-to-spirit connection with the God who already knows your heart and is looking for the real thing, not the brass version. You will discover why the lyrics you sing matter more than you might think, how to move from spectator to true worshiper even when life is hard, and why worship and warfare are far more connected than most people realize. If you have been going through the motions and wondering why something feels missing in your walk with God, this is the episode you need. Tune in, open your heart, and let God show you what it means to worship him in spirit and in truth.

Join us as Pastor Megan continues our series, Hope for Hard Days.

Join us as Pastor Megan continues our series, Hope for Hard Days.

Earth Sunday/Third Sunday of Easter April 19, 2026 Faith Okemos I Peter 1:17-23, Psalm 104, Romans 8:18-27, Luke 24:13-35   Because the World Is About to Turn   My soul cries out with a joyful shout that the God of my heart is great, and my spirit sings of the wondrous things that you bring to the ones who wait.  You fixed your sight on your servant's plight, and my weakness you did not spurn, so from east to west shall my name be blest. Could the world be about to turn?    My heart shall sing of the day you bring. Let the fires of your justice burn.  Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near, and the world is about to turn.   From the halls of power to the fortress tower, not a stone will be left on stone.  Let the king beware for your justice tears every tyrant from his throne.  The hungry poor shall weep no more, for the food they can never earn; there are tables spread, every mouth be fed, for the world is about to turn…                                                  ELW 723   When Victor Orban, the authoritarian prime minister of Hungary, was soundly defeated a week ago today, it did seem another sign that our world was about to turn.  Increasingly throughout the world more and more nations have been led by far-right dictators.  They and their cronies have amassed for themselves enormous wealth at the expense of the health and well-being of those citizens they were elected to lead and of the Earth itself.  But on this Earth Sunday 2026, we see signs of hope, signs of resurrection that God is birthing in the hearts and actions of millions of people throughout the world, including millions in our own country…Signs of hope and resurrection through the forthright words of religious leaders like our own Bishop Julie and like Pope Leo.   Could it be that the world is about to turn?  I think of all the money given in recent weeks (including from us) to fully fund the purchase and installation of a solar array, a project co-sponsored by Michigan Interfaith Power and Light for a Habitat for Humanity home near Sparrow Hospital, now a home for adults with autism and for their support staff, a home that will receive much of its power directly from the sun.      This "great turning" looks like the 900 people (including several of us from Faith) who journeyed from Pilgrim Congregational Church on Pennsylvania Ave. to the Capitol four Sundays ago, pledging anew to see Jesus in feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and welcoming the stranger.     In a book titled Active Hope, the authors share this poem about grace and trust and courage in a world about to turn:  When you act on behalf of something greater than yourself, you begin to feel it acting through you with a power greater than you own. This is grace. Today, as we take risks for the something greater than our separate, individual lives, we are feeling graced by other beings and by Earth itself. Those with whom and on whose behalf we act give us strength and eloquence and staying power we didn't know we had. We just need to practice knowing that and remembering that we are sustained by each other in the web of life.  Our true power comes as a gift, like grace, because in truth it is sustained by others. If we practice drawing on the wisdom and beauty and strengths of our fellow humans and our fellow species, we can go into any situation and trust that the courage and intelligence required will be supplied.      In our beautiful gospel for today (a favorite of Pastor Megan's), Jesus our risen Lord and a "fellow human," walks with Cleopas and another disciple (likely his wife, one of the Mary's who followed Jesus on his earthly journey), albeit incognito, unrecognized… until in their home Jesus takes and blesses and breaks and gives them the bread at supper in their home.    A word I've been living with all this past week is a Greek word, panentheism, that literally means "all in God, God in all."  I thought of these words in Ephesians 4: There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.   Panentheism, all in God, God in all.  For me this radically changes everything and everyone I see.  When I look at Ray and Tabitha and each of you… and when I look at the daffodils in our backyard, or when I look at the food and juice or coffee I will drink after worship, I see God, I see Jesus!   I saw God when I was with Ledith on Thursday evening.  Ledith, long-time member of Faith and beloved child of God, is now at the precipice of her death.  When we softly sang together a verse of "Holy, Holy, Holy" and of "Beautiful Savior" and her favorite, all the verses of "How Great Thou Art," I saw God.   What a difference it makes when you and I look at any and all of the peoples and creatures of the Earth, all the vast and varied combinations of elements and molecules that comprise our common home.  Above all, through all, and in all is our crucified and risen Lord and God.  How could we not cherish and love and respect all of it?  How could we not think twice about trashing or misusing or exploiting any of it when we know that Jesus is in it?   So important that together we think and celebrate that Greek word, panentheism, all in God, God in all, God in everything.   But so important too that we mourn creation's brokenness together with God and with each other… If we felt the pain of loss each time an ecosystem was destroyed, a species wiped out, or a child killed by war or starvation, we wouldn't be able to continue living the way we do.  It would tear us apart inside…By speaking our concerns and giving voice to our feelings [to each other], we make them more visible not just to others but also to ourselves.  The more we draw issues into the open, the more inclined we become to tackle them…Rather than attempting to fix feelings of distress, we accept their validity and significance.  Doing this is in itself an act for the Great Turning. Active Hope, page 77   And these words from Archbishop Desmond Tutu: [Jesus'] supreme work is to reconcile us to God and to one another and, indeed, to all of God's creation.  It is possible to have a new kind of world where there will be more compassion, more gentleness, more caring, more laughter, more joy for all of God's creation, because that is God's dream.  And God says, "Help me. Help me, help me realize my dream."   And from Jim Antel, a public theologian and pastor in the United Church of Christ:  God is calling all of us to unleash our imaginations, unmuzzle our mouths, unbind our hands, unshackle our feet, and open our wallets.  Each of us must use our unique God-given gifts to hasten the day when each human heart is governed not by grief but by hope…not by selfishness but by sharing.  Yes—God still has a dream…As we live into God's dream, we will rediscover who we truly are and all of creation will be singing.                      Climate Church, Climate World,  pages 168-169   Because the world is about to turn… St. Peter writes, Make your minds ready for action…   Put your hope in nothing but the grace that will be given when Jesus Christ is revealed.  Be children of obedience…It is through Christ that you are believers in God, the God who raised Jesus from the dead into glory…Therefore, love one another constantly, from the heart.  [I Peter 1:13,21-22] By the grace and great mercy of God we are born anew every day into a living hope because Jesus lives "above all and through all and in all."  Jesus walks with us.  Everything changes when you and I see him in every thing and every one.  Therefore, love one another constantly, from the depths of your hearts.   Daniel Erlander in a little book entitled Baptized, We Live, writes, "The ruler of the universe hides himself in the common, in the stuff of this earth.  God lives in creation; he lives in all… Here is God… in the home, in the forest, in the face of a child, in the sunset, in human love, in the enemy, in the mountains, in the cry of the poor, in the sea, in the sharing of food,  in the prison, in the sunshine, in the hospital, in the rain, in the aged, in governments, in the dying, in the air, in the broken home, in the stranger, in outer space, in the third world, in death."    Daniel writes:  Because of Jesus, we see God in all, weeping where there is pain and alienation, rejoicing where there is wholeness and love.     So, because God in Jesus is with and in us and all of creation, albeit often incognito as on the road to Emmaus, we may dare to believe that the world is about to turn, that other powerful autocrats and dictators besides Prime Minister Orban will soon be brought low.  We can live with hope that soon compassion and respect and a just peace will rise up, albeit imperfectly, in the Middle East, in Eastern Europe, in Africa, and, yes, in our own country.   Imagine that one day, maybe 50 or 60 years from now, our descendants asked us three questions about when in our day there was a great turning: 1.    "Ancestor, I hear stories about the period you are living in, with wars and preparations for wars, with some people absurdly rich while huge numbers are starving and homeless, with poisons in the seas and soil and air, and with the dying of many species.  We are still experiencing the effects of all that.  What was it like for you to live with this knowledge?" 2.    "Ancestor, we have songs and stories that tell of what you and your friends did back then for the Great Turning… You must have felt lonely and confused at times, especially at the beginning.  What were some of the first steps you took?" 3.    "Ancestor, I know you didn't stop with those first actions on behalf of life on Earth.  Where did you find the strength to continue working so hard, despite all the obstacles and discouragement?"                                          Active Hope, page 155   Let us sing "God Bestows on Every Sense," a song of hope and of "signs of what the earth will be."   Amen.

