The LVfirst Podcast

What if the superpower we’re all really looking for is the ability to be fully known—and still fully loved? In this episode, we continue our conversation about becoming more relatable people by looking at Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 13. Often read at weddings, this passage was originally written to a divided church struggling with comparison, insecurity, and the need to prove themselves. Paul po...

**Episode Description:**   What do Zingers, keto, and meat sacrificed to idols have to do with following Jesus? In this message, Pastor Adam Hildebrand continues our series on being “Relatable” by looking at Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 10:23–11:1. The Corinthian church loved to talk about freedom—but Paul reminds them, and us, that Christian freedom isn’t meant to serve ourselves. It’s meant to...

What does ancient Corinth have to do with your everyday life? In this episode, guest speaker Amy Valdez Barker takes us through 1 Corinthians 7:17–24 to unpack Apostle Paul’s message on identity, status, and transformation. From the ruins of ancient Greece to fascinating insights on how our brains process pain, Amy explores how easy it is to get caught up in bickering, comparison, and outer expect...

What does it look like to stay united in a world that keeps pulling us apart? In this episode, we begin a new series in 1 Corinthians called *Relatable*, looking at Paul’s plea to a divided church in Corinth. We talked about how differences don’t have to become divisions, why unity is not the same thing as sameness, and how the cross of Christ gives us a bigger shared identity than our preferences...

In this sermon, Pastor Adam Hilderbrandt continues our journey through **Jeremiah 29:4–14**, exploring what it means to live faithfully even when life is not where we hoped it would be. Speaking to God’s people in exile, Jeremiah reminds us that God’s plans for peace, wholeness, and hope are not postponed until circumstances are perfect. Instead, God invites us to seek Him, serve others, and live...

This Sunday, we continued in Jeremiah 29 and reflected on God’s invitation to build homes, plant gardens, and seek belonging even in places of exile. We talked about how all of us long to be known, welcomed, and given a place to belong. Together, we considered how real community requires time, inconvenience, and commitment. Real community also becomes the place where healing and growth happen. We...

This Sunday, we continued in Jeremiah 29 and reflected on what we are truly looking for in life. We remembered that, even in seasons of exile, God’s plans for us are still rooted in peace, wholeness, and hope. We explored how God invites us to respond by seeking Him through worship, prayer, and drawing near together. When we seek God with all our hearts, we find the meaning, belonging, and purpose...

This Sunday, we began exploring Jeremiah 29 and what it meant to live faithfully when we found ourselves in places we didn’t want to be. We reflected on exile as any area of life where things felt unsettled, disappointing, or far from what we hoped. Together, we were reminded that God’s plans for us were rooted in shalom (peace, wholeness, and hope) and that we lived into those plans by seeking Go...

This Sunday, we began the new school year by reflecting on what it means to “fill the right cup.” We looked at Nehemiah’s story and saw how God used his heartbreak for Jerusalem to move him from self-living to self-giving. Together, we considered the places where our own hearts were stirred and how we could pour ourselves out in meaningful ways for others. We were reminded that as we served our fa...

This Sunday, we walked through Genesis 22 and the story of Abraham and Isaac, reflecting on what it meant for Abraham to be asked to sacrifice his “most precious” son. We traced Abraham’s larger story, seeing how God repeatedly provided and kept His covenant, and how this moment uniquely tested whether Abraham loved God for who God is or only for what God gives. We then examined our own lives, ask...

This Sunday, we turned to 1 Kings 19 and walked with Elijah into the depths of fear, exhaustion, and depression after his great victory on Mount Carmel. We reflected on how even God’s strongest servants can feel utterly alone and how, like Elijah, we often withdraw when we’re hurting. We heard how God met Elijah not in the wind, earthquake, or fire, but in the sound of sheer silence, reminding us...

This Sunday, we continued our “Cool for the Summer” series by revisiting the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. We reflected on how David’s real battle began before he faced the giant, when he was offered Saul’s armor and had to decide whether to trust in appearances or in God. We recognized the ways we, too, try to wear “someone else’s armor” through comparison, imitation, and imposter sy...

