BLVD (Boulevard) Church Podcast

The term calling can be confusing, even frustrating. How do we figure out our purpose in a world full of options? In this message, we look at Genesis 12:1-3 and the Call of Abram. This passage reveals a Biblical understanding of calling and how to live a life of purpose in a world of possibilities. ____________________ You can learn more about our ministry by clicking HERE

How do we live a meaningful life in a chaotic world? For many of us, life can border on crazy-busy moreso than crazy-meaningful. The story of Babel, in Genesis 11, offers us a warning, an invitation, and a promise that will help us subdue the chaos and embrace the goodness of God. _____________ For more about our ministry, CLICK HERE

If we are to live meaningful lives, we need to understand the God who makes life meaningful. What are we to make of the storms of life? What of a God of judgment? Sometimes, the Scripture that seems most odd and shocking is counterintuitively beautiful — Genesis 6-9, the story of the Flood, is no exception.

Part of a meaningful life is living with passion — giving ourselves to something greater. How do we live with passion? What can we possibly give our lives to that won’t consume us, but instead will stoke the embers of our hearts? Genesis 4 tells us about the tragedy of Cain and Abel — in it we learn that a life of passion is one where we stop bargaining with God and give him all of us. This is the...

We long to live lives of impact and intimacy — to make a difference and to love — but something insidious stands between us and a meaningful life. Why do we often feel so dissatisfied with life? In Genesis 3, we learn about sin and evil as the ultimate enemy to a meaningful life. And this topic is more complex that it first appears. ________ To learn more about our ministry, CLICK HERE

What is the meaning of life? At some point, we all seem to ask this question. When we look at the Creation stories of Genesis 1 and 2, we get insight into the two driving forces for meaning in life: impact and intimacy ____________ To learn more about our ministry, CLICK HERE

How can Christians become people of non-anxiety in an anxious society? How does the Gospel bring an answer to my daily anxiety? In Matthew 9:35-10:40, Jesus teaches his disciples about the principles and power of a non-anxious presence. He sends them out to an anxious world with instructions for answering anxiety. In this sermon, we learn how to bring Jesus' teaching into our life today. _________...

Life is very difficult -- Jesus is called the Prince of Peace, so why do I not feel peaceful following him? In Matthew 9:35-38, Jesus tell his disciples that he did not come to "bring peace on earth." Does this contradict what we know about Jesus being our Prince of Peace? Or is there more to what Jesus is teaching, here? In this sermon, we dig into these questions and learn that following Jesus i...

What's more important than knowing what you want out of life? -- Knowing what you need. We have all experienced a sadness that our lives have not turned out as we'd hoped. We just aren't where we thought we'd be by now. Though wonderful, life can sometimes feel like a burden -- where can you find relief for that nagging sense that something is wrong with you - that you have to try harder or go far...

Jesus talked about "the Kingdom" a lot — it was his central teaching: "The Kingdom of the Heavens is near, enter it and receive eternal life."  But, what does that mean?! What does life in the Kingdom look like? In Matthew 5:1-5, Jesus shows us how to enter his Kingdom through spiritual poverty, mourning, and meekness. ______________________ CLICK HERE to learn more about Church on Boulevard

Why are followers of Jesus so dysfunctional? How could a bunch of wounded people join together to bring the world to healing? In today's message, we see that Christians enter into the wounds of their story in order to enter the wounds of the world in order to bring others to the healer. The teaching is based on Matthew 4:23-25 ______________________________ Learn more about Church on BLVD by CLICK...

How "In" should we be for Jesus? If we are "All In" disciples of Jesus, won't we become religious fanatics? Aren't the "most Christian" people the least loving, relaxed, and tolerant people? Matthew 4:18-22 shows us that not only are disciples of Jesus the most loving, humble, and tolerant -- they are the LEAST likely to become religious fanatics. Listen in whil we discuss the dynamic, dangerous,...

