Episodes
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Restore | We Are On Mission Together
What is the Church for? What role do we play in the world around us? This week we’re giving our attention to our mission as a Church – a mission driven by a profoundly liberating truth: God is already present and at work all around us. So what does it look like to slow down and join His restoring...
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Restore | We Are Bridge Builders
We are daily discipled to divide and devalue those who are different from us. But in the Church, we are called to something radically different: a oneness that does not require our sameness. Through the reconciling work of the cross, Jesus has brought togehter a new kind of family, a people who...
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Restore | We Are A Growing Family
So what is Church, anyway? To some it’s an hour on Sunday. To many, it’s a building they find themselves in a few times a month. But in the New Testament, the most prominent and persistent metaphor for the Church is family. The call to know our fellow believers as brothers and sisters wasn’t just...
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Restore | We Are Being Made Whole
Our second core value speaks not simply to what we believe, but who we are becoming as we believe it. What unites us at Restoration is a commitment to walk together toward wholeness in Christ - a commitment that fosters humility and solidarity because while we are far from arriving, we are well…
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Restore | Jesus Centered Belonging
What kind of church do we want to be? That’s the question that sits at the heart of our vision series, Restore. In the weeks ahead, we’re exploring five core values that shape everything we do at Restoration – and we’re inviting you to live them out with us. This week, we’re continuing our focus…
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Restore | We Are Jesus Centered Part 1: Apprenticeship
What kind of church do we want to be? That’s the question that sits at the heart of our vision series, Restore. In the weeks ahead, we’re exploring five core values that shape everything we do at Restoration – and we’re inviting you to live them out with us. This week, we’re beginning with our...
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The Way Of Wisdom | The Wisdom of Rest
We live in a world that constantly tells us to do more, accomplish more, and carry more—but Jesus offers a very different invitation to those of us who are weary and burdened. What if the thing we most need isn’t something else to accomplish, but something we need to learn to receive? (Matthew...
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The Way Of Wisdom | How Do We Discern What Is Wise?
James 1:5 tells us that if we need wisdom, we should ask – because God gives it freely. That’s good news, but it begs a question: how do we know if what we think we’re hearing from God is actually his wisdom? How can we tell the difference between God’s voice and our own desires? In this message,...
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The Way Of Wisdom | A Community Of Wisdom
When the Bible tells us to pursue wisdom, it’s not asking us to embark on an isolated journey towards enlightenment. Instead, the wisdom we seek is found in the the relationships around us – among those who we walk with on the journey towards becoming whole. In this message, we unpack the...
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The Way Of Wisdom | Wisdom By The Book
We’re told to open our Bibles when we are looking for wisdom – and rightfully so. But once they’re open, it isn’t always easy to know where to start. In this message, we’re exploring the Bible’s role in our journey towards wisdom, and how we can guide and guard our steps as it points us to Jesus.
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The Way Of Wisdom | Learning How To Trust
Where is God when we are searching for answers? Some imagine a distant God who is waiting for us to believe (or behave) well enough to figure out the right thing to do. But Proverbs gives us a different vision – a God who doesn’t simply show us the way. He becomes the way for us. So will we trust...
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The Way Of Wisdom | The Awe Before The Answer
Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson famously wrote that “We are drowning in information while starving for wisdom.” In a time where the amount of information available to us continues to expand, our souls need something more. We need wisdom. And as we begin our pursuit, we’re giving our attention to...
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ACTS | The Way Forward: Good News In A World Of Difference
The more we follow the Holy Spirit into the world around us, the more we will encounter people of different faiths and backgrounds. So how do we know what it means to faithfully witness to the Gospel without antagonizing or belittling those who are different from us? This week, we’re looking to...
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ACTS | The Way Forward: The Witness Of Unity
The most persistent problem that the Church in Acts faced wasn’t persecution or competing beliefs. It was division. As the Church expanded into new countries and cultures, the differences between the Jews and Gentiles came to a head. In the end, they found a unity that did not erase their...
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ACTS | The Way Forward: Liberating Hope
All kinds of things can hold us captive: our emotions, our addictions, our circumstances, our past… but when we encounter the good news of Jesus, we find a liberation that upends our story and changes the trajectory of our lives. This week, we’re looking at two very different people who both...
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ACTS | The Way Forward: Kingdom Citizenship
What is a disciple of Jesus to make of our life as an American citizen? Acts gives us the backdrop to answer that question – through the witness of a Church that disrupted the power of empire not through the Senate or the sword, but through a radical, shared way of life that centered on our…
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Acts: The Way Forward | Surrendering Our Certainty
What do you do when God calls you outside of the comfort and culture you’ve always known? In Acts 10, Peter is led by the Holy Spirit to cross what had previously been uncrossable boundaries – a call that challenged both his identity and his sense of belonging. But on the other side of his...
