Pine Lake Covenant Church Podcast

The Beatitudes… Jesus’ first teachings. The first words from your rabbi are important. They set the priority for his disciples to follow. Jesus’ teaching was counter to the culture of his day, and was a call for God’s people to return to their roots of being a people set apart. His kingdom would be an upside down one from the culture, then and for our culture today. In the new year, we...

This Advent weekend, we step into the hill country with Mary and discover that joy doesn’t begin with getting our life together—it begins with Jesus drawing near. Luke 1:39–55 shows how joy leaks when “me” becomes the center: the more we stare at ourselves—our stress, our lack, our comparisons—the faster joy drains away. But God doesn’t lose me in the midst of we; He meets Mary and Elizabeth perso...

Love is the heartbeat of Advent. This week, as we sit with John 3:16–17, we’ll trace the story of a God whose love is eternal (“chosen before the foundation of the world”), visible in Jesus—the Word made flesh, and receivable, a love so wide and long and high and deep that it can actually take root in our hearts. In a world starving for real love, Advent reminds us that Go...

On our monthly Discipleship Sundays, we gather as one church family—ages 1 to 103—and this month we gather to explore the Advent theme of peace. Through the story of the shepherds in Luke 2:8–15, we’ll see how God speaks peace right into the middle of fear and uncertainty. Our morning will be interactive and engaging: we’ll explore together, reflect together, and ask honest questions that help us...

This Advent, we begin a new series called Go Tell It, a journey into the good news worth sharing. In a world that often feels heavy and uncertain, the prophet Isaiah speaks a surprising word: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.” This week, we explore the theme of Hope—not as wishful thinking, but as the arrival of God’s light in the darkest places. Come dis...

At the last supper, Jesus ate a meal with his best friends. They shared many meals together, and this was no different than any of the others, except that it would be his last. Even then you can see Jesus gathering his friends together to share love words of encouragement and deeper trust in him. We are called to do what Jesus did. To sit down with people at a table and build community. Join us as...

In a world where injustice separates and labels, Jesus meets a marginalized woman with dignity, truth, and grace. This encounter is more than a conversation about worship; it’s a confrontation with systems of exclusion and a picture of divine justice in action. Jesus doesn’t just talk about justice — he embodies it. He meets the one pushed to the margins and draws her to the ce...

God welcomes us, so we welcome others. This Sunday we’ll explore the radical, boundary-crossing hospitality of God—from Eden to Bethlehem to the great last banquet in heaven. Scripture reminds us that we were once strangers whom God welcomed home, and now we are sent to reflect His heart to those who are on the outside looking in. Come discover what it means to love strangers, open our tables, our...

This Discipleship Sunday we’ll explore what it means to share in the compassion of Jesus—a compassion that sees, feels, and moves. In a world that often pushes the poor to the margins, Jesus brought them front and center. His compassion didn’t stop at sympathy—it led to action. Together, as a learning and discipling community, we’ll reflect on how we can see the poor among us, have compassion, and...

Jesus didn’t just talk about compassion—He embodied it. He entered the homes of the sick, touched the untouchable, and stood beside the condemned. In doing so, He showed us that love is not loud or convenient; it is often quiet, faithful, and costly. Following Jesus means showing up where pain lives—hospital rooms, lonely places, and even the margins of society. To do what Jesus did will...

Deliverance isn’t just something God does for us — it’s something He does through us. When Jesus taught us to pray, “Deliver us from evil,” He wasn’t inviting passivity but participation. Jesus came proclaiming freedom for the captives and breaking the chains of sin, fear, and oppression — and He calls His followers to do the same. In a world still bound by addiction, anxiety,...

Jesus met broken bodies with healing hands and a compassionate heart. Through our call to do what Jesus did, we’ll explore how Jesus still heals today—sometimes instantly, sometimes through process, and sometimes not until eternity. God can heal; God does heal; and even when He doesn’t, He is still good. As disciples, we’re invited to carry His healing presence into a hurting world, trusting His p...

