Willow Creek Weekend Podcast

What compels someone to risk everything for something they believe in? This weekend we look at the life of a man named Nicodemus and how he journeyed from hidden faith to public conviction.

How can we deploy people to be the church where we live, work, and play? Hosanna will teach from her new book “How Not To Save the World” which tackles lies we believe that hold us back from sharing the Good News of Jesus with those around us, with a specific focus on believing the lie that our prayers don’t matter. Other lies people believe: There is no way for my loved ones to know God, no way f...

As Jesus was leaving his disciples to go to the cross, he told them that he would send the counselor, the Holy Spirit, who would instruct them in all things and remind them of Jesus’ teachings. But how do we hear the Holy Spirit? How do we discern the voice of God in our lives?

Many people believe they need to have a pastor or clergy member pray for them; that God doesn’t hear the prayers of anyone else. But because of Jesus, we have been given access to the Father and we can talk to Him freely. He INVITES us to talk to him, to pray, and Jesus shows us how.

Too often we compartmentalize worship. We think of worship as this thing we do between 10:30-11:30 on Sunday morning. Worship is meant to absorb and soak into every hour and every place in your life.

Many of us are in a rhythm that is taking us down a certain path and leaves us feeling frustrated & confused. We're off beat. However, there is a rhythm for your life that God wants you to live, because He knows what’s best for you. And when the Word of God comes into our life and instructs us how to live, it interrupts those other rhythms. To experience all that God wants for us, we need to learn...

We cannot avoid conflict, but we can control our response to it. Will we seek refuge through our earthly desires, or will we trust God and run to Him, allowing Him to be our refuge, strength, and fortress?

We live our lives at a breakneck pace aiming to be as independent as possible, pursuing whatever we think will satisfy us but in the end leaves us hungrier and more tired than ever. But when we submit to Jesus as the Good Shepherd, we find rest, stillness, and the ability to follow the God who works for our good and our care.

Many people think of God as temperamental, just waiting to blast us for messing up, like God has a short fuse, ready to blow at any time. But the Bible says exactly the opposite. God has a long fuse. He doesn’t fly off the handle, he doesn’t over react.  God is patient with us and we cannot outsin his love and the redemption available to us through Jesus.

Big problems are catalysts for big prayers. God moves through the prayers of His people, especially when those prayers are anchored in His promises. Using Joshua 10, we will look at how we can approach the problems of our lives as opportunities to see God show up in big ways. Sun standing still - never before had God moved that way - it moved the heart of God. Prayer + God can more than what we as...

The tongue has the power of life and death. ... Gen 1 = words bring life; Gen 3 = words bring death.  John 1 = Jesus the Word uses words to bring light and life. Then an application section on life giving words of 1. Affirmation 2.. Speaking the truth in love.  3. Affection

Big problems require big prayers. God moves through the prayers of His people, especially when those prayers are anchored in His promises. When we pray, God can do more than we could ever ask, think, or imagine!

God had promised his people the promised land, but they would need to work hard and fight for it. God called Joshua to lead the people, and told Joshua he would need courage for the calling. Joshua was able to lead people to take the hill because of a clear call from God. In the same way in our own lives, we grow in courage when we gain a clearer picture of what God is calling us to do and when we...

God’s people had to maneuver through the wilderness to get to the promise. A wilderness is any season of our lives between where we used to be and where we want to be, and moving forward from the desolate spaces requires tenacity and courage. This week, we will look at Joshua 3 and discuss what we should do if we want to see God do amazing things that move us forward.

God had promised his people the promised land, but they would need to work hard and fight for it. God called Joshua to lead the people, and told Joshua he would need courage for the calling. Joshua was able to lead people to take the hill because of a clear call from God. In the same way in our own lives, we grow in courage when we gain a clearer picture of what God is calling us to do and when we...

Taking a look at a parent/child relationship. These days things seem to be falling apart for so many people, especially for Parents & Children. Anger, bitterness, and resentment creeps in and relationships are torn. When this happens, a Parent/Child defaults to sitting in either the Self chair, the Spiritual chair, or the Shame chair. But there is one other chair we can choose...the Surrendered Ch...

Our brothers and sisters can be our greatest friends or our biggest enemies. Looking at the story of Joseph and his brothers, we see heartache, but also redemption. When it comes to our siblings, are we able to forgive those closest to us?

Motherhood consists of moms from all across the board: working moms, stay-at-home-moms, single moms, adoptive moms, empty-nesters, and moms of children with special needs just to name a few. These moms gather and share what being a mom means to them, each coming from their own unique perspective.

From the beginning, family was God’s idea: a source of help, comfort, and friendship, but our families often fall short of those expectations. Even though our families may be broken, baptism is a way of celebrating those who’ve become part of God’s eternal, perfect family.

As Christians, we’re told to be a light, not hide our light. By being the light of Jesus in service to others, we show what can happen when a church works together to make a lasting legacy--worldwide. Jesus calls us to be a light to the rest of the world, so let’s be a church that is continually growing, moving, and giving. Let’s offer hands of help to our neighbors, near and far, and share the lo...

We want to be the kind of church that our communities would miss if we were gone. We want to be a church known for generosity and open-handedness where we live, work, and play. To do that, we ought to have a prayerful, listening posture (BLESS) with eyes towards meeting the real needs of people around us.

Everyone has the ability to change the world right where they are ; be willing to learn, value others, and collaborate to make gospel-centered change.   Jesus calls us to be a light to the rest of the world, so let’s be a church that is continually growing, moving, and giving. Let’s offer hands of help to our neighbors, near and far, and share the love of Jesus with them. We’re told to be a c...

The Easter story starts all the way in the beginning. God created a beautiful world. But while there beauty in the world, there is also pain, destruction, and devastation—so much so that we not only feel far from beauty, but far from the God who created it. And just when it feels like we are left condemned with the broken pieces of life in our hands, Jesus masterfully recreates and brings dead thi...

As we listen to the stories and the needs of people, how are we intentionally serving them to meet their needs? And as we build relationships, get to know stories, and serve people, we begin to gain the credibility to share the hope we have in Jesus.  Jesus modeled this by changing the world from the bottom, up.   Jesus said, “I’m not going to change the world on a power trip.  I’m...