Forefront Podcast

What does it mean to be successful? In the book of Galatians 5:22-23, Paul writes, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Many of us measure success by the actions and accomplishments in our lives. However, it is what lies behind these, or even lies far away from these things. It...

The renewal of all things. What's the first thing you think of when you think of God? Is that word "pleasure?" Yeah, probably not. But what if that's exactly who God is? God is a pleasure hound. God is not angry, wrathful, filled with rage, but rather taking pleasure in the way that we work to bring restoration to all things and to tell stories of renewal. Pastor Jonathan Williams talks of restora...

Is poverty inevitable? Sarah Ngu leads our fourth and final sermon in our Work & Capitalism Series. Reflecting on Matthew 25 and 26, Sarah brings theological light to the struggles more and more of us face these days with debt, eviction, homelessness and poverty. Sadly, capitalism enables these injustices to exist. Jesus says the poor are always with you because you have made it so. Why do we insi...

Christ disrupts everything we know about work, money, and merit. In this third sermon in our Work & Capitalism Series, we welcome guest pastor, Candace Simpson. In her message we are reminded that we do not have to work for pay to be worthy of life. Christ goes out to find the people who need a day’s wage. Because everyone has to eat. Christ disrupts everything we know about work, money, and merit...

Humanity wasn't destined to toil SamI Main is an accomplished life coach, media specialist and published author. In this sermon, Sami explains why our fixation on busyness, work and profession can be harmful to our spiritual health and that taking a step back to rest and to reflect on the glory of existence is not only healthy, but, perhaps even, the most important activity we can do.

Dealing with tyranny in the workplace Sarah Ngu starts off our "Work and Capitalism" Series with a deep dive into the power of "bosses" in organizations. The workplace in general is structurally set up as a tyranny where one person has the power to greatly determine the economic livelihood of another, and if you have a good boss, that’s nice but you’re lucky because that’s basically the equivalent...

Kerry Connelly believes that equity and restorative justice are possible, but first we must deconstruct the dominant identities that are a part of us and rely on the Divine because our ways of living have been so tied up in insidious systems of power and oppression. In this conversation, she talks about how white supremacy is "soul murder," which homogenizes and flattens the soul, and how white Am...

In this Sermon, we are excited to present a first: a Panel Sermon with members of Forefront Church. In this conversation, Keli Young, Denia Perez and lead pastor Jonathan Williams, bring light to the many examples that show us that a life following Jesus is also a life working actively for social justice. They examine how Jesus calls us to literally proclaim freedom for people who are imprisoned;...

Rest because we haven't finished yet. Rest is a critical but often ignored part of social and spiritual movements. Listen to guest preacher, Alicia T. Crosby, as she explores how Matthew 14 highlights the role rest played in helping people move on after being profiled and losing their beloved to state sanctioned violence. Alicia T. Crosby (she/hers) is a justice educator, activist, and minister wh...

Drew Hart grew up and went to school in areas with a largely white population, but it wasn't until he started attending a Christian college that he really started feeling like people viewed him as an other. It's his experience with white supremacy brought into sharp focus through the lens of the Church that he writes about in his book, Trouble I've Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism. I...

Christian supremacy, anti-semitism, and the origins of racism. Sarah Ngu explores how white supremacy is intertwined with Christian supremacy and how this is a key example of power and principality. This sermon focusses on how the church's treatment of Jews in the middle ages paved the way for its treatment of Africans and the creation of "race" as we know it today.

The sins of our ancestors. In this 3rd Sermon in our Series, Powers & Principalities, Jubi Williams explores racism and family history. Referencing her family history having immigrated from Kerala, India, Jubi reminds us of the complex racial injustice from that country. She shares her personal journey by unpacking race in her culture, family and shines the light on how we can confront our family...

The Spirit is the ultimate disrupter. The foundation of our country is built on a hierarchy of Humanity. White folks have 12.5 times the wealth of Black folks. Asian Americans are statistically less likely to be approved for home ownership. The mortality rate for Black infants is double that of white infants. The list goes on. The Book of Acts speaks to these inequities and calls on the power of t...

Shame is a lie. In this first sermon in our series, Powers and Principalities, Jonathan explains how we can be immobilized by the notion we are not valued by God. In order to bring about change to the Powers and Principalities that embrace unjust views and systems, we need to release our shame. We are loved, all are loved, no matter who we are or what we've done. When we can fully accept the never...

What the David and Goliath story tells us about dismantling empire systems.

How God asks us to radically reimagine the way life can look.

Why telling the truth about our failures brings restorative justice.

How can we honor our parents when we deeply disagree with them?

What is Jubilee? Uprising and protest that brings equity, ends hierarchy.

How can your grief become a miracle?

What does spirituality look like when you can't go to church?

How do we move beyond outrage?

How do you live out interdependence?

Media depictions would have you believe that Christianity and Islam are vastly more different than they are similar, that the Qur'an is an intolerant text, and that Islam is a violent religion. Sumbul Ali-Karamali vehemently disagrees. At first, her book, The Muslim Next Door: The Qur'an, the Media, and that Veil Thing, reads as a primer on the tenets and traditions of Islam, but the truth that ex...

EPISODE OVERVIEW Media depictions would have you believe that Christianity and Islam are vastly more different than they are similar, that the Qur'an is an intolerant text, and that Islam is a violent religion. Sumbul Ali-Karamali vehemently disagrees. At first, her book,  The Muslim Next Door: The Qur'an, the Media, and that Veil Thing , reads as a primer on the tenets and traditions of Islam, bu...