Local Church St. Pete Podcast

There is hope. Not simply wishful thinking or an optimistic state of being, but something more, something certain. In a day when despair and cynicism are on the rise and culture’s answers leave us empty and searching, Hebrews 6:13-20 gives us a promise to stand on. Like an anchor of the soul, we’re invited to hold onto this hope and walk the path it opens for us.

Has someone ever loved you enough to call you out? Whatever you were doing was detrimental to your well-being and they refused to stay quiet. Like a loving friend, Hebrews 5:11-6:12 refuses to stay quiet, confronting spiritual complacency and inviting us into spiritual depth.

“No one understands, no one cares and no one can help.” Ever feel this way? Hebrews 4:14-5:10 describes Jesus as the one who understands our weaknesses and was in every way tempted as we are. Because of that, he has opened the way for us to “draw near” and find the help we need in our darkest moments, in our deepest fears and in the face of unrelenting temptation.

We live in a culture desperate for rest. Hoping to find it in the next purchase, accomplishment or season of life, we keep coming up empty and more exhausted than ever. Hebrews 4 holds out the promise of true rest, the obstacle that stands in the way and the only voice that will get us through.

With so much information coming at us (and so fast), we can easily end up settling for a superficial, surface knowledge of things. Hebrews 3 takes us beneath the surface of faith in Jesus and invites us to stay there – to make him the daily preoccupation of our lives. And to do so with careful observation, fierce resolve and a humble assessment of our own hearts.

Local stories are stories of God's grace at work in the lives of those who are a part of Local Church St. Pete.  We want to highlight his activity and celebrate his grace.

Have you ever thought, “I just want someone to understand what I’m facing - someone who ‘gets’ how I feel and can actually do something about the brokenness and fear I’m experiencing”? Hebrews 2:5-18 answers back with the one who was made lower, who suffered, was tempted and tasted death for us. But how do Jesus’ humility and triumph bring order to our chaos, wholeness to our suffering and help wh...

Over the course of time, many people drift away from the most important things in life as apathy, laziness, and fatigue pull them off course. How do we stay anchored to what matters most? In Hebrews 2, we see Jesus and his salvation as the true north that guards us and keeps us.

What do you do when life is hard and God seems distant? When opposition is strong and pressure to walk away from faith is more attractive than ever? With artistic beauty and spiritual depth, Hebrews 1 announces that Jesus is everything God wants to say to us in human form. A voice to turn to and a portrait to carry with us – no matter what comes our way.

It all seemed crazy; totally absurd, like a fairy tale when they first heard it. Luke 24 takes us behind the scenes on the day Jesus rose to life. In documentary style, we’re given the unfiltered response of his first followers trying to make sense of his resurrection. As they move from skepticism to astonishment, devastation to faith and panic to peace – we’re invited to go there with them.

In spite of all the mockery, all the injustice, all the blasphemy, there is something that John highlights in brilliant clarity. Jesus is a real King, and He is establishing a real kingdom. In spite of all the evil, against all odds, Jesus is a King who accomplishes His plan perfectly.

The book of Proverbs doesn’t dance around the issue of God’s design for sex. It doesn’t ignore the temptation we all face to embrace a distorted view of it either. Unwilling to keep silent, unable to ignore the pain and ruin it brings, Proverbs 7 sets out to warn us about this temptation and keep us from giving into it.

When something is important and we want to remember it, we write it down. Proverbs 3 essentially begins with, “This is so important that I want you to write it over your heart; the very center of who you are.” Spoken with tenderness and love, Proverbs 3:1-12 is an urgent appeal to give God our full attention and total dependence. What does it look like in everyday life to trust him with all your h...

Can you remember a time in your life when you were brought to a crossroads moment? A decision had to be made that you knew would impact everything. 2 Kings 22 is a crossroads moment for Josiah. After years of pursuing God the way he thinks best, this young king discovers and reads God’s word. It had been lost, neglected and dismissed by previous generations, but had found in Josiah a responsive he...

Carolyn Bothwell shares a brief testimony about what God is doing at Created and ways to partner.  

Many of us go through life trusting our intuition and heading in the direction that makes the most sense at the time. What happens when our instincts are off and our intuition isn't enough? The book of Proverbs is a road map for life filled with divine wisdom, protection and guidance; it’s a path everyone is invited to walk. Where does this path begin and what does it produce in the lives of...

Followers of Jesus have practiced fasting during the season of lent for a long time. This exhortation is about some of the reasons why and how to get started.

It’s a message stronger than deep prejudice, suspicion and hostility. It’s a message that doesn’t flinch in the face of darkness. Acts 8:4-25 is the story of what happens when Jesus’ followers speak the good news of the kingdom of heaven. It’s been producing deliverance, joy and life ever since – and now it’s our turn; it’s our message to proclaim.

From the very beginning, followers of Jesus have found themselves in societies that were at odds with the ways of Jesus. And yet, this is central to how Jesus uses His church. In Matthew 5, we see that the church is called to be an alternative society - a window through which the world sees the beauty of living under the rule of King Jesus.

Matthew 19:16-30 recounts a conversation between Jesus and a young man who is asking how a person can enter the Kingdom of God. In these verses, we’ll learn that anyone can enter, but external obedience isn’t sufficient. Only by surrendering all we are, and giving our allegiance to King Jesus, will we enter His kingdom.

Where do you find the strength to forgive? When the pain runs deep and the hurt is real, when all you want to do is retaliate or write someone off? In Matthew 18:21-35 we discover that mercy is the atmosphere of the kingdom of heaven. It’s the air we breathe, our source of strength and the ongoing response of those who have truly received it.

In this update, Daryn reviews the impact faithful and sacrificial giving has had on our shared mission in 2023 and the opportunities before us in 2024. What are your convictions and what is your practice? 

The kingdom of heaven isn’t something we’re to keep at arm’s length. It’s something to hold close and value more than anything else in this life; to treasure beyond compare. In Matthew 13:44-46 Jesus shares two stories that invite us into the joy and obsession of those who know the value of the kingdom; and with glad surrender give up everything to have it.

Many of us have heard of the kingdom of heaven, but it can be a struggle to put into words what the kingdom is, or how it works. What does Jesus have to say about the kingdom? In Matthew 13, we see that when the good news of Jesus takes root in hearts, the kingdom grows and produces a harvest beyond our wildest imaginations.

Local stories are stories of God's grace at work in the lives of those who are a part of Local Church St. Pete.  We want to highlight his activity and celebrate his grace.