Willow Creek Weekend Podcast

A healthy mind comes with healthy rest. A large part of our mental health self-care is rest and resting well. God designed our bodies and minds to function at their peak with rest! Pastor Dave shows us how Elijah was forced to stop and rest on his journey in 1 Kings, demonstrating that rest is essential and God-given. Without rest, we can't function at such a high capacity without facing burno...

What does "Love the Lord your God... with all your mind" mean? Mark 12:30 gives us the greatest of all commandments, but 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ But we tend to neglect the mind part. Pastor Shawn talks with a mental health professional about how God wants us to be of a healthy mind, body, and soul and...

How to speak to God or how to pray can be mysterious, even confusing. Pastor Dave uses James Chapter 5 to teach us how our prayer life can offer a great first defense line or help us step out into unknown and daring places knowing God has got us. And, it is easy! How to pray and speak to God are covered here, plus why prayer matters.

God created the world by speaking. And when God created us in His image, He gave us the gift of language marked by incredible power. But that power can either build up or devastate and destroy. This week we take a look at the power of our words and how to steward them well.

Pastor Albert Tate is back with us this week, talking about 'How We Love Matters' and how to get past any judgments we may hold in order to serve God and love all people well.

Sharing faith can be tough; there's no doubt. Did you run out and tell everyone when you first became a Christian? Probably not. It can feel awkward, especially when it comes to sharing our faith with non-Christian friends and family. But, as soon as we decide to follow Jesus, sharing our faith and spreading the gospel is exactly what Jesus wants us to do! How can we do that, practically, without...

Why does God allow suffering? How could a 'good' God want to see us in our pain and suffering? The truth is, He doesn't. But He does want us to come to Him with our troubles. God wants to help us in our suffering and gives us a framework to redeem our suffering and use it for good.   Pastor Megan Marshman leads us through James chapter 1 and the framework God has given us.

Unsung |Unsung Service | June 26 | Dave Dummitt We’re celebrating acts of service with our amazing volunteers! Jesus asks us to give of ourselves, our time, and energy in service to the ‘body of Christ’. But what does that look like? This week we’re bringing you stories of volunteering and how people have changed lives, even their own lives, being the hands and feet of Jesus in service to others....

This week we celebrate all the men, fathers, and father figures in our lives! Guest speaker Jodi Hickerson, a Teaching Pastor at Mission Church, joins us to celebrate her father, former Willow Teaching Pastor Mike Breaux.

Some of the greatest heroes are the people who call out the broken parts of us and walk us through the process of restoration and healing. This week we take a look at what it means to “restore a brother or sister gently,” and share stories of how lives have been changed and saved because someone courageously stood in the gap and walked the hard journey of healing with someone else.

Unsung | The Woman With The Alabaster Jar | May 29 | Miguel De La Mora Her name is not shared in the Bible, but she sure makes a significant impact! The woman with the alabaster jar, seen in the book of Luke, who anoints Jesus’ feet with her expensive perfume, shows us that no matter who you are, Jesus loves you. This woman sacrifices worldly possessions for forgiveness and eternal life with God.

This week in our Unsung Heroes series, Pastor Dave teaches about a lesser-known character from the book of 2 Samuel who demonstrates how God equips us to be courageous; Benaiah. Throughout Benaiah’s life, he shows up to all the challenges he faces and gets through them with the kind of courage that only God can give. Because of this, he became a valued leader under King David. What battles are you...

The story of Esther is one of a woman full of courage and faith, willing to step into a dangerous situation to save an entire nation. But this week, Shawn will take a look at the unsung hero behind Esther: her cousin, Mordecai. Through unseen, unseen, and overlooked spaces Mordecai coached, equipped, prayed for, and encouraged Esther along her journey.

Happy Mother’s Day to all moms, mother figures, and amazing women in our lives! Today we learn about an incredible mother in the Bible: Hannah. Hannah did what any mother would do: feed, protect, guide, and pray for her son Samuel. And when she gave her son to God, God saw to it that Samuel would go on to lead and protect a whole nation. It’s this sacrificial love that moms display that can go on...

You've heard the phrase, "it is better to give than to receive," but is it? Teaching Pastor Shawn Williams explores through 2 Corinthians 8, that's not what God is saying in the Bible. The Bible tells us that we should give what we can to meet others needs and receive in our own needs. We don't give generously to help others as an act of charity; it's an act of reciprocity. We receive even greater...

Where is God in the pandemic? What has God been doing during the global pandemic? Does it feel like God has disappeared? Ron Bueno, Executive Director of the non-profit organization ENLACE, shares stories of God's incredible work through churches in hard-hit communities worldwide and how God is equipping the church to help rebuild these communities.

Join Willow as we celebrate Easter, 2022. Hear the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection from a new point of view, seeing that hope isn’t something we need to search for actively; it’s already here. When our world is shaky, we reach for hope. At times, it can feel far away—nearly impossible to grasp. This Easter, hear the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection from a new vantage poi...

Many of us have heard of Jesus' miracle, feeding 5,000 with just five loaves of bread and two fish. This story in Luke 9 tells us about Jesus' power and His immense compassion for people. Megan Marshman shows us exactly how much Jesus cares for us all in this week's teaching.

Continuing our series in the book of Luke, we look at Luke 8, where Jesus is sleeping in a boat, then calms the storm on the lake, displaying His supernatural power. Who commands even the waves and the water? Learn more about the power of Jesus.

Read All About It: Seek and You Will Find: The Wisdom of Jesus | March 27 | Shawn Williams The gospel of Luke tells us a lot about the wisdom of Jesus, who sometimes uses parables, or stories, to illustrate a point. This week, Pastor Shawn takes us through Luke 11, in which Jesus famously advises, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find." But what did He mean? Let's find out!

As we explore and learn about the humanity of Jesus through the book of Luke, we look at Luke 4 and how the devil tempted Jesus. When temptation is keeping us from focusing on God, what can we learn from Jesus’ response?

What is Baptism? Baptism is a public declaration of your new life as a Christ-follower. But how do you know if you're ready for baptism? What happens through baptism, and why is it an important part of your faith journey? Learn about Jesus' baptism and why He did it.

What is Communion? If you've ever heard the word 'communion' and wondered what it was, why Christians practice it, or how to take communion yourself, this teaching will help. Willow Creek pastors take us through the importance of the practice of communion, what each element means, and how to enter into communion on a personal level. Communion is an important tenant for Christians to remember Jesus...

Abraham was a man who completely surrendered to God even when it wasn’t clear—and even when it didn’t make sense. The story of Abraham tells us what full surrender and trust could look like in our lives and in the way we steward the resources God has given us. Join Pastor Dave Dummitt as we conclude More than Money with a challenge to be generous in all aspects of our lives.

What comes first in your life? This week we're exploring the Principle of First: first things first. But, what should come first? Learn from Robert Morris on how to prioritize and make sure we're living fully for God.