Iowa City Church Podcast

Researchers at the Institute for Business and Home Safety in Richburg, South Carolina, built two identical 1,300-square-foot houses inside a $40 million laboratory. They wanted to see how these homes would hold up against a hurricane. The first house was constructed to standard building codes—nothing fancy, just the usual. The second house, though, had reinforcement straps connecting every level—f...

One of the most quoted verses of the Bible comes from The Sermon on the Mount, and honestly it's not even the entire verse--it's just the first three words: " Do not judge ". For context, this is all of verses one and two: " Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you ." ~ Matthew 7:1-2...

What's worth worrying about? That is an increasingly important question in our culture. Over the last two decades anxiety disorders have risen by 1200%. That is a pandemic of epic proportions! It's affecting the youngest of children to all demographics of adults. The current estimate is that one in five adults will suffer from some type of anxiety disorder this year.  If this would describe how yo...

Everyone likes Jesus' teachings about love, mercy and prayer. However once he starts getting to the difficult ones about our enemies (" turn to them the other cheek " and " love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you ") we all find ourselves pushing back. How are we supposed to live out these difficult teachings, and what is the point? How can our turning the other cheek really make any...

We've all had this experience where you go to the medical clinic with some type of physical problem. You take a few minutes to describe the symptoms and maybe even suggest some type of self-diagnosis--only to have the doctor begin to ask seemingly unrelated questions. Even poking around in an area where there are no apparent problems. What the doctor knows that you obviously don't know, is that th...

A lot of us, myself included, feel decent about who we are morally. Our reasoning? Well, at least we haven't murdered anyone. Let's be honest, murder is right up there at the top of the list of "The Worst Crimes to Commit". However, Jesus says, "Not so fast!" Here are his exact words:  " But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister, will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone wh...

People wear uniforms for a variety of reasons; identity, sense of belonging, and professionalism. For example when you see a person in a small white truck, blue pants and jacket roll through the neighborhood, you know your mail or package is about to be delivered. What is the uniform of a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven? In the Beatitudes, Jesus welcomed in rag tag bunch of nobodies into God's Ki...

The Sermon on the Mount. The greatest sermon ever given. It is also the most quoted. In it we find the epitome of Jesus' teaching—radical, sensible, spiritual, and almost vicious in its demolition of hypocrisy. It flies in the face of every culture it enters. It pierces every heart that hears it. We attempt to analyze it as if using a microscope, only to find that  we , not the text,  are under ex...

Jesus called people to follow him. Not just believe he exists or like some of the things he taught--he literally said, " Follow me. " One of his followers, the apostle Peter, reiterates this command: " To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. " ~ 1 Peter 2:21 In this series we have focused on the different places Jesus w...

We all remember the game of our childhood,  Follow the Leader.  However, if you missed out (or have forgotten) here are the basics. You first choose a leader and have the other players line up behind them. The leader moves around, and the other players mimic their actions. Players who don't follow are out of the game. The last player standing becomes the new leader and the game starts again. Now,...

Being a Christian isn't complicated. It may not be easy, but it's not complicated. A Christian simply does the things Jesus did. In this new sermon series to start 2025 we will focus in on four places Jesus went on a regular basis. As his disciples we want to replicate these four rhythms into our weekly routines so that we can become more like Jesus.  To kick off this series, one of our elders, Je...

The concluding sermon in our sermons series through the book of Acts.

In recent years our culture has really tapped into the power of testimony. Groups and assemblies of storytellers sharing wisdom gleaned from personal experiences have been cropping up in the US and Canada. Listeners are motivated, inspired, and guided. ‌ Confessional style storytelling of average people has been popularized by a non-profit called The Moth. They stage over 500 shows per year across...

Everyone knows that a letter carrier has one job—deliver the mail. Apparently a Brooklyn mailman spent a decade avoiding his job by intentionally hoarding over 40,000 pieces of mail over a ten-year period. In September 2014, Joseph Brucato admitted hiding over a ton of mail (2,500 pounds to be exact) meant for customers in Flatbush since 2005, according to a Brooklyn federal court complaint. A pos...

Visitors to a museum in Rome might be struck by four partially finished sculptures. These were figures Michelangelo originally intended to use on the tomb of Pope Julius, but midway through the project he decided not to use them and ceased work on them. There is a hand protruding here, a torso of a man there, a leg, part of a head, but none are finished. Nearly everyone who sees these works senses...

Acts chapter 15 is probably the most pivotal section in a book loaded with monumental moments. Tension builds as the Jewish Christians wrestle with what is essential for salvation, as multitudes of Gentiles pour into the Jesus movement. Is circumcision required? What about the food laws? Does the Sabbath still need to be honored? This obviously doesn't seem like a big deal to us because we are man...

At the height of Jesus' ministry in Galilee there was this particular scene when the crowds were approaching him (and the disciples), in what looked like a "sea of wheat". In that moment, Jesus says these words: " The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. " ~ Matthew 9:37-38 The disciples of course are thin...

The first part of the book of Acts begins with Jesus' final command to his disciples. Here's a refresher if you've forgotten. " But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. " ~ Acts 1:8 Was Jesus serious? I know, it's a strange question but hear me out. To command his disciples t...

Jesus tells this story about how God is like a shepherd looking for his lost sheep.  " Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me;...

Giant redwoods are the most massive individual trees on earth. The redwood can grow to 270 feet tall and 25 feet in diameter. You might think that something that huge must have an incredible root system that goes down deep in order to stand that tall. This is not the case at all. The redwood tree has no tap root and remarkably shallow roots—only five or ten feet deep. It seems to violate the laws...

The book of Acts introduces us to the birth of what we often refer to as the church. This fledgling community of Jesus followers are modeling God's Kingdom through their love, generosity, fellowship and disciple-making; the residents of Jerusalem are taking notice! Then seemingly out of nowhere a very disappointing event happens, very similar to that moment when your brand new vehicle gets a scrat...

Acts chapter four begins with a very tense moment. Two key leaders of this still relatively small group of Jesus followers have been arrested by the governing Temple officials. There is a sudden pause in the enthusiasm for following Jesus as Peter and John now have to stand in front of the power brokers of the city.  In this pivotal moment for the first disciples, we pay close attention to their r...

When Jesus told his disciples they were to be his witnesses from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), do you think he was serious? Do you think he believed such a mission could be accomplished? Of course he was serious...and most certainly he knew the ends of the earth was a reachable goal! The early disciples believed he was serious too, and as Acts chapter three opens we see two apostl...

When one begins a new job, class or project there is this understanding that to be successful one must develop a rhythm, or routine to discipline oneself so as to accomplish the task.  For example you show up to work on time, turn in your assignments when they are due, or make sure and follow the step by step directions. Simple, right? Not always as many of us can attest. Sometimes we just lack di...