Church is Messy

Technical note: Due to multiple technical difficulties, the video version of this week’s episode is unavailable. We expect the video podcast to premiere with next week’s episode. The audio version is available as usual. In this episode, Rick and Svea launch the new Expedition Ready series by introducing a framework for the spiritual journey. The goal is not to create a formula, ladder, or grading...

How does a church honor its history without becoming trapped by it? Following Vision Sunday, Rick and Svea reflect on Autumn Ridge’s nearly 170-year history and the generations of people who have carried the church’s mission forward. While locations, leaders, programs, and methods have changed, one thing has remained at the center: a desire for people to know Jesus. But a long history brings both...

What if heaven is not somewhere we escape to, but the place where God finally makes all things new? In the final conversation of The End? series, Rick and Svea unpack the biblical picture of heaven as a renewed creation—heaven coming to earth when Jesus returns. They talk about what happens when a follower of Jesus dies, why Scripture points toward resurrection and restoration rather than an etern...

What are we really looking forward to when we think about heaven? Rick and Svea continue the conversation around The End? by focusing on heaven—not as an escape from this life, but as the fulfillment of our deepest longing to be with Jesus. They talk about why even the best things in this life eventually come to an end, why heaven is ultimately about who is there more than what the place is like,...

Trying to figure out exactly when Jesus will return can be fascinating—but it can also distract us from the kind of people Jesus is calling us to become right now. In this episode of Church Is Messy , Rick and Svea continue the conversation from Autumn Ridge’s series on the end times. They reflect on church cultures that emphasized decoding prophecy, predicting the rapture, and connecting current...

Church Is Messy is back for a new season! Rick and Svea begin with a few summer updates before turning to Autumn Ridge’s new message series, The End? —and why conversations about the return of Jesus should lead to preparation, not prediction. They explore several Christian perspectives on the end times, why fear and speculation have shaped so much modern thinking about the subject, and what Script...

In this season finale of Church Is Messy , Rick and Svea reflect on the close of both the podcast season and Autumn Ridge’s long journey through 1 Corinthians. The conversation centers on 1 Corinthians 16 and Rick’s message about how churches relate to leaders—not as a grievance or self-serving topic, but as a willingness to talk honestly about what the text actually says.  Rick revisits four unhe...

In this episode of Church Is Messy , Rick and Svea reflect on Svea’s recent message from Psalm 58—one of the imprecatory psalms, where God’s people cry out for divine justice against evil and oppression. They talk about why passages like this can feel uncomfortable, violent, or hard to reconcile with Jesus’ command to love our enemies. Svea shares how studying Psalm 58 helped her recover a deeper...

In this episode of Church Is Messy , Rick and Svea continue the 1 Corinthians series by unpacking Paul’s teaching on idolatry, allegiance, wisdom, and life with people who do not share our faith. The conversation begins with a look at how modern idolatry often shows up less through statues and temples and more through the things we rely on for security, significance, and satisfaction. Rick and Sve...

Rick and Svea reflect on Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9 about running “in such a way as to get the prize,” exploring what it means to live with courage, focus, and love. They talk about how sharing faith doesn’t have to be driven by pressure, guilt, or argument, but can flow naturally from love for people and a desire to share what Jesus has done in our lives. Through stories about hunting, cross...

Rick and Svea talk about modern-day idolatry—not necessarily bowing before statues, but looking to accomplishments, relationships, finances, status, or other good things to tell us we are enough. They reflect on the freedom that comes from knowing our deepest identity and security are found in Christ, not in what we achieve or what others think of us. The episode also explores Paul’s words that “k...

In this episode of Church Is Messy, Svea sits down with Pastor Caleb Smith to unpack a challenging passage from 1 Corinthians dealing with slavery, singleness, marriage, and what it means to find true security in Christ. Caleb reflects on the importance of reading Scripture in its original context, helping listeners understand the complexities of first-century slavery and Paul’s deeper message abo...