Jesus gathered people in homes, in the temple courts, and along the roads, turning everyday spaces into classrooms of the Kingdom. Following Him means both learning and teaching His words—and we practice His way together.  Sunday we’ll explore what it looks like to be deeper disciples by doing what Jesus did—learning in community, teaching one another, and allowing conversations about Jesus t...

Jesus declares His mission: to bring good news to the poor, freedom for the oppressed, sight for the blind, and release for the captive. These words were not just spoken—they were embodied in His life and ministry. The gospel is not only something we proclaim, but something we live. What does it mean to demonstrate the gospel in both word and deed, so that our lives echo the good news of Jesus? If...

God has poured His love into our lives—not for us to keep, but for us to share. As disciples of Jesus, it is imperative to discover what it looks like to take the love we know and bring it to those who haven’t experienced it yet. Join us as we learn how simple acts of love and courageous words can point others to the hope we hold in Christ. The post Preach the Gospel appeared first on Pine Lake Co...

Jesus didn’t just preach the gospel—He practiced it at the table. In Luke 19, salvation came to Zacchaeus’ house not through a sermon, but through a meal. By breaking bread, Jesus broke barriers, and by sharing tables, He shared the gospel. Join us as we explore how hospitality isn’t just a good idea—it’s a gospel practice. The challenge is simple yet powerful: make space for the gospel by sa...

Each month we intentionally set the stage for learning as a community, from 1-101 years old. Together we learn what it means to be disciples who follow Jesus, and this month we are asking the question What Did Jesus Do? It seems like a simple question, but it gets complicated when Jesus says his disciples will do what he did! Join us as we learn together to live as disciples that do what Jesus did...

“Save us! Save us!” The world cries for deliverance as evil prospers and our anxieties rise. We long for refuge—yet too often seek it in the wrong places. Where can we find true and lasting rescue? This week in the Psalms, we are reminded who is our true defense and protection: “My salvation comes from God. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be...

Psalm 84 invites us into a holy longing—a deep desire to be near God and dwell in His presence. In a world full of distractions and quick fixes, this psalm teaches us that true fulfillment isn’t found in what we achieve, but in whom we pursue. Learning the art of yearning means shaping our hearts to crave God above all else—turning our restlessness into worship, our waiting into hope, and our jour...

Psalm 1 paints a vivid contrast between two ways of life: one rooted by streams of living water, the other blown away like chaff in the wind. In a world full of noise and shallow distractions, this psalm invites us to a life that flourishes through nourishing—anchored in God’s Word, bearing fruit in every season. Join us as we discover how to starve the lies of the world, feed on what truly lasts,...

Psalm 121 teaches us that God is in control. Even though we may be far from the destination in our health, our jobs, our families, or our desires, we can come under God’s authority and look to the hills from whence comes our help on the journey. This Psalm shows us that the Maker of Heaven and Earth sees us. He will not abandon or forsake us. He slumbers not nor sleeps. God is in control. The post...

Psalm 91 is a powerful declaration of God’s protection, presence, and peace for those who trust in Him. It paints a vivid picture of refuge under God’s wings, safety in the face of fear, and strength amid trials. Whether facing danger, disease, or distress, this psalm reminds us that those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High can live with courage and confidence—because God is not distant; He...

This Sunday, we will take a reflective walk through Psalm 103 where we are called to remember—not just with our minds, but with our souls. Psalm 103 calls us to preach to our own hearts: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” – and then walks us through remembering: who God is, what God has done, and who we are—and whose we are. ...

In Psalm 139, we discover the beauty of being fully known by God — every thought, every fear, every joy — and invited to truly know Him in return. This week we’ll explore how God’s intimate knowledge of us is not something to fear but to embrace, and how knowing Him shapes our identity and purpose. Come find rest in the God who searches, knows, and loves you completely — and calls you to know Him...

From day to day, we make most of the decisions about where we go and what we do. In David’s life we get a glimpse of how the Lord was the guiding force of his life. What can we learn from a familiar psalm that might transform our everyday lives? The Shepherd does not tend the flock to give them what they want, but to lead them to what they need. The post Psalm 23 appeared first on Pine Lake Covena...