The Olive Branch Markham • Audio Podcast

For all of us, there may be something that is taking center stage and preventing us from walking fully in the purpose God has for our lives. This week, Pastor Jeremiah encourages us through the story of Ezekiel to identify and evict every idol that may be on the throne of our heart.

Who truly occupies the throne of your heart? It’s an essential question because without knowing its answer, we don’t know what is shaping our life — shaping our feelings, thoughts, choices and character. Perhaps we need to challenge misplaced priorities, and invite God to occupy His rightful place. God-centered life starts here.

What is sometimes so hard for us to grasp is how Jesus thinks of us. Sometimes that’s hard to comprehend because of the bruises we have from religious people we’ve known. But that's NOT Jesus. At His core He was gentle. He never walked into a room and stomped on people who were struggling. And that carries an amazing thought: that the One who holds the power to create everything never uses His...

We’d like to think the little song we learn as kids is true; 'Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me!' That sounds very brave, but it’s simply not true. Words do hurt us! Every one of us has voices from the past...and maybe even the present. Someone was trying to change us from the outside in and when it seemed like we weren’t cooperating, they lobbed a verbal gre...

Our lives could be described as a series of intersections, like the intersection of our lives with the lives of the people who made a difference in our lives, and us them. Jesus’ story as told by the Gospels is really a collection of intersections. The people whose lives intersected with Jesus were changed forever...some for better and some for worse! What is inevitable is that we will go through...

One of the number one questions about God and his existence in our world goes something like this: If God is good—as Christians describe him—why is there pain and suffering? And that’s a profound question that many people struggle with — to the point that, for some, it derails their faith. But, this is nothing new; some of the best-known people in the Bible had to wrestle this one down, too. Even...

The recent pandemic is certainly still affecting us all—and we’re feeling the tremors all through our culture. It has certainly affected what people believe about God, about reality and about themselves. It will take some time to recover from the fear, the anxiety and the uncertainty. We know this: Everything has changed!  It’s during these times we will ask questions we never even thought of befo...

Summer is a season of growth and abundance in nature, and it can also be a time of growth in our faith. We will focus on ways to rejuvenate our faith and deepen our relationship with God. We need to cultivate spiritual disciplines, engage in intentional prayer, and seek God's guidance for our lives. God in His word encourages us to embrace a renewed and refreshed faith - but not to forget what...

During the summer we have more opportunities to spend time outdoors and engage with our community. As Jesus followers we are called to be salt and light in all our relationships. In other words, our actions, attitudes, and interactions with people can reflect who we say we are… or not. What kind of influence do you want to have?

In this fast-paced and busy world, we often neglect the importance of rest and its impact on our spiritual, mental, and physical well-being. We will explore the concept of finding rest in God and how it can restore our souls. The Bible highlights God's invitation with practical ways to incorporate these things into our lives... especially during the summer season!

Gratitude seems to be one of those things that should come naturally. But, it doesn’t really. What does seem to come naturally is jealousy, greed, envy, self-pity, and resentment. But, God offers us forgiveness, companionship, grace, what we need to eat, beauty, strength, and Himself - and yet without the discipline of gratitude, we miss all of this. Unchecked over time, we become overly focused o...

Everyone would like to be truly great. In our world's system, greatness is determined by what people think about you, what the media says about you, about your accomplishments, power, and wealth — and, to be honest, what YOU think of you. However, true greatness is defined very differently by God. Jesus was the greatest man who ever lived, but there's something about living like Him that &...

To give, and everyone can, we have to limit what we keep for ourselves. It’s the same as the other parts of our spiritual work-out... if we ignore it, we won’t grow. So, if your goal is to be more like JESUS — to live like Him and love like Him — no matter where you live or how much you have, generosity absolutely, positively, needs to be part of your life.

Cultivate... it means, "to improve or develop by careful attention, training, or study; to devote time and thought to.” Today, we’re going to be talking about cultivating; how to cultivate love, joy, peace and patience. The Bible tells us to go deeper and discover the life-changing power of what is called “Fruit of the Spirit". Now, it won't happen all at once... it will take time, e...

We all know that communication is extremely important. It’s how one person gets to know another person. Prayer, at its core, is communicating with God. Like every conversation, it involves both talking and listening. But know this: prayer is not magic. There are no brownie points in Heaven for how long or how well you pray. God hears every prayer, however humble, and the requests of 'prayer wa...

New Series: “THE WORK-OUT: Preparing for What You Cannot Do" News, government, social media, friends, teachers, ads - everyone wants to shape the way we think - knowing that it will influence how we spend, how we live, what we do, what we watch - and ultimately - who we are. What is almost completely missing in this is God’s perspective - the bigger picture of what He’s up to in our world. Wi...

Happy Mother’s Day! What we might be seeing in the aftermath of the past three years is something that has been described as ‘languishing'. That is, people who are overwhelmed, under-resourced and overtired. And likely, mothers most of all. It’s one thing getting yourself through a time when everything has changed—and quite another helping your kids through it! God, as YOUR care-giver, HE CARE...

We like to be comfortable. We fill our calendar with all kinds of things that meet our needs. They’re not bad things, that is, unless that’s all you're aiming for. The truth is, all these things can consume us and often lead us away from the heart of God. A heart that loves, a heart that makes sacrifices, a heart that serves without reward. A heart that knows this life is not all there is and...

Our mission here at the Olive Branch is “To build a community of people transformed by the Good News of Jesus and committed to having a transforming impact on our world - being Good News wherever we  find ourselves.” It all starts with transformation. Giving doesn’t just come from our hands - it comes from our heart first. When we give out of a transformed heart, we are giving back to God. Not to...

In my heart and yours, there’s a divider. We start out life with only the capacity to receive LOVE - that is, a huge capacity for taking, but almost no ability to give back. Within a few months, we can give back a little - with adorably cute toothless smiles and incoherent babbling. But babies think it's all about them. And it is, for a time. But some people never get over it - no matter how m...

Easter is a special time of excitement and celebration, even for those who don’t believe in Jesus. BUT NOW WHAT? Peter and the disciples were waiting... they didn't know what was next after Jesus' resurrection. Maybe you feel the same way - all the joy and hype around Easter has faded. So, where does God want us to head next? — TOP THINGS TO KNOW — Coming up! Young Adults Worship Night — S...

We all love a final twist in a plot where everything seems broken beyond repair… squashed… over… hopeless... and then everything changes. The first clue? A flicker in the dark... a word... a tear... someone clicks. For Jesus? It was two women at a grave mourning; it was a team of guards keeping the Roman seal intact. And then this angel, this powerful being of light who moves a ton of stone like i...

Looking at Jesus’ life from a distance it does seem like He did things that He knew would create a problem. When He could’ve backed off and saved His own life, but He didn’t. When you look at the big picture, it’s not real surprising that Jesus’ ended up on a cross. It wasn’t a death wish as such, but it was the only way to life... for all of us. To choose a path that you know leads to crucifixion...

Jesus had a plan for the Kingdom - a kingdom driven by grace, humility and love - led by servants! Increasingly, throughout His ministry, He ran up against a bunch of other dreams. For some, it was the dream of having money and success; but for others, it was a dream for the temple and the Torah to rule the world. For the Romans, it was a dream of a 1,000 year reich - to put it in terms we all und...

In the grand cosmic scheme of things, there are a few assumptions that are prevalent across the world: - There is an after-life - God lives in a good place and we want to live where he lives during the after-life - Religions have a system about how to be good so we can also go to that good place But, what does it actually look like to be good enough? Is this even how it really works?