The Surge Podcast

Dealing with Letting our Emotions be Tempered by Who God Is

Dealing With A Feeling of Emptiness

Dealing With Despair

Habakkuk 3 Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places.

Why Doesn’t God Do Something? Habakkuk 1:1-17 We see injustice, or evil, or sickness, or a society gone wrong, a holocaust or an orphan and we ask the question - where is God? Why does He allow this to happen? Our prophet asks the question, but instead of this being a rhetorical exercise to not believe, he gets an answer from heaven itself.

Is unfollowing Jesus a good idea? Transitions, temptation, and trouble always create questions and doubts. But Peter responded to an uncertain future following Jesus with, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of life and we’ve come to believe you are the Holy One of God.” Yeah, we’d better consider the alternative. Salvation costs nothing, but following Jesus will cost you something. But...

If Jesus is asking us to follow Him, what kind of leader is he? In response to competition between the 12, Jesus tells them that to be great, you must be the servant of all. And he demonstrated it by living for others. Leverage authority to benefit those under you . Be for others, be humble. Ask how you can help others. Maybe you can’t do for everybody, but you can do for one person.

What if Jesus’ plans conflict with my plans? Here’s the rub. God is God, and we can’t thwart His will. And because He’s God, He’s invited us into something bigger than us. We can do what we want and think it’s right, like Judas did, and rue the day. Or we can decide, as Jesus followers, to trust God knows what He’s doing. It’s all about whose will wins out in the battle for our hearts.

Is there a price to pay for following Jesus? Jesus eventually lays out the fine print for following him, and it’s to be willing to deny yourself and take up a cross. That means simply saying, “No” to me. We’re not unfamiliar with this—we all turn down dessert at restaurants from time to time, right? But Jesus telling us we are to say “No” to us scares us to death. But maybe it shouldn’t. You save...

What should followers of Jesus wear? People tell us what they follow by what they wear: Cheeseheads at Packer games; green and yellow faces at Brazil soccer games; women in birkas; Buddhist monks. What we should be known for as Jesus followers is loving people like Jesus loved people—people that don’t deserve it. Paul describes loving like Jesus loved us as as clothing ourselves with compassion, k...

What is the endgame, the ultimate reward, for following Jesus? It’s not just to be a better person, although we will be better people. It’s not just going to heaven, although we will. It’s not to be pain or problem free. It’s “fear not.” The endgame is to make us fearless. The lack of fear results from our utter confidence that God is always with us regardless of the circumstances, even painful on...

If I were to follow Jesus, would I be expected to just drop everything in my life? Following Jesus begins with listening and asking questions, not leaving your world, your family, and your job. Jesus teaches truth, we listen, ask questions, and learn. It’s not blind faith. It’s based on information Jesus imparts. But don’t be surprised Jesus might lead you to do something that makes no sense, mayb...

If I were interested in a job following Jesus, what would my resume have to look like? Jesus invites people who are a mess into a relationship, and you don’t even have to believe anything or do anything. There’s no admission fee. He picked people others thought should not have been allowed into the club. Change happens through the “following” Jesus.

Are there truths of the Christian faith worth dying on the hill for? Well, truth is truth, and all truth is God’s truth. That said, not all truth is of equal importance. “A prophet is without honor in his hometown” is true, but it may not be as important as “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” What are the truths worth dividing over and what are th...

Surprise!! It’s about the resurrection.

As a Christian, can you tell me why you do what you do? God has saved us, but left us here on earth. Seems logical to think there must be a reason He hasn’t just taken us home. In fact, what’s delaying God from just ending this mess down here and getting the fun stuff of eternity with Him started? Don’t we know it’s because there are yet people to be saved? Shouldn’t that be about what we’re about...

How do we distinguish issues that are not worth disagreeing over from those that are? Yes, we don’t just “get along” to “get along” on every issue. Some are matters of opinion where we have the freedom to do what God tells us individually, but some are more indisputable issues, where God has clearly spoken. On the latter, we need to take a stand. Even on those, there’s a right, loving way to begin...

How do we handle disagreements in church? Don’t be sitting around judging each other on disputable issues, where everyone has the freedom to do what God tells them to do. Be sensitive to newer, less mature Christians—do what helps them grow. Judging doesn’t help that growth, by the way. be willing to pass on your own freedom in Christ out of deference to others in the body.

What would really happen if we took Jesus seriously? Connecting the story of dramatic change in Ephesus to the call Paul makes in this passage for Christians to wake up. I never saw before that the dramatic change in Ephesus began when Christians saw the consequences of treating Jesus as something less that He really was. He’s not a genie or a consultant; He’s God and He wants to be Lord.

What are Christians to be known for? We should be known for our love—owe no one anything, except to love each other.

There are two trains heading towards each other. One train is traveling at 200 mph and the other at 171 mph. How long before we figure out the proper use of power and influence in light of God's love for us?

What does it look like for me to be in the right place at the right time and step fully into what God wants me to do in that moment?

What does it look like for me to be in the right place at the right time and step fully into what God wants me to do in that moment?

So I have a sweater and houseshoes, I like kids... how do bring I bring calling into the world?

How do guardrails limit heartache for me and those around me? Proverbs 4 has Solomon telling us to guard ours heart because everything we do flows from it. So, we need some guardrails for our hearts. You ever say something and wonder, “Where’d that come from?” Answer: your heart. So, how to tell the heart’s got a problem? You’ll find guilt, anger, greed, jealousy. When you hit these guardrails, wh...