Staff Meeting: Determined to Make a Difference - Relationships - Pastor Megan Wood (03/17/2026) by Word of Life Assembly of God

One of the best known quotes about preaching has been attributed to theologian, Karl Barth. Preachers must preach with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. What to do when the newspaper seems to get heavier and heavier with every passing day? As the U.S. seems to descend further and further into a lawless, violent police state, terrorizing and killing its own citizens, ripping apart its families, and wreaking genocidal and military havoc around the world. On this first Sunday of Epiphany, Pastor Megan notices some things from the story of the Magi in Matthew 2: noncooperation with ill-intentioned and violent kings; God is a refugee. And then notices a couple of things from the water to wine story of the wedding at Cana from John 2: Jesus resists taking action but comes to realize that his time has indeed come to act; Jesus needs the servants as his human companions and co-creators of the miracle the world needs. And she wonders how these Epiphany stories from our Bible might read our current newspapers…?Sermon begins at minute marker 2:20John 2.1-11Resources:BibleWorm podcast: Episode 721 - Water into Wine, Amy Robertson and Robert Williamson, Jr.Karl Barth (1886-1968), Swiss-German Christian theologian. “[Barth] is considered…to be one of the greatest thinkers within the history of the Christian tradition. Barth gave new impulses to Protestant theology during a critical phase, reshaping it fundamentally toward a systematic theology that had to cope with the grim realities of the 20th century. As the principal author of “The Barmen Declaration,” he was the intellectual leader of the German Confessing Church, the Protestant group that resisted the Third Reich.”Matthew 2: story of the Magi & the holy family's flight into EgyptEzekiel 37: story of the valley of dry bones, and God instructing Ezekiel to prophesy to the four winds and then to prophesy to the bonesPrayer: Jesus, amplify the good; disrupt the plans of the evil; show me my place; Amen.Image: [As preachers,] “we must hold the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.” Quote / sentiment famously attributed to theologian, Karl Barth.

