A Better Word

Remember gym class, when the teacher picked two captains and then let them choose teams one by one? Some kids got called first while others just stood there, waiting. Pastor Nick Gatzke takes us to a moment when several grown men—the disciples of Jesus himself—were playing that same game, just with much higher stakes.

Have you ever tried to fix something yourself before finally and reluctantly admitting you needed help? We do it with cars. We do it with relationships. And if we’re honest, we do it with God. Pastor Nick Gatzke exposes some of the subtle ways we reveal our lack of belief in the power of God.

For anyone who’s ever stayed up late, thoughts racing, trying to make sense of this world and their place in it––this message is for you. Pastor Nick Gatzke talks openly about faith... and doubt.  It’s an uncomfortable topic, but one Jesus addressed directly during his ministry on earth.

Sometimes you discover that the people you thought you knew are much more than what they seem to be. Suddenly you see them in an entirely different light. Pastor Nick Gatzke reveals what Peter, James, and John saw and how it completely changed the way they understood Jesus. 

Picture a cherished memory of a sky full of stars, a beautiful sunrise, or the view from a mountaintop. These majestic moments stay fresh in our memories, but somehow words can never describe what it felt like to be there. Pastor Nick Gatzke describes what Peter, James, and John saw on the Mount of Transfiguration. 

“Following” someone these days doesn’t cost us much. We can simply tap a button on social media and become a “follower”. No commitment, no risk, and we can undo it in a second. But Pastor Nick Gatzke explains what Jesus said it really takes to follow him. 

People often form an opinion of someone based on what other people say. Perhaps they hear a secondhand story, a passing comment, or a rumor floating around and suddenly they’re convinced they know exactly who that person is. Pastor Nick Gatzke cuts straight through the secondhand opinions people had about Jesus. 

Ever hosted a gathering where the guest list made you a little nervous? Maybe a wedding or a holiday table, where people from completely different worlds ended up sitting side by side. Pastor Nick Gatzke takes a closer look at a meal Jesus hosted for a crowd that had no business sharing a table. 

Jesus famously fed a crowd of 5,000 men with 5 loaves of bread and two fishes.  Then just a couple chapters later, Mark tells us that Jesus encountered another group of hungry people.  This time he fed 4,000.  Pastor Nick Gatzke explains what’s different about these miracles and three valuable lessons we can learn from them. 

Ask anyone who’s worked in customer service, and they’ll tell you animated stories about people getting frustrated because they didn’t things their way. Whether we acknowledge it or not, most of us feel entitled to get what we want, when we want it. Pastor Nick Gatzke delivers a powerful lesson about what we deserve. 

We like to think we deserve good things from family, employers, and even from God. In fact we demand, “what we deserve!” But the Bible makes it clear this attitude misses the mark. Pastor Nick Gatzke takes us to an interaction between Jesus and a Gentile woman that reveals what you and I truly deserve. 

Pastor Nick Gatzke talks about what it really takes to change––not just clean up. A lot of people think holiness is about tightening the rules, following more of them, or breaking fewer of them. But if that were true, the most discipled people would automatically be transformed. Find out it truly takes.

We’ve all driven by a house that looked absolutely perfect from the curb.––fresh paint, trimmed hedges, and a welcome mat that looks inviting. But what’s really going on inside? Pastor Nick Gatzke digs into a Bible passage that challenges us to take a closer look, not at the outside, but at the inside of our hearts.

When we reach out for help, we want immediate results. We tend to measure our level of trust in someone by their response time. So when they don’t text us back right away, we wonder if they really care at all. But Pastor Nick Gatzke challenges us to trust God’s timing even when it doesn’t match ours.

There’s a particular kind of tired that has nothing to do with laziness. It’s the tired you experience when you’re doing everything right but still not seeing progress. Pastor Nick Gatzke points us toward a hope that holds steady, even when results don’t show up.

Pastor Nick Gatzke returns to the miraculous feeding of 5,000 men. This wonder was recorded in each of the four gospels and witnessed by thousands. Because we’re familiar with this story, it’s easy to marvel at the massive scale of God’s provision and still miss the more important lesson. 

Think about the last time you faced a problem and realized you didn’t have what you needed to meet the moment. Pastor Nick Gatzke takes us to a similar moment when the exhausted disciples faced the impossible task of feeding 5,000 men in the middle of nowhere! Discover what God can do when we think we don’t have enough.

We all know people who seem incapable of making decisions. They’ll research a purchase for weeks but never check out, circle a choice for months and somehow never land––even when they know which way they should go. Pastor Nick Gatzke shares the story of a man who sat on the fence, and his delay had tragic consequences. 

Ever caught yourself avoiding a decision hoping if you just waited long enough, things would work out? Maybe it was a conversation you needed to have or a choice between two paths. Pastor Nick Gatzke introduces us to a king who mastered the art of avoiding decisions and the consequences were devastating. 

Most of us think we’re open-minded and willing to follow the evidence wherever it leads. But sometimes, no matter how much evidence we see, we remain in doubt. Pastor Nick Gatzke describes a group of people in the Bible who saw miracles and still refused to believe. Their doubt wasn’t for lack of evidence. It was something deeper. 

When was the last time you stood in a line that wasn’t moving? Maybe you were in line at the pharmacy, the DMV, or stuck in traffic. That kind of waiting is frustrating, But. Pastor Nick Gatzke walks us through a much harder kind of waiting––the kind where the stakes are high, and God seems silent. 

Ever wonder why God makes us wait? Why do we have to hold our breathe, search for answers, and watch for things to come? Couldn’t God just give us an answer right away? Pastor Nick Gatzke introduces us to two desperate people who were required to do the one thing none of us enjoy—wait.

Despite our prosperity, there are people today who are living on the fringes of society. Pastor Nick Gatzke introduces us to man whose life was beyond anyone’s ability to help. Yet Jesus meets him in the midst of his struggle and offers him hope.

Our culture loves stories about warriors and champions. We expect them to rescue the weak, stop disasters, and ultimately save the world! But what if our heroes don’t do what we expect or what we want? Pastor Nick Gatzke reveals the remarkable power of Jesus and what He chose to do with His unlimited power. 

Everybody’s afraid of something. We just don’t like to admit it. We may joke about the small stuff like spiders, public speaking, and turbulence. But there are fears that keep us up at night. Pastor Nick Gatzke reveals that what we do with our fear says a lot about our faith.