Willow Creek Weekend Podcast

Every single person is placed on Earth by God, and He has a purpose for all of us. We each have a myriad of reasons as to why we are here, even if we can't see it. When life's circumstances get us down, it can be hard to discern our purpose and how to keep going. What impact is my life really having? Would the world be better without me? No, it wouldn't! God put you here for a reason. Even the most challenging parts of your life can be used for good in God's plan. This week, Pastor Dave teaches from Ephesians 2:10 to help us tackle the devil's most damaging lie: that we don't matter.

A healthy mind comes with healthy rest. A large part of our mental health self-care is rest and resting well. God designed our bodies and minds to function at their peak with rest! Pastor Dave shows us how Elijah was forced to stop and rest on his journey in 1 Kings, demonstrating that rest is essential and God-given. Without rest, we can't function at such a high capacity without facing burnout and crash.

What does "Love the Lord your God... with all your mind" mean? Mark 12:30 gives us the greatest of all commandments, but 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ But we tend to neglect the mind part. Pastor Shawn talks with a mental health professional about how God wants us to be of a healthy mind, body, and soul and how caring for our mental health honors God.

How to speak to God or how to pray can be mysterious, even confusing. Pastor Dave uses James Chapter 5 to teach us how our prayer life can offer a great first defense line or help us step out into unknown and daring places knowing God has got us. And, it is easy! How to pray and speak to God are covered here, plus why prayer matters.

God created the world by speaking. And when God created us in His image, He gave us the gift of language marked by incredible power. But that power can either build up or devastate and destroy. This week we take a look at the power of our words and how to steward them well.

Pastor Albert Tate is back with us this week, talking about 'How We Love Matters' and how to get past any judgments we may hold in order to serve God and love all people well.

Sharing faith can be tough; there's no doubt. Did you run out and tell everyone when you first became a Christian? Probably not. It can feel awkward, especially when it comes to sharing our faith with non-Christian friends and family. But, as soon as we decide to follow Jesus, sharing our faith and spreading the gospel is exactly what Jesus wants us to do! How can we do that, practically, without sounding a little bit out there? Our Campus Pastors look at James 1:19 and how we can both talk about and show God's love.

Why does God allow suffering? How could a 'good' God want to see us in our pain and suffering? The truth is, He doesn't. But He does want us to come to Him with our troubles. God wants to help us in our suffering and gives us a framework to redeem our suffering and use it for good.   Pastor Megan Marshman leads us through James chapter 1 and the framework God has given us.

Unsung |Unsung Service | June 26 | Dave Dummitt We’re celebrating acts of service with our amazing volunteers! Jesus asks us to give of ourselves, our time, and energy in service to the ‘body of Christ’. But what does that look like? This week we’re bringing you stories of volunteering and how people have changed lives, even their own lives, being the hands and feet of Jesus in service to others. What are opportunities to volunteer near you? How can you experience the joy of volunteering? Get inspired by these heartwarming stories.

This week we celebrate all the men, fathers, and father figures in our lives! Guest speaker Jodi Hickerson, a Teaching Pastor at Mission Church, joins us to celebrate her father, former Willow Teaching Pastor Mike Breaux.