Ditching Perfection

Hope can feel elusive. Sometimes we chase after it, only to feel like it is out of our reach. Other times, we feel like we have a little hope, but we don’t feel like we can share it. What if there isn’t enough hope to go around? In this sermon from Ezekiel 37, we will be reminded today that God’s hope is most clearly experienced in community. God’s hope is for the whole neighborhood. This sermon w...

I am convinced that security and joy are connected. So, what do I mean by joy? From my perspective, joy is a SETTLED GLADNESS— rooted in finding our security and our identity in God, who is trustworthy, faithful and unchanging. But this whole thing isn’t easy right? So, in today’s sermon, we are talking about the invitation to travel light so that we can make room for God to bring deliverance, pea...

In today’s day and age, a teeter-totter mentality dominates our culture and can even weave its way into our closest relationships. We buy the lie that “when I go up, you go down” and “there can only be one winner.” This breeds habits of hostility, but when we follow the example of Jesus, we are empowered by the Spirit to cultivate habits of humility. When we live that way, we move from self-promot...

Kids ask questions... all the time. They wonder why the sky is blue, they want to know the story behind their middle name, and they want to know what is on the agenda after dinner. Unfortunately, as we grow up we lose our sense of curiosity. We feel like asking questions is wrong, and instead we feel like we have to have it all figured out. We establish rhythms, routines, and habits that make us f...

We all long for peace… especially in times of uncertainty and waiting… but what if what our heart longs for isn’t found in convenience and comfort zones? What if true peace is found not in spectating… but through fully participating in the new thing that God is doing? This sermon was originally preached in December 2023 as a part of the Advent series at Nampa College Church. —— I’d love to connect...

We live in a culture where trying hard, climbing the corporate ladder, working, checking off boxes, and abiding by the rules are celebrated and rewarded. Is it overachieving really that harmful? To us? To the people around us? Often the very hands that God invites us to raise in joyful, peaceful, surrender, end up being the instruments for our striving. But the good news is that we don’t have to c...

Whether we like to admit it or not, we often judge a book by its cover right? From these preconceived ideas, we decide if we can risk trusting someone. But what if God is inviting us to uproot those deep, preconceived ideas and see the fingerprints of God in everyone around us? What if we were to call out the goodness in others so that they can see it in themselves? Today we are unpacking the stor...

We all wear labels. Some of the labels we are proud of, and others bring us a lot of shame. Because of the labels we try to hide, we are quick to put labels on other people. In the parable of the prodigal son, the father invites both brothers—the rebellious younger child and the performance-driven child to see themselves as beloved. Jesus invites us to see ourselves as beloved too. When we underst...

Hearing confirms what we think. Seeing challenges us to think differently. 👀 What we hear is all filtered through our past experiences, perceptions, ideas, fears, beliefs, and expectations. Hearing keeps us comfortably at an arm’s length, but seeing causes us to be up close and personal…. As we will learn from Revelation 7 today, seeing moves us to link arms with people who are different than us...

We want to feel our worth. We want to know that we are loved, significant, and valued. We desire this, but because there are so many messages competing for our attention, we can easily forget that we are worthy of love. In this unexpected passage in Matthew, we will realize that Jesus invites us to be a part of the family, frees us from what is holding us back, and gives us hope for the future. Th...

Our family is preparing for a trip of a lifetime. We are going to explore the different places with no agenda except a plan to rest, enjoy each other's company, and learn from people in cultures different than ours. In this episode, Mike and I share a glimpse of our travel plans, how we packed for ten weeks in one carry-on each (truly miraculous), and what we believe that God is going to teach...

Do you ever feel like you’re spinning your wheels, but not necessarily moving forward? What if rest is actually the answer? In today’s episode, my friend and colleague, Pastor Ryan Gage, is here to reflect with us about his recent sabbatical and what God taught him through his season of rest. He will share with us: 💡the importance of untethering yourself from your schedule, 💡how oftentimes maint...