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Fourth Sunday after Epiphany February 1, 2026 Faith Lutheran, Okemos Micah 6:1-8, Psalm 1, I Corinthians 1:18-31, Matthew 5:1-12   Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done, On Earth as in Heaven…   Our Father in heaven, in each moment, in each day we pray your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven.   Your kingdom come, your will be done…  I been thinking about our sister congregation, Immanuel Lutheran in Grand Ledge.  Their pastor, Chuck Forrester, has been on leave from call for several months because of a serious medical condition.  For the last five months, God provided Pastor Chrisy Bright to serve Immanuel.  Chrisy, a young pastor, most recently served as an assistant to former Bishop Satterlee, and now for at least the next three months is Immanuel's contracted pastor.  In this present moment this morning she is preaching the good news of God's love in Jesus Christ to the people of Immanuel. God provided both work for a gifted pastor now without a letter of call, and pastoral leadership for a congregation whose called pastor's return remains uncertain.  An answer to most powerful of all prayers: Your kingdom come, your will be done…   One year ago today, Pastor Megan was ordained, and the very next day, she served as our pastor.  Surely, in this moment in the story of Faith Lutheran Church, God provided for us a shepherd abounding in compassion and joy in a time in our society when so much is uncertain.    Both Immanuel and Faith have been blessed too with exceptionally wise lay leaders and brilliant musicians, so reassuring during this past tumultuous, fear-filled year in our country when the foundations of our democracy seem very tenuous.  In ways we may not have readily recognized, our praying the Lord's prayer week after week did not go unheard.  In both congregations, in this fragile time for all of us, signs of the kingdom, signs of the reign of our Father and his Son, signs of God's steadfast, faithful, loving presence…  We are so blessed.   [In a Zoom call on Wednesday with three other former bishops, Floyd, Marcus, and Jerry, Floyd proclaimed that, for him. these readings for today from Micah, Psalm 15, I Corinthians, and Matthew were maybe the best ones in all of our three-year cycle of biblical texts.  Surely, they all are very beautiful and challenging and powerful as such a time as this.]   Many of us know by heart, or have at least heard these famous words from the prophet Micah, plain-spoken words we are called to live out until we take our last earthly breath: He [God] has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?     Less familiar, but no less powerful and reassuring are the words of Psalm 15, words for each of us in each moment of each day, for all of us who are daily bathed in God's forgiving love.  Please read them with me in their entirety:  LORD, who may dwell in your tabernacle… [vs.4b:  They are willing to do the right thing, to stand by their oath even to their own hurt.]   And then these opening words from I Corinthians 1:18 revealing the  seemingly contradictory way God has chosen to save us:  The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us [most of whom are probably not all that worldly wise or powerful] to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  How ludicrous to worldly wisdom and worldly power and might to believe that a man accused of treason, who dies on a cross, would thereby takes away the sin of the world.  But it is God's wisdom that Jesus' cruel death would be the very way God would save us from our deep brokenness and alienation from each other and from the One who so loves us, so heals us, so day by day rekindles our faith in and hope and love for our Maker and Redeemer and for our friends and enemies alike.        And then, even more, the beatitudes in Matthew 5 as Jesus sat down and to his disciples long ago and to us this morning began his sermon on the mount.    Hear the beatitudes, these blessings in a translation, a rendering by Steve Garnaas-Holmes, a friend of Pastor Megan's:   Blessed are you who have nothing to offer,         for you are offered everything. Blessed are you who are broken-hearted for the world,         for God weeps with you, and will rejoice with you. Blessed are you who do not seek to dominate,         for love dominates your life. Blessed are you who sacrifice for the sake of justice,         for you will know victory. Blessed are you who are gentle,         for God's gentleness enfolds you. Blessed are you who seek only love,         for God will be everywhere for you. Blessed are you who remain peaceful in conflict,         for so you reveal God. Blessed are you who are treated harshly,         for God treats you to the entire realm of God. Blessed are you who are punished for your compassion,         for this is the way of the cross.  These beatitudes are not commands. They are not orders for how we should live our lives.  Rather they are promises to us when our spirits are weak and pretty much exhausted, when we mourn the injustices and the acts of violence in words and deeds against our brothers and sisters.  The beatitudes are promises that when we hunger for, yearn for, work for respectful, kind, and honest relationships in our own lives and in our communities and in our country, they are promises that already God has begun to fill our hearts with hope.  We see God already exposing the abuses of power and the violation of basic human rights so contrary to the way of our gentle Lord, even now calling tens of thousands of protesters to speak up for those who are treated harshly.    "Your kingdom come, your will be done."  It is already coming, our Father's will already being done.  So, blessed are we, members and friends of Faith, when in each moment and each day, the Holy Spirit moves us to perform simple acts of kindness, simple acts of gentleness, simple acts of mercy.  Blessed are we when that same Holy Spirit enables us to see injustices to the poor and to boldly resist in words and actions those in power who would crush and destroy the lives of those the Bible calls "resident aliens."  And blessed are we if we "take a hit," if we a maligned for the simple acts of compassion we are called to take for the oppressed in our midst, the acts of compassion we take for Jesus who was maligned for all of us, who will always be our Immanuel, God with us, God in the very depths of our hearts…   Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.  Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven…in each of our lives, in each of our hearts, in each of our actions, in each moment of each day.  Amen.                                                                                                                         JDS     *or "kindom," the latter word, recently coined and offered in the Apostles' Creed as an understanding of God's kingdom as a beloved community of siblings, all of us as beloved sisters and brothers with Jesus as our Lord.

