Spark Cast

There are times and seasons in life "when you're down and troubled and you need a helping hand, and nothing, whoa, nothing is going right." This testimony speaks of learning to live through moments and seasons of uncertainty.

Pastor Tom shares his "Because of Jesus story … what he's seen — in Ethiopia, in a Bay Area shelter, at Spark Church, and in his own hardest season — and why it's convinced him that the kingdom of God is not someday. It's here. It's now. And the invitation is open to everyone.

How has Jesus changed our lives? What is different as a result? And how has Jesus transformed our Story, our Community, and our Purpose?

Fractals are infinitely complex patterns that are self-similar across different scales. They are created by repeating a simple process over and over in an ongoing feedback loop. Fractals form the underlying pattern of all of life (in our bodies and in our food!) What does this have to do with discipleship? Everything! Understanding "Fractal Discipleship" not only tunes us in to the deep and natura...

It has been said that the ultimate aim of Christian faith is not to make people "believers" in the faith (per se), but rather to make exemplars of the very best of humanity. (God did create "humanity" after all, in the very beginning.) If this is true, understanding what it means to be human is part and parcel of faithful discipleship. In short, everyone needs a story by which they live, a communi...

What the Spirit did through the multi-national gathering of Jewish followers of Jesus on Pentecost in Acts 2 is perhaps one of the most jarring demonstrations of God’s love for the whole world. Even so, it was just the beginning. Hear our communal Pentecost tradition of proclaiming Jesus in languages from all over the world, and the Spirit’s relentless push to love everyone as if they were family.

"Thoughts and Prayers" commonly inundate our social media feeds in the advent of tragedy. “I’m praying for you” is equally spoken towards our own suffering or seeing the suffering of others. But what does it actually mean to pray for ourselves and others? What should we, as believers, be praying for? How should prayer push us into action for the sake of ourselves, our community, and our world?

[Due to technical difficulties, we are missing the first few minutes of the talk. We apologize for the inconvenience.] What happens when it appears we have all the material wealth according to the cultural standard? When it appears that our nation, zip codes, professions, and investment portfolios appear to shelter us from some of the troubles our unhoused, or less resourced neighbors, are we ever...

When everything around us is polarized and divided, what does it actually look like to follow Jesus — not just believe in him?

Considering becoming a teacher? Don’t. James' wisdom on what a true teacher looks like in a world full of influencers and grifters comes in hot with a stern warning for people who want authority and influence but aren’t willing to back it up with exceptional integrity. Words have power. They can save or destroy. So if you’re not willing to be pure, righteous, and peaceable...maybe don’t talk so mu...

Every human organization has a natural tendency toward entropy, the gradual degradation of the organization's originally inspiring mission into chaos and dysfunction. When Spark was launched, we intentionally prioritized focusing on being a healthy church, and growth would simply be whatever God granted. For us, this meant tending to the core principles of organizational health and our core values...

The letter of James/Jacob opens with an exhortation for the scattered twelve tribes to persevere during times of trial, discovering joy in the midst of challenges. This wisdom from millennia ago provides guidance for us during these difficult days.

To quote the prophet Bono, "The rule has been disproved, the stone it has been moved, the grave is now a groove, all debts are removed!" What a glorious reason to rejoice as we conclude our series on Revelation in the Garden and celebrate the empty tomb found in a garden 2000 years ago.

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday elicited a chorus of “Hosanna” (Help/Save us now!) from the crowd following him. In his vision, John hears the multitudes in heaven loudly celebrating with “Hallelujah” (Praise the Lord!) after the fall of Babylon. For many of us Christ followers now, holding the tension of the hosanna and the hallelujah can be joyfully wearisome. As we remember the work...

The central part of Revelation reveals the central characters in the central conflict in God’s story. We encounter the Woman and her Son, the Dragon and his Beasts, and their ultimate collision at Armageddon. Making this battle about some far-off, abstract ‘end of the world’ cataclysm removes the urgency with which the original audience felt this story playing out literally in front of them. Placi...

The Four Horsemen. The Destroyer from the Abyss and his demon locusts. Scrolls, seals, trumpets. The Lamb, the Elders, the Angels, the Martyrs. Revelation abruptly escalates from grounded words of advice to a handful of churches to the iconically ‘apocalyptic’ cosmic battle that we tend to associate with the book today. As we are guided through the densest section of symbols in what feels like the...

Concluding the last letter to the seven churches, the author of Revelation ushers us into the throne room of God, where we encounter four living creatures singing unceasingly, "Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come." Worship takes a primary place in John's letter, as he weaves nine different songs throughout the book.

As we look at the letters to the churches in Philadelphia and Laodicea, we do so needing hope ... and there is hope to be found in these letters. We long for peace and we seek a world where empires no longer rage in vain but where we all dine at the banqueting table together with the King. Come to be together, to practice the peace and love and hope found in Christ.

Based upon decades of study on the cultural and rabbinic context of the Gospels, Dr. Steven Notley will reveal fresh insights into Luke 4 and Jesus’ public pronouncement of his ministry at his hometown synagogue in Nazareth. Jesus' message of mercy marks the entire Gospel of Luke though it did not find a home in every hearing heart. Dr. R. Steven Notley is Professor and Dean of Religious Studies a...

Based upon decades of study on the cultural and rabbinic context of the Gospels, Dr. Steven Notley will reveal fresh insights into Luke 4 and Jesus’ public pronouncement of his ministry at his hometown synagogue in Nazareth. Jesus' message of mercy marks the entire Gospel of Luke though it did not find a home in every hearing heart. Dr. R. Steven Notley is Professor and Dean of Religious Studies a...

A closer look at the churches in Thyatira and Sardis reveals that they are encouraged to wake up and repent, and persevere, even when everything around them looks hopeless.

Looking closely at the letters to the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna and Pergamum, John the Revelator speaks to the specific context of the churches in these three cities using the language of first loves and white stones.

Seven cities. Seven churches. Why? A clue is found in the preface, that John, a brother to the people to whom he writes, shares, in Jesus, in the persecution, the kingdom, and resistance. This triad formulates the foundational agenda for John's exhortations and prepares these disciples for the encouraging hope that is coming.

Do you find yourself thinking about the Roman Empire lately? The people of the first century did too! Far removed from the Land of Israel, Jesus followers sought to live faithfully while surrounded by the powers and principalities of their day. A close look at the cultural and imperial context of the book of Revelation reveals that their time resonates with the world we are living in today.

Over the centuries, the book of Revelation has been used to instill fear and confusion in many readers, but the first hearers experienced hope unveiled with the anticipation of justice on the horizon. Let’s take a fresh look at all that John saw and heard, embracing the unveiled hope that still speaks to us today.