Pursuing God with Gene Appel

The whole course of his life, Israel, and even the church was dramatically altered because there was a Goliath in David's life.  How you handle the giants of adversity and opportunity may very well determine the entire course and direction of your life. The Goliath crossroads changed David's life.  What will you do with your Goliath? Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you p...

This week we are exploring a young David as recorded in the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel.  As a result of David's victory over Goliath, he was catapulted to national stardom. God blessed him and prospered him greatly. Would anybody know who David was today if there had not been a Goliath in his life? Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unlea...

The story of David and Goliath is probably one of the all-time classic Old Testament stories.  We’re going to look at this story deeply this week, so today let’s get to know David himself. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode...

We’ve spent this week diving into how we invest what God has given to us. In Matthew 25, we’ve already looked at four principles to live by. The last principle is compensation: If I use it wisely, I will be rewarded.  Talent is cheap, but dedication is costly. When you use whatever talent God has given you for Him, God rewards you in three specific ways. What gifts are you going to give to God thi...

As we explore a story Jesus told in Matthew 25, we review a fourth principle: It’s wrong to bury your talents.  Why do we bury our talents? Why are we afraid? What fears keep us from using our talents? Satan can fill us with at least three different fears that keep us from investing our lives in God. The more you use something, the more it grows. But if you don't use it, you lose it. Pray for...

We are looking at how God blesses everyone with talents. We have already looked at how He owns everything and how He gives each of us talents to invest. The third principle in Matthew 25 is accountability; God expects us to use our talents.  May we never get so caught up in doing church that we forget to be the church, because God expects us to use our talents. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is desi...

Jesus’ story in Matthew 25 reminds us that everything he gives us is an asset to manage, not a possession to control. The second principle is allocation. God has given each of us talents. There are three different varieties of talent: abilities, resources, and opportunities. These are gifts from God. We don't own those things, but they are allocated to us. We are all equally loved by God and...

While we focus a lot on God’s incredible gifts to us through the good news of Jesus, we should also consider our gifts to God.  In Matthew 25, Jesus told a parable showing how to make your life count regardless of how limited your abilities and gifts appear to be.  We’ll review five principles for investing your life this week. Today we’ll talk about ownership. God made it all, and since God made...

This week, we’ve been reframing our problems by looking at the hidden upsides they tend to have. The final up-side is God can use problems in our lives to produce a Christ-like reflection in us.  There really is a huge upside to our problems. Problems help us discover direction, do a personal inspection, give us needed correction, give long-term protection, and/or produce in us a Christ-like refle...

We’ve been looking at some of the upsides to the problems we all deal with from time to time. Today we’ll discuss long-term protection with the story of Joseph.  The biggest problem you are facing right now could actually bring a good you never anticipated. It could also be protecting you from something you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.  Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pu...

We all have problems, and they impact us in one way or another. So far this week, we’ve seen that our problems can help us discover direction and give us a desire for personal inspection. The third upside to our problems is needed correction.  The problem you are facing could help you to correct something in your life.  Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build communi...

We are looking at how problems have an upside we can leverage to our benefit.  Problems can result in personal inspection to reveal what's really in our hearts. Consider some of the lessons Moses gives us for navigating the seasons of life. Is there a problem or challenge in your life that is causing you to do some personal inspection? It may be hard, but it’s a good thing. Pursuing God with...

Have you ever had a really, really bad day? The Bible is clear that even if you love God with all your heart, you are not insulated from problems. If problems are going to be a definite part of our lives, how can you learn to see them as a friend instead of an enemy? We will discuss 5 different ways God uses problems this week. The first is discovering direction, which will be discussed in the con...

We have reached the end of a week exploring what it looks like to live a life that is led by God’s Spirit. To walk in the Spirit is to move at God's pace, with His purpose, and in His power.  If you follow Jesus, being filled with the spirit is yours for the asking! Are you ready? Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounde...

When it comes to discerning the leading of the Holy Spirit, we need to know His fingerprints so we know it's really Him. Every time you sense a leading from the Holy Spirit, it's also important to test His leadings.  One of the most important ways you test His leadings is to test them against the Bible, because God's Spirit will never lead you to do something contrary to God's...

This week, we are talking about what it means to be led by God's Spirit. When we are led by the Spirit of God, we don't just follow rules, we follow His voice, His peace, and His presence. But learning to follow takes some practice. Several things can help us learn to be led by the Spirit. Today, we’ll talk about one that seems to be self-evident, but it’s one many of us struggle with. ...

We are exploring the unexpected and powerful ways God leads us in our lives this week.  There are two kinds of guidance when God is leading you by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit's guidance is not about personal success, but about personal transformation. We’ll review an example from Paul in Acts 9. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash comp...

God has always projected Himself into this world and its history through His Spirit. God is much more willing to actively lead and guide our lives than many of us are willing to believe. God is guiding, but many of us are just not listening. God is leading, but many of us are not following. This week, we are going to do a deep dive into why and how God leads us into a variety of circumstances so w...

We’ve talked about several ways of looking at the Bible this week, but today we’ll end on two core reminders when it comes to the Bible. What commitment should you make this summer? Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites...

This week, we’ve been reviewing how to engage with the Bible in a life-strengthening way.  God's Word gives you hope in crisis, comfort in despair, strength when weak, wisdom when confused, guidance when seeking direction, and power to resist temptation. The Bible is not just a standard of living; its truth is a catalyst for spiritual growth.  In Luke 8, Jesus tells a story of four kinds of s...

As we talk this week about developing and maintaining good habits surrounding the Bible, ask yourself if your current diet of scripture is leaving your soul satisfied. The Bible says the Word of God is spiritual food. The Bible describes itself as the water, the milk, the bread, and the meat of the spiritual life. Just like you need physical food for physical strength, you’ve got to have spiritual...

God wants your new spiritual life in Him to replace your old life permanently. When life's inevitable storms, trials, and temptations come, those built on God's Word remain solid rather than crumbling. Today, we’ll review four worldly foundations and why they crumble.  Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Sc...

Since it’s been a month since the New Testament Challenge, we’ll focus this week on how you can maintain a heart for God’s Word and how you can integrate it into every area of your life. When you segment your life, you live a segregated life. To have integrity means to live your life integrated, as a whole. To live an integrated life, you have to have the desire. The rest is what you do to honor i...

As we take the final lap through Acts 1 and unpack the power the first Christians had, we discover it is still available to us today. Our power doesn’t come from our level of faith, but from the One we have faith in.  God makes the power of His spirit known in three ways, which we discuss today. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassio...

This week, we are contemplating the role of God’s Holy Spirit when it comes to transforming and using our lives. As creations of God, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. But without power, we cannot function.  Early Christians witnessed what Jesus could do and how He could change their life.  Our witness is not to be narrow, but it's got to be wide. Since Jesus promised us power when we&ap...