Iowa City Church Podcast

We've all had those moments when we've been misunderstood. Maybe because of appearance, language barrier or simply using the wrong word, there can be confusion about what is really going on. When it comes to Christianity, I have found that there is a huge misunderstanding about what it's all about.  Over the years I've had people say, " Well, I could never be a Christian because I find parts of th...

On Saturday, May 6th 2023 the coronation of King Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the Common wealth realms took place at Westminster Abbey, London. The coronation itself is an intricate service lasting just over two hours and follows a traditional template that has stayed much the same for more than 1,00 years. For example there is great symbolism in t...

One of the hardest places to be angry with a person is at the supper table. It's nearly impossible to share a meal with someone with whom you are at odds with. Either you won't enjoy the food you are eating or you will be forced to leave the table and eat somewhere else. The flip side of this is when you are in a healthy relationship with another, sharing a meal is the best place to be; the conver...

The story is told of a man who was on a business trip and stayed in a hotel that had a bug problem. There were bugs all over his room. He complained about this to the management and later wrote a letter of complaint to the main office of the hotel chain.  Sometime later he received a letter signed by the President of the company. It said:   " We are humiliated that a man of your integrity, a man o...

I'm not very familiar with figs or fig trees. My only connection might be that I enjoy a Fig Newton every once in a while, that's about it. However, a fig tree becomes a central point of emphasis for what Jesus teaches in chapter 11 of Mark's gospel. Jesus and his disciples are heading into Jerusalem, and Jesus is hungry. Up ahead he sees a fig tree, mature and full of leaves. Even though it's a l...

"Father Damien was a priest who became famous for his willingness to serve lepers. He moved to Kalawao—a village on the island of Molokai, in Hawaii, that had been quarantined to serve as a leper colony. For 16 years, he lived in their midst. He learned to speak their language. He bandaged their wounds, embraced the bodies no one else would touch, preached to hearts that would otherwise have been...

In August of 2003, the Church of the Holy Cross in New York City was broken into twice. In the first break-in, thieves made away with a metal moneybox that had been resting next to a votive candle rack. Three weeks later, vandals escaped with something much more valuable: they unbolted a 4-foot long, 200-pound plaster Jesus from a meditation area, taking the statue of Christ, but leaving behind hi...

In part five of Come, Follow, Me we discover how Jesus intentionally coaches his disciples so that they can be prepared to carry on the Kingdom Mission.