HOTLCAST

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the HOTLCast, Pastors Matt and Ryan are joined by Carver and Mark to unpack the idea of being a "spiritual mutt" — someone whose faith has been shaped by multiple church backgrounds and denominations. Drawing from a sermon by Pastor Cyle, the team shares their own diverse church experiences, from Baptist and Episcopal to Fellowship of Grace Brethren ch...

Send us Fan Mail In the opening message of the "Spiritual Mutts" series, Pastor Cyle uses the analogy of dog breeds—purebreds, designer dogs, and mutts—to explore how Christians engage with denominational traditions. Drawing from his own diverse church background (Pentecostal, Nazarene, Baptist, non-denominational, and more), he argues that believers who draw strengths from multiple trad...

Send us Fan Mail This week on the HOTLCast, Matt, Cody, Ryan, and Mark gather to unpack Sunday's message about choosing God's plan — and what that actually looks like in everyday life. They start by celebrating Next Gen Level Up Sunday and the heart behind investing in kids and students at every phase. Then the conversation shifts to David's unashamed worship, the connection between...

Send us Fan Mail On Level Up Sunday, Pastor Cyle celebrates students advancing to the next grade and shares how God is moving in the next generation through baptisms and youth ministry. Drawing from the story of David bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, the message explores how good intentions can never replace God's directions — and how obedience must come before worship. When Dav...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the HOTLCast, Matt, Pastor Ryan, Cyle, and Mark wrap up their Hollywood series with a look at Project Hail Mary — the story of a discredited scientist thrust into saving the universe from extinction. Beneath the sci-fi, they find a story about hope and friendship, and use it to dig into what biblical hope really means. They unpack the difference between hope and...

Send us Fan Mail In this closing message of the Hollywood series, the sermon uses the film Project Hail Mary to explore the nature of biblical hope — distinguishing it from good odds and optimism. Through the story of an astronaut throwing a Hail Mary across the universe, and the biblical account of Abraham and Sarah, the message challenges listeners to stop quietly giving up and start hoping agai...

Send us Fan Mail Pastor Matt, Cyle, and Carver sit down to talk about one of the most fundamental parts of life — family. Inspired by the Mandalorian: Grogu & Dust Bunny film and the church's current "Hollywood" series, the conversation goes deep on what it truly means to be family. From chosen relationships and church community to the sacrifices of ministry life, the guys share...

Send us Fan Mail What does a Mandalorian, Baby Yoda, and Jabba the Hutt's son have to do with your faith? More than you might think. In this message from our HOTLwood series, Pastor Matt Plott uses The Mandalorian & Grogu to unpack one of the most universal human needs — the need to belong. Whether your family has been a source of strength or a source of pain, this message is for you. We&...

Send us Fan Mail What do He-Man, the Sons of Sceva, and a plastic sword have in common? More than you'd think. In this message, Pastor Cyle from Heart o' the Lakes Church digs into one of the most overlooked passages in the book of Acts — the story of the seven sons of Sceva — to expose a danger hiding in plain sight inside the church: counterfeit faith. Using the iconic 80s cartoon He-M...

Send us Fan Mail Cyle, Ryan, and Mark tackle one of theology's more provocative questions: Did Jesus actually descend into Hell between His death and resurrection? The guys unpack where this idea comes from — including the Apostles' Creed — and dig into the often-misunderstood biblical concepts of Sheol, Hades, Abraham's bosom, and the lake of fire. Spoiler: the answer is more nuanc...

Send us Fan Mail This week on HOTLCast, Pastor Matt, Ryan, Cody, Mark, Nick, and the crew dive deep into a conversation sparked by two very different "At the Movies" sermons — K-Pop Demon Hunters and Field of Dreams. Despite preaching at separate campuses with no coordination, both messages independently landed on the same passage: Genesis 3:1, where the serpent asks Eve, "Did God r...

Send us Fan Mail In this message, Pastor Cody uses the Netflix film K-Pop Demon Hunters as a jumping-off point to explore one of the most important—and often overlooked—truths of the Christian life: our greatest battles aren't against other people. Drawing from Ephesians 6:12, Genesis 3, and James 5:16, Pastor Cody unpacks how Satan works to twist God's truth, how shame keeps us isolated...

