The Big Dream Podcast by Meadow Heights Church

Nothing can steal our joy more than judging others, categorizing people, drawing lines and placing our preferences over love. But we find that joy when we see others through the radical and shocking scope of his love. For links and more info, visit: https://www.meadowheights.com/hub

The world tells us to stay in our lane, but when we respond to God’s invitation to go to unexpected places, we find ourselves in improbable roles in his kingdom of love. For links and more info, visit: https://www.meadowheights.com/hub

When we assume that nothing good is happening, waiting can be filled with only grief and despair. But when we anticipate the promised renewal of all things, even the waiting can be received as a gift full of God’s presence and work. For links and more info, visit: https://www.meadowheights.com/hub

The Church has caused so much hurt and confusion that many people want nothing to do with us. If we were known as Jesus looking people whose essence is humble, other-oriented, self-sacrificial love, they may be more open to experiencing that love through us. For links and more info, visit:https://www.meadowheights.com/hub

More and more people see the institutional church as less and less relevant to their daily lives. But when the people of the church become the hands and feet of Jesus serving their community, maybe others will see and believe the church matters. For links and more info, visit:https://www.meadowheights.com/hub

The church has often imposed power over others to expand its influence, excluding those who do not bend the knee or measure up. The upside down Way of Jesus disperses power to others by offering love and forgiveness to everyone, including those who don’t share our views. For links and more info, visit: https://www.meadowheights.com/hub

As the only fully sane human who ever lived, only Jesus can save us from our insanity. When the world around us or within us feels chaotic, Jesus invites us to come and learn from Him the unforced rhythms of life in His kingdom.

When we bring Jesus questions that reveal our motive of self-interest, we shouldn’t be surprised that his answers seem to fall flat. If what we really want is the full and free life he offers, our questions will change and his answers will satisfy.

Everyone and everything we love in this life lasts only for a short time and is gone, ending in sadness and tragic loss. But when Jesus rose from the dead, he opened up the world to a new experience of love and life that lasts forever. Death, decay and destruction no longer get the final word!

If God loves all people in the greatest way possible, then why doesn’t he make his existence and presence more obvious to everyone? Because God desires more than our mental assent to his existence. He wants us to live in a loving relationship with him and to embrace his way of life.

Humanity is infected with sin, which always leads to self-destruction and death. We experience salvation when we align our lives with the reality that out of God's great love, Jesus our Savior conquered sin and death so we can all fully live.

The Bible has long been used to justify and support patterns of control and abuse that deride and demean women. But both Jesus and Paul remind us that God has always valued and empowered women to walk alongside men as equals in the home, church and world.

Tension exists between God’s enemy-embracing love demonstrated by Jesus on the cross and gruesome Old Testament stories where God commands or commits horrendous violence. But just like Jesus bears our ugly sin and makes the cross beautiful, God bears our ugly stories about him in the beauty of his humble cross-like character.

The foundation of our faith and identity is not in a book but in Jesus. Because Jesus gives us good reason to believe that the Bible is inspired by God, we can trust all of Scripture even though God delivered it through imperfect people.

Religion puts itself above people and protects itself at any cost. Jesus protects people at the cost of his own life. When we stop trying to force others to conform to a religion and instead allow Jesus to transform us, we become the source of His love to them.

When bad things happen and we wonder where God is, we’re tempted to dismiss or deny him. Although God is not in control of everything, he is always working with us to bring good out of anything, even something evil. For links and more info, visit: https://www.meadowheights.com/hub

Science and faith are not at odds with one another, and we must choose to follow one or the other. Both science and faith uniquely contribute to our understanding and enjoyment of God and God’s good creation and deserve to be celebrated. For links and more info, visit: https://www.meadowheights.com/hub

Most people believe some form of God exists, just not one who is personal or relational. But if God is love, then God is a personal being we can interact with in love, because only personal beings can love. For links and more info, visit: https://www.meadowheights.com/hub

Not all beliefs are created equal. Centering our beliefs that hold more weight frees us from the desire to be right about everything, so we can journey with others who see some things differently than we do.

Doubts, questions and confusion about our faith are both normal and uncomfortable. But rather than a threat to faith, wondering, wrestling and exploring are the soil that grows a more honest and authentic faith. For links and more info, visit: https://www.meadowheights.com/hub

Relativism can be compelling but is insufficient for understanding how truth works. Our confession that Jesus is Lord is an absolute truth that commands us to love all people without controlling, coercing or convincing them to believe it.

People experience bad news rather than good news when we are better at judging them than we are at loving them. But when we focus instead on what God is doing in our own lives, we are free to love others without judgment so they can experience God’s love, too. For links and more info, visit:https://www.meadowheights.com/hub

When our faith takes a beating and we hit rock bottom, it’s tempting to give up and walk away from God altogether. To survive a crisis of belief, we need unshakeable foundations that will hold us up when everything around us is falling apart.

The only perfect parent is our Father God. When we allow God to be our primary parent, we’re free to love and honor our earthly parents, no matter what our story looks like.

We don’t owe our kids every opportunity life can offer them. What our kids need is for us to create space in our lives and theirs where they learn kingdom values by living them out in a community of people who share those values. For links and more info, visit: https://www.meadowheights.com/hub