Embracing Brokenness

As our 2021 came to a close and we look forward to what's next in 2022 we have the opportunity to ponder what God has in store for our lives in this coming year. To vision with Him what might be ahead in our relationship with Him, our family, our vocation, and perhaps ministry. In this Podcast, Steve asks us to revisit the highlights of 2021 with gratitude and look ahead with anticipation consecra...

As Christmas arrives and 2021 comes to a close what should be our posture and focus as we move forward, not only on the calendar but in our daily lives? Let's explore that question in more depth in this Podcast.

This time of the year we think of Turkey and Thanksgiving, followed closely by Christmas and New Year.  A lot of celebrating, eating and time with family and friends. But.... it's not that way for everyone. Yet, we all have one thing we can do to help ourselves and others, extend gratitude. There is always something or someone to be thankful for, especially our Creator God. Tune into this pod...

In today's Podcast, Steve delves deeper into the practice of being in God's presence. What does that look like for each of us? Like the mental preparedness of Navy Seals, we need the same discipline in our spiritual lives.  Entering the battle for our hearts and minds we must be equipped by developing a personal intimacy with our Creator God. The one that formed us and desires to know us and...

Every Believer is a work in progress. Uniquely ordained to be in relationship with God and loving others as He commands. Our enemy seeks to sideline us in the journey. Don't let discouragement, driven by the wounds of your past, give him a foothold in your life. We are all unfinished works of art that God desires to complete before he returns or you stand in His presence. In this Podcast, Steve te...

Our hearts have been assaulted during these last 18 months. The enemy is attempting to derail us from our calling and our own individual healing journeys.  In this episode, we talk about the danger of leaving God out of the equation and taking control of our own lives. 

In today's podcast, I offer up a tribute to a woman who was truly MY hero of the faith. She raised me to love God and love others. What more could a child ask for but to know Jesus at a young age and live a life dedicated to serving Him?  No one does is it perfectly but I prefer to honor this 100-year-old woman in a way that respects her legacy of love for all she knew - who finally got what...

In this upside-down Kingdom that Jesus brought to earth, we have an enemy that seeks to kill and destroy each of us in an effort to derail our healing journey and purpose in life. We must realize we're in a war for our minds and bring truth to the lies that Satan is spreading about us. In today's podcast, we dig deeper into the victory that awaits in our pursuit of life in Christ.

That dash on our tombstone - you know, the one that represents the life we lived between our start date and our end date? What we do during that time has eternal implications. Mark Twain put it so aptly. “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” The “why” has everything to do with the legacy we leave and the influence of our dash. In today's...

The question of how and if God speaks is a common one. Our relationship with Him is first and foremost in how that question gets answered. God does speak and we can hear His voice - in many different ways. On today's podcast, Steve explores the many facets of God's promptings and His communication with us, providing insight into how you too can experience intimacy with God in the way He was always...

Are we living in an alternate reality? Is truth and morality relative? The research is shocking for many of us. In today's podcast, we'll answer these and a few other questions regarding the current and confused culture we're living in. Absolute truth is God's truth. It exists in His inerrant Word - His scripture. How we interpret that may differ due to many influences. Many of those influences ar...

The pace of life has taken its toll on all of us. Nearly without exception. BUT, God walks “slowly” because he is love. If he is not love he would have gone much faster. Love has its speed. It is an inner speed. It is a spiritual speed. It is a different kind of speed from the technological speed to which we are accustomed. It is “slow” yet it is lord over all other speeds since it is the speed of...

As we consider the impact of one of the most traumatic global experiences of our lifetime it's important to recognize the implications for each one of us. PTSD is a real thing. On some level, we all have experienced the stress around uncertainty during this pandemic and the fallout should not be taken lightly. The antidote to fear is love. God is love and He desires to meet each of us at this mome...

The Bible talks about God's view of lukewarm believers. It's clear in Revelation what He thinks of that. We live in a divided nation. The enemy is looking to assault our hearts and therefore our commitment to faith in Christ. He's also intent on derailing our ability to share that faith with an unsaved world. Steve examines the challenge of living a different way. One totally sold out toward intim...

We all need people in relationships that are safe. Safe to talk with and converse about the most difficult issues that surround our daily lives. From there we can develop a safe community of several folks willing to walk alongside us helping in any way the Holy Spirit guides. People that we can trust to have our back without judgment are often hard to find. But God..... will do that for us. He'll...

So what is progressive Christianity? It sounds like it could be a good thing. Making progress in our relationship with God perhaps. But progress is a neutral word. You can progress toward falling off a cliff or toward life, health, and healing. How we do that as believers is a critical decision. Many have strayed from the foundations of the faith. In today's Podcast Steve examines the truth of scr...

The most significant event in human history took place roughly 2,000 years ago yesterday. The resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Savior.  On this Podcast, Steve reviews the events leading up to this life-saving moment. 

In this second of a two-part podcast, we delve deeper into our journey of wholeness through Christ. Colleen provides her take in explaining Barna's research in this 10-Stop Transformational process. Six years after beginning what he assumed would be a relatively typical research process that sought to better understand how God transforms people’s lives, researcher George Barna discovered that he h...

In this two-part podcast, we explore the journey toward wholeness in Christ - toward the place of exhibiting a deeply profound love of God and others. It's a process highlighted by embracing our own brokenness and discovering a different path. Six years after beginning what he assumed would be a relatively typical research process that sought to better understand how God transforms people’s lives,...

Thousands of years ago Adam and Eve made a choice. Knowing what we know now we likely would have chosen differently. Unfortunately, there were consequences to the freedom allowing them to decide to sin against their Creator. That didn't work out so well. But there's so much for us to learn about God, our view of Him, our view of ourselves, and the patterns of behavior we've been experiencing ever...

Our enemy continues his efforts to steal not only our joy but our connection with the One who brings that joy. The times call for an all-out frontal attack against the one doing that attacking. There are a host of ways to accomplish that but it starts first by deepening our relationship with Christ. By attending to our own Soul Care above all else. How do we do that? First by recognizing it's an i...

How is your heart these days? During this COVID season, many have fallen into despair - downright depression. The opportunity exists for all of us to fall to temptation in behaviors that will yield anything but hope. What is your messiah? What have you turned to in an effort to anesthetize yourself from the hurt and pain that surrounds this world gone mad? Division, isolation, sickness, death. All...

In this episode of the Podcast, we discuss the vital nature of securing safe people in our lives. People we can trust with our deepest concerns as we walk in our own healing journey with Christ. God calls us to community and Godly relationships that help us find our way through the rough terrains of life. Colleen uses an analogy you'll find interesting called the Glass Ball . Who can you entrust w...

In this episode Colleen is interviewed by our dear friend John who is currently enrolled in a Counseling Program at a local Christian College. The questions will provide answers around a faith-based counseling model from a different perspective.  In addition to her contribution to Embracing Brokenness Ministries Colleen is VP of Programs at Water Street Gospel Rescue Mission in Lancaster, Pen...

From our church family to yours - Enjoy this brief message from our Senior Pastor Beau Eckert and a duet of the all-time classic - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Meditate on the music and let the spirit of the holiday season overtake your senses. Merry Christmas to you all and a special blessing to you and yours.  An excerpt from the Calvary Church Christmas Special.