FOUNDRYcast

What was the last thing you looked forward to? There are a handful of experiences in life that we all want to be downright perfect. Mary, a young bride-to-be, was in the middle of one. Engaged to Joseph, she was spending a season of preparation. Typically, this meant a time of learning what it meant to be a wife, how to manage a household and growing from a young lady to a wife. And then someone s...

Have you ever found yourself in an impossible situation? We've all been there. Sometimes it just takes discipline or ingenuity. If fact, many of us pride ourselves for our ability to navigate impossible situations. It's a mark of pride. We get trophies, certificates, promotions and raises for how we can pull off the impossible. But let's be honest for a moment. We all remember that time when emoti...

Do you have that one person in your life that is IMPOSSIBLE to shop for? I think every family and friend group has one. It can be for different reasons, but you end up spending the whole year thinking about present ideas for them. The tactic I have always found helpful is to find something the person doesn't know they need. It could be something they weren't aware of, or a new hobby or interest th...

What would it look like if Thanksgiving never stopped? Can we get tired of the food, hanging out with family, and the otherwise relaxed few days each of us get? I think I would love it. Then again, I also think I would probably go crazy. Most of us quickly get sentimental when it comes to Thanksgiving. I have tons of memories. Many of my more recent are of Meredith and I's first "grown-up" Thanksg...

We all understand the importance of follow-through. It builds trust. Imagine a world without trust. I'd actually say we are pretty close to that right now. We are consumed with contracts, legal agreements, partnerships and many other forms of binding statements. But God has made a partnership with us. And it's bigger than anything we can imagine. The biblical word for this relationship is "covenan...

On November 6th, we gave a copy of Grow at Home to every household at Foundry. In this episode, Chad has a conversation with Winfield Bevins, author of Grow at Home.  So what is family discipleship? Discipleship is the parent's responsibility. (Proverbs 22:6) Kids are leaving the church.  A basic definition of family discipleship. Turning off, unplugging, and talking.  Simplicity is where it's at....

We are in our final day of reading Ephesians together. This has been a great experience for so many of us. We wrap up this passage with Paul closing a few of his large narrative arcs and him reminding us of the power of prayer.  Ephesians 6  Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. "Honor your father and mother." This is the first commandment w...

We are coming around the bend and seeing the end of the road for the book of Ephesians. But Paul isn't done yet. Trust me. There is still gold to mine from this book.  Ephesians 5 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to G...

Today we are really hitting the center point, the highest peak of Paul's letter. I'm excited about it. If anything, it is this chapter that made me want to launch into this whole weeklong conversation with Ephesians, beginning with the sermon Lies, Truths and Something to Believe in.  Ephesians 4 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you h...

Today we come to the place in Paul's letter where he begins building us deeper into the idea of what it means to be God's Holy People.  Ephesians 3  When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . . assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles. As I briefly wrote earlier, God hims...

This week, Foundry is reading through Ephesians 2. Here is our reading, reflection, and the audio link.  Ephesians 2 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to...

This week, Foundry is reading Ephesians together. We are excited to take a whole week to read deeply into this letter from the apostle Paul. Today we are reading Ephesians 1. Make sure to tune in each day for the daily reading.  Ephesians 1 (New Living Translation This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am writing to God's holy people in Ephesus, who...

We all want to find something. Especially something of great value. I remember when a good friend called and told me he found one of my favorite vintage guitar amplifiers on the side of the road...and then gave it to me. I freaked out, lost my mind and many other explanatory adjectives. It was something I could never really afford on my own. And I lugged that GIGANTIC app into places it was never...

No one likes to fail. Failure means many different things. There are ways we can positively spin it, by learning what doesn't work and what we can't do, but failure is never an anticipated outcome. And for some people, forgiveness means owning failure and all the emotions that come with it. This week we are digging into a story of forgiveness that ends up growing and growing. It starts in the gosp...

What is your favorite story? We all have the ones we love to tell. The ones our friends know, the ones that tell about what's important to us, and the ones that tell stories about how we became who we are. Jesus taught in stories. He taught what was important and what was complicated in stories. We call them parables, but Jesus told stories that created a world we can identify with and find oursel...

Have you ever thought something was simply too much? What about too big? At Foundry, our vision statement is Jesus is Big Enough. But what exactly does it mean for us to live into this phrase? We all hit situations in life where things get rough. It can get easy to be overwhelmed. For others, we have a hard time letting Jesus be big enough. This week in worship we are talking about how Jesus navig...

Have you ever yearned for your grandmother's biscuits? What about the smell of your grandfather or another family member as they come home from work? I remember mine always smelled like oil, sanitizer, and gold bond. Yes. That's a little odd. But he was a steel worker and each of those smells was the fabric of life. Those smells made up my roots. Roots are important. They ground us. They help us u...

This week we are diving into one of the oddest, most controversial and downright WEIRD books of scripture. Revelation is a testy piece of scripture. It is full of obscure references, fantastical imagery, metaphors, political speech and visionary experiences with God. Many times, it is understanding how to read such a book that is opposite from a style of communication we are used to that keeps us...