Pastor Talk

Following God's covenant comes the surprise end to Noah's story which leaves us with more questions than answers. Join Pastors Clint and Michael as they dive into the story of Noah and his sons. Be sure to share this with anyone who you think might be interested in going along on this journey together through Genesis together. Pastor Talk Quick Links: Learn more about the Pastor Talk series and vi...

Noah and his family walk out onto dry ground. With a beautiful rainbow hanging above them God makes the promise that a flood would never again destroy all living things. This is the story that we remember from our children's Bibles. But did you know that the rainbow actually symbolized a warrior's weapon? And did you know that this universal covenant is the first foreshadowing of God's perfect and...

"Be Fruitful and Multiply" are more than just nice words, they are both God's intension and directive for humanity. Now that Noah and his family have been saved from a catastrophic flood, will they be able to live into this command more effectively that their predecessors? Today we discover that God is already beginning to lay the framework for right living in order to curb human's sin sickness. B...

What would you do after God miraculously saves you from a cataclysmic world flood? And what can we learn from what Noah does? We discover that God's will is beyond human understanding or even questioning and, yet, God is faithful. God makes a promise to be faithful even in full knowledge that humanity will never be able to be faithful on its own. Ultimately, we begin to see that Noah's story is fa...

Have the Pastors convinced you that every Christian needs to have a missional identity? So what next? What does it actually mean to be missional? Join Pastors Clint and Michael as they explore these foundational questions and provide some suggestions for how every Christian (and congregation) can begin to make this missional identity part of their core spiritual DNA. Be sure to share this with any...

The floor waters recede and Noah patiently waits for God to make a new start for the whole creation. In this incredibly deep story of God's faithfulness and creative power, we rediscover how intricately and beautifully the scriptures draw us into the stories of ancient people only to show us a contemporary glimpse of a vast and powerful God who continues to be faithful today. Be sure to share this...

Today's reading of Noah and the flood is among the best known stories in the Bible though, upon closer inspection, it is also one of the most challenging. Join the Pastors as they explore what we should make of the vast destruction that God brings upon creation. We learn something about our own questions that we bring to the scriptures but also the deep challenges of understanding a God who create...

You know the story, Noah obeys God and builds an ark. Yet. the danger of Biblical stories that we know so well is that we are tempted to think that we know exactly what they mean. Join Pastors Clint and Michael as they explore a different perspective of Noah's story and what we can learn about God's faithfulness through it all. Be sure to share this with anyone who you think might be interested in...

This is the part of the Noah story that you know. Don't let it keep you from seeing the point of the story as it was intended. Join Pastors Clint and Michael as they explore what we have to learn about God in this classic story of Noah building the ark. Be sure to share this with anyone who you think might be interested in going along on this journey together through Genesis together. Pastor Talk...

God surveys the world and sees that sin has infected all of humanity. In fact, everywhere God looks he sees violence, except for one man. Today we meet Noah, the one among many, who was righteous. Join Pastors Clint and Michael as they explore what we can learn from this man and how he is introduced. Be sure to share this with anyone who you think might be interested in going along on this journey...

We move from the sin of individuals to a mile-high view of how that sin has completely spoiled an entire people. In fact, the sin sickness has gone so deep and wide that God even wishes that he hadn't made it at all. Join Pastors Clint and Michael as they explore how this challenging story sets up the next story of Noah and the drastic judgement that lies ahead. Be sure to share this with anyone w...

The two genealogies in the beginning of Genesis show us both our ancient family tree and build a bridge to the next major chapter of our shared human story. Be sure to share this with anyone who you think might be interested in going along on this journey together through Genesis together. Pastor Talk Quick Links: Learn more about the Pastor Talk series and view our previous studies at https://pas...

Today Pastor Clint explores how Cain and Abel's story illuminates the dark depths of human sinfulness and how this short, but important story, becomes an important bridge in the Biblical narrative to the rampant human sinfulness that is to come. Be sure to share this with anyone who you think might be interested in going along on this journey together through Genesis together. Pastor Talk Quick Li...

If Christians are going to take on a missional identity, we will inevitably wrestle with who we are called to serve. In a world with finite resources but infinite need, Christians must grapple with the tension between helping those near to us and those far away. In this conversation, Pastors Clint and Michael explore how both of these held together in Christian discipleship are necessary for shapi...

In a brief moment of positivity following a very dark story, God blesses Eve with two sons. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long before we see how deeply embedded sin in the even the next generation of humanity. It has become painfully clear how quickly shame has devolved into anger, and it is not hard to guess where that anger might eventually lead... Be sure to share this with anyone who you thin...

The final verses of Genesis chapter three paint a bleak picture as the man and woman are permanently expelled from the garden and permanently separated from the perfect harmony that they were created to enjoy. Within these first three chapters, we begin to see how quickly the perfect creation has been brought to ruin and we immediately set up the drastic need for God's intervention. Join Pastors C...

The first humans grasped to be like God and the effect of their sinfulness is immediate and all encompassing. The serpent, the woman, and the man are changed in both their bodies and relationships and suddenly inherit lives filled with pain, toil, and struggle. This story, though painful, continues to illuminate the deep darkness of the sin-filled human soul and its life changing results. Be sure...

Sin destroys relationships and shrouds the human soul in fear and shame. The implications of sin become immediately evident when Adam and Eve's pursuit of "wisdom" suddenly drives them into hiding from God's presence. Join Pastors Clint and Michael as they explore what this story has to teach all of us about our own fear and shame. Be sure to share this with anyone who you think might be intereste...

Living into Christ's mission has never been easy. In fact, it has always required careful attention and deliberate effort. Today, Pastors Clint and Michael explore some of the barriers that stand in the way of both our individual and communal efforts to become Christians defined by our mission. In particular, the Pastors discuss how Fear, Focus, Forgetfulness, and Faith can all serve as real barri...

In just four verses, the first humans are tempted to grasp for what belongs to God and as a result become slaves to their own desires. Join Pastors Clint and Michael for a conversation about our unceasing temptation to justify our actions and dangerously misunderstand our own intentions. These four short verses are more than just a tale about ancient misdeeds, they illustrate our deepest and darke...

God's creates an entire world and two humans within it and then we learn about the "crafty serpent." What starts as a simple question quickly leads to world changing results. Today, Pastors Clint and Michael discuss what this has to teach us about our own hearts and how we too can be tempted towards questioning the very God who made us. Be sure to share this with anyone who you think might be inte...

The final part of creation in the second chapter of Genesis is not just the creation of another person but the blessing of a human relationship. Adam and Eve are created to live together in such harmony that they are completely shameless, free to be vulnerable with one another and, ultimately, their creator. We pause today to reflect on why this relationship portrayed in scripture is so important...

In Genesis 2, God not only creates the human for a purpose, God allows that human be a partner in the task of naming, preserving, and continuing the created order. Today we explore how this understanding of creation both reveals a God who is committed to the role of human involvement in the created order as well as the introduction of the greatest threat to the created order, authentic human freew...

In this conversation, Pastors Clint and Michael turn the mission focus to you. Do you consider yourself a missionary or do you think that missionaries are only professionals trained and sent overseas? As the contemporary church surveys our quickly changing culture, we have been forced to return to some of the most fundamental questions of the faith such as "who is called to be a witness to the sav...

Today, Pastors Clint and Michael begin with the second creation story of Genesis which is clearly connected to the first but yet distinctive in both its focus and tone. While the first story tells a cosmic creation story marked by order and precision, this second story immediately introduces us to a God who is willing to descend to the dirt and muck of the earth to bestow life (and breath) to crea...