thinking out loud

Terry Timm explores Jesus' teaching to "give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's," showing how Jesus exposes the trap of competing loyalties. He challenges listeners to consider what has their deepest allegiance—money, politics, comfort, culture, or the kingdom of God. Ultimately, Terry calls the church to give Caesar his coin, but to give God their whole lives as image-bearers wh...

Richie Reeder teaches from Matthew 22 and Jesus' parable of the wedding banquet, showing that the kingdom of God is a kingdom of gracious invitation. He explains both the generosity and seriousness of God's invitation, emphasizing that we must receive it on the King's terms rather than our own. The message challenges believers to live as invited people who extend welcome, hospitality, love, and ac...

Terry Timm reflects on Isaiah 25 and Revelation 7 to describe God's coming kingdom as a great feast where all peoples are welcomed, death is defeated, and every tear is wiped away. Connecting this vision to World Communion Sunday, he reminds the church that God's table is global, inclusive, and centered on Christ. He invites listeners to live toward that future now by seeing people as image-bearer...

In the second message of the series, *Kingdom Come*, Terry Timm explores Jesus' parable of the workers in the vineyard from Matthew 20. He shows how the kingdom of God is not built on what we earn or deserve, but on the generous character of a God who keeps coming, sees the overlooked, and gives abundant grace. Terry invites us to receive God's goodness with humility and to celebrate that same gra...

In the first message of the "Kingdom Come" series, Richie Reeder introduces the "already but not yet" reality of the kingdom of God and what it means to live under the reign of King Jesus here and now. Focusing on Matthew 18 and the parable of the unmerciful servant, he explores how deeply forgiven people are called to become forgiving people. Richie acknowledges the difficulty of forgiveness whil...

In this Labor Day message from Terry Timm, he frames work as a God-given calling to "cultivate and care" for the places and people entrusted to us. Acknowledging that because of the fall, work is often marked by frustration, toil, and distorted identity,  our true worth is found in being beloved children of God. Through Christ's finished work, we are empowered to join God's redemptive mission, pra...

In this message, Richie Reeder reflects on Jesus' invitation to choose presence over performance through the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10. In a culture marked by busyness, striving, and distraction, this talk invites us to slow down, sit at the feet of Jesus, and rediscover the gift of resting in God's presence. You may want to watch this video, Be Still , before or after listening to the m...

In this message, Terry Timm brings the "Blessed and Broken" series to a close by reflecting on the deaths of Jacob and Joseph in Genesis 49–50. He shows how Scripture makes room for grief, names brokenness honestly, and reminds us that evil is never the final word in God's story. Through Joseph's trust in God's unseen promise, this message points us to the hope that all of God's promises find thei...

In this message, Terry Timm continues the "Blessed and Broken" series by exploring Joseph's story in Genesis 45. Using the question from the musical, "Hamilton"—"Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?"—he invites us to consider how Joseph interprets his painful past through the lens of God's providence. Through betrayal, suffering, and eventual reconciliation, we see that God may be hidden in...

In this message, Terry Timm continues the "Blessed and Broken" series by turning to Genesis 37 and the beginning of Joseph's story. He explores how God's promise moves through a deeply fractured family, a mysterious dream, and circumstances where God seems hidden. Through Joseph's journey, Terry invites us to trust that even when we cannot see God's hand, God is still faithfully at work.

Terry Timm explores Genesis 32 and Jacob's wrestling with God, showing how God meets us at the end of our strength and forms us through struggle. He highlights Jacob's new identity as Israel, reminding us that wrestling with God is not failure but part of a faithful relationship with Him. The message invites listeners to bring their "limp"—their weakness, pain, and dependence—to Christ, where the...

Richie Reeder explores Genesis 29 and the story of Jacob, Leah, Rachel, and Laban, honestly naming the discomfort of patriarchal polygamy, deception, family dysfunction, and cultural brokenness. He shows how Jacob, the deceiver, becomes deceived, revealing the blind spots, unhealthy patterns, and relational wounds that run through the story. Yet the message emphasizes that God remains faithful in...

In this message, Richie Reeder walks through Jacob's encounter with God in Genesis 28, where a fugitive with a stone for a pillow discovers that heaven is far closer than he imagined. Richie shows how God meets us not after we get our lives together, but right in the wilderness of our fear, regret, and exhaustion—turning hard places into holy ground. He then challenges us to recognize the "Bethels...

