Time of Grace With Pastor Mike Novotny

At the very end of the book of Job, God shows up to talk to Job, who needed an answer to why he had to suffer and endure such unfathomable pain. But spoiler alert: Job never gets an answer. That's because, Pastor Mike says, we need to remember who we are and who God is. Part 2 of 2. ** Program note: This is the radio edit of our program! On April 29, " Time of Grace With Mike Novotny" started broa...

At the very end of the book of Job, God shows up to talk to Job, who needed an answer to why he had to suffer and endure such unfathomable pain. But spoiler alert: Job never gets an answer. That's because, Pastor Mike says, we need to remember who we are and who God is. Part 1 of 2. ** Program note: This is the radio edit of our program! On April 29, " Time of Grace With Mike Novotny" started broa...

When we're in pain or when tragedy has struck, it's natural to ask, "Why?" But, Pastor Mike warns, demanding an answer to that question can be dangerous. Because when we incorrectly answer it or insist on trying to find out why, it can all go wrong. Instead, reading through the book of Job, we discover two truths that help us when we don't know the why's. Part 2 of 2. ** Program note: This is the...

When we're in pain or when tragedy has struck, it's natural to ask, "Why?" But, Pastor Mike warns, demanding an answer to that question can be dangerous. Because when we incorrectly answer it or insist on trying to find out why, it can all go wrong. Instead, reading through the book of Job, we discover two truths that help us when we don't know the why's. Part 1 of 2. ** Program note: This is the...

How should we respond when people we care about are in pain? We want to say the right words and do the right things. But we don't know exactly what those right things are, making it easy to get it wrong and cause more pain. Instead, here are two big ideas Pastor Mike shares on what we can expect after tragedy—and what we can do. Part 2 of 2. ** Program note: This is the radio edit of our program!...

How should we respond when people we care about are in pain? We want to say the right words and do the right things. But we don't know exactly what those right things are, making it easy to get it wrong and cause more pain. Instead, here are two big ideas Pastor Mike shares on what we can expect after tragedy—and what we can do. Part 1 of 2. ** Program note: This is the radio edit of our program!...

When life is hard and it doesn't feel like God is doing enough to relieve us of the pain, we start to question God and his love for us. But, Pastor Mike warns, to do that is exactly what the devil wants. Instead, we can follow the example of a man named Job who suffered a level of pain and loss we can't begin to imagine. How can we respond like Job in the face of our darkest moments? Part 2 of 2....

When life is hard and it doesn't feel like God is doing enough to relieve us of the pain, we start to question God and his love for us. But, Pastor Mike warns, to do that is exactly what the devil wants. Instead, we can follow the example of a man named Job who suffered a level of pain and loss we can't begin to imagine. How can we respond like Job in the face of our darkest moments? Part 1 of 2....

If God has the power to end all our pain and provide answers for all the hurt we've been through, why doesn't he? Why does he let bad things happen to good people? Pastor Mike takes these often-asked questions, flips them, and challenges us to examine our motives: Why do we love God? Or do we just love his blessings? Part 2 of 2. ** Program note: This is the radio edit of our program! On April 29,...

Pop quiz: The book of Job is about _____? Pastor Mike's answer might surprise you. In fact, it almost resulted in Amber getting into a car accident. Pastor Mike and Amber Albee Swenson give us the goods behind May's sermon series, "Seriously, God?" which looks at the book of Job. They talk about why there's pain in life, why many of us tend not to comfort friends during times of tragedy, how the b...

If God has the power to end all our pain and provide answers for all the hurt we've been through, why doesn't he? Why does he let bad things happen to good people? Pastor Mike takes these often-asked questions, flips them, and challenges us to examine our motives: Why do we love God? Or do we just love his blessings? Part 1 of 2.  ** Program note: This is the radio edit of our program! On April 29...

How blessed we feel may depend on what we consider to be blessings, which means we may forget that we have blessings right in front of us every day. Pastor Mike challenges us to shift our mindset and open our eyes to the really good things from God that we often don't think about. In turn, we can become more grateful and feel more blessed. Part 2 of 2. ** Program note: This is the radio edit of ou...