What do we do when we are "In-Between" -- when we have outgrown one where we have been, but not yet where we are headed? Life isn't always HIGH or LOW -- so what do we do in-between the high's and low's? So much of Christian messaging can lead us to believe we need Jesus to keep our life to avoid some terrible low -- or we need Jesus in order for our life to reach some victorious high. But, the hi...

Have you ever hit a wall in your faith? Or a season of disillusionment with Christianity? Did it feel like your very soul was under attack? Maybe you were/are tempted to bail on God entirely? The Bible uses the metaphor of the wilderness for times of spiritual battle -- it can feel like hitting a wall and tempt us to give up on God. Jesus shows us how to fight back against spiritual evil in the wi...

Do we expect the Christian life to keep us from hardship? In Matthew 3, we see that a Christian does not avoid hardship, but that they have unparalleled resources to use their hardships to become someone great! The Symbol of Water The Concept of Baptism The Principle of Resilience Get the SERMON SLIDES HERE ____________________________ Learn more about Church on BLVD HERE

What is repentance? Why is it vitally important for us to repent? In this sermon, we look at Matthew 3:1-12 and consider what repentance means under 3 headings: Consider: The Kingdom is at Hand! Confess: Admit That You Aren't Okay Conform: Go "Prepare the Way" ______________________ Learn more about Church on BLVD by clicking HERE

Why do Christians say they believe one thing, but act as if they believe something different? How can we actually live as if what we believe is really real? In this message on Galatians 1:1-5, we explore how the Gospel shapes us to live in true freedom in every area of life. We consider: The Government of the Gospel The Grounding for the Gospel The Glory in the Gospel ______________________ Learn...

Romans 1:21-25 - Are you satisfied with your life? There are so many competing desires inside of us. Do we suppress them through self-mastery? Do we unleash them through self-indulgence? Is there another approach that will give us satisfaction? In this sermon, we address: The Problem with Desire How the Gospel Uniquely Satisfies the Problem How This Shapes Us Together _____________________________...

Galatians 5:6-8 -- Are faith and reason compatible? Or does the Christianity encourage blind faith? In this sermon, we consider: Why Thinking Is Important Why We Need The Gospel to Challenge Our Thinking How This Impacts The Church - "Gospel Thinking Workshop" To jump to our Gospel Thinking Workshop, scroll to 50:31 _______________________________________________ To learn more about Church on Boul...

2 Corinthians 5:17 -- If we are "new creations" in Jesus, why do we not experience the abundance of life that the Bible promises? Why do churches appear to be filled with people who aren't more generous and loving than non-Christians? In this week's sermon, we learn how Scripture responds to these questions. We consider the following: What is the problem with the "old self"? Why is the "old self"...

In a digital age, it feels harder than ever to build deep, trusting relationships. In this message, we consider how the Gospel empowers us in the area of Christian friendship. __________________ Learn more about Church on BLVD by clicking HERE

Most of us don't feel like we have enough. We don't believe that less possessions might lead to more life. How does Jesus transform our hearts to hold our possessions loosely? What is a Gospel-shaped attitude towards money? _____________ To access the sermon slides, CLICK HERE To learn more about Church on BLVD, CLICK HERE

How does our conception of time impact our ability to live life to the fullest? In this message, we discover how the Gospel reshapes our understanding of time, freeing us to make the most of one of our most valuable resources. Scripture: Ephesians 5:1-2;15-17 CLICK HERE to access the companion worksheet to apply this teaching to your own life. Learn more about us at www.churchonblvd.com

Do you ever long for more out of your life? Most of us don't see just how contingent is our vision for life on a deep, inner thirst. In John 4, Jesus engages and transforms a Samaritan woman. This passage reveals that the secret to living your life with soaring vision has everything to do with digging down to your deepest need. ___________ Learn more about Church on BLVD HERE

How do we recognize our gifts and the gifts of others? How can we leverage our gifts to strengthen our city? In this week's episode, Paige, Drew, Derek, Cody, and Megan engage a round table conversation about the joys and challenges that come along with exercising our gifts in the world. We address: What our gifts are for How to identify and exercise our gifts Basic habits for shaping our characte...