Goodly Talks

After a short break for Holy Week, we wrap up our series on church membership by answering real questions from our community. In this episode, Alyn talks about how to discern which church to commit to, what membership at Goodly actually means, how spiritual gifts grow and mature, why elders matter, and why Goodly is taking its time in appointing them. Along the way, he unpacks the heart behind mem...

On Easter Sunday, this message explores the majesty of Jesus through His death, resurrection, and exaltation. Alyn shows how Christ’s majesty is revealed not only in His divine authority but in His humility, obedience, and final victory over sin and death. Because of Jesus we can live free from condemnation, trust Him in the middle of suffering, and walk with the hope that whatever road we are on...

In this message, Alyn reflects on the final days of Jesus’ life and what they reveal about who He truly is. Not just what He did, but how He lived under pressure, knowing the cross was only days away. From humility to compassion, from service to comfort and care, this is a look at the kind of King Jesus actually is. If your picture of Jesus has ever felt harsh, distant, or demanding, this message...

On this episode, Alyn and AJ explore a big question: what is the church actually for? They unpack four broad purposes of the church: proclaiming the gospel, making mature disciples, cultivating worship and the presence of God, and building a community where people are encouraged, strengthened, and cared for. This is a message about more than attending church. It is about belonging, growing, and he...

What would it look like to actually do church with Jesus present? Alyn unpacks a  striking scene from Mark 2 and lets that story set the vision for what Goodly is trying to be, walking through five values that shape Goodly's culture: being presence-led, welcoming the questioning and curious, building real community through genuine connection, creating space for the kind of risk that leads to...

In the first message of a new series on church membership at Goodly, Alyn and AJ explain how people tend to relate to church at different levels of involvement, why none of those levels carry more value than another, and why membership still matters biblically. They also share the story of how Goodly began and the heart behind building a church shaped by both the Word of God and the Spirit of God....

In this episode, Alyn addresses the rising wave of church leader scandals and the disorientation many believers feel in the aftermath. Rather than focusing on specific situations, he explores the deeper issues underneath the crisis: the gap between spiritual gifting and spiritual maturity, the pull of cognitive dissonance that makes us defend what should be confronted, why this painful pattern is...

We’re closing our series by talking about reward. In 1 Timothy 4, Paul says physical training has value, but training for godliness is better, bringing benefits in this life and the next. In Matthew 6, Jesus highlights three simple disciplines that carry reward when practiced the right way: giving, prayer, and fasting. Not for applause. Not for performance. But for intimacy with the Father who see...

After last week’s unrecorded real-time breakdown of a conflict and reconciliation, Alyn revisits the heart of the conversation and finishes what was left unsaid. This episode explores the crucial difference between forgiveness and reconciliation, why forgiveness is non-negotiable for followers of Jesus, and why reconciliation requires mutual ownership and wisdom. Drawing from Scripture and the rel...

Due to winter weather, we are gathering online this week, and we’re so glad you’re joining us from wherever you are. In this message, Alyn and AJ step away from our current series to share a personal testimony of God’s faithfulness across seasons of uncertainty, waiting, and stretching faith. What began as an impossible situation became a reminder that God often invites us into more than we can se...

This week, we look at what Jesus calls “unrighteous mammon” and why money is one of the clearest tests of the heart. In Matthew 6 and Luke 16, Jesus is not chasing our cash, he’s exposing what we trust, what we fear, and what we actually serve. We talk about “first,” why it shows up all through Scripture, how tithing functions as a heart-check (not a fundraising tactic), and how to shift from an e...

Scripture says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” But what does that actually mean, and why does it matter so much? In this episode, we look at why guarding your heart is essential to finishing well in this life and preparing for eternity. Drawing from Proverbs 4 and Ephesians 4, Alyn names the specific things Scripture says steal our peace—bitterness, rage,...

Every January brings pressure. New goals. New habits. New expectations. And for most people, those expectations collapse almost as quickly as they arrive. This message reframes the start of the year away from resolutions and toward attunement. Rather than asking how to become better, it asks a quieter question: what might the Holy Spirit already be inviting us into? Using Paul’s warning in 1 Corin...

