This Is WholeLife

In honor of those that have fallen, defending our country and our freedoms, this weeks episode features a short story that highlights one of the greatest military hero’s the world has ever known. A man who knew how to float, leaving God in charge, in situations most of us can never hope to understand. A war hero without a gun and Christian misfit. The soldier nobody wanted and that everybody loath...

We love to get applauded for our excellent performance and be handed the trophy. We live in a world where rewards go to the victorious, and so we expect that the whole Christian thing is about performance and measuring up. But it’s not really about my performance, my measuring up, or even my being faithful. We need rescue. We have two natures that war, and the only answer isn’t getting by with a l...

Jesus spent time with the Holy Spirit and the Father. Scripture documents his time in the spiritual disciplines of fasting and prayer. It was after practicing these disciplines that he faced the temptation. Matthew 4:1-11 One of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS asked: How do you like the analogy of floating for what life in Christ should be? We would love to hear your take on the floating analogy! Please reach o...

It is so easy to point the finger at where we imagine the fault to lie. We often think of temptation as coming to us from “out there” somewhere, like a villain coming and knocking at our door to lure us away. We may be surprised by a couple of realities: We can’t be tempted by something we don’t want, and the surprising source of our temptations. James 1:13-15 One of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS stated: How...

How does a complex and sometimes disturbing natural world shape our understanding of its Creator? Are our ideas about God limited by our discomfort with His creation? Is the nature of the natural world in conflict with the One who made it, or is the very things that surround us and overwhelm us a true reflection of who He is? One of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS stated: What is your spiritual cockroach that y...

What is your Easter story – Part 2? Three FHC members (Michael Tran, Heidi Sposato, and Mike Jacob) share how the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus impacted and continues to form who they are. One of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS stated: What is your Easter story? We would love to hear your story! Please reach out to us directly from the FHC Mobile App. You can share by using the Media tab, and then - Po...

What is your Easter story? How should the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus impact and continue to form the followers of Christ? Join two of our teenage leaders at the Hospital Church, Maurie Andino and Amanda Santos, as they discuss what it means to be followers of Jesus and leading others to be the same. One of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS stated: If you grew up going to church, What was it like growi...

It may be the boldest of all the bold asks: “We want you (Jesus) to do for us whatever we ask!” It seems without limit—beyond three wishes of a genie. There is no doubt that we often don’t realize the long-range implications of that for which we ask. Jesus will teach us that his kingdom isn’t about position and power but something far different than what these brothers had in mind. Mark 10:35-45 O...

Jesus isn’t just willing to respond to the bold ask of the leper; he does the unthinkable. He does what is not to be done; he puts himself at risk of disease, at risk of being shut out of the temple. He touched the man. But the bold ask of the leper to be healed is followed by a bold ask of Jesus for him to keep quiet about it and follow temple protocol. However, he doesn’t meet Jesus’ request, an...

We have often heard the ask of the one thief: “Remember me…” However, both thieves crucified with Jesus made bold asks. How do they compare? Why was one an ask of faith and the other something less? Both were asks for self, but one was short-sighted, and the other took the long view. What were the results of these two bold asks, and what is the teaching that can shape our faith walk today? Luke 23...

A dad has brought his boy to Jesus to be healed of demon possession. The demon throws the boy to the ground, and Jesus asks the dad about how long he’s been like this. The dad explains, and then the ask: If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us. What does it mean to make a bold ask with or without the “if?” Mark 9:14-29 One of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS stated: Jesus said, “You have not because...

In our culture today, we imagine we see it all. We believe our scientific minds and rational thinking are seeing the full picture. We forget that, as Paul wrote, “we war against spiritual wickedness.” Jesus recognized personified evil, and the demons recognized Jesus. They recognized his position and power. In light of how they had treated one of his sons—one of his creations, Jesus had every righ...