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Acts: The Way Forward | Everyday Mission
In Acts 9, we witness the dramatic conversion and commission of one of the most important men in the history of our faith: the apostle Paul. But Paul’s journey begins through the ordinary obedience of an otherwise unknown man named Ananias – a man who simply had the courage to see what God was...
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ACTS | The Way Forward: Rise And Go!
In Acts 8, Philip followed God’s leading into an unexpected place and discovered that God was already at work in the life of the Ethiopian eunuch. This story reminds us that being the church means joining God’s mission beyond Sunday mornings by paying attention to where He is leading and who He…
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ACTS | The Way Forward: Compassion
As the early Church continues to move forward after Pentecost, they are confronted by the deep needs of the world around them. So what does the resurrection of Jesus mean for those who are in need around us? This weekend, we explore the centrality of compassion in our Spirit-empowered mission…
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ACTS | The Way Forward: A New Kind Of Family
In the aftermath of the power of Pentecost, a new kind of community is born. Through a deep devotion to a shared way of life, they lived an embodied and empowered life of love together that still challenges our vision of who the Church is called to be. So what does this new kind of family mean…
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ACTS | The Way Forward: Pentecost
There’s all sorts of signs, wonders, and miracles in the book of Acts. But perhaps the most overlooked miracle of all? The birth of a new kind of family – empowered by the Spirit for a mission that breaks down divisions and transcends the boundaries the world tells us not to cross. This is what...
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ACTS | The Way Forward: Witnesses
In the aftermath of the resurrection, a small band of disciples are called beyond the borders of their comfort and culture and into the mission of God. Out of this mission, a new kind of family takes root: an eclectic and empowered community called the Church. Together in the power and presence…
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Eastertide | The God By Your Side
Are we left to figure this out on our own? That was the question running through the minds of the disciples in the final hours before the crucifixion – and it’s a question we may have pondered, too. But Jesus gives a promise for the journey ahead: the persistant presence of a God who not only…
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Eastertide | Which Way?
In John 14, Jesus makes a clarifying and galvanizing statement: He doesn’t simply have the way or teach the way, that He is the way. Two thousand years later, this invitation to know Him as ‘the way’ is still an invitation into the kind of life and abundance we’ve been promised. The question is...
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Eastertide | The Shepherd's Voice
We are bombarded and frequently overwhelmed on all sides by voices that sound authoritative and compelling – and many of those voices claim to speak on behalf of God. So how do we discern what is genuine? Better yet, how do we hear His voice for ourselves? This weekm we’re talking about what it...
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Eastertide | Faith Back From The Dead
In the early hours of the morning, two disciples leave Jerusalem headed to a small town. In the death of Jesus, they’d lost their friend, their future, and their hope. It was a crisis of faith – a crisis that mirrors the same moments of doubt and disillusionment we so often face. So how can we…
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Eastertide | Defiant Joy
Easter is not an event. It’s a season – a feast that both celebrates and continues the reality of the resurrection in our ordinary lives. In this second week of Easter, we explore the tension between the hope we profess… and the difficult days we often live through. How can we understand the...
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Easter Sunday | All Things New
The resurrection of Jesus is the turning point of history. So what are we to make of the empty tomb? This week, we’ll explore the scope of God’s renewal that began that first Easter morning – a work that we’re invited to join as a sign of our hope. (John 20:1-18)
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Palm Sunday | Follow The Crucified King
They wanted the soldier on a warhorse. Instead, they’re met by the Prince of Peace, riding on a donkey. This Sunday, Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday – a day that always challenges us to consider where our salvation lies. (Matthew 21:1-11)
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Lent | The Friendship Of Jesus
There are all sorts of names and descriptions for God throughout the Bible: Savior, Lord, King… but in John 11, we meet God in a way we might not expect: as our friend. Sunday, we see how Jesus’ friendship with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus help us see how he shows up in our lives, too. (John 11:1-45)
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Lent | The God Of The Valley
We’ve all gone through seasons in our story that feel like “the valley of the shadow of death.” Moments that feel like the darkness is overwhelming. And when we find ourselves here, the question is clear: where is God? And what is He like? This week, we look to a familiar and powerful passage to...
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Lent | Good News For Outsiders
A lot of us know what it feels like to be on hte outside looking in. This week, our Gospel story is one of the many times Jesus upends the cultural boundaries of his time and meets a vulnerable person right where they are with love. So if you feel like your an outsider, there’s good news – he’ll...
