Pursuing God with Gene Appel

After investigating everything “under the sun”, King Solomon writes, “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” In today’s devotion Gene shares what King Solomon finally discovers --the only way to find purpose is to look to that which cannot be seen. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by...

There’s a big difference between finding a path in life and discovering God’s purpose FOR your life. Solomon was a king and the richest person the world has ever known. The Bible says he denied himself nothing, yet he discovered that true fulfillment wasn’t found in the things of this world. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. G...

Have you ever wondered why you were born? Deep down you sense there's a reason for being alive, but you can’t find it -- you feel stuck. Maybe your life has a path, but you feel like it doesn’t have a purpose. This week, Gene focuses on what we can learn from King Solomon’s quest for purpose. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compass...

Many of us think of church as a restaurant, where we come and sit down to be served – our job, then, is to consume and be fed. But in Acts, we read that early followers of Jesus followed a different model and unleashed compassion to the extent that there were no needy persons among them. “Spiritual growth happens much more quickly in the KITCHEN than at the TABLE .” Pursuing God with Gene Appel is...

Small groups are a place to love and be loved; to serve and be served; to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. We read from Acts 2 that the early church followed this model when they met together in small groups in homes and shared meals together. In today’s episode, Gene encourages us to the community that is available at Eastside. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed...

We are hard-wired by God to need other people in our lives. And something supernatural happens when the church of Jesus comes together to worship Him. In today’s episode, Gene encourages us to get in a community where we can pursue God with others. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’...

“...It didn’t take God long to notice that there was something NOT GOOD about what He had made. God started noticing the loneliness in Adam’s soul; the isolation in his heart. And in Genesis 2:18, God said, ‘It is NOT GOOD for the man to be alone.’” In today’s episode, Gene teaches that we will never fully experience God’s power and presence apart from community with God’s people.  Pursuing God wi...

“ What if the way to a better ME was through WE?” We are consumed with ourselves these days. And while we have more self-care resources available to us than ever before, there’s still something missing. Join Gene in this week’s podcast series as he encourages us to go deeper in our relationships – because life truly is Better Together. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue Go...

As the week comes to an end, Gene reviews a few simple ways we can release our grief to God so that we can fully experience His power and presence in our lives. No matter the challenge, as a follower of Jesus, God is with you and His power is available to you to fight your battles. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in...

God’s power is only fully experienced in community with His people. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them .” In today’s episode, Gene shares his personal story of how he decided to take the risk and find community when he needed it most. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleas...

No matter the challenge, God’s power is available to bring hope to your heavy heart. Gene teaches in today’s episode that, as followers of Jesus, we can be strong and courageous because there is a greater power within us. 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 gra...

Many of us grew up being taught that acting as if something doesn’t hurt is a sign of strength. When people ask you how you’re doing you just tell them, “Fine...Everything’s fine.” In today’s episode, Gene reminds us that we have a God who we can release our heavy hearts to. He is ready to come alongside you with His power and presence. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue G...

We have more than any other generation before us, and yet there’s an inner dissatisfaction, a longing for more, a lack of hope – We have heavy hearts. Why is your heart so heavy?  It’s one of 3 things: Hurts from your past, troubles in the present, or anxiety about your future. Join Gene this week as he unpacks Biblical truths to help us cope with difficult feelings and fully release them to God....

 When we sing “Holy Spirit, you are welcome here” we are saying “God, you are welcome in me. Come and fill ME.” Gene concludes this week of devotions by encouraging us to ask God to fill us with His Spirit. Because if we’re going to live in HIS strength, we’ve got to be FILLED with His strength Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion...

Are you willing to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit, even if it’s not what you predetermined it should be? Even if it involves risk? In today’s devotion, Gene shares two practical ways to follow the Spirit’s guidance when you sense His leading in your life.  Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped...

 John 16:13 says “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.” In today’s devotion Gene shares, from his personal experiences, that many times the Spirit leads through gentle nudges. And if we’re going to be led by the Spirit, we must be open to His leadings.  Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Gr...

When life isn’t going smoothly, it’s easy to assume that we’ve missed God’s guidance -- that being led by the Spirit is about God leading us to the outcome we desire. Gene focuses his teaching today on “clarifying the goal”, because the Spirit’s guidance is not about personal success, but about personal transformation. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build communit...

 When faced with a big decision to make, how often do you find yourself wishing that God would just send you a sign? This week Gene focuses on how to be led by the Spirit, recognizing that often the Spirit of God will lead us in ways that we wouldn’t have ever anticipated Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture...

 “God is able to do immeasurably more, isn’t He? If we as a church respond to this dangerous call to prayer and pray with purpose, passion, and His power, we will see a miracle in our midst in the next two years. And when we see this miracle, the only words that will be able to come out of our mouths are the same words that came out of Paul’s mouth in Ephesians 3:21, ‘To Him be glory in the church...

There is no power like unconditional love. Paul writes in Ephesians 3:17-19, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power…to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God,...

In these final days of 21 Days Of Prayer, Gene gives us one last challenge – a call to powerful prayer. Paul says in Ephesians 3:16, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”  Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash comp...

How has your prayer life developed through this 21 day journey? In today’s episode, Gene invites Eastsiders to begin praying daily for our church – as we celebrate all that God has done at Eastside these past six decades and as we look to the future. “This is a time to pray with humility and intensity.” Pray “God, do a miracle in me…And do a miracle in our church.” Pursuing God with Gene Appel is...

Can you think of a time when you fell to your knees in prayer? We’ve all prayed prayers when we felt like we were sinking – and we instinctively go to our knees in these moments. Why not give it a shot today? Get on your knees and give yourself fully to God – ASK, SEEK, KNOCK. And may you experience the humility and intensity that come from kneeling before our Almighty God.  Pursuing God with Gene...

Why doesn’t God answer all of our prayers? The church in Ephesus was facing awesome challenges and discouraging setbacks when Paul writes to them from prison, encouraging them to continue to walk by faith and trust God. “I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.” (Ephesians 3:13) In today’s episode, Gene shares four benefits of prayer in ti...

Are you ready to abandon it all for the sake of the call? It’s scary to go to new places in our prayer lives, but Gene reminds us in today’s episode that God is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine when we lay it all before Him. “God, Help us to be people who keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking.” Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build communi...