God calls us to worship, and worship is the most important activity of any Christian. Through worship, we acknowledge our Creator, the undeserved grace of salvation, and our mission to bring God's kingdom to our world. One of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS asked: Name 3 ways in which you can be more thankful to God in worship for his extravagant love toward us. What are some application points for you in seein...

God is wonderful--the Giver of every good and perfect gift. Everything in all creation is from him, through him, and to him. We are the creatures, and God is Creator. It only makes sense that we would respond in worship. But the draw is strong to pick something other than Creator, something in his creation, and make that the object of our worship. However, the more we can come to know God in Jesus...

This episode was taped during the annual FHC Retreat from Camp Kulaqua in High Springs Florida! Our speaker this year, Leclare Litchfield, spoke on “Big Heart, Little Heart,” considering how God pours the love, forgiveness, and grace from his big heart into the little hearts of his children. Therefore, it is God working through us, and not anything we can do on our own, that enables us to live a l...

God has been gracious to us. While we are running away from him, he reconciles us to himself. He invites us in, adopts us. We’ve been brought back as friends of God. This gift isn’t ours just so we can sit around the campfire with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit singing Kumbaya, and enjoying the warmth of that great fellowship. We are called to love as he has loved us—to do all we can to love oth...

God’s plan is for “no pressure” giving and “no pressure” call to giving. The person on minimum wage and the top wage earner both are called to responsibly manage their money. While the total dollars may be very different, as a percentage of income, they are equal. Those who are wealthy have great responsibility in managing in a godly way the excess beyond meeting their own needs. To the one who ha...

We allow our urgent to suppress God’s important. This can happen individually and in organizations meant to serve God’s kingdom. We would never refuse to do God’s will overtly, but when the timing is never “right” because our stuff trumps God’s stuff, we end up inadvertently refusing to do God’s will. One of our #fhcTAKEAWAYS asked: Who do you want to understand they are welcome? We welcome your f...

Jesus said something that is hard for material-minded American consumers to hear: “Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth . . . For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” To know where we are investing, all we need to do is check who has our heart. Following Jesus means investing in that which is important to Him; we decide where our priorities are and whether they align...

There’s nothing evil about being comfortable. People who seek pain or suffering need counseling. However, if my life is all about my comfort, presently or in the future, and I’m not willing to give up some of my material abundance to relieve suffering and expand God’s kingdom, we may question ourselves and our true heart commitment to following God’s ways. #fhcTAKEAWAYS: What are you willing to sa...

When we believe our money and our possessions belong to us, we may begin to think of every other aspect of life in the same way. We imagine ourselves in charge. We call the shots, and we make God our helper, our servant, our cosmic Santa Claus. If we aren’t followers of Jesus, so be it, but as his followers, we recognize that we are not our own but God’s bought at a great price. Psalm 24:1 #fhcTAK...

Happy New Year! We look forward to continuing our weekly conversations with the whole gang next week, right here! Thank you as always for joining us! #fhcTAKEAWAYS: Where can you start making the world a better place? We welcome your feedback and questions about this topic! Please reach out to us directly from the FHC Mobile App. You can share by using the Media tab, and then - Podcast banner - us...

Merry Christmas! We look forward to continuing our weekly conversations next week, in the new year, right here! Thank you as always for joining us!

Our text for today, Matthew 1:26, is about Jesus being called Immanuel, meaning God with us. There is no greater love, Jesus said, than that one would lay down his life for a friend. In the condescension of Christ to our earth, to become human for all eternity in order that he might reconcile all things to the Trinity, here is a love beyond our understanding. God so loved that he gave. In this sea...

The angel declared “great joy” for everyone. If we read through the Old Testament, and especially the Psalms, we find a repeated call to sing and especially “shout” for joy to the Lord. Somewhere and somehow the joy has been tamed. Great joy calls for shouting and singing while some lesser joy can remain quiet. How do we recover a sense of joy? How might we followers of Jesus become an increasingl...