Island ECC Podcast

Desire is the engine of our hearts. We are always growing toward something. And while desire itself is not a bad thing, it can slowly become aimed at the wrong things. Today we will explore how our hearts are shaped by what we love and how God invites us to refocus our desires so we keep growing in the right direction.

The wisest man who ever lived and the Creator of our souls agree on this, that who we are in our heart and how we care for our heart will determine the course of our life. We would be wise to lean in and pay close attention to the thing with which our whole life flows out of.

As the excitement of Christmas fades, many experience a sense of withdrawal. Yet, did you know that Advent was originally intended as a season to anticipate Christ's second coming? The Christian life is meant to be a continual Advent, an ongoing longing for His return. Unfortunately, many of us lose that fervor. How can we cultivate a renewed eagerness and hunger for His return in our everyday liv...

We often embrace the concept of following a guiding star, but what happens when it leads us into opposition and uncertainty? At times, following God may feel like traversing a path that leads us away from our expectations. In those moments, how can we remain steadfast despite our doubts? In the final sermon of our Advent series, we will explore the responses of the wise men and King Herod as they...

The Christmas season is a time when we pause and reflect on the year. A time of peace, and celebration. But for many of us, we’re just tired. We’re weary because this year was hard, and right now, there’s a chance we’re not ready to rejoice. But what if God wants us to choose hope in the chaos? To sing through the struggle? How do we do this when we don’t feel like it? What if joy isn’t the absenc...

If understood fully, disruptions in our lives are actually gifts to us. They remind us that we are actually not in control after all. But how can we actually learn to rejoice in the midst of life’s unexpected turns?

Advent, which begins on this Sunday, is the season to prepare and wait for Christmas.  This is the first of four messages to dive into the words of O Holy Night – “the weary world rejoices”.  The message offers a perspective on how you can genuinely rejoice during times when you are waiting for what is longed for… as well as an interesting take on Mary and Joseph’s preparation for the first Christ...

We often experience righteous anger when we face injustice in the world. However, sometimes this righteous anger can get the better of us and leave us bitter and resentful like Jonah. In this sermon, we look at the final chapter of Jonah’s story to uncover the warning signs of when our anger strays from its righteous roots. 

How does failure impact you? For most, personal failure has a devastating effect. It brings shame, regret, self-loathing, and a desire to distance ourselves from others. But God comes to us in our failures, and allows us to experience mercy in a way that heals our deepest wounds.

Jonah was desperate. He was drowning. He hit rock bottom in the most literal way possible. But then in a miraculous act of grace, God sent a fish to swallow him. A strange salvation, but one began to change Jonah. In desperation while inside of the fish, he prays. He remembered God, and that simple act opened the door for grace to begin to change him. When we are overwhelmed, we can do the same, b...

We all have a little bit of Jonah in us, desiring at times to live independent from God. At our core, we prefer telling God what we’d like, rather than allowing him to tell us what to do.  So what can we learn from the hard-hearted prophet?

Just as a caterpillar is not meant to remain a caterpillar, we are not meant to stay where we are today. When we are willing to die to ourselves, we will be transformed into the kind of being who truly understands God and delights in His ways.

Being generous is often associated with greater overall health and life satisfaction. People who share their wealth tend to be happier, more fulfilled, and enjoy better relationships. In contrast, those who hold back may experience increased stress, anxiety, and a sense of isolation from genuine community. So, why is being generous so challenging? In this sermon, we explore Jesus’ teachings on mon...

Usually when our spiritual lives begin to stagnate, the first warning signs can be seen in our habit of prayer. They start becoming mechanical and routine, lacking any sort of passion or conviction. But is there a prayer that has the power to revitalise our prayer lives? In today’s sermon we examine the most powerful prayer ever prayed and how we can pray it as well. 

Our days are often full of worry. We fall into a routine of trying to control everything, our schedules, our work, our relationships, doing our best to hold it all together. And it’s exhausting. We need a Fresh Start. We need a way to step out of the cycle, loosen our grip, and trust God more deeply with our lives. Today, we’re going to explore practical ways to grow in faith and experience the pe...

Throughout Jesus’s life, even for His closest followers, it was common for people who saw Jesus not to really see Him. In this message, we’ll explore what we know about truly seeing and loving people around us, and how that honest approach can help up so love and see God clearer.

Over and over in scripture, we are told to be “awake”. The tendency is for us to be spiritually drowsy, missing out on an adventure and “sleeping through” the reason we are on this planet.

There is plenty to be mad about in our world today. It seems that there is rage everywhere. What angers you? And more importantly, how do you handle it?

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. From all nations people came to listen to Solomon'...

Strongholds are subtle. Built over time, and strengthened without our intention, often we are unaware of the strongholds that the enemy has in our life. But rather than just coping, or swatting them away, how about destroying them? That is precisely what we are told to do.

The popular reality show, Survivor,  had a tagline of “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast”. This would be a fitting tagline for our lives as followers of Christ. To be aware of the enemy, and to be determined to outwit him. Do you have a strategy?

When it comes to temptation, do you have a battle plan? Are you equipped to fight back? Are you sitting around waiting for temptation to come your way and see how it goes? No way! So, let’s get ready to counterstrike because we are not victims, but victors in Christ!

Satan is the father of lies. His main tactic is deception. However, he is not as powerful as he claims to be. We also have the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of truth to guide us. Spiritual warfare is true, but Christians are on the winning side.

We all “believe” in invisible things, like oxygen and love, for example. But when it comes to a mysterious spirit world, many of us think it sounds a bit too fanciful. Angels and demons? Really? But the unseen world is real, and by pretending it’s not (or hyperfocusing on it), we run the risk of being influenced unknowingly.