Spark Cast

This famous quote from the iconic film, The Princess Bride, is quite appropriate to our current cultural context. Much of the conversation around faith, religion, church, the Bible, and current events often involves a myriad of definitions which makes it difficult to understand one another. Some utilize these words in coarse rhetoric causing even further barriers to faith. This has left many peopl...

In this message, Pastor Kevin charts through Jewish and Greco-Roman first century worlds, considering how Jesus has met and transformed the ancient peoples' expectations in real life. While many of us are challenged to consider the "truth" of Jesus, we discover that historically, the transformational power of Jesus is found in the "realness" of the life that He and His early followers exemplified....

Pastor Danielle reminds us to ground ourselves in the Jewish context and culture to understand much of the teachings of Jesus. As we do, we discover how much more we understand what Jesus is teaching, and how much more powerful the teachings are when understood in context.

Special guest Betty Ann Boeving, founder and executive director of the Bay Area Anti-Trafficking Coalition, shares the story of her journey into the work of justice, fighting human slavery. Betty Ann challenges us all, regardless of personality or spiritual gifts, to embrace Micah 6:8, to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. As we do, accepting Jesus' redemptive power, being pre...

"If you build the Kingdom, people will look for the King!" While the "Kingdom of Heaven" is often thought of as referring to life after death, Pastor Danielle illuminates the historical and textual context of this phrase to mean the fact of God's rule and reign right here, right now. In addition, God's Kingdom is upside-down. Instead of power and authority this Kingdom is about humility. Instead o...

We all follow someone. The question is not whether we follow, but who and how do we follow? In this message, Pastor Danielle encourages us to follow Jesus, and truly follow Him. Through a brief first-century discipleship study, we are encouraged to trust Jesus, take a hand, and to never give up. And ultimately rest in the fact that Jesus chooses us, and believes in us in this discipleship journey.

When we think of temptation, we often first think of sin -- things like money, sex, or indulgences. But the temptations of Jesus are about food, water, and relationship with God. In this message, Pastor Kevin suggests that this illuminates for us that perhaps our greatest temptation isn't about being bad, but rather about finding the core essence of our identity in things other than our Heavenly F...

Happy Easter! On this celebration Sunday, Pastor Kevin teaches through this perplexing and profound question asked by the angels of the women at the tomb. As with other questions found in our culture, and in the Bible, truth is often found in the asking of the question. By embracing this question, and the reply that "He is not here, He is risen!" we deny death the final word and enter a new creati...

Pastor Danielle surveys the image and meaning of water in the ancient Jewish world. Through understanding the diverse meanings of the waters, we see that Jesus' baptism is rich with significance, symbolizing God's descent into the chaos of the waters to bring order, renewal, redemption, and salvation. This baptism ushers in the new Kingdom rule and reign of God, such that even the wind and the wav...

Pastor Danielle takes a historical look at the beginnings of Jesus' life, and asks a series of questions on our identity. These questions are core and central to our existence, and we discover profound answers through understanding Jesus' lineage and connection with the Heavenly Father. So, "Who am I?" I'm a child of God. "Who is your Daddy?" The Heavenly Father. "Who has your back?" He does. And,...

This is the first question we will be asking through our Jesus series. In this talk, Pastor Kevin encourages us to consider the influences our current culture has on our conceptions of Jesus being careful to not worship a Jesus that we have "created in our own image." And may we, through this quest, leverage, not just our minds and intellects, but our hearts and souls as Jesus is revealed to us by...

Since our opening 19 weeks ago, we have striven to communicate the importance of our core values. In concluding this teaching series, Pastor Kevin shares the stories that encapsulate these values, and illustrate the importance of values alongside beliefs. Through "4 acts" (similar to "This American Life"), we are inspired and challenged by these stories to put the way of Jesus into action.

Faith is deeply emotional and spiritual. But faith is also intellectual, and historical. The claim that Jesus was raised from the dead brings the two together in which the richness of our faith meets the historical work of evidence and verification. In this teaching, Pastor Kevin shares the central claim of the Christian faith, and then provides four main evidences that support the historical, phy...

The concept and idea around resurrection did not have its beginning in Christianity. Through a historical survey, Pastor Danielle shares insights into the Jewish concept and expectation of resurrection and how it impacts the understanding of Jesus' resurrection in the first-century. This context helps us understand both how the resurrection of Jesus could have been understood, and why it was so ra...

Sharing a bit of the recent adoption story in the Parish-Neuner household, Pastor Kevin begins the core value of Resurrection by talking about the temptations that emerge in each of us when deception, evil, disappointment, etc., happen as a result of "living between the trees." Yet, resurrection says that we are saved and forgiven as we forgive. Resurrection says we do not have to acquiesce to the...

Guest speaker, Pastor Sarai Crain shares on how we are all privileged to be used of God to bring rescue to the world. However, we must be guarded from misusing or abusing that privilege. Sarai shares practical ways to help us become fully the instruments of rescue God desires.

Guest speaker, Pastor Dave Peterson from MPPC continues our series on Spark's core value of "Rescue." Sharing from his heart and experience, Dave exhorts us all to receive God's personal, physical, spiritual, and emotional rescue.

Guest speaker Pastor Mark Arevalo, speaks on God's work of rescue through the Biblical stories, and in our lives. In this teaching we discover that God has begun the work of rescue in our lives, and that work is an ongoing process, and it's progressive. That hope is a privilege and to share with the world around us as we are both agents and recipients of this rescue in the world. So, let's all "sh...

All of us recognize that life is not the way it is suppose to be. That's why we work for justice and compassion; that's why we strive for patience, and kindness; that's why we yearn for freedom and peace; and in many ways, that's why we follow a calling and vocation. The challenge is that we live between Genesis and Revelation. Put other way, we live "between the trees." And as we reach out to gra...

Pastors Danielle & Kevin share a bit on the vision for Spark. Our core values are ultimately centered around living as Jesus lived, and walking as he walked. In concordance with slowing down and avoiding the seductions of "bigness," Spark is about caring for the people of the church more than about the size of the church. We also want to recognize our place in Silicon Valley as a "land between" cu...

Pastor Kevin teaches that while it is popularly said that "Jesus is the reason for the season," there is a deeper truth to this statement than we perhaps realize. Matthew clearly states, "for he will save his people from their sins." Embracing this reality helps us accept the complexities of this season, the joy and the sorrow, the celebrations and the sadness. And, living the way of Jesus empower...

Special guest Rabbi Ari Cartun of Etz Chayim synagogue shares a few personal and theological reflections on why Etz Chayim rents its facility to Spark Church. This message is our first installment for our "Reconciliation" value as we learn how to love, respect, and be reconciled to each other in the midst of history, differences, and distinctions we may have. (00:00 - 08:15 of the audio is an intr...

Pastor Kevin teaches that you have been created in the image and likeness of God, one of the greatest truths taught in the Bible. That you have been marred, scarred, and broken is also true. What we don't always realize is that we all live out of the view we have of God, the perspective we have of this "image." In this talk, we will journey through the implications of this truth, and be inspired t...

Pastor Kevin teaches that you have been created in the image and likeness of God, one of the greatest truths taught in the Bible. That you have been marred, scarred, and broken is also true. What we don't always realize is that we all live out of the view we have of God, the perspective we have of this "image." In this talk, we will journey through the implications of this truth, and be inspired t...

Pastor Danielle teaches that how we understand and speak about God greatly matters. Our views about God influence how we live, and it impacts the world around us. In this message we discover anew a God who is consistently loving and just; that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We will also be challenged to not let ignorance prevail in understanding the God of the Bible.