Matthew 4:12-23; RIC Sunday; January 28, 2024 Rich Weingartner Grace to you and peace from God our parent, Jesus our Savior, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Living in a world where politicians want more and more power. Minorities are treated as "others" and are not safe. Children aren't valued. The hungry are told to fend for themselves. Being judged by where you were born or grew up. Being condemned if you aren't the right religion. Dangerous to hang out with the "wrong crowd." Religious people who seek more power and control. A world where people cry "O God, How Long?!" Before we look more at that world - let's take a look at our readings for today. First, the people of Zebulun and Naphtali receive a message of promise and hope from the prophet Isiah. A promise that God will provide a glorious future. To learn more about this promise, if we read a bit further in chapter 9 of Isiah, we find a familiar text starting at verse 6: "For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders, and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." This isn't just a message of promise and hope for the people of Zebulun and Naphtali, but for us as well. Our psalm today is considered a Trust Psalm.  There are different types of psalms, like songs of thanksgiving, hymns of praise, prayers for help, and trust psalms.  The Lutheran Study Bible says that the "trust psalms express faith and confidence in God amid great difficulties, threats, and dangers." (Lutheran Study Bible, page 776) The psalm is a story of the psalmist expressing desires to God and knowing that God will deliver on the promises. So far we've had a message of hope and promise, and then a reminder to trust in God.  I don't know about you, but these are certainly messages I need to be reminded of on a daily basis. Today's new testament reading was picked specifically to tie in with today's RIC Sunday's theme of "Celebrating Diversity as God's Children." Once a year we celebrate RIC Sunday to remind ourselves of the public promise and commitment we've made as a congregation through our public welcome statement. Just like God constantly reminds us of God's love, we need to be constantly reminded of our commitment to our LGBTQIA+ siblings, our black and brown siblings, people of every age, marital status, neurodivergent status, political leanings, and people of all abilities. It can be easy to get into a routine and forget about the work we do as a congregation of being radically welcoming and inclusive. I remember back to our Diversity Sunday service when we received official recognition as an RIC congregation. It was so wonderful to see everyone celebrating what makes them unique as a diverse child of God. To be featured as the lead story on the 6 o'clock news and, based on the comments on Facebook, see people get riled up about our radical message of inclusive love. So, in case you haven't heard it today or in a while, here is your reminder.  You, yes you, are a vital part of God's diversity - you are a beloved child of God - exactly as you are. You don't need to change to receive God's love - God loves you unconditionally. Through this love you will find yourself changing in ways that bring you closer to the fullness of God's vision for us and the cosmos - the vision of radical and inclusive love. While we may feel lost in the world and not seen as important - remember that God sees us and we will see God's glory revealed. When I read today's Gospel, I started thinking about how this is the launching point of Jesus' ministry. If the Gospel was a TV show like the shows that had theme songs and images that basically set the scene for the entire series - a quick montage of how it all began, I think this would be the imagery that would be used for the TV show of Jesus.  Of course, the TV show "Jesus" would be the much more successful spin off of the prior series "John: Locust Eater". There are two parts of today's Gospel that I want to focus on.  The first is the phrase "fishers of people".  A phrase that many of us are familiar with and have heard many times - but have you thought about what it really means?  Putting a cookie at the end of a fishing line in hopes that someone will eat it and then you can reel them in? This may be an interesting way to try to bring people to the church, but probably not very effective.  When Jesus called his disciples, they weren't people out fishing as a hobby and catching a few fish for themselves or their family, no, they were in the business of fishing, bringing in large quantities of fish. To do this they used nets. When they used nets, they weren't selective in what fish ended up in the net - no, it collected a wide range of fish. The Lutheran Study Bible shares this comment about this passage: "This odd metaphor plays on the notion of a net collecting different types of fish. These disciples will become founders of a church that 'catches' people of all sorts (that is, attracts people who are diverse with regard to nationality, ethnicity, and social class.)" (Lutheran Study Bible, p. 1526)  Sound familiar?  It should - it is very similar to our welcome statement about who we welcome, or hope to "catch" with our work as a congregation. We don't want to selectively share the message of God's love to only certain select people - no - we want to share that message with the world as we celebrate the diversity of God's children. This is where the phrase "cast a wide net" comes from - the wider your net, the more fish, or people, you can "catch" or reach to share God's message with. Speaking of sharing God's message, the next part of the Gospel I want to look at is verse 23, where it states that "Jesus went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news." The "good news" or looking at the Greek –  "gospel".  So often we hear "preach the Gospel" or "share the Gospel".  After all we are part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - Evangelical meaning to share the Gospel or the good news.  I don't know about you - but often when I think about sharing the gospel, I think about sharing the story OF Jesus - about his birth, death, and resurrection.  However, here we have Jesus starting to proclaim the gospel, the good news.  Now certainly Jesus made references to his birth, death, and eventual resurrection, but that wasn't the core of his teachings. No, Jesus mainly preached the good news of God's inclusive, radical, and counter-cultural love and belonging. That is the heart of the gospel, the message Jesus brought, not about Jesus himself. So, back to the world I described at the beginning.  A world that sounds pretty bleak and depressing. A world that might be struggling and losing hope. A world with downtrodden that are struggling against the government, or as Pastor Megan referred to it last week, the empire. Is this world I describe the world of today?  Is it the world at Jesus' time?  Yes.  And just like back then, we too continue to need the message of Good News that Jesus brings.  A message that runs against the norms, a message that brings a unique perspective to the world, a message that provides a promise - a message I know I'm longing to hear and need to hear these days - yes, Jesus' message brings A New Hope. After events of the past week and yesterday, it can be hard to want to hear a message of hope.  I know it isn't easy preaching about hope and good news amidst what is going on in our world, in our country, in Minneapolis and Minnesota. So be assured, that while I'm preaching on the message of hope - that doesn't mean that feelings of anger, fear, despair, and sadness aren't valid - those are valid and know that God is with you in all your feelings. Also know that the message of hope is there as well - just as the message ran counter cultural during Jesus' time - it does now as well. Back on Christ the King Sunday in November, the service spoke to me and I immediately knew I had to include part of it in my sermon today, as it summarized the message of Christ very well.  This was the Sunday when we were taken on a tour of the church calendar, exploring each of the seasons of the church year.  We are currently in the Time after Epiphany. Here is part of what was shared about Epiphany and the time after. In Epiphany, we look to that ancient star, and we see that the message of God's love knows no bounds: it is a message for people of every color and every tongue, every race and every nation. In the time after Epiphany, we remember that because of Jesus, the divisions that you and I create in our lives will someday be erased by God, who comes to make us all one. Love has come to let us know that there is no such thing as a people from the east or west or north or south. There are only people of God, all created by God, all loved by God, all within the realm of God's redemption through Jesus Christ. The light of the star brought the sages to Jesus, and Jesus is the light that brings God's love to all - to the poor, the lame, the sick, the hurting, the sorrowful, the outcast, those rejected by the world - even to you, in your own joy and sadness, goodness and brokenness, hope and challenges. That is Epiphany. It is the fulfillment of God's love-filled promise extended beyond all human boundaries. It is the light of God that breaks down walls and unites the human family. So, like Jesus, we are called to proclaim this Good News. Part of that Good News is that preaching the message from a pulpit isn't the only way to share the Good News. Just as Pastor Megan has shared, and based on what the Bible says, we are all called in our own diverse ways, based on our own diverse skills, to share the Good News in wide diverse ways. Simply being an RIC congregation is a way we show God's radical love - by emphatically stating that God's love belongs to all, to everyone, especially those that society wants to call "other" or "less than". You help proclaim the Gospel by simply being here - as part of a church that proudly proclaims to our queer siblings, our black and brown siblings, and anyone that society calls "others", that God loves them and they are part of the beautiful diversity of God's children. Some of the other ways we declare God's love include filling the micro pantries every day - where people have access to what they need - with no questions asked, no tests to pass - just God's love through food and personal care items. And it isn't just the people who actually put the items in the pantries, but everyone who buys or donates the items, those who package oatmeal to be ready to go out, those who coordinate it all.  Everyone who works with the young men in the parish house - you are proclaiming God's good news through your actions. Donating items or money to support them, driving them to where they need to go, providing connections in the community so they can get jobs, praying for them - all are part of being a proclaimer of the good news. When society might want to call them less than or unwanted - we, at Faith, proudly say that they are welcome and are loved by God and are part of the wonderful diversity of God's children.   There are so many ways we all partake in proclaiming the gospel - whether you do it through music, through education, through a hug or a meal to someone who is struggling, through just checking in with people to see if they are OK. So while often, we hear of people doing more noticeable or newsworthy things like being part of a large protest in Minneapolis, skipping school or work, or being clergy that go and take action to bring awareness and end up getting arrested for civil disobedience; we have to remember that all ways that proclaim the radical message of God's all inclusive love and redemption to all people, the message of A New Hope, are not only valid, but much needed in this world that is struggling.  So while "we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed" (1 John 3:2) we strive to continue to live into the message of hope and promise. We work together, as God's wonderfully diverse children, to proclaim the message that Christ shared, until we can all revel in the fullness of God's love revealed to us. Until then, we work together, as fishers of people, to cast a very wide net to proclaim and live into God's radical message of all-inclusive love and redemption for all people. We do all this through the freedom given to us by the death and resurrection of Jesus. Since God has declared that we are fully loved and included and nothing we can do can separate us from the love of God, we can boldly be proclaimers of Christ. We must always remember that when the Empire gets us down, we need to cling to the message of A New Hope, and even when the Empire strikes back because of our radical message of inclusion for the entirety of the diversity of God's Children, that in the end, we can rely on The Return of the Jesus to carry us through.  Amen.  