How blessed we feel may depend on what we consider to be blessings, which means we may forget that we have blessings right in front of us every day. Pastor Mike challenges us to shift our mindset and open our eyes to the really good things from God that we often don't think about. In turn, we can become more grateful and feel more blessed. Part 1 of 2. ** Program note: This is the radio edit of ou...

How blessed we feel may depend on what we consider to be blessings, which means we may forget that we have blessings right in front of us every day. Pastor Mike challenges us to shift our mindset and open our eyes to the really good things from God that we often don't think about. In turn, we can become more grateful and feel more blessed. For more resources that help you stay rooted in Jesus, che...

There are three lies we fall for that lead to burnout: we need to be perfect, we must make everyone happy, and thinking we're “fine.” Pastor Mike tackles these lies head-on, helping us replace them with truths from God’s Word. For more resources that help you stay rooted in Jesus, check us out at timeofgrace.org where you can also subscribe to our daily email! Check out our video project, Bible Br...

Just like our bodies need food and rest to avoid crashing and burning, our souls need the rest of Jesus and the food of his Word. By fixing our eyes on the invisible gospel and the glory that is ours through Jesus, we are inwardly renewed day by day, the spiritual fuel that we need to thrive in the year to come. For more resources that help you stay rooted in Jesus, check us out at timeofgrace.org...

You are not an angel. You are not a spiritual being who has no need to eat, move, or sleep. We humans are human, body-and-soul beings that God created to function in specific ways. Fighting burnout often begins with recognizing this reality and organizing our lives according to it, which might require the painful work of doing less so that our bodies have energy for what matters most. For more res...

How do you personally answer this question: How have you been? If your answer is "Busy!" then this episode is for you. Because you may be on the verge of burnout. Or maybe you're already burned out. Pastor Mike and Amber share a sneak peek of the next TV message series, "Burned Out?", giving us some early tips on avoiding burnout. The series kicks off this Sunday, April 7. Pastor Mike mentions his...

Easter is a big deal because it answers two of life's most important questions: What do we personally do with Jesus? How do we personally face a world filled with death? Jesus provided the answer to both questions by saying he is the Resurrection and the Life, and that gives us hope. Pastor Mike concludes this series that looks at the offensive, unfiltered, hard teachings of Jesus. For more resour...

When Jesus says he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, what is he saying to us? Pastor Mike helps us answer that question by first looking at what Jesus tells us to do when our hearts are troubled. Pastor Mike continues this series that looks at the offensive, unfiltered, hard teachings of Jesus. For more resources that help you stay rooted in Jesus, check us out at timeofgrace.org where you can...

There are three crucial moments in every person's spiritual journey that will test their commitment to Jesus. What do we do when confronted with these crucial moments of confusion, condemnation, and temptation? In one of Jesus' powerful teachings, he reveals himself in a way that tackles all three crucial moments—and it starts with Jesus calling himself the vine. Pastor Mike continues this series...

By calling himself the Good Shepherd, Jesus was calling us sheep. At face value, that isn't exactly a compliment to us. It can be downright offensive. So how and why is Jesus our Good Shepherd, and why does it matter? Pastor Mike continues this series that looks at the offensive, unfiltered, hard teachings of Jesus. For more resources that help you stay rooted in Jesus, check us out at timeofgrace...

What did Jesus mean when he said he was the Light of the world? Pastor Mike continues this series that looks at the offensive, unfiltered, and hard teachings of Jesus. In this message, Pastor Mike unpacks what Jesus taught when he talked about light and darkness and what that means for us. For more resources that help you stay rooted in Jesus, check us out at timeofgrace.org where you can also sub...

Reading about who Jesus claimed to be and what he said in the Bible can be quite shocking and even offensive. In this first message from the new series about the unfiltered Jesus, Pastor Mike explores two really hard things about Jesus that have not only made people uncomfortable but have also caused some to walk away and the beautiful things that make people give up everything to follow Jesus. Fo...

If we actually read the words of Jesus in the book of John and take off the filter, we see just how offensive Jesus' words are. That's the premise of Pastor Mike's new series, "Jesus #nofilter." Amber Albee Swenson joins Pastor Mike to give us a preview of what to expect. Somehow the two also end up sharing how Amber got chased on Thanksgiving, how life is still more like high school than we think...