The Watching World

Continuing in our discussion of why we can trust our Bible, Lead Pastor Phil Hopper, Ed Croteau, and host Les Norman dive into the eyewitness accounts and why they are crucial, trustworthy pieces of evidence. At the scene of a crime, one of the first actions a detective makes is to collect eyewitnesses and study their testimonies for credibility. If the same general story is being shared with smal...

Guests Lead Pastor Phil Hopper, Pastor Ed Croteau, and host Les Norman, take us through more reasons on why we can trust our Bible, based on secular historians. One of the key tools in verifying any piece of literature is to examine other pieces of literature around the same time historically. When reading about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus in our bibles, we’re filled with awe of our...

Continuing in our series Sharing the Gospel in Post-Christian America, we explore the prophetical evidence for the Bible in today’s podcast, featuring Lead Pastor Phil Hopper and Ed Croteau, founder of FSE University. Prophesy is when God tells of something that is going to happen in the future and then fulfills it at the exact time. So, when this happens, it’s to show that He is the one true God....

In today’s episode featuring Lead Pastor Phil Hopper and Ed Croteau, we’re are taken through some archaeological proofs of actual biblical people and events. To trust that archaeological evidence points to the idea that the Bible is true, you have to be open to using a similar mindset to that of a police officer or detective. To solve a crime, they find clues at the crime scene, and draw conclusio...

One significant piece of evidence that lends credibility to the Old Testament is the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the 1940’s. Dating back to 150 B.C. the accuracy of this scroll compared to the book of Isaiah that we know in our bibles today, is 95%, the only differences being grammar and punctuation. Another solid reason to trust the Old Testament is to look closely at the prophesies of t...

Continuing in our series “Sharing the gospel in post-Christian America”, we have guests Phil Hopper, Lead Pastor at Abundant Life Church, and Ed Croteau, founder of FSE University and serves in apologetics and also in multiple ministries within the church. To believe what the Bible says is true, do you have to just have blind faith or is there evidence you can trust about the facts? An honest ques...

Join us in our new series called “Sharing the Gospel in Post-Christian America.” Today’s episode features Lead Pastor at Abundant Life, Phil Hopper, and Ed Croteau, who serves in apologetics  and who leads a Bible study called FSE (Faith, Substance, Evidence) University. For more info go to FSE.com  Apologetics is never about having enough facts to settle the argument, it’s always about shaping th...

Accountability, what is it? Why do we need it? And how do we go about starting this journey? Guest Rod Handley takes us through some practical steps on how to overcome addictions and struggles in our lives through keeping each other accountable. He is the founder and president of the “Character that Counts” Ministry, a 20 year old ministry that God has blessed to reach across the country, co-found...

Dive into the topic of personal growth in today’s episode with Abundant Life Church’s Family Pastor, Jeremy Brownlee. Married for twenty years, and father of four teenagers, Jeremy certainly has some wisdom to share. Having a growth mindset means asking yourself the question “who can I become over the long run?” making sure you’re doing it for the right reason, all for Christ. When you put your fa...

Listen as our special guest Shawn Struckmeier, Executive Pastor of Worship at Abundant Life, takes us through his thoughts on what worship is, and how we can have a stronger heart of worship. Shawn defines worship as the adoration of God for all He is and all He has done. When we hear the term “worship” it’s typical to picture the singers on stage leading the congregation, but truly we can worship...

Get to know Executive Pastor of Worship, Shawn Struckmeier, husband to his wife Darcy and father of four. Originally from San Jose California, but called to the Midwest, Shawn has quite the story of how God has used him thus far. Shawn grew up multi-passionate, lover of sports and music, you’d find him playing on his baseball team and singing around the house in his pastime. Before becoming involv...

Discipleship; what is it, how do I do it and how do I know if I’m ready? Join our guest Dustin Rosner, husband, father and Abundant Life Discipleship Pastor, in this discussion. Since coming to salvation in Christ as a 16 year old, Dustin has been such a faithful servant of Jesus. He was discipled by his youth pastor and that’s where his passion for discipleship began. Having gone to Bible college...

https://livingproof.co/get-involved/alli/

This week we talk with Owner/Operator Lance Spencer with Chick-fil-a of Lee’s Summit. Lance shares his heart to follow God and what it means be a mentor. Lance had a business mindset at an early age. He grew up in a home with an entrepreneur spirit. Lance began his career with Chick-Fil-A in high school after reading a book. Leading through difficult situations with opportunities to fail, but also...

Join guest’s Lead Pastor Phil Hopper and Jon Whitehead of Whitehead Law, in discussing the inequality of the HR5 Equality Act, and our Christian response. The U.S. Constitution gets redefined generation after generation at the mercy of cultural whim, since the Supreme Court lies downstream from culture. Though the bill is titled “equality act” it seems to be giving rights to one group while taking...

In this podcast episode, we get a glimpse into the lives of guests, husband and wife Tim and Rory Aughinbaugh, and how they uphold a Christ-centered marriage and parent their four children. As high school sweethearts, this couple has truly been through it all together. A key aspect in keeping their marriage healthy is growing in their individual walks with the Lord. This must be priority, when you...

Is there evidence for the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Do Christians blindly believe in this Jesus or are there facts backing their faith? We ask these hard questions in this podcast episode with Lead Pastor Phil Hopper. A foundational point to make in taking on these questions is that you don’t have to choose between faith and reason, rather they go hand in hand. We don’t tend to...

The Bible, some will say, is full of contradictions and some events and stories that just don’t line up. But looking at the text, Phil shows us that this simply isn’t true. The Bible is indeed full of truth and reliable facts, which when studied in it’s historical context actually all does make sense! With that being said, there are pieces of evidence from the gospel accounts and from Old Testamen...

Though there is no “one size fits all” formula to parenting through this technological age, there are some key tips that can be applied to every situation.   Be aware of how your child’s demeanor changes with screen time and know the difference between active use vs. passive use. Limit the time your child or teen spends watching videos or scrolling through social media. Instead, encourage active u...

In today’s podcast we discuss the topic of biblical manhood with Mark McGaughey, Spiritual Formation Pastor with Abundant Life. Base Camp is a men’s ministry at abundant life located at the Lee's Summit Campus, Core Building, meeting on Tuesday nights and Thursday mornings, designed to be a place where you can get rest, refreshed, equipped and mentored to continue on in your spiritual journey. You...

Get to know Senior Adults and Care Pastor Pat Koontz, husband, father of three, and abundant life attendee of over twenty two years. He served as College Pastor for five years, and for the past seven years he has taken on the role as Senior Adults and Care Pastor, where he takes care of needs in and outside of the church. He is thankful for the relationship that has developed between the church an...

S cripture- Don’t be too picky with the translation you read from, any Bible you have in your house is the perfect start! Study Bibles can also help with extra understanding of the text. Choose a section or book of the Bible you want to dive into. Start by reading just a chapter a day.   O bservation- Take the scripture for what it says historically, learning about the time and audience this chapt...

 Jeremiah 15:16 Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts. Discover the word of God. Ask God to give you the hunger for His word. Digest the word. The enemy is not threatened by a Christian that is not in God's word. Allow the Word of God to seep into your soul. The Bible nourishes us. Delight...

For more information about Abundant Life Independence Campus, visit livingproof.co/independence

Choices, Chaos, Church. Flinstone vitamins, Jerry Springer, and fist fights. All of these paint a picture of Independence Campus Pastor Steven Branch. In this episode, Pastor Steven shares his story and how he comes full circle by the grace of God. People shared something that was free (the gospel) with Pastor Steven and when he read Revelation 1:18, it changed him and his view of the world. He kn...