In this episode of Church Is Messy, Rick and Svea continue their walk through 1 Corinthians by tackling a topic that’s often misunderstood: sexuality in marriage. They name two common extremes: treating sex as a tool for control or treating it as something spiritually suspect. Instead, they point to a better vision, seeing it as a good gift meant to be expressed within a marriage marked by trust,...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Church Is Messy , Rick and Svea return to 1 Corinthians—specifically chapter 6—to tackle the complex and often uncomfortable topic of sexuality. They explore how the Corinthian church was shaped by its culture, where distorted views of the body and sex were normalized, and connect that to how modern culture similarly “disciples” us today. The conversation highli...

Rick and Svea unpack a challenging (“rugged”) passage from 1 Corinthians 14, focusing on orderly worship, spiritual gifts (like speaking in tongues), and a difficult line about women in the church. Rather than avoiding tension, they model how to engage it—encouraging listeners to interpret unclear passages through what’s clear, use context, and patiently wrestle toward understanding.  The conversa...

In this episode of Church Is Messy, Rick and Svea revisit 1 Corinthians 13 following Svea’s weekend sermon—looking beyond its reputation as a wedding passage to what Paul was actually addressing in a deeply dysfunctional church. What emerges is a clear picture of spiritual maturity shaped by love. Svea shares how her understanding of the passage grew as she studied it, alongside a six-stage framew...

This episode of "Church Is Messy" unpacks the sermon Rick preached on 1 Corinthians 12 and the topic of spiritual gifts. Rick opened that message with a reflection on mortality — the "dash" between a person's birth and death date — prompting a lively discussion about whether they'd want to know their end date in advance (both say yes, though they acknowledge they're in the minority). This leads in...

In this episode of Church Is Messy, Rick and Svea explore the second half of 1 Corinthians 11, where Paul sharply rebukes the Corinthian church for their divisive behavior during communion. Paul’s warning reveals how seriously God takes unity within the church. Rick explains that unity is not just a goal for Christians—it reflects God’s very nature as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The problem in C...

In this episode of Church Is Messy, Rick and Svea tackle one of the most notoriously difficult passages in the New Testament: 1 Corinthians 11, which discusses head coverings and gender roles. The conversation centers on how people tend to retreat into fundamentalism—grasping at simplistic, dogmatic answers—when facing uncertainty or complex biblical texts. Rick explains that this impulse appears...

Rick and Svea continue their challenging journey through First Corinthians, tackling Chapter 6 which addresses conflict within the church. They explore Paul's confronting question: "Why not rather be wronged?" and discuss how the Corinthian believers were taking each other to court instead of resolving disputes within the community. They examine three key perspectives: theological (understanding o...

In this episode of Church Is Messy, Rick and Svea tackle one of the most uncomfortable passages in the New Testament: 1 Corinthians 5. They discuss a shocking situation in the Corinthian church where a man was sleeping with his stepmother, and the congregation was doing nothing about it. Rick and Svea explore the tension between creating a church where people feel safe in struggling with sin while...

In this episode of Church Is Messy , Rick and Svea dive into Paul's letter to the Corinthians, exploring how the early church struggled with the same tribal divisions we see today. Using a clever Jelly Roll analogy, Rick illustrates how easily Christians can align themselves with personalities and influencers rather than keeping Jesus as their foundation. The conversation tackles the tension betwe...

In this episode of Church is Messy, Rick and Svea discuss navigating faith and action during turbulent times. They explore how to respond to current immigration and ICE issues in Minnesota with both courage and love, examining the difference between principled protest and reactive behavior. Drawing from the Civil Rights Movement and biblical wisdom, They address how to process strong emotions, eng...

In this episode of Church is Messy Pastor Caleb Smith (who gave this week's message) and Svea discuss Paul's teaching from 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 about the paradox of the cross - how God's "foolishness" is wiser than human wisdom and his "weakness" is stronger than human strength. Their conversation explores how this ancient message applies to modern Christians facing intellectual persecution and c...

Rick and Svea discuss 1 Corinthians 1, focusing on how the human desire for acceptance creates division in the church through “fences” (in-groups and out-groups) and “ladders” (status and hierarchy). They show how the Corinthian church split around admired leaders like Paul, Apollos, and Peter, driven more by Roman culture’s obsession with prestige than by real theological differences. The episode...