Sermon 11-16-25, Lk 21:5-19 Pastor Megan asked me to lead worship and preach this Sunday while she's attending the youth gathering, I checked my schedule and agreed. Later when I read the text I thought "ugh… I don't like this one" It's hard to preach on something I don't particularly like And maybe that's actually the key to today's Gospel message Similar to the disciples, We don't like what Jesus has to say sometimes        /        /        / I love the Gospel of Luke and his focus on social justice And when I zoomed out of this particular passage to what's happening in Luke's narrative, it clicked for me So let's zoom out together    /        /        / Jesus has been sitting in, teaching and preaching in, the temple since the end of chapter 19 when he entered the temple, caused a scene and said "My house shall be a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of robbers"… This disruption inspired the leaders to continue to look for a way to kill Jesus And he remains within the temple through the rest of chapter 21 until chapter 22 when the Passover begins, starting his journey to the cross We're in the midst of Jesus' speed round to get his point across before he's gone And he's intense about it Jesus' focus in the temple is one of redirection Stones and destruction aren't unique to his warning today Back in 20:17 He said "the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone… everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces" The religious leaders' desire to kill Jesus fueled their questioning of him They kept challenging Jesus, trying to trip him up on technicalities about taxes and marriage Jesus continued to warn and redirect the people Toward issues he saw as more important Beware of the scribes who dress all fancy and look powerful Look at this poor widow giving all she has to this oppressive system But the disciples get uncomfortable and attempt a redirection of their own They say – oh, but look how pretty and incredible and awesome this temple is! Let's take a break from all of these hard conversations and admire the centerpiece of our community and place that honors the one true God Surely Jesus will agree with us on this topic! Jesus doesn't falter -- and says: well, guess what, it will be destroyed! so let's focus on something lasting /        /        / Jesus' message reminds me of the Buddhist teaching of impermanence, and releasing attachment The Buddhist teacher, Ajahn Chah, said: "You see this goblet? For me this glass is already broken. I enjoy it. I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it. But when I put this glass on a shelf and the wind knocks it over, or my elbow brushes it off the table and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, 'Of course.' When I understand that this glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious. Every moment is just as it is, and nothing need be otherwise." The glass is all ready broken The temple is all ready destroyed /        /        / But the disciples are alarmed and want to be prepared for this horrible destruction They cling to the temple and the comfort and security it offers So they ask, how will they know it's coming?! What can they do?! And Jesus doesn't answer them directly, as he never does But he instructs them to: "Beware" "Do not be led astray" "Do not be terrified" and leaves them with "By your endurance you will gain your souls"   /        /         / The Jesus we see in Luke is not cozy or comforting He's on a mission He's provocative in the way he is trying to make us see the ugliness of the world and human nature He's frustrating in the way he keeps pointing out the things we'd rather look away from Like the impermanence of the solid places where we rest our assurance - like these stone buildings Like the uncertainty of societal structures of power and wealth that we benefit from Like the particularities of taxes and marriage that distract us from the real focus of loving God and loving our neighbor Like the cruel and violent actions of powerful leaders masked by the fancy veneer of wealth and beauty Like the oppressive systems that benefit from the poverty of others /        /        / The disciples want to escape this doom and gloom Don't we? They attempt a distraction, admiring the awesomeness of this enormous and gorgeous temple that is dedicated to God At least we have this common ground, right? But Jesus won't give them a break He's on a mission – then -- and now To challenge our view of the world and guide us toward seeing clearly Whatever you see will be destroyed The glass is all ready broken /        /        / I wonder about the metaphorical "temples" of beauty and distraction today? What are our "temples" of escape? What are the places in which we find reassurance that will eventually crumble? What are the "temples" to which we're attached that are actually impermanent? /        /        / I'm sure we could compile a long list… I think of the saying "my body is my temple" How preoccupation with a body too large or too small distracts from loving that body as a gift from God And adorning that body – with clothes, jewelry, tattoos, -- can be consuming of our precious time, energy and resources I think of the ways we resist acknowledging and embracing our aging bodies  /        /        / I think of our places… Our homes and even this sanctuary and the amount of energy we expend maintaining and improving our spaces /        /        / I think of the "temples" within our minds… The striving and achieving parts The protective and defensive parts That prevent us from resting and loving our whole selves And render us unable to fully love and be loved by others /        /        / This is hard. . . We could go on, but that's not really Jesus' point, is it? It's not Jesus' point to identify our faults and distractions No, we do that well enough ourselves The disciples did that themselves Jesus' point is to redirect us toward God and what is everlasting Jesus' point is to remind us of what we can really cling to /        /        / Jesus' message is "Beware" "Do not be led astray" "Do not be terrified" Jesus calls us to focus on what's real and true /        /        / He says these messages today in the negative sense But within these warnings I also hear: "I am the truth" "The truth will set you free" "Come, follow me" "Set down your burdens, I will give you rest" "My yoke is easy, my burden is light" These messages of Jesus' love and healing and safety are directly connected to the warnings we hear today It's all the same message /        /        / All that you see All that you count on All that you take comfort in Is destroyed The glass is all ready broken But what remains? When the literal and metaphorical temples crumble When the glass is broken What is left? Where is the good news?     /        /        / It comes only from remembering the truth that we worship a crucified God who loves and knows us completely and continues to remain with us in the midst of destruction and even death. God's love is permanent God's redemption is permanent /        /        / We have a big task in supporting one another in remembering this And in being witnesses to this truth in this world /        /        / Restoration comes after destruction This is a truth we so desperately need to cling to Remembering that new life will come after death Knowing that God is bigger than all of it This promise isn't just enough It's the main thing God is always making us new! /        /        / By our endurance we will gain our souls. Amen.  

