Pursuing God with Gene Appel

The apostle James reminds us to restrain our remarks by being slow to speak. Popular psychology tells us to vent our anger. But the problem with venting is that it can lead to being out of control the next time we get angry. It is also not very effective to vent to another person. Anger creates more anger. Gene reminds us to go directly to the person who has made us angry and process our anger in...

In today’s episode, Gene challenges us to take time to reflect and think through our responses when we get angry. Anger is like having a smoke detector - it indicates there is a problem. Anger exists to tell us something is wrong and needs our attention. The underlying emotion is hurt, frustration, or fear. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unlea...

Anger can take a toll on our physical and emotional health. We live in an angry world. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. In today’s episode, Gene reminds us that being angry isn’t a sin. It is letting the anger control us where we fall into sin. James 1:19 reminds us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed t...

Psalm 77 begins with a man who is on the brink of total collapse of his faith. But when we see his perspective change from focusing on himself to focusing on God, the story becomes powerful. Will you choose to trust in your disappointment, or will you trust in the God who is working upstream? Gene reminds us that God is greater than our pain and our disappointment. We need to trust that He is work...

In today’s episode, Gene explains why telling someone to pray might not be the first thing to do in our grief. Meditating first on God puts our life in perspective by focusing on God rather than ourselves. The starting place is to focus not on your disappointment but on God and his track record in your life. Focus on the God who is working ‘upstream’ from your life. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is...

When we tell someone to ‘just pray about it,’ it may not be the first thing to tell people to do when their life is on the rocks. The author of Psalm 77 cried out to God and felt like God wasn’t there. In the Psalm, Asaph asked some hard questions that we can ask today when we experience devastation. Why is God silent? Can he be greater than our disappointment? In today’s episode, Gene explains ho...

There are no textbook answers on how to deal with our disappointments and grief. In today’s episode, Gene unpacks Psalm 77 where the writer is experiencing deep lament and doesn’t feel like God is near. This Psalm and other psalms of lament show that it is okay to be honest and unedited with God in our prayers during a time of devastation and grief. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help...

Each of us has something in our lives we love to do. Whether it’s a hobby or a vacation, it is life-giving. Do you have a dream you have not yet fulfilled? Where have your dreams been disappointing? How do you talk to God when life interrupts your plans? This week, Gene walks through Psalm 77, a psalm of lament. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and...

You can experience a much greater sense of meaning and purpose at work by showing Jesus to others through love, acceptance, encouragement, and forgiveness. Gene reminds us in today’s episode to look past others’ behavior and see their hurt. When we show Jesus in our place of work, others will be drawn to us. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unle...

How do you talk at work? Many Christians diminish their spiritual impact by the way they talk. Negativity, gossip, and dishonesty all create a lack of credibility and integrity. Gene reminds us that we are an example of Jesus in our workplace through our words and actions. Does your character align with someone who professes to follow Christ? Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pu...

The time in our jobs is an opportunity for ministry. In today’s episode, Gene reminds us that when people know we follow Jesus, they watch us and scan us for hypocrisy. We need to make good impressions on those we work with. The Bible tells us to work diligently as unto the Lord. Gene talks about what that looks like in our workplace. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God...

God has placed you exactly where you are as a difference-maker. When we change the way we think of our work, it changes the way we interact with the people we work with. When God thinks of a missionary, He thinks of a business owner, a hair stylist, or a machinist. You can make an eternal difference in the lives of the people you work for and with. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help...

In today’s episode, Gene talks about our ultimate purpose in life in regard to our job. Can you approach your work with a different mindset - the mindset of a missionary? You can serve the Lord no matter where you are or what you do. Gene challenges us to think of the people we work with as our mission field. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unl...

Solomon traded all the good in his life by seeking pleasure. In today’s episode, Gene reminds us that when we say, “If only,” we are chasing after things that don’t have the power to bring lasting happiness. When we say, “When ____ happens, then I’ll be happy,” we’re seeking happiness that won’t satisfy. Happy people don’t chase after happiness; they chase after God and happiness finds them. Pursu...

Living for pleasure. Amassing wealth. Hard work. Though Solomon tried pursuing happiness through every avenue, he calls all those things ‘chasing after the wind.’ At the end of his life, Solomon realizes that pursuing anything other than God first is chasing after the wind. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scriptu...

Many of us try to fill the hole in our lives with the same things Solomon tried back in his day. He tried everything - parties, bigger and bigger houses, alcohol, sex. When God wasn’t his priority, everything crumbled. Today Gene challenges us to look closely at what we’re using to fill the God-sized hole in our lives. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build communit...

Solomon used the word ‘meaningless’ 38 times in the book of Ecclesiastes. He discovered that his choices ruined his life, his family, and eventually the nation of Israel. When we seek after pleasure and happiness instead of seeking after God, like Solomon, we will find it meaningless. Temporary pleasure makes a poor God. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build commun...

In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon writes about his success and failure and what he learned at the end of his life. It is one thing to have all the wisdom in the world, but it’s another thing to apply it. Solomon’s strength became his weakness. Gene challenges us in today’s episode to take Solomon’s advice at the end of Ecclesiastes - Fear God and keep His commandments. Pursuing God with Gene Ap...

Our greatest need is to know and experience God’s unfailing love. We long for someone to know us and everything about us and love us anyway. There isn’t anything we need to do to be worthy of God’s love. His love is unfailing and unconditional. His love is for everyone. He is always waiting with arms wide open to receive us with love and grace. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you...

In today’s episode, Gene reminds us that Jesus is the Truth. He doesn’t just tell the truth, He is the ultimate reality. His words are the unshifting foundation on which to build our lives. It is said that truth without love is brutal, but love without truth isn’t truly love. Jesus’ love demands that He reveal the truth about our lives to show us where we need Him to help us change. Pursuing God w...

In the Gospel of Mark, today Gene tells us about the enormous, turbulent storm that raged around the boat holding Jesus and the disciples. While Jesus slept, the disciples cried out to God, “Don’t you even care?” Jesus wants us to cry out to him, because He is the only one who can carry us through the storm. He cares. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community...

There’s nothing about us that God doesn’t know. Jesus knew all about the Samaritan woman’s past, which caused her to question where she could find God. Jesus answers her confusion by revealing Himself and the relationship only He can offer. In today’s episode, Gene shows us that it isn’t important where we worship, but Who we worship. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God...

In the Gospel of John, we read about Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well in the middle of the day. She sees Jesus in a different light than what she’s used to. He speaks to her in a very personal and compassionate way. In today’s episode, Gene draws us to the message that Jesus has for us today - that the things we use to fulfill us still leave our souls thirsty. But He has an answer - l...

“It is finished.” Jesus completed his earthly mission to pay the price for our sin. We don’t deserve a substitute like the one God provided, yet he loves us enough to allow us to stand blameless before him on the merits of the lamb of God who paid the price for us. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and sh...

What a contrast between Peter’s cowardice in denying Jesus, and Jesus’ willingness to endure isolation, betrayal and ultimately death for the sake of those who could so quickly deny Him. 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 in...