Spark Cast

The "Great Barrier" is our psychologies, the biases, stereotypes, and fears we all have about our most important issues. Using empathetic listening and imagination, we can hopefully move from fright to productive conversations when it comes to discussing climate change.

The commands in Deuteronomy are predicated on a fundamental message, one of identity. God is teaching us to see ourselves first and foremost as Children of the Lord our God. Once we see that, everything else changes.

The top three things you can do about climate change.

All of us, including our spiritual ancestors, did better when they knew better. There are new behaviors for new lands, and we will continue to evolve as we move forward in the world.

In this second installment of the Green New Covenant, we discuss the biggest challenges facing the climate change crisis and how The Way of Jesus provides the direct response. Not only is the prophetic voice, a reconciled life, and a grand narrative view good faith, it may be the platform upon which we can, in partnership with God, bring salvation to our world.

God's covenant has always been with God's people in God's land. The relationship we have with the creation, our environment, is central to how we steward our identity and God's good world. In obedience, there are blessings. In disobedience, there are curses. Will we keep our end of the covenant?

What if God, in giving the Israelites the commission to speak and act boldly as His representatives in the world, is not just providing commands that they are to obey, but upending whole power structures? What if God is closing the gap of the "high power distance" that is accepted and perpetuated by both ancient and modern peoples?

Why does God seem to "throw some shade" to the Israelites, a barbed comment that reminds them that they're not so special? Perhaps it is because we all have a tendency to think highly of ourselves, and we forget who we were.

We pause to reflect on our "first principles," how the Gospel Justice work that we do, the study of our historical scriptures, and the faith of Jesus are all one and the same. And, why it matters.

A conversational Q&R interview with some live questions from the audience.

Author, historian, and theologian, Jemar Tisby shares on the colors of compromise from his book with the same title.

Pastor Paul Bains is the Senior Pastor of Saint Samuel Church in East Palo Alto and the Co-Founder and President of Project WeHOPE whose mission is to help people become healthy, employed and housed using innovative solutions.

Our guest, John Liotti from Able Works (able.is) shares candidly and prophetically the dynamics of his faith and development work.

The first of three conversational interviews with leaders in our local community ministering in Silicon Valley economic realities.

Lauren shares on "The Parable of the Vineyard Workers," and explains how the Kingdom of Heaven is about justice, a radical message in Jesus's day and our own, when most of us want fairness.

Jesus uses a metaphor in Matthew 6 that may be foreign to many of us. Having a "good" or "healthy" eye represents an underlying ethic of seeing one another, so that we can be generous and lavish in our economic behavior. Different from the commonly known Matthew Effect, that the more someone has the greater their advantage, this principle proposes a way of governing our economic selves by restorin...

An Introduction to our series, "Jesus Economics," providing some historical and contextual background into why this is important, and the place economics has in the faith and Way of Jesus.

In this follow up from last week's sermon, Darren Lew shares his experience in protesting in Clint, TX, and Pastor Danielle shares reflections on the importance and value of "Showing Up."

The recent news of the U.S.'s treatment of migrant children on our southern border cannot be ignored. In this special message, we hear consider the scriptures that speak of God's clear admonition against those who mistreat the stranger in our midst. For resources, please see Spark's resource email to accompany this week' message: https://mailchi.mp/024075df3315/sparkchurch-3006649

Through the wilderness, we were dependent on God. But what happens when riches come? Will we forget?

The most central command, to hear, listen, and obey, is ultimately about one thing, life. And life, in its fullest.

Many believe in Karma, the idea that we get what we deserve. A similar concept is found in Deuteronomy called "measure for measure," but with a completely different way of measuring.

In this message consider idols, things we can see, and a God of the Israelites that gave no form.

Chapter 4 includes two verses that are about love, bringing, and inheritance, language that grounds the commandments, not in duty, but in relationship. The force of Deuteronomy's "laws," emerges from the fact that we belong to God, that we are loved by God, and that God cares deeply for our souls.

The first three chapters of Deuteronomy tell a brief and critical history that is critically important for how the Israelites are to move forward into uncertainty, and in creating justice in this world. As we chart a way forward, we do so by leaning back into our story.