The Austin Stone Podcast

Today, Ross Lester teaches from Romans 12 and unpacks its radical but beautiful call to consistent, intentional, and missional Christian friendships.

Despite the pandemic, Hannah has made progress with overcoming an eating disorder. While in quarantine, she has embraced food freedom and continues to show vulnerability about her sin. She reflects on her experience of opening up to her community and finding God’s redeeming love. He has cast out the darkness and brought her into the light, and she trusts in His grace to strengthen her fight. Pleas...

Sara wonders how COVID-19 will reshape the way people build community and develop relationships in the future. As a mother, wife, and active member of The Austin Stone, she has adjusted to a “new normal.” Still, she longs to go out and engage in community and corporate worship, especially as she continues to battle with clinical depression. Sara realizes that no matter what, Jesus is her everythin...

Join Ross Lester for the final week of the sermon series, “Times Like These.” Teaching from Romans 15:13 and Hebrews 10:23, Ross explores God’s call for His people to have hope in the midst of difficult circumstances.

Shawn is the CEO and founder of a fitness company that was rapidly growing until the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly halted his plans. With employees and clients in his care, he has felt the immense weight of ensuring everyone stays afloat. Through it all, he’s learned that his identity ultimately does not come from his job or his role as provider. His identity lies in Christ, and through Him, hope rei...

Join Ross Lester as he unpacks Christ’s message to us on living in the peace of God in the midst of difficult circumstances from the book of Philippians.

Bonnie is a goer from The Austin Stone living in Europe, and she has experienced the tremendous devastation and isolation caused by the pandemic. As a former healthcare worker, she wondered where her place truly lies, but she now realizes that she needs to remain faithful to where God has placed her. She wants to love her neighbors as best as she can, trusting that God makes all things new in the...

Casey had just launched his dream barber shop when the COVID-19 lockdown was announced. As a small business owner, he knew the responsibilities of caring for his employees and family. But he’s felt a peace that surpasses all understanding, knowing that God always provides. Casey has experienced His faithfulness in ways that has continued to give him peace about the future, as uncertain as it remai...

Lauren is a brand new registered nurse, working at her first hospital in midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. While her hospital no longer allows visitors for many of its patients Lauren works everyday to ease the burden on those who are sick and lonely. It’s not easy work, but she is learning to rely on the Holy Spirit to help her be faithful. Please help us spread the word about the podcast by rating...

Jimmy’s uncle Bobby died from complications of COVID-19 on Sunday, April 5th, 2020. As Jimmy wrestled with his grief and sorrow God comforted him through friends, family, and music. Through tears, Jimmy finds solace in worship and his hope in Jesus. Please help us spread the word about the podcast by rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts—or wherever you found this episode—and by sharing this e...

Pastor Ross Lester kicks off a sermon series called “Times Like These.” Teaching from Hebrews 10:35-39, Ross explores God’s call for His people to persevere in the midst of difficult circumstances.

In the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, believers around the world are striving to be faithful to Jesus and love their neighbors. “Alone Together” is a series of stories about how the people of The Austin Stone are living faithfully in uncertain times. We’ve all been called to be faithful in this season, but in many different ways. Today, across Austin and around the world, doctors and nurs...

Matt Carter preaches on Easter Sunday from Matthew 12:38-42, explaining how Jesus is greater than anyone or anything that has come before or since. Matt unpacks Jesus’ authority and power to shepherd and save even the most unbelieving hearts.

Please note, this story is for mature audiences as it references heavily sexual themes, including pornography and sexual assault. When Hannah Mae was sexually abused at five-years-old, she only remembered feeling confused. Confusion developed into shame, self-loathing, and loneliness that haunted her for years. She became addicted to masturbation and started working in the pornography industry, th...

Isaiah thought that he didn’t deserve God’s love and always had to earn it. To numb his feelings of guilt and unworthiness, he turned to sex, drugs, and alcohol. Yet with his marriage and sanity on the line, he recognized that only God could change his heart posture. In this ongoing process of healing, Isaiah knows that he can trust God to give him good things simply because he’s His child. Becaus...

Judy believed that her purpose in this world was to achieve perfection, and she worked hard at it for years. But her obsession with it led her to spiral into heavy substance abuse, escalating to a point where she came to God in desperation. During her recovery journey, Judy realized how her need for perfection overruled her need for God. She knows now that her purpose in this world is to serve God...

Ross Lester continues our series in the Gospel of Matthew as he teaches on the power of words from Matthew 12:33-37.

Matt Carter continues our series in the Gospel of Matthew as he teaches about the one unforgivable sin and how, even in learning there is an unforgivable sin, there is still good news to be heard from Matthew 12:22-32.

Matt’s desire to control his life led him to develop deeper roots in sexual sin and pornography, which he kept hidden because he wanted to become the perfect version of himself. Through a series of wake-up calls, God worked in Matt’s heart to show him it was time to stop hiding and believing that he held the power to save himself. Since then, Matt has witnessed how God steps in to intercede for hi...

Andre Grey continues our series in the Gospel of Matthew by teaching that Jesus instructs and invites us to embrace regular rest as a sign of our trust in His finished work for us from Matthew 12:15-21.

Naomi and Hector, a married couple, both dealt with mental illness and slowly awakened to their need for healing. They realized the importance of walking through their struggle together, and they experienced how God moves through His church to encourage His people. Most importantly, Naomi and Hector learned to run to Christ and not lose heart in the midst of darkness. For more information about th...

Ross Lester continues our series in the Gospel of Matthew by teaching that Jesus instructs and invites us to embrace regular rest as a sign of our trust in His finished work for us from Matthew 12:1-14.

Sarah realized the depths of her anger towards God when she saw how it strained her marriage. In her desire to maintain control over her life, it was difficult to admit that she needed help. Once she learned to surrender her heart to Christ, He revealed the incredible peace and rest she could find only in Him. Instead of viewing herself as her own savior, she learned to run to God for restoration....

Matt Carter continues our series in the Gospel of Matthew by teaching on what it means to rest in Jesus from Matthew 11:25-30.

Please note, this story is for mature audiences as it references pornography and sexual assault. For a long time, Laura stayed in the dark with her struggles and secrets, thinking that she was too far from God for help. The pain of it overwhelmed her. But when she reached out for help and embarked on a journey to recovery, she realized that she could truly heal from her trauma, and the only way wa...