Hope Wisco Podcast

Jesus was never in a hurry. Fully present people aren’t. One time, Jesus was accompanying a desperate dad whose daughter was close to death. Then from behind, a woman who was suffering terribly from a chronic disease for twelve years came for healing. Who would Jesus decide to heal? The more desperate one? The more holy one? The one with more faith? No, Jesus healed both. This miracle shows that J...

Most modern people scoff at the idea of demons and that they are an active force in the world. Not only are they real, but they also hold remarkable power. In this miracle, we will not only see that Jesus has authority over all things, visible and invisible. He also has a heart of love that wants to help a tormented man – a crazy man that other people feared was a man that Jesus came to redeem and...

The first miracle of Jesus is one of his strangest. A bunch of wedding guests were in danger of sobering up because they ran out of wine. Jesus made sure that the party kept on going. Why did he choose this for his first miracle?!? He was intentional in choosing this as his coming out miracle. This was how he showed the world that his true purpose was to prepare a wedding feast unlike any other, t...

In America, we often think of a person’s heart as where our emotions reside. However, in scripture, the heart is seen as the driver of the whole person. Your heart directs your life. And just as we are shaped physically when we exercise, our hearts are formed by what we give our attention to. Who you love and what you love will determine the person you become and the destination you arrive at. Thi...

We hear lots of conflicting things about how to make plans-that God laughs at our plans, that you can control your own destiny, take care of yourself first, don't get your plans wrong or God won't use you....Making plans can be a hard thing. What's the wisest way to choice a course of action? How much is on us? And how much is on God? This weekend, come learn what wise planners do, and the dangers...

There are competing views on the purpose and meaning of sex. Some people view it as a natural appetite - so if it is safe and everyone consents, then it’s good. Other people view sex as their identity – they believe that they are what they do with their bodies. The book of Proverbs shows us that “modern” views of sexuality have been around for a very long time – and they aren’t leading us to good...

"I know what is right." This is a common statement we make throughout our lives. However, as we progress through different phases of life, we see that our understanding is constantly growing and evolving. History demonstrates the same pattern: what we once believed to be right often turns out to be wrong. If both our personal experiences and history show that our understanding is flawed, where do...

Ancient philosophers taught on it, physicians directly and indirectly told us about it, and many social media influencers claim to have the perfect recipe for it. The topic of self-control has been discussed throughout history. The Bible has plenty to say about self-control, but the practice and end goal of self-control in scripture isn't about living to be a hundred or learning how to be a minima...

Last week we saw that wisdom wants to be in a relationship with you. But so does another woman. Her name is Folly. In Proverbs, Solomon describes Folly as an adulterous woman. The people she ensnares all share a common trait. They don’t see their lives as a path that has an obvious destination. Instead, they view life as a series of isolated events. And by the time they get to their destination, i...

The information age is multiplying our knowledge and our access to knowledge. But it feels like our wisdom, knowing what to do with the realities and complexities of life, is stagnating. The world is changing so rapidly that our need for wisdom has never been greater in our lifetimes. Wisdom is not correlated with intelligence. And that’s good news. Wisdom can be had by anyone. But it requires int...

In the 1900s, the American Dream wasn’t about individual wealth and possessions. It was about community flourishing. That dream didn’t just want the grass at our house to be green but our neighbors as well. Today, the American Dream is simply the individual pursuit of more. Today we have more and consume more. More cars, more square footage, more technology, and more possessions. We also have more...

If America is built on the premise of an unalienable right to the pursuit of happiness, how come we don’t crack the top ten of happiest nations in the world? Why are we hanging out with Lithuania on the happiest nations in the world list? Why do we have an epidemic of mental illness? Because after 247 years of trying, maybe it’s time to admit that we’re lousy at pursuing happiness. The truth is th...

The American Christian Church is known for being divided more than it is known for being united. It’s known for what it’s against rather than for what it’s for. Church people have behaved with as much as (or more) godlessness as people who don’t go to church. As a result, Americans haven’t left the church because THEY don’t believe what Jesus teaches, but because the CHURCH doesn’t seem to believe...

Culture wars become an incredibly divisive topic within American culture. As a nation, we’re at odds over immigration policy, gun laws, abortion, support for Ukraine, support for Israel, and more. Some Christians respond by retreating from these culture wars. Others respond by attacking their cultural enemies. This Sunday we’re going to see that Jesus did not intend for us to retreat from culture...

The trust that citizens have in government institutions has been cratering in recent years. The public’s faith in the government is at all-time lows. But how’s your faith in God? Is it also running low? Because there’s an important link between your relationship with God and your relationship with the government.

Jesus never fought to reform the political system of his day. Neither did the early church. Instead, they loved the people sitting in institutional chairs (along with everyone else) and invited them to repent and believe. They di it without taking up political positions? Why? Because they weren’t interested in saving Judea, they were interested in saving Jews. They weren’t worried about saving Rom...

We live in an age of expressive individualism, and Americans uphold “freedom” as our highest value. But what began in America as political freedom, hallmarked by empowering citizens and giving everyone an equal vote, has devolved into radical individualism, in which no one has the right to restrict the individual. And this is one reason why society is fragmenting. It’s going to get worse until we...

When life is predictable, losing sight of what’s most important is easy. But in the face of uncertainty, a person’s true values come to the surface. As we face (yet another) election year, does the uncertainty surface anything in you? As you think about what comes to the surface, what does it say about what’s most important in your life? And is it Jesus? The Christian faith begins (or ends) with y...

Imagine a moment where everything changes—for the better. We're celebrating a turning point in history that brought hope and new beginnings this Easter. It’s not just about painted eggs and bunny rabbits; it’s about the incredible story of a man named Jesus who, after making the ultimate sacrifice, didn't let death end his story. Against all odds, he rose, offering a message of renewal and love th...

One of the metaphors for sin in the Bible is leprosy. That’s because it slowly devours us, and we are numb to reality. In this episode, we’ll look at how the sin of pride is all-consuming. Pride is the opposite of faith. Pride destroys both love and wisdom. It refuses to acknowledge the need we have or embrace humility and receive grace from God. In this message, Naaman teaches us that to be heale...

What is it about the human condition that we know what we shouldn’t do, we know the consequences, yet we do it anyway? The Bible’s explanation isn’t just that we sin but that we are slaves to sin. Sin is not just an action in our lives. It is a power in our lives. In this message, we’ll see how God liberates us from our layers of slavery so we are free to serve God.

Addiction doesn’t kill people as much as a denial of the addiction kills people. In the same way, self-deception is not the most terrible thing that we do, but it allows us to do the most terrible things. And until you defeat self-deception, you will never overcome the destructive power of the sins we do to ourselves. In this story, King Saul tries to prop himself up and build esteem for himself....

After Eden, God commanded his creation to spread out over the world. Man decided to build an identity and find purpose apart from God. Man turned to his own ingenuity to build an identity and purpose apart from God. They thought that they could get to eternal life by going up. But in the story, the only way God could help them was that he had to come down. Today, we still seek to build a life for...

The first strategy of sin is to get so small and so hidden that you don’t even notice that it is there. You won’t even notice that it is about to destroy you. This Sunday, we will hear the story of Cain. Although he was a religious person, he did not see the sin crouching in his heart, and as a result, it ruined his life forever. Yet God, in his mercy, was tender towards Cain. Why? Because the tru...

Temptation is everywhere. The fact that this doesn’t frighten us suggests that we might not see sin for what it really is. In every temptation, there’s always more hanging in the balance than meets the eye. The stakes are always greater than they appear. As we kick off this series, we’ll learn to see sin for what it is, and learn how to see what’s hanging in the balance.