On the final Sunday of 2025, Alyn and AJ set aside the usual sermon to host a testimony service, inviting the church to share what God has done in their lives over the past year.  Several people share meaningful moments from the year: renewed spiritual connection and courage to show up, a quiet healing from high blood pressure, freedom from church trauma and panic attacks, God’s kindness in major...

This is the final message in our Advent series, focusing on love. Rather than trying to convince anyone that God loves them, this talk explores why many of us already know that but still don’t live from it. We look at how shame, performance, and avoidance quietly shape our inner lives, and how easily the love of God can become familiar but disconnected from real experience. Using familiar passages...

In week three of Advent, we focus on joy, the kind that meets us in the middle of mess, fatigue, and unmet expectations. Looking at Luke 2 and the shepherds’ encounter with the angels, we reflect on why God chose the overlooked and weary to hear the good news first, and what that reveals about who Jesus came for. We also turn to Isaiah 35, a powerful picture of deserts coming to life and tired hea...

In this Advent message, Alyn moves from the first candle of hope to the second candle of peace. Looking at Micah 5 and Isaiah 9, he explores how Israel expected a Messiah who would bring peace through power, yet Jesus came to bring a deeper peace by dealing with the real enemy, sin. Alyn highlights two kinds of peace Jesus offers. First is peace with God — the salvation that settles our souls. Sec...

In this Advent message, AJ revisits a season many of us enjoyed growing up without fully understanding. She explains how Advent is more than candles and carols. It is a four week invitation to remember that Jesus arrived and that He will arrive again. AJ shares the origins of Advent, the meaning behind its candles, and the history that shaped the tradition. She also speaks honestly about the tensi...

In this message Alyn explores one of the most overlooked parts of the Christian life: living in the presence of God. He talks about the difference between knowing truths like “God is omnipresent” and actually encountering the manifest presence of God in a way that reshapes your decisions, your peace, and your everyday life. A trip to a conference in Belfast wrecked Alyn’s nice, tidy theology and l...

In this final part of our four week series on the kindness of God, we tackle a big question: what are we supposed to do with all this freedom God gives us? Alyn teaches what it means to be “able not to sin” and why our choices genuinely matter and discover that the wisest use of agency is to offer it back to God by serving Him and others in love. Alyn also unpacks the shift from “ I should obey ”...

Part three of our series on the kindness of God explores a big question: how do God’s sovereignty and our human agency fit together? We look at Scripture that exalts God’s rule over all things and then watch how He still asks, invites, and honors real choices. From the story of Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20, we see a God who knows the end from the beginning and often uses our agency as the means to His e...

In this episode, Alyn continues exploring the kindness of God—this time through the lens of human agency. From how we handle prophetic words, to how we give, to how we relate to leadership, Scripture reveals a God who doesn’t control but invites. Alyn shows that true freedom in Christ means taking responsibility for our discernment, generosity, and trust. Discover how God’s kindness is revealed no...

Many Christians know about the severity of God but have missed the beauty of His kindness. In this message, Alyn unpacks what it means to live both biblically truthful and intellectually honest—without losing sight of God’s heart. Exploring how divine sovereignty and human agency work together, he shows that God doesn’t override our choices but invites us into partnership. Through the story of bli...

In this episode, AJ walks us through the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 and what it reveals about God’s heart toward us. Before Jesus ever gives us words to pray, He reminds us of who we’re praying to—a good Father who already knows what we need. From that foundation of peace and relationship, AJ explores each line of the prayer: how to approach God with confidence, invite His kingdom into our world,...

Ever feel like your faith has gone a little flat? Like you’re trying to live right, but the spark just isn’t there? This week, AJ picks back up in the book of Matthew and unpacks Jesus’ words about being the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Through vivid first-century imagery and honest reflection, she helps us see what Jesus was really saying... that following Him isn’t about perform...