Ascension on Air

Life in this world is a mixed bag. We cling to the good things – relationships, health, safety, security, and naturally so. But so much of life is characterized by interruptions to those good things, and, as a result all that’s unpleasant – like pain, suffering, and disappointment. Sometimes this can be so severe that we view death as a reprieve. “It’s a good thing life doesn’t go on forever,” we...

“Carpe diem,” wrote the Roman poet Horace. Seize the day, grasp the moment while it’s here. Or, as our contemporary culture would put it two thousand years later, YOLO. You only live once. Whether it’s carpe diem, YOLO, strike while the iron’s hot, or some other turn of phrase, common advice points to making the most of the time at hand. And this is true also as a Christian. The Apostle Paul wrote...

“No man is an island,” wrote the English poet John Donne in the 17th century. And it’s true. Not one of us is independent of others. We all exist because of others and by others. That we are born of a father and mother is simplest proof. Some would say this is a bad thing. To be free of others, entirely independent – self-sufficient, self-directing, self-determining – this is the ideal of humanity...

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me” – or so goes the old childhood rhyme, as if what other say is of no consequence to us. The truth is, names – and words generally – have a lot of power. The words we speak and the words spoken to us can hurt deeply, as any child who’s been teased can confirm. But the power of words to help and heal is also very real – and none more...

This episode of Ascension on Air begins a new series that’s all about a new component of ministry at Ascension: small groups. Over the next four episodes, we’ll introduce the concept of small group ministry and explore the unique blessings such ministry can bring. In this first episode, we lay the foundation for it all. Everything that’s built needs a solid foundation to endure, including ministry...

Have you ever had an epiphany, a sudden realization of some truth or reality that had been unseen or unknown up to that point? Sometimes that happens in school, when whatever you’re studying just “clicks” – it finally makes sense. You see connections and understand relationships and grasp ideas that eluded you before. Epiphany is a useful word in Christianity, too. It describes a realization of wh...

On the first Christmas, an angel proclaimed good news of great joy to shepherds in a field. That same message of joy comes to us today - no matter where it finds us. Now, a special Christmas episode of Ascension on Air : Here Is Joy!

If you’ve spent any time in the Rockies of the western US, you know that generally there’s no straight path through them. At least, not naturally. Between the mountain heights and the deep valleys they form, it’s not easy to traverse your way from one point to another. Such a seemingly insurmountable set of obstacles is an effective metaphor for any number of challenges in life – including human s...

There’s more to see than meets the eye. This of course is something commonly true in life, which is partly why the phrase is so well known. You tap your device and this podcast starts – music and the sound of my voice comes suddenly into your perception. But what is unseen is everything going on behind the scenes to make it happen, from the communication of your device with the Internet to the sou...

If you were to take this past week and write it all out on a calendar, all the hours and how you spent them, all the time devoted to rest or work, to this task or that opportunity, what would it look like? Hopefully there would be sufficient time for sleeping, balanced by an appropriate effort at work or school. Maybe you’d have spent lots of time with loved ones, or spent lots of time on your own...

There are plenty of things in life that can give us a false sense of security, from our jobs and income to our fitness and youth, even the people who care and provide for us. It’s important to recognize that all of those potential sources of security have their limits. But this is even more critical when it comes to a false sense of security in our relationship with God. People tend to imagine God...

What’s in a name? Well, of course, names are really quite powerful. The names we give ourselves or receive from others can both be an expression of identity as well as something that helps reinforce or form our identity. But can a name do more than this? Can a name reach into the past and change it? Can a name run ahead of us into the future, charting a new course with a new destination? Can one’s...

Our series, The Time in Between , is all about life right now, as we wait for Christ’s return. And while we’d like to be easy, the reality is quite the opposite. Jesus promised us it would be so – that just as he was hated by this world, so we will be. Including by the secular powers of this world. We enjoy many protections in this country; but the Bible reveals that secular authorities will often...

This episode of Ascension on Air starts out a new series called The Time in Between . It’s a series that’s all about our lives in this unique period of human history, between Christ’s first coming – his life, death, resurrection, and ascension – and his second coming when he visibly returns to bring to his people final victory. It’s a unique time to live in many ways, and we’ll explore various asp...

In this episode of Getting to Know God , we’re talking all about direction - because getting to know God, as he truly is, means grappling with our direction in life apart from him and the shift in direction he brings. The truth is, when God steps into our life, when we get to know God, there is a true change in direction. There’s a change in orientation. That’s what the Bible’s concept of repentan...

In this second episode of Getting to Know God, we focus on the need for a shift, a change in the way we approach things when it comes to God and our relationship with him. And the reason is simple: We’re used to a work and reward way of doing things in this life. We do things, we get appropriate rewards or recognition. But God doesn’t operate that way. In fact, our relationship with God, if it wer...

This episode launches a four part series at Ascension called Getting to Know God . In part one of this series we talk about God’s grace. There is perhaps no more critical aspect of God to grasp than grace. It’s the foundation of the gospel, it’s the reason any Christians exist. It explains why I’m doing this podcast and why you’re listening to this. It drives everything in the Christian life – and...

In this final episode of our Transformed series, we look at conflict and reconciliation, and how the gospel of Jesus transforms the Christian's approach to both of these. Our message is based on Matthew 7:3 and 2 Corinthians 5:14-21.

Satisfaction and contentment are elusive in this life – more than we realize, more than we want to admit. That’s what Solomon found. But he also discovered an answer to this, grounded in what God has been in Christ all along, that is truly enduring and lasting .

What does it mean for the gospel to transform sex within marriage? In part 3 of our Transformed series, we explore that topic based on Genesis 2 and Ephesians 5.

Despite our diversity, contemporary America shares a common human experience. We desire deep identity that often remains elusive. We idolize sexuality and suffer because of it. We chase contentment - a contradiction in terms. We need relationships and yet hurt the people we love. That's the way of our world. But Jesus Christ offers something better. Not a fix; not an enhancement. But a transfo...

Despite our diversity, contemporary America shares a common human experience. We desire deep identity that often remains elusive. We idolize sexuality and suffer because of it. We chase contentment - a contradiction in terms. We need relationships and yet hurt the people we love. That's the way of our world. But Jesus Christ offers something better. Not a fix; not an enhancement. But a transfo...

Entropy means this world is falling apart. Steadily, over time, the useful energy of this world is conforming to a dull average. The ride's coming to an end. So how can the Christian experience the opposite ? How can it be that, in Christ, our life is improving instead of declining? It sounds crazy, but that's what Paul writes to the Corinthians! That is, as we see Christ more clearly, we...

God has great plans for you. In Christ, you have grand purpose. Growing up into that purpose is what God desires for you.

Within the Christian is old and new. The old is as ugly as can be; the new loves what is truly good. The seeds for an epic struggle are sown. Paul's encouragement? Walk by the Spirit!