Staff Meeting: Determined to Make a Difference - Pastor Megan Wood (11/04/2025) by Word of Life Assembly of God

Welcome to the Word of Life AG podcast! Today Pastor Megan Wood is sharing as part of our Summer of Prayer series… If you're looking for next steps, please head to our website at https://www.wordoflifeag.org/

Welcome to the Word of Life AG podcast! Today Pastor Megan Wood is sharing as part of our Summer of Prayer series… If you're looking for next steps, please head to our website at https://www.wordoflifeag.org/

In our first of a six-week series on “Revelation and Resistance,” we step - with some well earned fear and trembling - into the wild, the wondrous, the terrifying, the evocative world of apocalyptic literature. With so much to UN-learn about the book of Revelation, Pastor Megan invites us to begin again. What IS this ancient genre of literature, why and how was it written, and for whom and what purpose? As a revelation of Jesus the Christ, named in just the first few verses of the book as the ruler of all earth's kings, we find that we've stepped directly into perhaps the original “No Kings” rally and march. The book of Revelation will take down its dominant empire (Rome) and all those who were being persecuted or seduced by the imperial cult. As we carry forward, perhaps we'll find inspiration for how to live in relationship to our own imperial cult… U.S. Christian nationalism.Sermon begins at minute marker 4:49Scripture: ​​​Revelation 1.1–20ResourcesBibleWorm podcast: Episode 646 - Revelation and Resistance - Lifting the Veil, Amy Robertson and Robert Williamson, Jr“A view of resistance to oppression rather than judgement,” by Alison Forster, January 21, 2025, https://medium.com/counterarts/the-book-of-revelation-8935ac647b32 Anabaptist Community Bible, MennoMedia, 2025, including introduction to Revelation by J. Nelson Kraybill. “The Intimate Apocalypse,” hand-bound booklet by artist and writer, Jan Richardson.Left Behind (terror-inducing!) book series: wiki page.Image: by Pastor Megan, at Seattle's ”No Kings” rally and march, June 2025

Welcome to the Word of Life AG podcast! Today Pastor Megan Wood is bringing the message… If you're looking for next steps, please head to our website at https://www.wordoflifeag.org/

Staff Meeting: Healthy Delegation Builds people who Belong - Pastor Megan Wood (05/06/2025) by Word of Life Assembly of God

Not a single palm frond or “Hosanna” in this year's Palm Sunday reading. Luke's version of Jesus' procession toward and into Jerusalem instead records people throwing their coats on the ground. Rather than simply reaching for a fallen branch, instead those participating in Jesus' political street theatre give something of themselves that costs them a little something; the way Pastor Megan's spontaneously discarded cardigan resulted in a very cold experience of worship. Thank you to the child-prophets in the church who spontaneously responded by bringing their sweaters to throw into the center of our worship circle as well. We experientially learned just how potent this action was as the crowds moved with Jesus toward his confrontation with the powers of the Empire. In our current heartbreak, may we follow the footsteps of Love Incarnate--Jesus--the Human One, who goes before us in this holy and harrowing week, and who laments with us.Luke 19.29-44 ResourcesBibleWorm podcast: Episode 635 - What Makes For Peace, Amy Robertson and Robert Williamson, Jr“Kindness,” Naomi Shihab Nye, Everything Comes Next: Collected & New Poems, 222.credit to Eric Massanari, Executive Conference Minister of Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference, and Amy Epp, Pastor of Evergreen Mennonite Church, for some of their words taken from letters written to their respective communities.More info about Mennonite Action can be found here: https://www.mennoniteaction.org/ Learn more and get involved with La Resistencia here: https://laresistencianw.org/ Lament hymn: Ya hamala Allah, sung in Arabic (trans: O Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. O Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. O Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us your peace, grant us your peace, grant us your peace)Image: discarded coats in the church courtyard, Megan Ramer Hymns: # 312, Jesus is Coming; music: Bret Hesla (USA) text: Bret Hesla (USA). Permission to podcast the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE, license #A-726929. All rights reserved.# 321 Ya hamala Allah; music: Yusuf Khill, Palestine/Israel text: Arabic; from Latin liturgy, "Agnus Dei" (Rome), ca. 7th c., based on John 1:29, Yusuf Khill (Palestine/Israel) Permission to podcast the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE, license #A-726929. All rights reserved.

One familiar story which contains a familiar parable flows into another familiar story. Is there anything at all new to say about the Samaritan that's called “good” or the Mary and Martha sisterly tiff? Unclear. But given our deep dive into Luke, and looking for threads, Pastor Megan notices two things: Luke is driving home that 1) we are meant to be moved with compassion, and 2) we are implored to listen to Jesus. Both are imperative in Luke's gospel, and in Luke's understanding of what it means to walk the Way of Jesus, with faces turned toward Jerusalem. Taken together, Megan wonders if there's a thematic thread of urgency. There's false urgencies that cause us to sidestep one in need (rooted in white supremacy culture), and real urgency to prepare for and engage resistance to empire (rooted in our call to collective liberation). Somehow we are invited to discern well between the Big Urgency and the little urgencies so that we can be sustained on this discipleship path taking us on a collision course with the corrupt powers of the world.Sermon begins at minute marker 4:53​​​​ Luke 10.25-42ResourcesBibleWorm podcast: Episode 630 – Two Sisters and a Good Samaritan, Amy Robertson and Robert Williamson, JrUrgency, a characteristic of white supremacy culturePeople's Institute for Survival and BeyondImage: this is a detail of a larger piece by artist, Dona Park, from the Anabaptist Community BibleHymn 527 - Bless the Arms That Comfort. Text: Mary Louise Bringle (USA), © 2001 The Hymn Society (admin. Hope Publishing Co.) Music: Gustav Holst (England), 1906. Permission to podcast the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE, license #A-726929. All rights reserved.

