Willow Creek Weekend Podcast

A Great Gardener Megan Marshman | June 29 & 30 As the summer heats up, the fruit begins to grow; that’s what plants are made to do, right? But compare apples to apples and you’ll often find a big difference. Great fruit is the product of a great garden. A great garden is most often made by a great gardener. John 15 reminds us that the same is true for the fruit we hope to produce in our own lives.

Four Little Words Steve Gillen | June 22 & 22 Four words... four little words with profound meaning tell the story of who God is, who we are, and what is possible. Those words are: love, sin, justice, and rescue. Love is who God is. Sin is the mess we’ve made. Justice is what’s necessary. And rescue is what God offers. But beyond those four words, God has given us two ways—communion and baptism—that help us remember and celebrate the sacrifice and promise of what God has done.

FATHER’S DAY: LESSONS FROM THE GARAGE June 15 & 16  | Steve Gillen Whether intentionally or accidentally, whether we’re trying or not, fathers and parents of all kinds are always handing down lessons to our children. By watching the things we do, what we say, and the things that are important to us, our kids are learning. What would happen if chose to be intentional about the lessons we’re passing down? How can we think through the big things, the little things, and the fun things we want our children to learn?

SOMEWHERE TO BE June 8 & 9  | Eugene ChoAn appointment, a commitment, a recital, a practice, a lunch, and on and on and on. So much of our time is spent herding our tribes and our lives from one thing to the next, desperate to keep the schedule on track. Is there a way to find relief from the constant hurry? What if we could stop being busy long enough to just be. And what if we asked ourselves the dangerous question of... why?

WHEN I WAS YOUR AGEJune 1 & 2  | Mike Breaux Our world is constantly shifting and changing, and each generation faces new challenges and opportunities. But what are the lessons that can stand the test of time? What can the experiences and practices of different generations teach one another about how to handle family, parenting, and all the other relationships in which we live?

LET’S TALK May 25 & 26  | Matt Wright/PanelSometimes it can feel like our relationships are conducted through tin-can conversations, muffled words reverberating along a too-taut string. We’re not entirely sure we’re being heard and not too confident we’re listening well either. Maybe it’s time to set aside our tin cans for some new tools while we explore how our ability to see one another affects our ability to hear one another.

SAY YOU’RE SORRY May 18 & 19  | Eugene ChoFew things can damage relationships more deeply than unresolved conflict, creating distance, ambivalence, and bitterness that can usually metastasize over time. And the effects of unforgiveness are known to pull at the fabric of all our other relationships as well. How can we learn to give forgiveness generously and also to receive it graciously?

MOTHER’S DAY: HAND-ME-DOWNS May 11 & 12  | Megan Marshman  | Genesis 1-3How do we hand down faith and the lessons of life to our children? How do we make a lasting impact on the people around us? Well, the first step may be recognizing the things that are our job and the things that aren’t. Our job is not to change people but to introduce them to the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit. How do we as parents and as people create environments where our children, friends, and everyone around us can encounter God?

SPITTING IMAGEMay 4 & 5  | Matt WrightFor better or worse, we each bear the telltale marks of the families that made us; we hold the hurts and hopes that were fostered in us from our earliest memories. But how do we sort the good from the bad, holding on to the best parts and releasing the rest? And how do we learn to embrace our place in a different kind of family, as the children of a loving God?

Have you ever lost anything? Something really precious? Something of such worth that you’d do anything to get it back? Jesus had a lot of things to say about lost things. Two of his stories have captured the minds and hearts of people for centuries. One story tells about a child who lost his way and wondered whether he’d ever be welcome home again. That child finally went looking for a way to come home. Another story tells about a sheep who wandered off and the shepherd left the whole flock to find the one. That shepherd went on a rescue mission for that sheep. These stories are Easter stories because they help us begin to grasp the unfathomable truths of what Jesus did, the cataclysmic lengths he went to to welcome us and bring us home. No matter how far we’ve wandered, we’re always welcome. And no matter the cost, God is relentlessly pursuing. Easter is a celebration of when Jesus made a way for us all to find our way home.