Family Fest Speaker Podcast

Encouragement is powerful and has amazing impacts on people. It’s a tangible way to love others and change lives. It's looking at others in our connected world and telling them we appreciate them. But it's not just about what others do for us, it’s the tool that battles the shame and untrue messages about ourselves.

The family is a privileged place where God designed himself to be revealed to our children and to us. In the midst of the tension families create; God is fully present. Gratitude is the first step from going where you are to wherever it is to being fully alive.

Our lives and the world that we live in are broken. Experiencing brokenness is part of being human. The story of the Prodigal Son unveils this sin that's at the heart of the story for both of the brothers. Does our own brokenness relate to the younger son, the older son or by some strange confluence of the two? In what ways do we try to deal with our brokenness and make sense out of all of it?

Jesus says, I see you and I choose you. I know you. I know the depth of your heart. I know your failures. I know your shortcomings. I know it, I see through it and I see so much more in it. I choose you.

Jesus is calling us out but often we are too afraid to fully follow Him. We are comfortable in our little world. We are called and sent out by Jesus to be his ambassadors, to be a part of the body of Christ. He wants us to go out in the world and the world desperately needs us.

We see things with extraordinary clarity when we're in a high place. We feel extraordinarily alive when we're in that high place and life feels abundant. As disciples of Jesus Christ we head his call and listen to his voice.

When we listen to the Holy Spirit, great things happen. The Holy Spirit is the part of God that we feel. The Holy Spirit is accessible to all of us, at all times. We have to be careful not to put up roadblocks but to make way for the voice to lead us.   Scripture: Genesis 1:1-2

The Holy Spirit isn’t always a silent, gentle whisper; sometimes God uses the Holy Spirit to shout loudly. God works in mysterious ways. He sometimes wants us to be quiet and other times to tell everyone. He puts us in positions where we need to be. Listen to what the Holy Spirit is teaching us as a community.  Scripture: Acts 2

God cares deeply about us and he will be present when we make decisions. God uses our every decision to reach us. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. We all have suffering but that doesn’t mean the Holy Spirit is silent. When we are weak or suffering, God uses the Holy Spirit to bring us peace. Scripture: Romans 8: 18, 26, 38-39

We are stronger when we are many. It’s easy to feel Jesus when surrounded by others that love and worship God.  Doubt means we are having trouble hearing the Holy Spirit but the Holy Spirit does not cause you doubt. Doubt has the power to bring us closer to God. When we are honest with God and talk to him about our questions, we’re actually engaging and drawing closer to God.

The Spirit has always been with us. Jesus knew how to spread God’s message. Jesus knew who to use so that Christianity could grow. God guides our hearts so that we can find others and create fellowship. As faithful followers we support each other and create God’s community. Scripture: Acts 2

At times in our lives, we take on the role of the older brother and at other times, the younger brother in the Prodigal Son parable. When someone is lost we must run to find them and bring them back. We need to invite others in to God’s love. Who in your life does the Holy Spirit whisper to you that needs to know more about God?    

Our busy lifestyle is causing us stress yet our culture refuses to slow down. God doesn’t want us to live our lives this way. One of his commandments is to rest one day each week. He wants to dedicate that day to him so that he can refuel us. When we consciously and deliberately disengage from other responsibilities, we function better spiritually. Scripture: Psalm 46: 10

Our desert experiences look different for each of us. It could a person, a difficult situation, a challenging time of life. The desert is the place where God gets our attention. It is in the desert where we are willing to listen. When we’re stuck in the desert and  have no options, we call out to God. It is in the crying out that we learn to trust him. Scripture: Psalm 13

God calls us to do great and small things but, often, we are reluctant. We don't believe we are the right person or capable of doing what he asks of us. Even Moses argued that he couldn't do what God asked of him. As with Moses, God will work through us and send us helpers along the way but we have to take the first step. We have to say yes.

We have one grand divine purpose in life and that is to reflect the glory of God upon the world. We're stronger together than we can ever be on our own as a member of the church. Prayer is opening an avenue so God has a possibility of reaching us. Scripture: Psalm 139

In our lives, God provides messengers and God provides us as messengers to others. As servants of Jesus Christ, we are meant to provide powerful assistance to those who come to us, who fall down beside us. Scripture: Hebrews 13: 1, Genesis 2

The goal of parenting is for your children to grow larger than you. Parenting is a willingness to have your heart torn apart so that God might plant his love. When God opens doorways for you, you must walk through, regardless of your fear. Your growth and your strength are gifts that God needs of you.

God loves you as you are. Nothing you do could cause God to love you anymore. We have to proclaim this over and over because we only hear it when we are ready to hear it. We don't have to get it all right. We don't have to be perfect. God loves us anyway.

We’ve been entrusted with the gospel and our job, as adults, is to pass that on to the next generation. We need to love our children, to value our children and to help them know that they are not alone. God wants us to do this together as parents, as grandparents, as friends, and as members of the church. Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 2:6-8, 1 John 4:9,19

When we are done with the child that God has given you, what are you hoping is built into their life? Tiger gives us 7 factors to use as parents to raise our children in the church and to turn hope into strategy. Scripture: Deuteronomy 11, John 10: 10

God created two institutions, one is the church and the other is the family. They're designed to work together to build the faith. God desires families to have five functions: to shelter, to love, to teach, to develop and to send out.

Our society tells us the path to happiness lies in the 4 Ps: personal looks, performance, popularity, and possessions. We need to know we are loved, valuable and not alone and the 4 Ps get us close to that yet because they are external, do not lead to happiness. Instead, we should base our value on what God tells us, that we've been fearfully and wonderfully made from the beginning. When we connec...

We all face storms, especially as parents. It’s okay to be perplexed and confused. God give us “Garden Friends” to let us know that we are not alone. We are being challenged not to waiver from the hope that is in us. Don't be dismayed for the Lord your God goes with you wherever you go. Scripture: Matthew 7:24-27, John 16:33, Acts 2:12

As we journey through life we are faced with struggles. We use many excuses for not trusting in God’s plan: I'm not good enough, I don't know enough, What if they don't listen to or believe me, I don't have enough talent or I'll just let the church do it because they're better at it. Trust that God is going to work through you to bring you, and those around you, closer to Him.