Willow Creek Weekend Podcast

Did you ever do something you knew you weren’t supposed to? Like, rebel against your boss, your parents, God? How did your boss or your parents respond? Probably not great. This week Pastor Megan Marshman covers the History books of the Bible: and, more closely, the book of Ruth. Ruth’s story in the Bible is set during a very dark moment in the history of Israel, where God’s people were rebelling against Him, doing what they thought was right by them. But what Ruth’s story shows us is that God’s plan will prevail. Humans can’t derail the progress of God’s grand design; as much as we might try! If you’re looking for biblical hope, the book of Ruth offers just that.

So, the Bible is a little long…and overwhelming. And hard to understand a lot of the time. Ever thought: TL;DR? Same. Same. So we’re starting a brand new series on the ENTIRE BIBLE. Yep, everything in seven weeks. If you’ve ever wondered “how to start reading the Bible” or what a good Bible study plan is, this is the series for you. Sound boring? Nah! This will be all you need to show how the Bible points us towards Jesus, even in the Old Testament. And discover how life-changing actually reading the Bible can be for you. We kick it off by looking at The Law books of the Bible. The first five books of the Bible, also known as the Torah or Pentateuch, can be read like a bunch of rules, but the Law books are so much more than that. They reveal the heart of God and His radical love for people.

What are “strongholds”? Strongholds are more than sins; they’re the patterns, addictions, behaviors, or traits that you might not even realize are holding you back from being the person God created you to be. The good news? The grace of God is available to all of us, and He will help you break free from the strongholds–the sins–that keep you from leaning into the full life He intended for you. We explore John 10:10 to discover where we’re stuck and practical ways to break free from what holds you back from life at its fullest.

If you’re the type of Christian who attends church a couple of Sundays each month and maybe reads a Bible plan on your phone app every so often, you’re not living up to your full potential. Just attending church is not enough to fully live out God’s plan. Our true purpose in life is living as the church every day. Wherever you are, that’s where God has placed you and He means for you to make a difference in the community right outside your door. How do you make a difference in your everyday life? We pray, we listen to and serve others, we get into Christian community and partner with God to love people–everyone–around us. Pastor Dave Dummitt finishes up the series in Ephesians 5:1-20, urging us to be the light of the world today.

Where does your loyalty lie? Your sports team? Your family? Your political party? What about with Jesus? Does Jesus sit at the top of your loyalty list? If not, we can become diverted from God by other things. As much as we might feel passionate about a cause we believe in, or fiercely loyal to our “people”; Jesus should always be the one you're most passionate about. And our loyalty to Jesus gets tested every day. The world puts pressure on Christians to live outside of the moral boundaries God gave us. But when God transformed your heart, you were made into a new person; loyal to Jesus and committed to following Him. And in that commitment, you heart should be expanding. Because your relationship with Jesus should be destroying any hatred or animosity for others. In this moment, what is your heart doing? Pastor Thomas Anderson, Jr. takes us into Ephesians 2 to demonstrate where our priorities and loyalty should really lie.

It’s easy for Christians to focus solely on answering the question; “how do I get into Heaven''? and getting others into Heaven with them. But when we break the real message of the Bible down to just that, we’re missing a huge part of it: God’s purpose for your life. God’s not only concerned about you getting into Heaven, He wants you to express Heaven while you’re here on earth. On earth as it is in Heaven, right? The bigger story of the Bible lifts up every human being as a valued member of the community in which they reside on earth–and it’s our calling as Christians to partner with Jesus in bringing love to our neighbors. This week, Pastor Megan Marshman shows us how Paul in the Bible reminded the church in his letter (Ephesians 1:3-14) of this truth: that God put us here on earth to change the world, and be a part of bridging Heaven and earth.

When you become a Christian you have to follow a bunch of boring rules, right? Well… sort of! It’s not so much rules as it is moral boundaries that God sets. These boundaries allow us the freedom to live fully in the beautiful life He has planned for us. Some people believe they’re being a “good Christian” by following the “Christian rules”. Perhaps they don’t smoke, or they don’t drink. They don’t swear or sleep around. They tick off the rule boxes like that’s the most important thing. But they’re missing the essential part: their heart. Many people have experienced church hurt because they have not lived up to an arbitrary set of religious rules and been painfully expelled by their community. But Jesus wouldn’t turn a woman away for wearing too short of a skirt, or ban an unmarried pregnant teen from His presence. He would treat them with the exact same love He would treat anyone. And that is what we as Christians should be doing as well. Your life of faith is less about following supposed “Christian rules” and more about pursuing what is good, so that all people can thrive. Pastor Dave Dummitt teaches from Ephesians 4.

What do Christians get wrong about Christianity? We can all be in danger of veering off in a direction that God never intended. In this new series, exploring the church in the book of Ephesians in the Bible, our hope is to remember the mission of the church as it was originally designed, and inspire you to be a part of it! When Christians think it’s all about us, we surround ourselves with those who look and think like us, and we miss the opportunity to have authentic connection with people who can stretch, challenge and support us. This week, we look at how our church, our community within the church, and being an active part of that reflects what Jesus began. How will you get into the community at your church and start making a positive difference in the wider community around you? Because it’s not just about creating Christian community for you, it’s about connecting with, and supporting, other people too.

All things are possible with God. No, really! Nehemiah’s story in the Bible shows us how, in partnering with God first, nothing is impossible. Nehemiah does what was previously impossible for 100 years–built the walls of Jerusalem–through his faith and partnership with God. What could that look like today for us? In our final week of Celebration of Hope 2024, Pastors Dave and Shawn challenge us and demonstrate, through the story of Nehemiah, how we can come together to help make big dreams come true and make a huge impact in the world!

Do you have what it takes to make a difference in the world? To change it for the better and to help others?  Yes! You do!  Nehemiah, in the Bible, felt like he had many constraints, but he was still able to use his influence as King Artaxerxes’ cupbearer and his connection to God to serve others in need. And you can too. In week two of Celebration of Hope 2024, David Temfwe of the Jubilee Centre, one of our partners in Zambia, demonstrates how God has given us all that we need to use our influence, connections, and resources to help people around the world, and tells us how the Jubilee Centre is making a significant impact in the lives of the people they serve in Zambia.