Staff Meeting: The Good Shepherd - Pastor Megan Wood (02/25/2025) by Word of Life Assembly of God

Welcome to the Word of Life AG podcast! Today Pastor Megan shares how you can be rooted in God's love... If you're looking for next steps, please head to our website at https://www.wordoflifeag.org/

Wow, here we are on another precipice. When I started back on June 26, 2013, we were on a precipice ready to jump off and start our work together. When we jump off we never know where will land. Thankfully as followers of Jesus Christ we know that we are not alone. We believe the Holy Spirit is leading and guiding us. We have been through some major changes, and they all happened within 5-6 months in 2024. Walter passed away February 16. Thankfully we had a vice president in the wings to take over. In March we began counting money at the church. Our former secretary shared with members that I would not be putting my name in to be considered for your pastor. In one week in June, we essentially had 2 staff changes. That is a lot for any system to handle. We gathered our gifts and moved forward. We had a great VBS. Thankfully we found a new secretary within a relatively short amount of time. Thus, Randy and I could give up doing the bulletin and E-news. Thanks to Mark Kadrofske for planning and coordinating youth events. Sunday School is running smoothly with our gifted education people. We needed to do some reorganization with the pantry, and it now has a steering committee where the oversight is done by a group of people. They even have a job description for their committee. The finances are being monitored, and more funding is being sought. The pantry is in good shape right now. This is not about me doing all of this work. My role was to plant seeds and support the gifted people here at Faith. The council is in the midst of restructuring the operating system of the church so that the healthiest ministry can be done. This came out of the leadership workshop that we had and the work of the transition team. Today Pastor John will be sharing some thoughts on the Parish House as well as Laurie at our annual meeting. With the new administration we are very concerned about the guys and their continued ability to stay here. Now in saying that, we know of no imminent issue, but it is a concern. Things are changing every day. Michigan Refugee Hope has begun working on a safety plan and Faith will need to be a part of this. Pastor John, Laurie and I attended a zoom meeting on Tuesday with the other refugee providers in Lansing. This is to ensure that the leaders here are as up to date on what might be coming down the pike. This is what soon to be Pastor Megan is walking into. She will need your support in navigating whatever is ahead. Remembering what we have been through since I have been here. I believe that we have moved through it together with the power of the Holy Spirit. This leads us into our gospel lesson for today. After Jesus' time in the wilderness with the devil, he returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. Jesus gave his inaugural address to the people in attendance at the synagogue.  News had spread about Jesus throughout the whole countryside. He had taught in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. He returned to Nazareth, where he had grown up. He attended the service as he normally did. The hometown boy had come home. The assistant gave him the scroll from the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where he wanted to read. As he read the passage from Isaiah, Jesus identified who he was and what his mission was. He said that God had anointed him, and the Spirit was on him. He was sent to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. As the Gospel of Luke continues we find Jesus not being liked very much. He was shaking the status quo. Neither the church leaders nor the government leaders were happy with his message through word and action. Next week the lesson would have been how even his hometown people realized they were being asked to do something that they might not be comfortable with. When I think about the fact that Jesus has asked us his followers to carry on this work, I'm just a bit taken back as were the people in his hometown. This is a great deal to do, and it has become more and more of an uphill battle.  This week at the National Cathedral there was an Episcopal bishop who preached this kind of message, and she has been criticized by many people in power, even pastors. There is now a congressman who has introduced a resolution to condemn her as her message was distorted. He is saying that the sermon was not reflective of the faith community at large. As of today, I do not speak on behalf of Faith. I challenge you to consider what this means and where you stand. Is the bishop's message in line with the welcoming statement? We can easily get bogged down in what we can't do instead of focusing on what we can do. This was something the bishop felt she was called to do. I understand she also offered the National Cathedral as a resting place for Matthew Sheppard. I cannot cover all of these points Jesus outlined for himself in one sermon. What I would like us to briefly look at is preaching good news to the poor. You may tell me that you are not preachers and that is my job along with a few others. The Greek word for preach in this passage is euangelizō  which means announcing, declaring, or telling the good news. This is for all of us including foreigners. It is what we say and do. It is the message that we present to others through our words and actions. Thus, this is what Jesus is calling all of to do in order to continue his ministry. In this passage from what we believe to be 2nd Isaiah, which is after the exile, they are reflecting on the destruction of Jerusalem and having to rebuild it. Even though the restoration has been promised it is frustrating project. A great deal of conflicted feelings are probably being felt. Could it be that Jesus was reminding the people in the synagogue what had gotten the Hebrew people that Isaiah was prophesying what had gotten them into exile? The people had been looking for a leader to bring them more power and control through acquiring more land. It was a very self-centered way of thinking and greediness. This way of thinking excluded people who were different from them. I have said it before and I am saying it again, history repeats itself if we don't learn from it. God has been bringing the message to God's people that God includes everyone. This is what RIC Sunday is about. It is a reminder that this is the good news that all of us have been called to announce. The good news is for all people. In my first sermon here, I thanked you for welcoming me. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me. Faith has welcomed our refugee brothers in the Parish House. We welcome people to come and take food that they need in order to live. This is sharing or announcing the good news. In going forward, Jesus calls you and I to continue sharing the good news. You may hear voices and see things done that do not model good news. Please allow the Holy Spirit to continue guiding you. This beloved community is called to share this good news regardless of these voices. Do your best in this place and this community to not let history repeat itself. Remember the Holy spirit has led us to this day and will lead you and myself forward to continue sharing the good news where we are! Let us pray: Gracious Spirit, thank you for bringing us together to share your good news. We continue to rely on you to lead us forward and to discern how and where to share your good news, regardless. In Jesus, Name.  Amen