In this message, Terry Timm explores the story of Jacob and Esau in Genesis 25 to show how the everyday "trades" we make reveal what we truly value and shape who we are becoming. He contrasts Esau's impulsive surrender of his birthright for a bowl of stew and Jacob's grasping for what God had already promised with Jesus' call to "seek first the kingdom of God." Throughout, Terry urges listeners to...

In this message, Katherine Sikma Wadsworth reflects on the story of Rebekah and Isaac in Genesis 24, framing God as the true "matchmaker" who guides Abraham's servant to Rebekah in the midst of a deeply patriarchal and broken system. She highlights Rebekah's extraordinary generosity, courage, and faith, drawing parallels to Abraham's own risky obedience while clearly naming the injustice and dange...

In the fourth message of our "Blessed and Broken: God's Promise Through Imperfect People" series, Terry Timm explores the story of God testing Abraham in Genesis 22. He unpacks how this difficult and weighty text reveals God's provision, Abraham's radical trust, and the foreshadowing of Jesus as the ultimate sacrificial Son. Terry invites us to consider our own "Isaacs" and what it means to trust...

In this message, Richie Reeder preaches from Genesis 21 on the story of Hagar and Ishmael, showing how God sees, hears, and provides for those who have been pushed to the margins. He explores themes of broken families, rejection, and being an outcast, connecting the biblical narrative to the painful but familiar experiences many carry today. Richie concludes by emphasizing that even when others ca...

In this second message of our "Blessed and Broken" series, Terry Timm explores the story of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18, where God brings an impossible promise close to an aging, imperfect couple. He shows how their initial laughter of disbelief is transformed into joy as God proves that nothing is too wonderful or too broken for Him to redeem. Terry invites us to recognize God's presence in t...

This first message in the "Blessed & Broken" series explores the call of Abram and Sarai in Genesis 12, showing how God's promise moves through imperfect, unfinished people. It contrasts the human impulse to "make a name" for ourselves with Abram's shift to calling on the name of the Lord, highlighting faith as a step-by-step journey into the unknown. Terry's message  invites listeners to see them...

In this message, Richie Reeder unpacks the Great Commission in Matthew 28, emphasizing that the mission of the church is to make disciples through everyday relationships rather than expert-level knowledge or formal programs. He highlights how discipleship invites us beyond our comfort zones, participates in God's transforming work, and is sustained by Christ's ongoing presence as we simply share w...

In this Pentecost message, Terry Timm reflects on why the Holy Spirit's first gift to the church was language, exploring Acts 2 as God's radical move toward all peoples, cultures, and dialects with the "wonders of God." He contrasts Pentecost with the Tower of Babel and with modern tendencies to merge Christian faith with national or tribal identity, warning against any monochrome version of Chris...

In this message, Katherine Sikma Wadsworth explores the holiness of the human body, challenging dualistic theology that elevates the soul while sidelining or shaming our physical selves. Moving through creation, incarnation, resurrection, and ascension, she shows how Scripture affirms that God meets us in and through our bodies, and that Jesus' ongoing embodied life is good news for our own flesh....

This message by Terry Timm reflects on our deep human longing not to be abandoned, using the Still Face Experiment and the image of spiritual "orphanhood" to name our fears of being alone. Teaching from John 14, Terry shows how Jesus answers that fear by sending the Holy Spirit—the Paraclete, or "true friend"—who comes alongside us, lives in us, and unites us with God in love. Listeners are invite...

In this message, Terry Timm reflects on Jesus' words in John 14 to people with "troubled hearts," inviting listeners to move from mere belief to deep trust in Christ amid stress, grief, and uncertainty. He unpacks Jesus' promise of the Father's house and the many rooms as a picture of God's welcoming presence, made possible through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. 

In this message, Richie Reeder teaches from John 10 about Jesus as the Good Shepherd and the gate for the sheep, emphasizing that our primary role as disciples is to listen for and follow His voice. He contrasts Jesus' heavy responsibility as Shepherd with our simple but challenging call to cultivate stillness, silence, and attentiveness amid a noisy, hurried culture. Through Scripture, personal s...