Faith Forward Podcast - CFC Ashburn

The problem isn't so much "loving Jesus" as it is "loving Jesus more than we love ourselves." Often, the greatest barrier to experiencing the life to the full that Jesus died and rose to give us -- is us. But not in a performative way, and not in a way that focuses on shame or guilt or lack of effort. It's about compatibility. Jesus transformed you, and the new you doesn't work like the old you. C...

If Jesus is greater than everything else, then nothing else could possibly be needed in order to have a deeply satisfying life with God. Yet, throughout history and even today, we've often tried to supplement Jesus with things that seem offer more of what we want. Join Brian and Jon as they walk through the perceived allure of some classic "Jesus supplements" and provide practical steps to truly e...

You live in the midst of an epic story, and knowing your place in that story is more important than you may realize. It's important to know WHO the hero and the villain are in your story, but it's even more important to know HOW to interact with them. Join Lee and Jon for a helpful and practical discussion on experiencing Jesus as the center of your story in your day to day.

If Jesus is going to be the center of my life, I have to truly let Him be who He is. This week, Brian and Jon clarify what it means to let Jesus be the hero of my story -- not just one time for all time, but each and every day of my life. This media was produced by Christian Fellowship Church 44505 Atwater Drive Ashburn, VA 20147 1.703.729.3900 cfc@cfcwired.org

If Jesus is going to be the absolute center of my life, it's important that I know the reason WHY He deserves to be there. Knowing the reason why, however, is only part of the process. The second part is ACCEPTING Him as the center of my life -- greater than anything else. Join Brian and Jon for a helpful and reflective conversation on the WHY of Jesus' greatness in our lives.

Jesus is at the center of everything and is meant to be at the center of everything. But if we're being honest, is that truly the position He holds in my life? Is He at the center, or is one of several competing interests? Do I go to Him only when I need Him, or do I live a holistic life with Him? Join Brian and Jon for a practical and honest conversation about how to truly live a fully integrated...

The start of a new year is a wonderful time for reflection on the past and goal-setting for the days ahead. It's also an important time to remember and renew our commitment to the most important things. When it comes to the life of a Christian, the most important thing is this -- His presence. Nothing else comes close. As you start your new year, join Brian and Jon as they offer practical suggesti...

How do we not just practice the ritual of Advent, but experience the fullness of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love during this Christmas season? Join Brian, Lee, and Jon for the first-ever Faith Forward episode recorded with live audience interaction.

As we approach the holiday season - and Thanksgiving in particular - Pastor Lee invites us to think differently about the power of thankfulness. Not only that, but we also need to think differently about both the depth of our neediness and our resistance to having our needs met by God. However familiar you are with the topic of thanksgiving, this episode has something for you. So join Lee and Jon...

In this final Off-brand Jesus episode, we look at what Jesus was focused on above all else -- the reconciliation of God's sons and daughters with Himself. More specifically, we're looking at HOW to live as shrewdly AND innocently as Jesus did while pursuing that ultimate goal. How do we go as sheep sent among wolves? Join Brian and Jon for the final installment in this series as they wrestle with...

The off-brand of "tribalism" has been particularly noteworthy in the 21st century, but it's been wreaking havoc in the lives of believers since Jesus walked the earth. It seems to offer comfort, connection, and rightness, but it actually stunts our spiritual growth and leaves us living an immature faith. Intrigued? Join Brian and Jon for an honest look at the pitfalls and solutions to tribalism in...

This week's Off-brand topic is a recurring challenge for followers of Jesus - how to represent both grace AND truth. Whether situationally or in general, finding the balance of grace and truth has confounded all of us at one time or another. But what if balance isn't the goal -- what if it's being FULL of grace and truth? Intrigued? Join Brian and Jon for a (hopefully) helpful and honest conversat...

