The B4Church Podcast

Is there truth in the pain I’m feeling? It’s an important question. We don’t like pain, but it is one of our most valuable experiences if we let it be, especially if it is the pain of regret. Regret happens when we realize we’ve done something wrong or failed to do the right thing. However, […]

Pastor Alex shares his farewell message with us before assuming his new role as Lead Pastor of Willamette Christian Church.

We are made for and from the “dust of the earth.” We are made from and for the Garden’s goodness. We are dust and breath, of the flesh and of the Spirit. This is humbling (dust) and exalting (breath). He breathes His breath into our dusty frames and stamps us with His image (Gen 1:27). […]

Join us for our online only New Years Eve Day service. This service will allow you to gather with family, friends, or on your own and watch from anywhere. Tune in for acoustic worship and 3 mini messages from Pastors Bo Stern-Brady, Steve Mitchell, and Israel Talamantes. We are praying that you experience Jesus fresh […]

As Pastor Alex says in this message, “Heaven’s first public statement about the arrival of Jesus is that Good News will cause great joy for all the people.” Surprising, right? Given that Jesus arrives as Israel’s promised king, you might expect the announcement to be more like, “This is good news of great joy for […]

Isaiah Chapter Nine calls Jesus the Prince of Peace. The Prince whose kingdom is made of peace came to dwell among us. So, why do so few experience abiding peace — what the Bible calls “rest on every side?” Maybe it’s because of our perspective. We can have peace in our lives if we can […]

It is tempting to reduce expressions of gratitude to simple platitudes designed to plaster over anxiety, fear, or deep pain. However, God doesn’t treat gratitude that way even though he commands us to “Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess 5:16-18) How exactly does God’s […]

Certainty, stability, and predictability. We want these. The fundamental structures of contemporary society are built on them, from the global financial system to our own neighborhoods. The vast majority of people long for certainty, stability, and predictability. Why? Because the alternative is uncertainty, instability, and chaos. And yet, there are times when uncertainty reigns in […]

Everyone experiences the pain of brokenness, whether the source is external or internal. We are wounded by colleagues, friends, family, and institutions — including sometimes the Church. So what do we do with our pain, our woundedness, our brokenness? As pastor Israel teaches, we have a God who dwells with us in our brokenness. He […]

God created day and night, establishing a rhythm for all life. Both are good, but they represent different qualities. Light is when the activity of life is at its peak. We feel alive with the energy of light-filled days. Darkness is when things cease, when we lack the illumination and clarity of the days. We […]

This week Pastor Alex teaches from Isaiah 58:13-14 wherein the prophet Isaiah conveys to the people direct words from the Lord on rest and joy. For generations continuing to today, the curse of labor seeps into our rhythms of life and pulls us away from the promise of joy that comes from rest. Specifically, the […]

God created us to dwell with him. He sent his Son, Jesus the Messiah, to recreate the conditions under which God and his people can dwell together in peace. Jesus said that when we remain in him (John 15) as a branch remains in its vine, the life and vitality of God integrates our being […]

When we are rightly related to God, his power and presence will work in us, through us, and ultimately for the good of those around us. Isaiah puts it this way: “You will be called…Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.” The prophet is telling us that when we respond to God as he desires, our homes […]

In contrast to manipulative religious practice designed to earn the practitioner what they desire, God offers us what he desires from his prescribed spiritual disciplines, saying, “This is the fasting I have chosen…” His declaration is meant to be corrective. He is setting the Israelites’ current hollow practices in opposition to what he wants. A […]

Religious practice that is empty of genuine, heartfelt devotion to God always goes wrong. The prophet Isaiah confronts God’s people, who delight in the practices of fasting and sabbath yet are frustrated that God seems distant and unresponsive. They assume that their outward observance is a lever that will move God on their behalf. It’s […]

“God is always on mission and his mission is always to create something beautiful, fix something sin has broken, and ultimately to redeem us for himself for eternity.” — Pastor Bo Even better, God invites us, all of us, to join us in his mission. We get to play a part in the grand story […]

The term Imago Dei means “image of God.” It indicates a profound truth. You are created in God’s image, not just as part of a nameless mass of humanity, but uniquely — as a person with your story, your talents, and your ability to reflect the beauty of God in a way that no one […]

Did it ever occur to you that you might be a miracle? You, as part of a brand new expression of humanity, with God’s Spirit in you and with you. A new family of God with Jesus as the first born of that family. However, that family is also a Kingdom with God’s King, Jesus, […]

People who need Jesus often fall into two camps: those who are hurting, broken, and feel like they don’t belong in religious spaces — and those whose brokenness is masked by hypocritical religion. In John’s story of a miraculous healing, we see both: a disabled man unable to fully participate in Sabbath worship and religious […]

Jesus wasn’t random or haphazard about his miracles. They all carry layers of meaning, like an onion. On the surface, he is doing something for the people, and yet on a deeper level, they are also a revelation of who He is. Jesus reveals himself as the God who makes order, purpose, beauty, and meaning […]

When Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead after four days in the grave, it causes an immediate stir. The story of this miracle sweeps through the common people throughout Judea. It rattles the religious rulers, who fear Jesus’ rising popularity, power, and revolutionary challenges to their comfortable status quo. This miracle also foreshadows Jesus’ own […]

We begin hearing before we are born, as early as 12 weeks gestation. At six to seven months prenatal, we can hear and recognize sounds outside our mother’s body, like music and voices. At birth, we hear as well as an adult. Hearing is also one of the few senses that persist as we are […]

This world teaches us we have to fight for ourselves. Nobody will do it for us. However, the Bible presents us with a God who not only loves us, but is willing to be intimately involved in our lives. He is motivated by our prayers. He is moved to act on our behalf, even to […]

Sometimes it is easier to stay stuck than to move into the life that Jesus offers. In this message, Pastor Bo looks at two miraculous healings where decades of crippling disability have bound individuals to a life without vision or hope. She teases lessons from the text for us that address the question, “What miraculous […]

So many things promise us satisfaction: career, sex, money, and worldly power. However, our hearts remain restless in spite of momentary and fleeting feelings of contentment. As Jim Carrey once said: “I wish everyone could get rich and famous and everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that’s not the answer.” His quote […]