Brooklife Podcast

As we check ourselves as a church and ensure we are being the church God has called us to be, it requires a heart check. Believe it or not, our good efforts will not always be welcomed. What happens when our good efforts get taken advantage of? Key Verse: Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,...

We continue on our journey of making sure we are the church God’s called us to, and to be that church requires each of us to have certain characteristics. We get a real-life example of someone who personified that in the Scriptures. Join us this Sunday as we learn from him. Key Verse: Acts 6: 8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the peopl...

We continue our journey to Redefine the Church. We want to be the church God wants us to be, and we won't settle for anything less. That desire in and of itself can sometimes be a problem when we think the church should just be what it should be, and it's not. How do we fix it? Why should we have to? Shouldn't the church just be what it should be?  Key Verse: Acts 6:7 So the word of God spread. Th...

We continue our pursuit of reDefining the Church, and making sure who we are as Brooklife matches up with God's design. What is essential? What is extra?  Key Verse: Acts 5:41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.

We continue to look at what God says should define a church. Last week, we saw how the church started in such an amazing way, but already, we’ll see something happen that threatens to rip the whole thing apart.  Key Verse: Acts 5::11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

With so many different types and styles of church, how can you know which one is right? It's a question I'm sure you've had to struggle through and probably just went with your gut. I totally get that, but I want to give you more than just your gut to go on. Key Verse: Acts 4:32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared ev...

We pick up at the next major milestone in the life of Mary's Boy, Jesus. I absolutely love this part of Jesus' story, and it helps us understand just how human Jesus was even though He was completely God.  Key Verse: John 2:11 This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

We continue to take a look at the human side of Jesus and actually think of Him as a middle-schooler. That’s a novel thought!  Key Verse: Luke 2:52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

It's Christmas at Brooklife, and this year, we want to look at Christmas through the lens of Mary. What must it have been like to watch God in the flesh grow up? What must it have been like to parent Him? We will be asking and trying to answer so many thoughts and questions while taking the time to celebrate that Jesus, our Emmanuel, came to be with us! Key Verse: Matthew 2:11 On coming to the hou...

This is Thanksgiving at Brooklife, and we are going to do it “family-style”! Taking time to stop and just celebrate our great God and His incredible gifts to us as a church family is so, so important. We are looking forward to sharing that with you as well as having the sacredness of all “meals” with you too.  Key Verse: Luke 17:15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in...

This Sunday is a big-time celebration because it’s Baptism Sunday! We’ve got a bunch of people going public with their faith, and it’s not too late for you to join them! Simply respond to this email or come ready on Sunday. Also, we will be wrapping up our A Better Place series with the best part of heaven. Key Verse: John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes...

We've talked a lot about the Better Place that heaven will be, but what's the alternative? Is there really a hell? If there is, how could a loving God send anyone there? Is it really as bad as they say? Key Verse: Romans 1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

As we continue our series on Heaven called "A Better Place" this week, we'll take on the question, "What in the world are we going to look like?" Do we have bodies? Do we just float around? Will we be recognizable? Key Verse: Philippians 3:20-21 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything...

Last week, we talked about the “feels” of heaven. Heaven is going to be a place overflowing with love. But now we want to ask, “What will we do in heaven?” There are so many misconceptions!  Key Verse: Genesis 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

All of us at some point in our lives, when someone we know has passed away, have heard people try and bring comfort with the words, “They are in a better place.” But what does that mean? What is it that God promises us when we die? What is Heaven, and what are we going to do there? Do we get a mansion? Are we all in a choir? I mean…is it worth sacrificing my life here for life there? We'll discove...

Whoever coined the phrase “time flies” definitely knew what they were talking about. I don’t know about you, but for me, time seems like it moves so fast that I can’t keep up! What can happen to a lot of us is we forget that life is a precious gift, and we end up spending a lot of our time on things that may not truly matter. Verne Hagenbeck shares with us some powerful life-changing principles, a...

We conclude our You Dig series with a final thought about the value of people. What comes to mind is the potential of humankind. What is it that we are capable of? What could we be? What does God believe about us? Key Verse: 1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see...

I've got a cool concept I'd like to share with you called 'Bestowed Worth.' It's fascinating how this little concept plays such an important role in why the church exists and in what we are supposed to be and do as we prepare the way for God to do what only God can do. Key Verse: Luke 15:32, But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost...

Why do you matter? Why are you significant? Are you significant? And if you matter, doesn't that mean everyone matters? Again, why? That's what we are talking about as we continue to Prepare the Way for God to Do what Only He Can Do! You dig?? Key Verse: Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air,...

The Dreaming continues as we resume from where we left off last week, focusing on our role to Prepare the Way for God to Do What Only He Can Do. It's essential not to overlook our significant part in this process. Join us this Sunday at 8:45 or 10:30am as we talk about the huge part we play. Key Verse: Matthew 11:11 I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater...

Dream Sunday is this Sunday, and you don’t want to miss it! Our fall kicks off, and with it, we dream of what God would have us do this next year! Be prepared for fun, excitement, and God’s presence here. Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

We wrap up our series, Afraid to Ask, with someone who wasn't actually afraid to ask; he was so afraid he forgot to ask. It's a great story with a great lesson for each of us. Isaiah 37:20 Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God.”

We continue the discussion of why we are Afraid To Ask God to do what only God can do. Sometimes the reason we are afraid to ask is because it means we have to let go of something we really, really want. Why is it so important that we do let go?  Key Verse: 1 Samuel 1:27-28 I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life h...

Most of us believe in the power of prayer and have seen prayer work in our lives. So why is it then, that often times our prayers are inconsistent, rote and used as a last ditch effort to get God to do something for us? This week, we will be looking at a prayer that one of the super heroes of the faith prayed. A big, bodacious, bold prayer! A prayer that moved the heart of God and changed the circ...

Why would we be Afraid To Ask God to do what only God could do? Well, I can think of quite a few reasons. We're talking about another one: Why wouldn't we ask God to help clean up our messes? Key Verse:  Galatians 6:8, 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.