This week's "off-brand" is one of the more obvious at first glance, but also one of the most insidious and unrecognized in our daily life. Materialism is not just the desire for money or "stuff" -- it's the insistence on providing for comfort, security, and safety on my own turns. It's the belief that I can arrange for the abundant life. So, whether this sounds familiar or not, come join Brian and...

This week's off-brand may be a new one for some people -- the off-brand of Universalism. It's hard enough to wrestle with the tension between God's desire for His children's salvation and the consequences for those who reject His invitation. But we can easily slip into an off-brand when we misunderstand the role God calls us to play in this process. So join Brian and Jon as they share stories and...

The trap of self-sufficiency is an easy way to succumb to an off-brand version of life with God. Self-sufficiency can feel mature, considerate, efficient, and even somewhat noble -- but it's a trap nonetheless. it traps us into believing that we don't need God or can work around Him. It can also convince us that we're supposed to do things FOR God rather than live WITH Him. Sound confusing? Sound...

Legalism is one of the most attractive and insidious off-brand versions of Jesus. Attractive because it seems to offer control over and safety from the unpredictability of God and other people. But it's insidious at its core because it attempts to recreate God as we would prefer Him and encourages us to view ourselves and others as we would like them to be. Come join Brian and Jon for a challengin...

There are many ways to end up with an "off-brand" life with Jesus -- accepting less than life to the full in order to be more comfortable and less challenged. In this week's episode, Lee and Jon tackle one of the sneakiest and most common causes of the off-brand life: selfishness. How do we overcome our deep-seated desire to make our life -- and God -- work on our terms? Pull up a chair and listen...

We've accepted an "off-brand Jesus" when we accept less than life to the full in order to be more comfortable and less challenged. What does that look like when it comes to judging and judgementalism? Join Brian and Jon for a deeper look at why we often leap to critique or else avoid speaking truth at all. More importantly, listen in as we talk about embracing the ultimate purpose of judging right...

Off-brand products have the appearance of the real thing but lack the true quality or benefit of the original. Similarly, we have often settled for less than the true quality and benefit of Jesus because the alternative promised to cost us less or be close enough. How do we discover the places in our life where we've accepted an off-brand substitute for the real thing? Join Brian and Jon for a pra...

Jesus taught about "forgiveness" on several occasions, and almost every time the teaching was accompanied by a story. As we've mentioned over several weeks, Jesus uses parables to help us understand that we don't understand as well as we think we do -- and this is especially true when it comes to forgiveness! Join Brian and Jon for the last episode of this season as they share their own stories an...

If the parable of the four soils can be applied to sanctification as well as salvation, how do we become good soil? How do we cultivate a heart that listens and understands and receives truth in a way that produces a harvest of 30x, 60x, or even 100x? Join Brian and Jon for a practical and honest conversation about both cultivating our own hearts and being better equipped to seed truth into the li...

Why did Jesus tell so many stories? What was the point of using parables that often left His audience more confused than before? What does Jesus want us to learn from these stories about Himself, about us, and about the Kingdom of God? Join Brian and Jon for an encouraging, humbling, and helpful conversation on the parables of Jesus.

We finish this series on the names of God with one of the more hopeful and more confusing of His identities -- Healer. Jehovah Rapha can and will restore us from sickness, injury, mental and emotional calamity, and even death...and yet not always when or how we want Him to. How can we know God as Healer in a way that cultivates connection and hope rather than transaction and disappointment? Join B...

"The good shepherd" may be one of the most well-known names for God, but despite its familiarity we don't always know how to engage with Him in that capacity. What does it really mean for me to be a sheep and Him to be my shepherd? Join Brian and Jon for a rich, surprising, and deeply practical conversation on learning how to truly BE sheep.

Saying that God is our "helper" just doesn't quite capture the significance of knowing Him as "Ezer." Jehovah Ezer is the one who rescues, who saves, who is strong and comes through when no one and nothing else can. Do you know Him that way? And how does knowing God as "ezer" change the way we interact with Him? Join Brian and Jon for a helpful and reflective conversation on how to draw closer to...