There's lots going on in this story from Luke, and also in this sermon from Pastor Megan, and also in the story of our Anabaptist roots, and also in the congregational life of Seattle Mennonite Church. It's all a bit of a mess, to be quite frank. But at the heart of all four stories (the gospel, the sermon, the history, and SMC today) is baptism and the co-creation embedded in a covenant community. Come along for the slightly wild ride!Sermon begins at minute marker 6:22Luke 3.1-22ResourcesBibleWorm podcast: Episode 621 – John the Baptist and the Baptism of Jesus, Amy Robertson and Robert Williamson, Jr“The Most Radical Reformers,” Valerie G. Rempel, Anabaptist World, Vol. 6 No. 1, January 2025.InterPlay practice of “I could talk about” - read a brief description here: https://atlantainterplay.blogspot.com/2014/03/i-could-talk-about.html Image: detail from the cover of Anabaptist World, Vol. 6 No. 1, January 2025 - “Fugitive congregation at worship, Amsterdam, 1569, by Jan Luyken.”Hymn 212 Comfort, Comfort O my People. Text: based on Isaiah 40:1-5; Johannes Olearius (Germany), “Tröstet, tröstet, meine Lieben,” Geistliche Singe-Kunst, 1671; trans. Catherine Winkworth (England), Chorale Book for England, 1863, alt. Music: Louis Bourgeois (France), Genevan Psalter, Octante Trois Pseaumes de David, 1551; harm. adapt. from Claude Goudimel (France), 150 Pseaumes de David, 1564  Permission to podcast the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE, license #A-726929. All rights reserved.

PASTOR MEGAN ALAMOCROSSROADS GMCWASHINGTON, IL

Jesus for All | Pastor Megan Chondrogiannis by Highlight Church

Welcome to the Word of Life AG podcast! Today Pastor Megan brings us a special message for the Christmas Season. If you're looking for next steps, please head to our website at https://www.wordoflifeag.org/

Staff Meeting: Crucial Conversations - Pastor Megan Wood (12/03/2024) by Word of Life Assembly of God

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For more information on Radiate Church and what God is doing in our community through this ministry, please visit linktr.ee/radiatechurch

Solomon sets out to build a house for God, as people across time and place have done over and over again. But even in the dedication prayer, Solomon acknowledges that God cannot be contained by a building, regardless of size or grandness or even how delicious it smells. Just as Pastor Megan's delicious-smelling cedar chest could never contain her bounty of beautiful quilts, so too Solomon's cedar temple could never contain the enormity of God. Houses for God have never been about or for God, so much as they are for a people, seeking to create sacred spaces for living in relationship with one another and God; a people seeking to recharge their spiritual batteries.Sermon begins at minute marker 5:421 Kings 5.1-5, and 8.27-30, 41-43ResourcesBibleWorm podcast: Episode 609 – Dedicating the Temple, Amy Robertson and Robert Williamson, JrRainer Maria Rilke, “Ich bin, du Ängtlicher. Hörst do mich nicht,” from Rilke's Book of Hours: Love Poems to God, trans. Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy, 66.Image: rendering of quilts stacked at SMC during our Jubilee celebration, 2018.Voices Together Hymn 647 There is a Balm in Gilead. Text & Music: African American Spiritual (USA) Permission to podcast the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE, license #A-726929. All rights reserved.

Welcome to the Word of Life AG podcast! Today Pastor Megan Wood shares the second message in our series simply entitled, “Build and Belong”... If you're looking for next steps, please head to our website at https://www.wordoflifeag.org/

Thanks for checking out this week's Podcast. This week we heard a great message from Pastor Megan as we continued our series titled “Summer in Psalm 23” If you're looking for next steps, please head to our website at https://www.wordoflifeag.org/

Finish The Work | Pastor Megan Chondrogiannis by Highlight Church

Staff Meeting: Striving vs. Striding - Pastor Megan Wood (07/16/2024) by Word of Life Assembly of God

Welcome to the Word of Life AG podcast! Today Pastor Megan kicks off our Summer in Psalm 23 series looking at "The Shepherd"… If you're looking for next steps, please head to our website at https://www.wordoflifeag.org/

Thanks for checking out this week's Podcast. Today Pastor Megan answers the question "What Is Freedom In Christ?" If you're looking for next steps, please head to our website at https://www.wordoflifeag.org/

Dealing with Difficult People | Pastor Megan Chondrogiannis by Highlight Church

Staff Meeting: Lessons From Nehemiah - Pastor Megan Wood (05/21/2024) by Word of Life Assembly of God

When the pains and challenges of life come crashing in, it can be hard to truly trust God and cling to His promises in the midst of life's processes. However, I'm reminded that God often loves using our moments of powerlessness to draw us closer to and to reveal the character of His heart. Today, we are joined by a very special guest who is no stranger to adversity in this life, but someone who has chosen a unique perspective in the midst of her pain. Joining us today is disciple, mom, hope sharer, joy spreader, and proclaimer of Christ, Megan Fate Marshman. Megan is authentic, compelling, selfless, and determined to use her life to spread hope, share truth, and celebrate others. She also happens to be the Best-selling author of several books including the Beautiful Word Bible study: John, Meant for Good, SelfLess, and what I believe is a for sure soon to be Best-Seller and the topic of our conversation today, her upcoming release titled, Relaxed: Walking With the One Who is Not Worried About a Thing. My friends, our prayer through this conversation is that no matter what season of life you may find yourself in, that you would realize that relaxed should never be goal, but instead can be a wonderful byproduct from spending time in His presence! Preorder Relaxed Today: https://www.amazon.com/Relaxed-Walking-Worried-about-Thing/dp/0310358272 Megan's Website: https://www.meganfate.com/ 

Thanks for checking out this week's Podcast. This week, Pastor Megan Wood presented the message titled… “The Church & the Community of God.” If you're looking for next steps, please head to our website at https://www.wordoflifeag.org/

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