This Sunday, we explored the history and heart of campmeeting as a Methodist tradition rooted in evangelism, joy, and relationships. We looked at Ezra 6 and the rebuilding of the temple, noticing how God transformed opposition and fear into celebration and renewed worship. We then turned to stories of Jesus—from the Samaritan woman and Zacchaeus to the synagogue leader’s daughter—to see how encoun...

This Sunday, we continued our “Cool for the Summer” series by diving into the story of Gideon in the book of Judges. We reflected on the names and labels that have been placed on us, and how they can become limiting scripts that keep us stuck “threshing wheat in a winepress” – living in fear, insecurity, and self-doubt. We heard how God met Gideon in his pit, called him a “mighty warrior” before h...

This Sunday, we talked about how God meets us in wilderness places where there are less distractions and we can truly encounter His presence. This week, we're inviting you to challenge yourself to practice humility and slow down from our busy lives to encounter God in new and authentic ways. 

This Sunday, we explored the fall of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 and God's profound question, "Where are you?" We learned that God is constantly moving toward us in a desire for restored relationship. God's kindness leads us to repentance, and when we name the things that shame us, shame loses its power. Through Jesus, we are invited to come out of hiding and to experience the fullness of God's Spir...

This Sunday, we celebrated Pentecost Sunday by digging into Acts 2 and asking what it really means to be a Spirit-filled church. We looked at how the Spirit came like a rushing wind and tongues of fire, but we focused even more on what the Spirit did: He enabled the disciples to speak real, native languages so that everyone there heard the good news in their own tongue. We learned why it matters t...

This Sunday, we explored how we can often get trapped in our nostalgia and "declinism" — the belief that everything was better "back in the day." The Ascension story challenges that and reveals Jesus' radical vision: to launch the Kingdom of God for all people, everywhere. The Ascension isn't about waiting for Jesus' return, it's about bring heaven to Earth by the Holy Spirit working through us.

This Sunday, we read the Gospel story of the wedding at Cana. In this story, we found a profound truth — that often we only turn to Jesus when something in our lives gives out. In this story, Mary the Mother of Jesus shows us that we can bring our problems to Jesus before they give out, because He can give us more than enough. Our job is simple obedience - to bring our troubles to Jesus and to do...

This Sunday, we took a look at Joshua 1 where God commands us to be strong and courageous when facing life transitions. We found that true strength and courage don't come from having everything figured out, but from knowing that God goes with us.

This Sunday, we took a look at the story of the Walk to Emmaus where Jesus appeared to two disciples on Easter Sunday. We examined the things that occupy our minds and conversations and often keep us acknowledging Jesus' presence. The reality is that when we focus on our disappointments and problems, we blind ourselves to the hope and presence of Jesus walking with us.

This Sunday, we discussed the common uncertainty we feel after we celebrate Easter. We looked at Jesus' encounter with Peter in John 21 and how we are called beyond comfortable patterns into active mission. When we are uncertain about our next steps spiritually, the answer is always the same: go out to love and serve others.

This Sunday, we dove into the story of "Doubting Thomas" and how we can often find ourselves in a similar mindset. We talked about how we live in a world that demands proof before trust and how that mindset can follow us into our faith. When we dig into Thomas's story, we find that faith requires a shift from seeking proof to actively trusting God with what we know and don't know.

This Sunday, we took a look at John's Gospel account of the resurrection and reflected on Jesus' question to Mary, "Who are you looking for?" We were challenged to turn away from the empty places in our lives and to recognize that what we've been searching for is actually a who. A living savior who brings resurrection - right here and right now.

This Sunday, we explored Jesus' demonstration of servant leadership during the Last Supper as he washed his disciples' feet. At the very peak of His influence, Jesus chose to serve rather than be served. It is this same selflessness that Jesus calls us to — to use our influence and privilege to serve others rather than expecting to be served.