Send us Fan Mail The HOTLCast crew tackle one of the most common faith questions they receive: is drinking alcohol a sin ? They dig into what the Bible actually says, from Old Testament passages celebrating wine to Jesus' own first miracle at the wedding in Cana, and unpack the key distinction Scripture draws between drinking and drunkenness. The conversation gets personal as Ryan shares his...

Send us Fan Mail Cyle, Ryan, and Mark record with a literal empty chair — two regulars are out — but it ends up being the perfect backdrop for this episode. They recap a landmark moment for their church: canceling regular Sunday services to gather 700 people (including visitors from as far as California, Virginia, and Pennsylvania) at a beach campground for an outdoor worship service under a big t...

Send us Fan Mail In this powerful outdoor worship service at Somerset Beach Campground, Pastor Cyle brings together multiple churches and campuses for a united Sunday gathering under one tent. Preaching from Luke 14:23, Luke 19:10, and Matthew 9:37-38, Pastor Cyle challenges believers to look beyond their own filled seats and focus on the empty chair — the person in their life who hasn't yet...

Send us Fan Mail One of the most common questions skeptics ask about the Bible — and one that Christians sometimes struggle to answer. In this episode, we dig into Genesis to tackle the question head-on: If Adam and Eve were the first people, who exactly did Cain marry? We explore what Scripture actually says, the leading theories among Biblical scholars, the genetics behind why God later prohibit...

Send us Fan Mail Cyle, Ryan, Matt, and Mark, kick things off with a laugh about Mark's fading pink hair from a recent student challenge, then take a detour into the lost art of chain letters (and whether it's time to bring them back). Cyle shares his excitement over a Kickstarter board game called The Game Makers — a worker-placement game about building iconic board games — sparking a co...

Send us Fan Mail Life doesn't always go according to plan — and that's okay. In this message, Pastor Cyle uses the movie Solo Mio as a jumping-off point to explore what happens when life's "altar moments" don't go the way we expected. From being stood up at the wedding to the stories of Joseph, Moses, Naomi, and the disciples, we see a pattern: God specializes in rewr...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the HOTLCast, Cyle, Cody, Ryan, and Mark reunite to recap Sunday's sermon from the Holla Woods series, inspired by the movie GOAT . The crew kicks things off with a lively debate about who deserves the Greatest of All Time title — from Michael Jordan and Lionel Messi to the Apostle Paul — before diving into the real heart of the message: dreaming big God&ap...

Send us Fan Mail What does a basketball-playing goat have to do with your life's purpose? In this week's message from our HOTLWOOD sermon series — where we find God's truth in the movies — we dive into the animated film Goat and discover that the biggest life isn't built by chasing your dreams. It's built by surrendering to God. Will the Goat wasn't supposed to be a r...

Send us Fan Mail In this Father's Day message, Pastor Ryan — a Marine combat veteran and new pastor at Heart o' the Lakes Church — delivers a raw and personal sermon on the difference between being good and looking good . Drawing from his own years of brokenness after returning from Iraq, he unpacks how people develop "rackets" — heart-level strategies to manage their image and...

Send us Fan Mail In this week's HOTLCast, Pastor Matt is joined by Pastor Mark and Sarah — the Brooklyn Campus's new secretary — for a special introductory episode. They kick off with exciting campus updates, including major waterproofing work at the Jackson campus that's reclaiming thousands of square feet of basement space, and the nearly-complete restroom renovation at the Brookl...

Send us Fan Mail In this sermon from Philippians 4, Pastor Cyle explores the biblical antidote to anxiety — a topic more relevant than ever in our screen-saturated, news-saturated world. Drawing on Paul's words written from prison, he unpacks three transformative truths: that joy is not the absence of problems but the presence of Christ; that peace is not the absence of storms but the presenc...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the HOTLCast, Pastor Matt sits down with Ryan and Carver to unpack the previous Sunday's sermon on treasure from the Book of Philippians. The conversation digs into what we truly value — from sentimental keepsakes to family and faith — and how the way we spend our time reveals what we actually treasure most. The guys also celebrate the transformative power...

Send us Fan Mail In this message from Philippians 3, Pastor Cyle Young of Heart o' the Lakes Church asks a simple but piercing question: Are you knowing about Christ, or do you actually know Him? Using everything from a $4,000 board game to Michigan championship rings, Pastor Cyle unpacks Paul's radical declaration that all our earthly treasure is rubbish compared to knowing Jesus. He ch...