Oakhaven Church Podcast

Today we look at how Jesus calls Simon Peter in the Gospel of Luke. Peter has a series of encounters with Jesus that crescendo to a miraculous catch of fish both in number and in the whole “you don’t catch fish in the heat of noon” thing. We consider Jesus’ call on each of us in both ordinary and extraordinary circumstances, and how Jesus makes clear to Simon and to us that He can be trusted, even...

We finish our series in which we’ve been reflecting on the Holy Spirit in a focus on “The Pursuit of the Holy Spirit.” This is a both/and concept as He pursues us AND we are called to pursue Him. Ezekiel paints God as a shepherd who retrieves His sheep. Jesus provides multiple examples of His own pursuing the Spirit’s presence throughout His ministry. If Jesus, Son of God and united with the Trini...

We continue our focus on the Holy Spirit this morning in these weeks following Pentecost. Today we look at one of the most colorful stories in the Bible as we join Ezekiel in his vision of God’s raising a valley full of bleached, dry bones into an enfleshed army. As Yahveh breathes His Spirit into them to bring them to life, we are linked to Genesis 2:7 when Yahveh first breathes life into Adam, a...

Today is Father’s Day, a day to celebrate for a lot of people, but also a tough day for others. None of us have (or are) perfect fathers, but we can all rejoice in God the Father caring more for us than we can imagine. He adopts us into His family in a powerful way that removes distinctions like male, female, Jew, gentile, slave or free. We are no longer treated as slaves, but as His children, a p...

We continue our rumination on the Holy Spirit in these weeks following the universe-changing day of Pentecost. Today we’ll look (all too briefly) at some of the roles the Spirit plays in our lives: Companion, Comforter, Counselor, Companion, Intercessor, Equipper, Empowered, Sanctifier, Pray-er, Deposit and Guarantee, and more than we can ask or imagine! To investigate this most important of stori...

The Bible begins with a picture of God and His children, Adam and Eve, living a life of close relationship with one another in actual physical presence together. When human sin forces exile, the rest of scripture is about how God restores His relationship with His children, including us.  Over and over, He promises that there will come a day when He will be our God, and we will be His people. The...

On the Sunday just before Memorial Day, elder Brenda Wilusz shares a message of the role of memories and memorials focused on God's past faithfulness as we step into the future with faith in His continued presence and goodness.  To investigate this most important of stories further, go here . 

40 days after His resurrection, Jesus ascends into heaven - body, spirit, soul, heart, mind and all - the whole kit and caboodle. His ascension completes His mission as He is enthroned in glory as King of the Universe. The layers of symbol, meaning and power in this moment are significant both in how God’s plan on which He has been working for all time comes together in these amazing moments, and...

We celebrate Mothers’ Day by hearing from four mothers as they share their testimonies of God’s faithfulness in their lives through their experience of motherhood. Youngsters, take notes! To investigate this most important of stories further, go here . 

Jesus’ resurrection brings with it the promise of ours. Several passages briefly describe Jesus’ return and the sequence of events He triggers at the time. In every instance, the descriptions of things to come are accompanied with a sense of what and WHO is already here. The Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead has been given to us - Jesus tells His disciples that He’s got to leave them so He ca...

Directly tied to Jesus’ resurrection is His promise to return someday and resurrect everyone else. He’s the “firstfruit,” like the first apple to be picked as harvest begins. So what’s the deal with His not coming back yet? The longer we wait, the less likely it seems. And what does it mean to be ready for His return? Do we need to have all our ducks in a row, all the right hoops jumped through, a...

We continue in the season of resurrection by looking at accounts in both Luke and John of people’s encounters with the risen Christ. We then note Paul’s catalogue of “sightings” in 1 Corinthians 15 and take a lesson from what every encounter has in common: everyone who sees the risen Lord tells everyone else about their experience. Who have you told of your experience of the risen Lord lately? To...

