Arbor Church

Self-reliance is reliance on one’s powers and resources rather than those of others. In Bryan’s final message before he departs on his next adventure, he shows us how to get unstuck from unhealthy self-reliance.

But while he was still a long way from home his father saw him, and his heart went out to him; he ran and hugged his son and kissed him. – Luke 15:20 Addiction is a powerful force that can leave us feeling stuck and alone. Ryan shares how the story of the Prodigal Son can help us find our way back to God’s love and grace.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing?” – Matthew 6:25 When anxiety rises, where we fix our focus determines whether we will fall apart – or find peace. Ryan opens our summer series Unstuck .

On this Father’s Day, a message from Mark 10:46-52, on another healing of a blind man – and this man is one we can look up to as a shining example of how to follow Jesus.

They said to him, “Permit one of us to sit at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking!” – Mark 10:37-38 Today, Ryan speaks about the hard truth that the Disciples confronted in Mark 10: how we so often prefer the security of the throne over the sacrifice of the cross.

*“Now as Jesus was starting out on his way, someone ran up to him, fell on his knees, and said, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” From Mark 10:17-31, the story of a man who seemed like he had absolutely everything he needed to enter the Kingdom of God – humility, obedience, religious piety, and sure proof of God’s blessing in his abundant wealth. This week, Ryan helps us unde...

Then some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” – Mark 10:2 The Pharisees tried to trick Jesus into taking sides on the topic of divorce. It was a contentious matter in Jesus’ time, and, in the two thousand years since, it hasn’t gotten any easier. Today, Scott tackles this tough subject with love and humility.

From Mark 9:38-50, the story of the disciples’ confrontation with others who were casting out demons in Jesus’ name, and Jesus’ warning for those who would lead others to sin. A brief portion of Brian’s message is missing from the beginning of the podcast due to technical difficulties. The Management apologizes for the error.

This week in the book of Mark (9:30-37), the disciples hear Jesus plainly foretell his own death, and they respond to this shocking news by … arguing about which of them is the greatest. They were, in a word, disoriented . What can we learn from periods of disorientation in our lives?

Immediately the father of the boy cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” – Mark 9:24 Today, from Mark 9:14-29, a valley follows the mountaintop experience of the Transfiguration. Can we bring our doubts to Jesus? … And what happens when following Jesus feels like it’s making things worse ?

A very powerful wind went before the Lord, digging into the mountain and causing landslides,but the Lord was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper… – 1 Kings 19:11-12 This week, Ryan concludes our 3-part miniseries on Sol...

Elijah was afraid, so he got up and fled for his life to Beer Sheba in Judah. He left his servant there, while he went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He went and sat down under a shrub and asked the Lord to take his life. – 1 Kings 19:3-4 Ryan continues our series on the spiritual discipline of solitude with a framework based on Elijah’s time in the wilderness after a threat on his life. How...

Then Jesus got up early in the morning when it was still very dark, departed, and went out to a deserted place, and there he spent time in prayer. – Mark 1:35 Following our series on fasting, this week we embark upon a new series on the spiritual discipline of solitude . Ryan defines solitude and silence and their role in the Christian life.

From Mark 9:2-13, Alison shares a fresh perspective on Moses and Elijah’s appearance at the Transfiguration, and how, in our deepest valleys, it can build our faith.

From 1 Corinthians 15 and the Easter story, a special message about a Resurrected King who can resurrect us… if we surrender to His lead.

Today, Jesus fails to meet … everyone’s expectations. He rides on a colt instead of a horse. Then he gets really emotional about Jerusalem. And finally, he gets really mad . Teaching elder Scott Hetherington shows us, through the story of Palm Sunday, how our expectations of Jesus cause Him to weep over our blindness to Him as our Savior.

Then Jesus called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and because of the gospel will save it.” – Mark 8:34

We opened the Life and Way of Jesus series with a message about Jesus’s tendency to defy everyone’s expectations . Today, Jesus is back at it… healing a blind man with some spit (and only … halfway healing him at first?!), saying Get behind me, Satan! to the man who had just made the most famous confession of faith in history, and telling everyone not to tell anyone who he really is.

Today’s message, from Mark 8:1-21, is about how the disciples repeatedly failed to see reality as it really was, and why … sometimes … we do too.

In today’s message from Mark 7:31-37, obstacles are encountered, obstacles are surmounted, Ryan makes the mistake of flying on Spirit Airlines, and Jesus heals a deaf man.

Today, Bryan challenges those of us who can be controlling, tells the story of how Jesus confronted some gatekeepers, and answers a very difficult question: did Jesus really call someone a dog?

Now when Jesus had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. He said to them, “Are you so foolish? Don’t you understand that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him? […] What comes out of a person defiles him.” – Mark 7:17-20 From Mark 7, Alison speaks about Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees, the Law, legalism, our hearts, our insides...

From Mark 6:45-52: the story of Jesus walking on water. If you’ve been going to church for a while, you’ve probably heard this story a thousand times. But … why did Jesus walk on water? And how did the disciples keep missing the point? And why do we ? Ryan explains.

As we close our 3 week mini-series on fasting, Ryan continues to explain the why of fasting. Why do the words “fasting” and “prayer” so often appear together in Scripture? What is fasting good for?

Ryan continues our 3 week mini-series on fasting.