Adventurous Living - The Meadow Springs Community Church Podcast

Jesus lays out how he pursues lost people and also his heart for those who wait for them. We see a couple of examples here in Luke - a lost sheep, highly valued by it's shepherd and a lost coin, a woman's significant asset. But the joy is really not about the item's recovery... would life go on if the sheep or the coin weren't recovered? Yes, and that's the very reason why the third example of the...

Grandparents can serve a very special purpose in the lives of their grandchildren. Cheerleader, confidant, instigator and participant in all things FUN... but most importantly, prayer warriors. Praying for your grandchildren - that they would make good choices, follow the Lord in their hearts and lives and grow in the truth and knowledge of God - is so important. Building a godly legacy should be...

What a wonderful location and opportunity to dive into what the Bible says about the spiritual practice of  solitude  - what is it, where can we find it and why is it important to our spiritual life and growth?

We are wrapping up a month of special updates by our local Mission & Prayer Partners. We have been so blessed by all of them! This week,  Mark Nicholson will share his amazing experience in Africa this summer where he brought needed supplies and ministered to and served young people who wish to gain employment and business experience. Additionally, our Thailand Mission '25 Team will be introduced...

Please welcome Rachel Wilson from First Image/Ava Health Centers and Jeremy Waldridge from Pure Life Alliance this week as we continue to feature local mission & prayer partners. Prayer Partners are local Christian ministries whose work came to the attention of the Missions Team through a member of MSCC who has an active affiliation with the organization. The Missions Team seeks to support these m...

Josh and Katie serve with Josiah Venture whose purpose is to "equip young leaders to fulfill Christ's commission through the local church", investing in the next generation of leaders here in the US. Josh & Katie served as youth pastors at MSCC from 2005-2010. Sharing their heart for disciple-making, they encourage us to stay focused on Jesus, even when ministry is hard and to not grow weary in do...

Prayer is such an integral part of our knowledge of God. We can go to Him in confidence, asking, seeing and knocking. Because, by His very nature and name, he is honor bound to give us more of Himself... Father Son, and Holy Spirit. Whatever we are praying for or about, it is more about God's provision  than our own persistence.

Craig & Megan Hammond are serving at a public high school in the Salem-Keizer School District where Craig officially serves as the Chaplain for North Salem High School. He also acts as an assistant coach and Megan is present in many ways for the students and staff. The opportunities that God has given them are resulting in hearts and souls being won for the Kingdom—not every day, but bit by bit an...

We are revisiting the central theme of our current message series, "The One Thing: Mary or Martha?" What if it is actually better, in all the ways that really matter, to set Martha's 'to do' list aside and instead, discover Mary's simple yet profound joy of being in Jesus' presence... sitting at His feet and listening.

What makes someone a good neighbor? Is it friendly conversation over a shared fence? Lawn care for an elderly couple down the block? It has been described as 'being made aware of a need and, if you are able, meeting that need.'  Today's information highway ensures we are aware of so many - BIG needs all over the world. How do we, as followers of Jesus, step in and even step up?

" Where is your faith?"   he asked them. The disciples were filled with fear, NOT faith as their boat was tossed about in the raging storm. Did Jesus' presence in the very same boat, although sleeping, indicate nothing to them? Even the chosen twelve needed to be reminded that the 'faith over fear' mantra is not just for a t-shirt. 

Generosity denotes the spirit in which one performs an action - a voluntary, unselfish giving of time, money, attention or other resources. Generous people are especially willing to share their resources with others. How do we engage generously within the Church and within our own local communities and congregations?

Jesus, in startling detail, lays out the events surrounding his own death. It's an uncomfortable truth because moving forward, the choice to follow him would come with 'strings'... uncomfortable and even painful personal losses. What are we willing to lose in order to follow Him? In today's culture, following Jesus often comes at great personal sacrifice.

Reading the bible and listening to what it tells us are key to our relationship with God. There is no better way to get to know someone than by listening - really listening - to what they say. But then what do you do with what you've heard?

The primary way the scriptures refer to God is as our Heavenly Father. Unfortunately because so many of us have not had good fathers we can struggle with having a positive view of God as our Father. But what if we could begin to see ourselves the way our Heavenly Father sees us? How would our lives change if we truly believed our Heavenly Father was absolutely crazy about us? What if we began to l...

On the last day of Easter, something was brewing. Luke writes about the people - from every nation under heaven - that had come together and experienced something truly transformative. What do they do now? Where do they go from here and what will life look like on the other side of the day of Pentecost? It is truly the BIRTH day of the Church and it has been 'growing up' ever since!

We warmly welcome our guest speaker this morning, Ron Frost .  How does the spiritual practice of reading scripture teach us important things about about God, His character and His promises? How does understanding the scriptures makes God's word so personal and active in our lives? 

Jesus had promised his disciples that they would receive the Holy Spirit to empower them to be witnesses to all the earth. Get ready, because it's happening! The event known as Pentecost marks the arrival of the Holy Spirit, where God's presence is intimately experienced by believers and empowers them to fulfill the Great Commission. And wow, what a sight it would've been!

Jesus' apostles could have only had questions… nothing was clear and they were patiently waiting. But waiting for what? They were waiting for Jesus, risen and alive, to make things right and restore His kingdom. How long would they have to wait? What would waiting look like? Very likely, none of them could have even imagined.

It's hard to let go of our kids. As they get older, they step forward… and away. They assume more responsibility and more autonomy. As parents, we know this has been our most important job - to take these precious gifts from the LORD, and point them in every way we can to Jesus and to a deep and abiding trust in Him. Moms… we experience all the feels. Love, appreciation, pride… and the accompanyin...

  Imagine being so invested in one thing that it's all you can do... all you can think about. You ate it, drank it... lived it. Luke is describing this very thing - a "fellowship of believers" - whose only pleasure was to  "praise God and enjoy the favor of all the people" (vs. 47a).

Peter nails it, doesn't he? After reminding people of Jesus' ministry - his life, death and resurrection - he tells them how they should move forward. "Repent and be baptized, every one of you… and you will receive the Holy Spirit." He assured them, for their children and generations beyond, that they would have the same access to Jesus' saving grace that Peter himself saw first hand. They began l...

It's as if it were too good to be true...  "On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus."  (vs.1-3)  Then those women were asked, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has rise...

This week is a big one... we refer to it as Holy Week but that is definitely a term applied in hindsight. Luke, in his gospel, outlines these days from Jesus' triumphal entry through the gates into Jerusalem to his betrayal, arrest and brutal death. But Sunday is coming! What appeared to bury their hope that Jesus was who He said He was became the greatest victory in the history of the world. We k...

Having experienced a pivotal point in his ministry and with his disciples, Jesus continues to color outside the lines of tradition. But while He incurs the disdain from the political and spiritual leaders, Jesus is reaching people with God's truth and the reality of eternal separation from Him if they do not repent and believe… hanging out together is not enough. Jesus is keenly aware of those who...