Jesus, the humble king, spreads His arms upon the cross and embraces death, dragged into the grave and even hell itself by the enemy, only to astound the universe by being raised to new, permanent life on Easter morning. The war is one, but we continue in the battle. A battle in which we are impervious to the enemy’s greatest weapon. And our secret weapon is the love that sent Jesus to the cross....

The resurrection of Jesus permanently alters the frame of reference of the Jesus follower. Perspective is turned on its head and death is rendered powerless. The worst that could happen used to be to die. Now that death is just a temporary setback that in fact ushers you into God's presence, it's not really a threat anymore. As a huge bonus, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dea...

As we consider Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday two millennia ago ( Matthew 21 ), we reflect on how his kingship and kingdom are so very unlike that of Rome or even the Jewish nation to which He came. His is a way of humility, helping, and healing instead of conquest and domination. He chooses symbols - like the donkey - to convey His Way, and chooses us to represent Him as His...

As we live life On Purpose as children of God, marked by His fingerprints and made in His image, the overpowering message He extends to us is that He loves us. In fact, He loves EVERYONE, and very much wants EVERYONE to know how much He loves them. He has chosen a very grass roots “method” of spreading this information, which the New Testament refers to as “good news” or “gospel.” We are the grass...

Prayer is one of the most remarkable gifts God has given us. It puts us and keeps us in community with Him and with one another. It changes our hearts and attitudes, arms us against the temptations of the enemy, moves us to be agents of grace, and keeps us alongside Jesus, the apostle Paul, and the examples of constant prayer they set for us. To investigate this most important of stories further,...

As we strive to live our lives on purpose, there is someone who tries to keep us from our mission. The accuser is never named in scripture, but Peter describes his efforts as “a lion seeking whom he may devour.” In Paul’s famous description of the armor of God in Ephesians 6 , we find comfort and inspiration in the many ways God has provided for our protection from attack AND the tools he has give...

Since Oakhaven Church holds our annual Chili Cookoff today, we’re looking at a story in Genesis ( Genesis 25 ) about the closet thing to chili in the bible. As Esau sells all this rights as the firstborn son to his slightly - make that barely - younger brother Jacob for a mere bowl of stew (nearly the same thing as chili), we consider the nature of appetite, temptation, sin, repentance, and forgiv...

Ultimately, our purpose is to look like, act like, and live like Jesus. We are urged to set our eyes on Him, and His example. His greatest example for us is outlined in the ancient hymn held for us in Philippians 2 , in which we are urged to consider others as more important than ourselves. Then we are shown the amazing example of Jesus who, with every right to claim first place in the universe, i...

We continue today our focus on living life “On Purpose.” A purposeful life flows from our identity as being created in God’s image, chosen and precious to Him. He empowers our walk in Him and calls us to a life “worthy of the calling” He places on us. Today, we’ll look at the process of ongoing renewal we are called to, as we put off our old self and put on the new, energized and anointed life in...

We continue with our series about living life “On Purpose," being intentional in spending our time on earth. Our sense of purpose flows strongly from our sense of identity. Who we are is rooted in who God is, and who He says we are. The fullest, most authentic life available to us is a life “in Christ,” a phrase that Paul uses repeatedly to describe our unique position both now and forever. A...

We continue to explore living life “On Purpose” in our time together today. We have noticed that our purpose is bound up in our identity - our sense of who we are. God has chosen us - picked each of us first - not just so that we can enjoy the benefits of His kindness, but so that we as unique masterpieces can point others toward Him so that they too may exult in lives of meaning and purpose.  Our...

We’re exploring the theme of living “On Purpose” in 2023. Today we look at how bound our sense of purpose is with our identity, our sense of who we are. Which gets us to whose we are, of course. One of the amazing things about those two sides to us is that God has chosen us. Each of us. Picked us first, every one of us. Nothing like picking sides in the playground. To investigate this most importa...

We embark on a new series this morning, “On Purpose.” We are afforded an excellent example of someone who lived their life intentionally and “on purpose,” as today is the anniversary of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Our purpose ultimately is to “simply” be who we are - children of a loving Creator who made the whole universe in order to be at home with us. As children of the King, we ar...