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Lent | Salvation In The Present Tense
We often speak of salvation of something that happened – not something that’s happening. In our second week of Lent, we look at the story of a man in the midst of a crisis of faith; not because he didn’t have all the right answers, but because all those right answers came face to face with Jesus....
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Lent | Salvation In The Present Tense
We often speak of salvation of something that happened – not something that’s happening. In our second week of Lent, we look at the story of a man in the midst of a crisis of faith; not because he didn’t have all the right answers, but because all those right answers came face to face with Jesus....
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Lent | The Heavy Hand Of God
As the season of Lent begins, we give our attention to a moment in David’s life that brought both conviction and clarity. Psalm 32 celebrates the forgiveness of God, but it doesn’t shy away from the weight and weariness of sin. David’s words remind us that God is present even in our hiding and...
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Epiphany | The Transfiguration
In this message, pastor Luke Embree unpacks the Transfiguration, a scene in the Gospel that teaches us how God is present with us in power - right in the middle of the ordinary. (Matthew 17:1-9)
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Epiphany | The Bible Through The Lens Of Jesus
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say we as Americans have a dysfunctional relationship with the Bible. It is misused, misapplied, and weaponized. Why? Because we’ve been handed down a tradition that sets the Bible apart from the One to whom it testifies. This Sunday, we’re talking about...
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Special Message | Joining God
If you haven't heard, Restoration is moving! On Sunday, March 1, we're moving to a new home at Arlington Christian Church. In this message, Justin speaks about our identity as a Church - and how we want to grow in our dependence and expectation as we root ourselves in the power and provision of...
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Vision Sunday | Restoration is ON THE MOVE!
Did you hear the big news? Restoration has a new home! Beginning Sunday, March 1st, we’re gathering at Arlington Christian Church at a new time: 11:30am. In this message, we hear from Justin and other leaders at Restoration about how and why we are taking this next step. If you're interested in...
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Special Message | Through The Eyes Of Jesus
In this special message and interview, we highlight Kentucky Refugee Ministries! Beforehand, Justin unpacks the consistent theme of God's heart for the vulnerable - all the way to its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. If you've never heard of KRM, they do incredible work in caring for the needs of...
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Epiphany | On The Other Side Of Love
Do you believe God loves you? You might know the “right answer” to that question, but if we’re honest, there are times when it can be hard to believe. This week, as we look at the baptism of Jesus, we see the loving affirmation of the Father – a love that is likewise spoken over us in Christ.…
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Epiphany | The Ministry Of Presence
In taking on human flesh, Jesus embodied both the message and mission of God. And when it comes to our mission as a Church, the same is true. Just as Jesus chose presence with and for others, we, too, are called to the ministry of presence right where we are. (John 1:1-18)
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Christmas | The Solidarity Of God
The incarnation means that God chose to become fully human – just like us. Jesus experienced every aching reality of our humanity, from hunger and sadness to laughter and joy. And you may not know it yet, but this is good news. Why? Because everything Jesus embodies, He redeems. (Hebrews 2:10-18)
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Christmas | A Vulnerable God
What we don't need this Christmas is good advice about how to make an already hard life a little bit better. What we need instead, is good news - a Gospel of a God who meets us in vulnerability and need. That's what we gather around together - a God who meets us where we are, as we are, in love....
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Advent | Family Christmas Gathering
In this special Sunday gathering, we celebrate the coming of Jesus through the leadership of Restoration Kids! Our message is about Jesus as the light of the world - and how no matter how old we are, we can be a light through a life of love.
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Advent | The Lifting Of The Lowly
The Gospel begins in the lowest lows. Jesus entered the world through a poor, teenage mother in a nowhere town – in an empire committed to the exploitation of her people. And as her story comes into focus, she does something surprising: she sings a protest song – a song about how the mighty will...
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Advent | How Judgment Is Good News
The prophecies that promise the Messiah aren’t just words of hope. They are also pronouncements of judgment. Both then and now, sin and injustice wreck havoc in the world around us. Judgment is coming, yes – but not to ruin us. God’s justice restores. (Isaiah 11:1-10)
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Advent | The Tension Of Hope
Theologian Fleming Rutledge tells us that “Advent begins in the dark.” It is a season that encourages us to name and embrace the waiting and the longing we feel. As we begin the season of Advent, the Bible calls us to live in the tension – a tension between the darkness we see around us and the...
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A Story-Formed Faith
For better or worse, our lives are the product of the stories we immerse ourselves in. So as a Church, we need rhythms and practices that reorient our lives around the story God. This week, we’re talking about how our Church practices the story of Jesus together – and how you can walk with us.