Kentwood Community Church

What if the greatest miracle in the story of Jesus walking on water was not Jesus himself defying gravity, but Peter stepping out of the boat to meet him? That is the provocative question at the heart of this conversation, and it reframes everything we thought we knew about faith, risk, and the Christian life. Drawing from Matthew 14, we explore why Peter's brief, imperfect walk on the water stand...

What does it actually mean to belong to a church rather than simply attend one? That question sits at the heart of this conversation, and the answer might challenge some deeply held assumptions about what the Christian life is supposed to look like. We live in a moment where many people identify as followers of Christ yet have little to no meaningful connection with a local church community. This...

What if the greatest unfinished task in human history is one that every single one of us has a role in completing? Nearly four out of ten people on this planet have never once heard the name of Jesus. That staggering reality is not a statistic to gloss over -- it is a call to action that cuts to the heart of what it means to follow Christ. In this conversation, we are challenged to reconsider ever...

What if the single greatest act of love we could offer another person is also the one we most consistently avoid? This episode cuts straight to the heart of that tension. We explore why sharing the gospel is not optional for the believer, not a spiritual gift reserved for a select few, but a calling woven into the very fabric of what it means to follow Jesus. The statistics are sobering: the vast...

What does it truly mean to have a relationship with God, and can we actually live in freedom? These are the million-dollar questions the book of Galatians sets out to answer, and they are just as urgent for us today as they were for the early church. As we open this six-week journey through Galatians, we are confronted with a startling reality: the church has always faced opposition, distortion, a...

 In this episode of the Devout Route Podcast, Pastors Michael Braden and Mick Veach explore what it truly means to commit to being the hands and feet of Jesus to one's neighbors. Drawing from their manifesto series, they challenge listeners to move beyond surface-level charity and check-the-box generosity toward authentic, relationship-driven care for others. The conversation emphasizes that the d...

What does it truly mean to step out in faith when everything around us screams to stay safe? In this message, we dive into the familiar but endlessly rich account of Peter walking on the water in Matthew 14:22-33, where Jesus invites a frightened disciple to do the impossible in the middle of a storm. The central lesson is both simple and radical: we were not created for the boat. The boat represe...

What does it actually mean to live with genuine expectation of God's power, not just as a theological concept we nod at, but as a lived reality that shapes how we move through each day? That is the question at the heart of this conversation, and it cuts right to the core of where many of us find ourselves. We may believe in God's power in the abstract, affirming it on Sunday and reading about it i...

What does it truly mean to love God? Not just in words or occasional feelings, but with everything we are? This message takes us deep into one of the most familiar yet most misunderstood commands in all of Scripture. Drawing from Matthew 22, where Jesus quotes the ancient Hebrew Shema, we discover that loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength is far richer than our modern understand...

In this conversation, Dr. Rob Riemer outlines the biblical and practical foundations of soul care, a process by which believers unpack emotional, spiritual, and demonic burdens that prevent them from experiencing the fullness of life in Christ. Drawing from his own marriage struggles and decades of ministry experience, Dr. Riemer argues that the Western church has been blinded by a post-Enlightenm...

What does it look like to live as a peacemaker in a world that seems to celebrate conflict at every turn? This message takes us deep into Proverbs 6, where we encounter the seventh thing God detests: the one who sows discord among family and community. We are challenged to recognize that this is not just an abstract warning from ancient wisdom literature but a living reality in our workplaces, our...

In this episode of The Devout Route podcast, Pastors Michael Braden and Mick Beach explore the fourth point of their church manifesto: committing to practice spiritual gifts daily. The conversation addresses why so many believers remain unaware of or disengaged from their spiritual gifts, and why this disconnect weakens both individual faith and the broader mission of the church. The pastors empha...

What does it really mean to bear false witness? Most of us hear that phrase and picture a courtroom drama, but this message pulls back the curtain to reveal how malicious lies operate in our everyday lives in ways we rarely stop to examine. Drawing from the repeated warning in Proverbs 6:16-19 and the foundational command in Exodus 20:16, we explore why God singles out this particular sin not once...

In this episode of The Devout Route, Pastors Michael Braden and Mick Veach continue their walk through a Christian manifesto, focusing on the third commitment: engaging in both private and community prayer and upholding the authority of the Bible. The discussion centers on the reality that prayer is the spiritual lifeline of every believer, connecting them directly to God in a way that was unavail...

What does it mean to guard our hearts, and why does God care so deeply about the plans we make? This message takes us deep into two of the things God detests: a heart that plots evil and feet that race toward wrongdoing. Drawing from Proverbs 6, we explore how the heart — our mind, will, and character — is the wellspring from which every action flows. The human heart, left to its own devices, is c...