Spark Cast

Session 4 of Spark's Spiritual Retreat with Mark Yaconelli, Healing Our Image of God and Ourselves

Session 2 of Spark's Spiritual Retreat with Mark Yaconelli, Healing Our Image of God and Ourselves

Session 1 of Spark's Spiritual Retreat with Mark Yaconelli, Healing Our Image of God and Ourselves

Pastoral intern, Josh Boucher, walks us through some very practical points of finding and discovering rest, in the midst of very busy lives which are not attuned to rest. Referencing CS Lewis, we discover that simply believing God exists is not enough. We must also believe that God is good, there, we will find rest for our souls.

Spark member, Melissa (Look) Braunworth, recently lost her 27 year old brother, Bryant, to cancer. In this teaching, we have the privilege of hearing Melissa share about her faith journey in the midst of suffering, as she points to the places where she's found Rest in the most difficult of journeys. Engage deeply with these reflections, as Melissa shares honestly, and profoundly, about her faith,...

When Jesus declares, "if anyone is thirsty they should come to me and drink," he is set against the backdrop of a main Jewish festival, Sukkot (Tabernacles). Through his declaration, we discover multiple layers of meaning, of what Jesus is saying about himself, the festival, and about us!

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Jesus Tired? Worn down? Exhausted? Feeling frenetic, weary, or burdened? Come. Learn. Discover. Why? Perhaps the exhaustion we feel is not because of our pace or...

We invite all of our podcast listeners to join us for what will prove to be a transformative event in your life's journey; a spiritual retreat with author and speaker, Mark Yaconelli. In this special announcement, hear a little more from Pastor Danielle regarding the heart behind the retreat, and some of what we can expect. This event is open to the public, so please help us spread the word. Visit...

The summation of all the ethics of Jesus, perhaps could be stated in two words, "for life." Drawing on John 10:10, and a variety of cultural nuances, we discover that there's a lot of life to be had, which is oftentimes distinct from the stale religion in which Christianity is often disguised. May we never settle for anything less than the full, complete, and abundant life Jesus came to offer.

This Jesus way is not "part-time," or "part-life." It is the call and challenge of Jesus to not simply give a segment of my life to this movement, but rather all of my life to it. And through this "all in" attitude and perspective, may we not only be transformed in our decision making, but also transformed in our experience of Jesus's presence, every day. In everything, may Jesus's love, and commi...

The Jesus movement emerges on the scene with a significant backdrop, the Roman Empire. In the midst of this powerful and authoritative presence, the Jesus Way confronts and overturns Roman influence, but not in ways expected. Rather than a military uprising, or a coup, Jesus calls us to "lay down our lives," "take up our cross," and "follow Him." Subversively, this way calls and empowers us to liv...

Insignificant. Mediocre. Small. Little. These are not words that usually cause inspiration or empowerment. Yet, this "mustard seed faith," is what Jesus seems to be advocating in Matthew 13. Not only will we be encouraged, welcomed, and invited into this Kingdom movement, we will actually be astonished at what becomes of our seemingly paltry contributions. The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed...

In this teaching, we discover two main truths that can help inspire us to embrace one of the most difficult ethics that exist, forgiveness. The first is that forgiveness transforms the forgiver. The second is that forgiveness is a reflection of our understanding of God's love and grace to us. Thus, if we were to embrace the fullness of forgiveness, we would bring healing to our understanding of Go...

Not only does the Kingdom movement of Jesus invite all to enter, especially the marginalized, but we see this ethic exemplified in the very life of Jesus, as he too was one who came marginalized. Why is this ethic important? Because "those on the margins speak a truth that must be heard by us all and we all need to hear that cry." And, the love of God is on display to those on the margins.

Jesus's harshest teachings are directed at the religious, the hypocrites who turn beautiful teachings and traditions into heavy burdens. If you've ever experienced this kind of religion, Jesus's approach will offer solace and solidarity, but more importantly, a model for how to effectively transform abusive religion into something beautiful for this world.

The "kingdom of God" is often spoken of in terms of the afterlife, or what happens when you die. Digging deeper, we discover that the "Kingdom of God" is actually about here and now, the very presence and closeness of God's rule and reign.

There are two possible interpretations of Jesus's welcoming of children in Matthew 18, both are profound and important for followers of Jesus. The first is to actually recapture the characteristics and values of the young, not to be childish, but to regain the wonder, awe, and enlivened sense of wonder that is found in children. The second, according to cultural backdrops, is to eliminate any stat...

Jesus's use of parables is a powerful way of sharing multiple layers of meaning in one story. In Matthew 20, we find the parable of the workers in the vineyard and the wildly lavish generosity of the vineyard owner. Through this parable we come to understand God's grace in new and grand ways, but also discover the poor attitudes of those who feel they ought to be treated differently. In other word...

The short question and answer time at the end of this week's message.

Jesus's teaching on "greater and lesser" commandments is a brilliant framework for shifting our thinking and believing in multiple ways. First, it equalizes the value of my neighbor and myself, and it equates loving my neighbor with loving God. Second, it provides a central driving ethic that informs all other commandments and interpretive applications of those commands. Embracing "greater & lesse...

We begin our Jesus Ethics series with the phrase, "Do not resist an evil person." In this teaching Jesus's well known phrases of "turn the other cheek," and "go the extra mile" mean something far different than the popularly understood meaning of "just take it." Once we engage with the culture and context, we see that far from simply being a passive victim of violence, or a vengeful retaliator, Je...

As we come the close of our Genesis series, we have to ask the question, "How do we end the story?" Even in the midst of the dynamic ups and downs of Joseph's life, he decides to sum it all by saying, "God intended it for good…" This phraseology hearkens back to Genesis, where the entire creation was "all good," and provides the reader a way of framing the entire Genesis experience.

As Israel is now heading down to Egypt as a result of the famine, God gives him this promise: "I will be with you." As "going down" in the Bible symbolizes distance from God, or departing a familiar place, these verses highlight the difference of Israel's God from all other gods; namely, that God's presence has no boundaries. In all of the ups AND downs of life, God's promises and presence remain...

[This is a re-recording of the live message] The dramatic unfolding of Joseph's encounter with his brothers exposes the hurts and pains of Joseph as he is faced with his brothers many years after they sold him into slavery. Now the second in command of the world's greatest empire, Joseph's actions and attitudes betray the reality that his present dysfunction is a manifestation of past family hurts...

Our understanding of Joseph as a dreamer and interpreter of dreams is not the only lesson that is being conveyed through the Biblical narrative. Joseph is also a leader, though not one in the conventional sense. Without status, title, authority, Joseph leads with the grit determination and integrity to still influence the world around him, regardless of opportunities or circumstances. May we also...