This week on the podcast, my friend, Tone Marshall, is here to share with us about: 💡how the intersection of caring people and basketball led him to a relationship with Christ during his college years, 💡the importance of discerning what is good and what is God, and, 💡how daily repetition is actually long-term formation. Let me tell you about my friend, Tone… Antonio (Tone) Marshall is the Chapl...

Do have dreams or a vision to make a difference in the world, but you feel like your perfectionism and fear of failure is holding you back? If so, this episode is for you! My friend, Liza Chitwood, is here to share with us: ✨how a “performance fast” helped her ditch perfectionism, ✨how understanding her identity as beloved by God freed her to adventure with God, and ✨how that freedom led her to...

What do you love about your faith community, and how can you make that experience something others can stumble upon? In part 2 of our conversation with Danny Atkins, he will remind us that missional living looks like taking the rhythms of what we already do in our faith communities and making them public. Relocating, rather than re-strategizing, will bring us into friendship with others who can ex...

For those of us who are Jesus followers, we often hear the call to share the Gospel and to live on mission, but we may ask ourselves, “How do we do that?” In this 2 part conversation that we’re starting today, my good friend, Pastor Danny Atkins is here to remind us that “we’re not trying to take something from God to people. Instead we’re trying to put flesh on what God is already doing.” So, fri...

Episode 91: The Surprising Inbreaking of God | Reading Matthew 2 with Garret Shelsta My friend, Garret Shelsta is here to remind us to: ✨ Choose to stay curious rather than feel threatened when something new arises ✨ Look for God’s fingerprints in the most unexpected places and most unexpected people ✨ Recognize that Jesus, who is the perfect combination of both truth and love, disrupts faulty...

The weeks leading up to Christmas can be wild, chaotic, and full. Even if our schedules are full of good things, this season can still be exhausting. So, this conversation today with my friend, Bri Johns, is timely. As we look at Mary’s life in Scripture, Bri reminds us of God’s beautiful invitation to JUST BE. Bri also helps us think about how to: ✨intentionally & consistently connect with o...

Are you in a season of waiting? Are you wondering how to move forward out of a painful situation? Are you doubting if God can ever bring good out of sadness or hurt? God doesn't cause the pain or hurt we experience, but Pastor Shane Lima reminds us that “God’s grace can weave together pain into triumph, and trauma into testimony.” As we unpack Matthew 1 together, and look at the women in the g...

We are in our final week of our fall series called “In This Together.” We’ve talked about how to cultivate healthy relationships with others, but it is also so important to talk about how to care well for yourself. I am thrilled that psychologist and theologian, Dr. Karen Hurula, is here to lead us through this valuable discussion. Dr. Hurula is the Director of the Center for Counseling at Wheaton...

Stop and think about five people outside of your family who have impacted your life the most. Are they all in the same age range as you? My guess is that those people represent a wide range of ages. Intergenerational connections are vital to our growth as individuals and the health of our communities. In a world that is fractured and compartmentalized, we can uniquely grow through relationships wi...

Today is our (Mike & Carly’s) 14th wedding anniversary. So, we hopped into the podcast studio to chat all about our relationship and some fun memories. In this episode, we talk about: ❤️ how we knew (and how soon we knew) we wanted to get married, ❤️ how asking questions & staying curious has been an integral part of our marriage, and ❤️ how we’ve learned more about God from one another. W...

You’re in for a treat today, my friends! Brothers and collegiate basketball teammates, Gabe and Aaron Murphy are here to share with us about their relationship. They are truly “in this together,” as they do life together both on and off the court. In today’s episode, Gabe and Aaron share with us about: 🏀 the value of risk & vulnerability, 🏀 how healthy competition between the two of them fue...

Rick and Nancy are celebrating 50 years of marriage this year. These two love each other well and love their community well. I am grateful to have learned from them for the past several years, and I can’t wait for you to learn from them today. They will be talking with us about how challenging seasons can bring you together, the power of an apology, and how they have nurtured a sweet friendship in...

College and young adult years are some of the most formational times of life . . . so the friendships we make during that time are formational too! Today, Keziah, Kendrey, and Shelby are here to talk about finding quality friends in college, how social media both helps & hinders friendships, the importance of praying for friendship, and they teach me about beige flags… Have you heard about thi...