Willow Creek Weekend Podcast

We’re kicking off our Life Hacks series; a dive into the Book of Proverbs and all the wisdom it contains, with Megan Marshman.  Who wrote the Proverbs? And why? This week we get basic, but fascinating, as we explore the author and their intentions for Proverbs in the Bible, and what we can learn from them today. We look at Proverbs 1, 2, and 3.

In the second part of our two-part series, Future Focus, Pastor Dave talks about how we can serve the world by becoming a volunteer at church. The church is representative of the body of Jesus, and we can all represent Him through our own work at church. We all have unique spiritual gifts we can use to help revolutionize our own local community, throughout our state, and even the world! Every person matters, and everyone has a place on a team within our local church.

We believe God has put you in your neighborhood, workplace, and family for a reason: to shine as light and share the hope of Jesus with those around you. At times, sharing faith with others can feel overwhelming. Learn how you can influence others and develop a rhythm of asking God which one person He is putting in your life to BLESS so they can experience God’s love in practical ways–no strings attached.

We all love the meaning held in one of the most popular Christmas movies of all time, How The Grinch Stole Christmas. The population of the Whoville doesn’t allow the Grinch (2000) to steal their joy because it comes from inside of them, not from external sources. So how can we stop a grinch and keep our joy in the season? The holidays can be marked by stresses that threaten to take our hearts and eyes off the true meaning of Christmas. Pastor Megan Marshman explores Matthew 2 to help us keep our eyes locked on the real key to Christmas joy (hint: it’s not the perfect photo, ham or lights!)

There are some obvious references to God and the Bible in the classic Christmas movie–It's a Wonderful Life. George Bailey encounters an angel who shows him exactly the impact his life has had on the town of Bedford Falls. This parallels the story of Jesus and how He came down to the world in a very dark time to impact everyone on earth's lives positively. Pastor Dave uses Romans 15 and Luke 2 to demonstrate how real joy can be found in the Lord, even in the darkest moments of our lives.

We’re kicking off Christmas At The Movies with one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time–Elf! You’re probably wondering–how does Elf, from 2003, have anything to do with the Christmas story in the Bible? Pastor Dave will use Matthew 1 to relate Buddy the Elf’s family reunion story to how Joseph dealt with the news of Mary's pregnancy and the stress that it brought. Stay tuned each week as we exploremore classic Christmas movies and how they relate to the Bible and our lives.

As we head towards Christmas, post-Thanksgiving, we want to take a position of gratitude as we give our time and resources to others. Do you have a family tradition of volunteering at Christmas? Are there people you give more time, effort, and help too?   Christmas is a time when we remember to give to our loved ones and to give to others in celebration of the birth of Jesus. It is important to do so out of our personal gratitude to God.  Meghan Marshman teaches from 1 Thessalonians 5, "give thanks in all circumstances."

This week we look at a man in the Bible called Naaman of Aram, from 2 Kings, who struggled with finding gratitude over his owngreatness. Sometimes we can get in the way of our gratitude, just like Naaman, by not being a good listener. Naaman's story also remindsus that it's the simple things we need to do to show our gratitude to God. How much can you relate to Naaman of Aram, and what can youdo to listen well to what God is calling you to?

Have you ever given a gift to someone and they didn’t say thank you? Not a great feeling! Luke 17 tells the story of Jesus healing ten men with leprosy, and only one returned to express gratitude. Let’s learn how we can recognize God’s goodness in our lives and respond with thankfulness.

This week our Online Associate Pastor, Faith Schiller, teaches us what it would look like to "grow younger" in the church. In Acts 1:8 and Matthew 4, Jesus demonstrates His commitment to bridging intergenerational divides by giving leadership positions to teenagers. Consider how we might reach the people who will carry the church beyond ourselves and how we could learn from their perspectives, bringing everyone together and celebrating diversity.