Deeper

Austin sits down with Josh Rebandt, Western Michigan baseball coach and part of the Friendship family, to hear how a daily prayer for "something special" turned into a championship in Traverse City, and how a rollover crash on I-75 confirmed his faith. How do you chase wins on the field while carrying the humility of following Jesus? Chapters (00:00:00) - Cold open (00:00:17) - Welcome, Josh Reban...

Pastor Dan and Austin dig into Psalm 96 and why praise is our "factory setting." How do we notice when we've drifted from it, and how can we be joyful in hard seasons without faking it? Chapters (00:00:00) - Welcome (00:00:44) - Psalm 96 and our default of praise (00:02:50) - Factory settings (00:04:58) - Noticing when we drift (00:08:10) - How do we reset? (00:11:09) - Joy without faking it (00:1...

Paul and Barnabas went back to the very cities that stoned them, just to strengthen the disciples there. Austin Slater and Pastor Dan Kinnas follow up on Sunday's message from Acts 14: when safety turns into an idol, how to tell when someone needs their arms held up (and why it takes more than one person), whether a podcast like this one can stand in for the church, and how those of us behind the...

Samaria shared Israel's roots, but centuries of history had built walls between Jews and Samaritans. In a divided culture, how do we tell when our political convictions come from the gospel and when they're just ours? Chapters (00:00:00) - Intro (00:00:40) - Recap: Samaria and Acts 8 (00:02:48) - Are we the Samaritans? (00:07:26) - Faith, politics, and division (00:15:26) - A tax collector and a z...

God's call to Abram started with trust, not a sermon. How do we live out the mission to the ends of the earth, including the places and people we'd rather God's word skipped? Chapters (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:09) - Recap: Acts 1:8 and the call of Abram (00:03:27) - Abram's calling vs. the Great Commission (00:06:19) - Evangelism or just living among them? (00:11:04) - God's mission in places we d...

We are called to cultivate gratitude and thakfulness as part of our testimony. How do we actually do that practically?

Balancing the culture we live in with our faith can be tricky- especially if the faith has been part of our culture for generations. How do we make sure we don't get too complacent?

Some of us (Austin, for one) are such control freaks that we look up spoilers to avoid the anxiety of not knowing what's coming up. But that's incongruent with our calling to trust in the mystery of God's working. How can we learn to trust in the mysteriousness of God?

How do we decide which Old Covenant practices to still use in our modern times? 

When we are plugged into the Father's power, we can function the way we are designed. But what happens when we suddenly can't seem to accesss that power the way we expect to? 

Our desire for spectacle causes us to push back often on the subtle callings Christ may have for us. How do we de-center ourselves so that we can be responsive? And how do we make sure our desire for spectacle doesn't get in the way of doing "boring" work like deep thought and reflection? 

Remember, Remember, the Fifth of November... or don't, I suppose, if you want to lose sight of where your core identity is. Dan and Austin talk today about the importance of remembering the Oneness of God and of the church. When our whole identity is based off NOT being like the other churches, how do we effectively work together?

It's really hard to explain the Trinity without stepping into an ancient heresy. How do we handle conversations about incredibly complex issues without too much fear? 

When we have good management, it changes our experience at work. The same concept can be applied to our lives with Christ. Knowing we have an excellent boss, how does that help us know how to treat our past, live throu the present and hope in the future? 

No mater how far we find ourselves from the centers of power and influence in our nation, we always find ways to "other" people who we see as backwards or uneducated. What does Jesus' treatment of the region of Galilee tell us about how we are supposed to treat people in parts of the country we don't like?

How should we go about adjusting our expectations for what it means to make it through a challenge in life? How do we ensure we aren’t using the power we have fairly attained in ways that don’t follow God’s plans?

We are constantly trying to balance our goals and missions with Christ. It can be easy to get out of balance, and begin valuing Christ's ministry more than Christ Himself. 

We often think of Efficiency as a good thing, something to be aspired towards. How can it also become a temptation, or a problem?

The Holy Spirit fills many roles, but we understand very little of it. Does it fill the role of a guardian angel, or is that something else? And why do we need it to advocate for us when the Father already knows everything? 

Have you ever tried to re-pack a tent after camping, and no matter how you fold it you can't get to fit the way it used to fit? That's almost what this week's sermon felt like, as we had so much more to unpack from teh scripture we could hardly fit it in the sermon. Dan and Austin take some time to break down some creedal differences and envision a world where we are more incarnate than we may ten...

The Nicene creed spends a LOT of time talking about the Son. Why did they spend so much time on Jesus compared to the rest of the creed? What did people think about Jesus? And are we returning to the ancient heresy the authors of the creed set out to stop? 

As we get going on our series of the Nicene Creed, we started talking about what it means to serve One God Almighty. What does it mean to worship One God in our modern context? What does God's Almighty power mean for how we exercise power?

As we start our series on the Nicean Creed, Dan and Austin take some time to examine the historical, cultural and practical context of that important gathering 1701 years ago. 

One common New Year's Resolution is to "live more in the moment". This is an incredibly important thing, one that we are told to do well in scripture. But how exactly DOES someone live in the moment? What does it mean to be fully present during seasons of struggle as well as joy?

We are called to make room for both those who already believe, as well as those who may be seeking Christ. But what does it actually mean to make room? What does it mean to listen well?