Fountain City KC

It comes as no surprise to many of us that researchers say our culture is experiencing a leadership crisis. We are in the midst of a significant historical moment, and we all feel the need for what seems hardest to find: good, trustworthy leadership. Part of what makes this even more daunting and challenging is discerning how to define the kind of leaders we need. What makes a good leader? In any sphere? What about in the church? What type of leadership should we want, expect and aim for in a church community? Why? From this passage in Titus, we'll see the answer points to a leader with a specific character whose main role is to point us, lead us to one person: Jesus. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

It's hard to read the Sermon on the Mount and not observe the counter-cultural force it contains. Jesus's teachings are, by anyone's standards, radical. They're not radical because they call for some wholesale life change in vocation or residence. They're radical because they call for wholesale change in the ordinariness of daily life. Jesus changes how we live. And he aims, he means to change how we live. In this passage, this reality of change might be as pronounced as anywhere in the Bible. And there's one defining element: love. Jesus calls us to love radically because we've been radically loved by him. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

There are times when Jesus's teaching just seems like too much: too difficult, too far-reaching. This week, as we encounter one of Jesus' most well-known statements, we also encounter one of his hardest. Some have heard Jesus' talk about turning the other cheek and going the extra mile and thought, "I'm out." Why? Because Jesus calls for a kind of strength that our world doesn't really consider strength. He calls for a kind of love and self-lessness that most laugh at. But when we see his teaching for what it really is – in the full picture he gives – we see that Jesus leads us in a way that is literally world changing because it is life changing. That's because he calls for a life that puts mercy and generosity ahead of personal rights and fairness, just like he did for us. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

A couple generations ago, a statement like, "The buck stops here" or "Tell the truth" seems like it might have carried a different weight than it does today.  Our shared life together, our cultural moment, isn't one that most of us would describe as full of integrity.  Distrust in nearly all of our institutions is as high as it's ever been.  On-line forums and social media allow any of us to curate altered or false personas, and say whatever we want with virtually no accountability.  But the issue isn't just "out there"; it's also "in here," in our hearts.  This week, Jesus will lead us deeper into God's intentions for our honesty and integrity in our words.  In his kingdom, the way forward requires integrity rooted in our own heart, not in something outside ourselves.  How does that happen?  How does our heart become one marked by integrity?  By accepting the truth—the truth about ourselves and the truth about Jesus. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Each year, Easter arrives within a unique season, a specific cultural moment.  This year is no different.  Cultural commentators describe our shared life or the current "vibe" as loaded with angst and unsettledness.  There is a kind of disorientation that has us all feeling off balance.  And hanging over most is a kind of sedated effect resulting from retreat into screens and distractions.  And it all leads one to wonder, as we live our lives, as we get up in the morning and do life...is there purpose to it?  When hard things happen, can we have reason for resolve and hope?  Can we honestly say we have joy in our life or are we just chasing one-off, flash-in-the-pan highs?  Because Jesus rose, it's possible for us to answer "yes" to those questions.  How?  It all starts with worship. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Sometimes the most beautiful and life-giving things can be the most painful and destructive. We experience this truth especially in relationships.  We have all known incredible joy from relationships, and we have likewise experienced pain and sadness.   A relationship at center of this reality is marriage.  We live in a cultural moment where pressures, messaging, and inherited practices can make marriage feel nearly impossible.  We may also have experiences that cause dread and panic at the topic of marriage.  Jesus wants us to know that not only is marriage not impossible, but his grace is greater than any mistakes made within it.  And following his Kingdom way both brings flourishing and reflects the truth that he has committed himself to us and will never leave.

When you receive an assignment—at home, school, or work—it helps to know the available resources for accomplishing the task.   You can say the same thing about the Christian life.  Throughout the New Testament, we read that the goal of our salvation is to grow to become more like Christ, both in his character and in his mission to seek and save the lost.  In Peter's second letter, he says, "His (God's) divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness..."  This Sunday, we will look at four resources God grants us to help us live the life that He has called us to live. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

John Piper, a well-known pastor emeritus made some waves this week when he shared what he most fears in his life: his anger.  Why?  Because of what Jesus says anger, a specific kind of anger, truly is; and because of the damage that anger can do.  We have all seen relationships lost, harmed, or grieved because of anger.  We know the pain involved, the wreckage.  This is not what Jesus wants for our lives.  His way for us is the way of blessing, including in our relationships.  In Jesus' kingdom, anger is not given a foothold or a place of power.  Why? Because when we follow Jesus' way, we see anger for what it really is and urgently seek to make things right with those we've harmed, just like God made us right with him when we had wrong him. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

The Beatitudes may be the most well-known passage in this most famous sermon.  For good reason.  At heart, these are promises of blessing; of true, abiding, deep happiness and joy.  Who of us doesn't long for that? But another draw to these Beatitudes is their counterintuitive nature, their "upside down" way of thinking.  Receiving a kingdom through poverty?  Comfort on account of mourning?  Blessing, deep and abiding joy, may not come to us in the ways we'd expect.  But in Jesus' kingdom, according to Jesus' way, it's guaranteed. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

"Repent" and "come, follow me": Jesus has called out to his followers. But how did they determine that Jesus was revealing the Kingdom of heaven? What set Jesus apart from other Jewish leaders, or even religious teachers? In their day, as in ours, everyone was being conformed by a multitude of stories; how could they tell which was the true story about life and God? In Matthew's gospel this week, we'll explore how Jesus' victory over destructions of sin revealed that He was the long-awaited Savior of the World. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.