First Houston United Methodist Church

Lance introduces his audience to “koinonia,” true community in Christ - the giving of ourselves to one another that allows us to enact the power of the Holy Spirit. “Worship isn’t the centrality of the church, small groups are.” Lance introduces his audience to “koinonia,” true community in Christ - the giving of ourselves to one another that allows us to enact the power of the Holy Spirit. “I’m a...

In order to sharpen one another, we need to have actual conversations with flesh and blood human beings. Description: Today’s scripture talks about the truly massive power we are offered through Christ - the power of resurrection. Paul wants us to be filled with the power that raised Jesus from the dead! But in order to sharpen one another, we need to have actual conversations with flesh and blood...

God is inviting us into relationship. Bring what you have and it will be enough. In the story of the loaves and the fishes, Jesus looks at a tiny amount of food and declares it enough for a multitude. Where others see lack, God sees an abundance. If we believe that with God, there is more than enough, are we willing to have enough faith to be rooted in that promise of abundance? God is inviting us...

This sermon marks the beginning of a new series, and also the beginning of a stewardship campaign. This month - and this year - we learn how to be "one together." That requires us to bear with each other in love, but that is the work of our life, and of the church. And that is what the world is longing for. Ephesians 4:1-7 & 4:11-13 fmhouston.com

Lance finds the culmination of all these stories of encounters in Jesus’ meeting with Zaccheus. Don’t underestimate the way people’s lives can be transformed at a table together. We have walked through a number of stories throughout the “Encounters” series, but Lance sees the culmination of most of these stories in Jesus’ meeting with Zaccheus. It’s the story that shows us Jesus’s plan to seek and...

Lance talks about the anti-gravitational principle when it comes to following Christ: the one who is brought low will be lifted up. Lance tells the story of Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus, and the things that Jesus called him to. And to tell that story, he illustrates it with a very country story about fishing back home. John 3:1-17

Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? Luke 5:17-26 fmhouston.com

As we explore this passage in Luke, we get to the heart of this series: a life Christ-centered is one that consistently stays focused on Him. We must take up our cross DAILY. It’s not something thrust upon us. It is a choice, every day. This is grace fully realized. Luke 9:21-27

John 15:1-17 fmhouston.com

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Lance tells the story of Mark 4:35-41 - where the disciples battle a storm while Jesus sleeps in the back of the boat. He reminds us that often we, like the disciples, end up shouting at God, "don't you care? " But Lance has seen God's hand, in each place that his journey has taken him, and he knows that no matter where it is that he travels to, he has Jesus in the boat with him. fmhouston.com

Amanda steps up to the pulpit to return our focus to The Main Thing: living and loving like Jesus did. fmhouston.com

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“Have y’all ever seen a ghost?” Legacies can be full of joys, but they also can be full of pain and regret. We want to lock away our pain, but in doing so we bury some of ourselves. Matthew 1:1-17 fmhouston.com

There’s one theme that Jim’s been hitting this whole series - and on his last Sunday, he’s going to hammer it home one more time. When we read this beatitude, we are struck by the depth of hope. What does Jesus mean? To be a peacemaker is more than just eliminating warfare - it’s “shalom.” It’s wholeness. It’s a complete and joyous life before God. Matthew 5:9 fmhouston.com

What do you call a fish in a bow tie? "SoFISHticatied" This special Father's Day sermon begins with some awful dad jokes, and turns to what it means to be "pure of heart" - and how any inner purity can only come from Christ himself Matthew 5:8 fmhouston.com

It's Jim Welch's last few days on the job, and before he leaves, he sits down with Ben to talk about what he's seen in his time here, what he's excited about for the church, and the changes that he hopes to see coming. Ask us a question! You can reach us at fmhouston.com/streets.

It's Jordan's last podcast, and so she and Ben continue on to part two of their tournament, debating the best comebacks in the New Testament. Fill out your own bracket! https://www.fmhouston.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Best-Clapbacks-In-The-Bible-NT.jpg Ask us a question! You can reach us at fmhouston.com/streets.

Jim explores what it really means to “hunger and thirst” for righteousness, and why the words used here are so important. The problems of the translation we read is not the accuracy of it, but the scope of it. We need to see righteousness as a much bigger thing. Matthew 5:6 fmhouston.com

For Jordan's last podcasts, she and Ben return to an idea that they've been wanting to do for months - having a tournament of the best clapbacks in the Bible. What's a clapback? Tune in and see. Fill out your own bracket! https://www.fmhouston.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Best-Clapbacks-In-The-Bible-OT-copy.jpg Ask us a question! You can reach us at fmhouston.com/streets.

As much as it’s important to not be angry at the wrong times, it’s just as important to be angry at the right times. Jim talks about watching his nieces play sports and realizing that they are the same ages as the children of Uvalde. Studying “blessed are the meek” means breaking down the word we translate as “meek” and seeing what it is that Jesus really meant. Matthew 5:5 fmhouston.com

Amanda shows us the peace that Jesus talked about - a peace that is different from the one the world offers. fmhouston.com

After the shooting in Uvalde, Ken and Ben ditched their podcast plans and sat down to talk about how to respond to a tragedy like this, and what a Christian's response to events like these should be. Ask us a question anytime. You can reach us at fmhouston.com/streets.

Are you a mourner and not a moaner? Jim preaches on “blessed are those who mourn,” which he points out is not a beatitude that anyone wants to preach on. But, it is Jesus himself who establishes mourning as a holy attribute. There are those who see their tears become hospitals and churches and missions. These things are motivated by deep caring about what God cares about. There is much that is bro...

Answering a question about evangelism, Jim, Ben, and Jordan end up speaking about matters of physics, the beginnings of the universe, the sheep and the goats, Pascal's wager, Nietche's "God is dead," and a whole lot of other stuff we didn't expect when we hit record on this podcast. Enjoy! Ask us a question! You can reach us at fmhouston.com/streets.