The NorthWord

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Paul's commands to "flee" and "pursue" carry more weight in the Greek than they do in English — pheugo means to run for your life, dioko means to hunt without stopping. Father Aaron breaks down both words and asks what you're actually fleeing and pursuing today.Support the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Every generation has woken up at 2 AM asking the same question: why am I missing something? Father Aaron opens 1 Timothy 6 to name the daily choice underneath that question — the Gold, or God — and why the true pursuit of life has to be inward. Use the text-us link to tell us where you're at.Support the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! In a sermon drawing on Tim Keller's teaching on the topic, Deacon Luke explains to us what it means to forgive, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times. And even more importantly, at the beginning of the sermon, we get a great joke about what happens when a preacher trying to teach his flock about forgiveness finds a woman who doesn't have a single enemy to forgive.Support the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! In a club, you get read out at the annual general meeting. In a family, somebody knocks on your door. Father Aaron on Matthew 18:15, on why Jesus sends you alone and without an audience, and on the parable that sits immediately before it.Support the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Chrysostom said sharing a man's tears halves his grief, but sharing his joy heals you. Father Aaron on why celebrating somebody else's good news is the harder half of Romans 12:15, and why envy burns off when you do it.Support the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Fervent in spirit means boiling. Father Aaron on Romans 12:11, on sin as a temperature that dropped rather than a rule that broke, and on the one person you'd rather not warm up to.Support the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Both commands land harder in the Greek than in English, and the word for clinging is the same one Genesis uses for a husband cleaving to his wife. Father Aaron on why a rule book won't hold a church together, but a marriage will.Support the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! The word Paul uses in Romans 12:9 is anupokritos. Un-play-acted. The root is the word for an actor in a mask. Father Aaron on why a club performs love and a church gets transformed by it, and what to do the next time you're asked to put the mask on.Support the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! You are your own harshest critic, and you cannot argue yourself out of it. The verdict has to come from outside you. On shame, identity, the voice from the cloud, and defining yourself radically as one beloved by God.Support the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Life in verse 25 and soul in verse 26 are the same word in the Greek. On the self you show people, the facade you are working so hard to save, and why the self you keep hidden is the one that never gets healed.Support the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! The Romans crucified people beside the main road on purpose. A cross was never private. On what a cross is actually for, how to tell one apart from ordinary suffering, and why duty will never be enough to lift it.Support the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Jesus does not say take up my cross. He says take up yours, which means you already have one. On the weight already sitting in your life, why the order of the sentence matters, and the Greek verb that ties self denial to Peter in the courtyard.Support the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Jesus calls Peter the rock he will build his church on. Five verses later he calls him Satan. One verse after that he says, come after me. The same phrase both times. On the invitation that never shrinks, and why you cannot carry anything until you know you are carried.Support the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! “I better not step foot in a church — lightning might strike me.” No. It isn’t going to strike you. But something else will happen in there, and honestly it’s scarier.For anyone who has decided they’re disqualified from the work of God: Eliakim the steward, the key he was handed, and why the church is a local enterprise that starts with your heart.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Jesus asks “who do you say that I am?” in a town built at the shrine of a pagan god. He picked the place on purpose.On the difference between admiring Jesus and confessing him — and why the foundation gets laid in the wrong neighbourhood, not after you’ve moved out of it.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” Joseph doesn’t rename what his brothers did — he calls it evil, and says God was working anyway.On the difference between all things are good and he works all things for good, and why that difference is where the comfort actually lives.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Isaiah tells you to look back at the ugly ground you came from — and then points at Abraham, alone, and Sarah, barren.God doesn’t need a garden to grow a garden. He needs an open heart to grow a garden. Two to three minutes on why the calling doesn’t wait until your life looks presentable.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! If God called you, why is it so hard?Father Aaron preaches from Isaiah 51, Psalm 138, and Matthew 16 at St. John’s, Fort Smith. Isaiah says to look back at the quarry you were dug from — the ugly ground, the broken rock. The gospel says here is the rock you’re building on now. Between those two rocks sits the question most of us are quietly asking: if the calling is real, why the roadblock?Along the way: Abraham alone and Sarah barren, Joseph telling his brothers “you meant evil against me,” and what King David actually prays in the middle of trouble — which is not what you and I pray.Recorded live. Full sermon, with Father Aaron’s introduction.Support the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! One of the hardest sayings of Jesus is in Matthew 15 when he compares the Syrophoenician woman to a dog. And yet the woman steps inside it and finds the bread there.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Only twice does Jesus in the whole Gospel describe someone as having great faith. What is the reward of great faith?Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Have you ever prayed to God and not heard an immediate response? Should you give up? Or keep prayingText Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Where do you expect to find God? Is it in Holy and righteous places? Or are you leaving room for finding God in places that good religious people might avoid?Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! This Monday we have an extra-long episode for you, detailing the somewhat twisting journey Father Aaron took home from vacation, and most importantly, how God showed up in the midst of it.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! This week Father Aaron makes his triumphal return! No joke, but hey, he can't do everythingCheck out this sermon to learn more about what is going on in Matthew 15 when Jesus appears to turn away the Syrophoenician woman. Could it be that Christ is calling us into a deeper relationship, not just as "dogs" beneath the table, but as beloved children?Text us directly by clicking ‘Text Us’ at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Explore what it costs to truly love someone who's struggling — a sick friend, an addicted family member, a person in the dark. Discover why real love means being willing to be pulled in, not just standing outside.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Understand the three theological virtues and why the church prays for their increase instead of assuming we already have enough. A reflection on what it means to keep asking for what only grace can give.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Sit with the strange, costly prayer Paul makes for people who kept rejecting him. Understand what it means to love someone enough to offer yourself in their place.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! A reflection on one man's choice to take a stranger's place in a Nazi death camp. Understand what that sacrifice reveals about the real weight and cost of love.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamily Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Discover why real love was never meant to be sweet and easy. Explore the sacrificial, costly kind of love Scripture actually describes — and what it asks of you. Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Last week we talked about love, but what exactly is love? Is it a warm, fuzzy feeling? Or is it something more?Check out this sermon to learn more about what love is over the course of three examples: The life of Saint Maximillian Kolbe, the writings of Paul the Apostle, and some general observations about our lives.Text us directly by clicking ‘Text Us’ at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Explore the gap between knowing God loves you and actually resting your weight on it. Discover what it takes to move truth from your head to your guts.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Understand why a faith built for calm water won't survive real weather. Explore what it takes to build a life that can handle the open sea.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Walk through Paul's list of everything that cannot separate you from the Love of Christ. A reflection on facing real danger with real assurance.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Discover a love that was never a reward for good behavior. Understand what it means to be loved before you had anything to offer in return.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Explore the difference between what you're carrying and what's actually holding you up. Understand why success, health, and approval make good cargo but terrible ballast.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! At the climax of this section of Paul's Letter to the Romans, he has an awful lot to say about love.Check out this sermon to learn more about what the love of Christ means in the live of a believer. How does it differ from everything else in our lives? And you might even get a good pirate joke!Text us directly by clicking ‘Text Us’ at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the showSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! You're not done with the battle. But the battle is not done with you either — and what it's making you is worth the cost.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Comfort never made anyone mature. Only the battle does. And you're in one right now.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Endurance is just surviving. What if God is asking you to extract something from the pain instead?Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Resistance doesn't weaken you. It builds you. That's not theory. That's physiology.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! We think the struggle is what God uses to get us to the blessing. What if the struggle itself is the blessing?Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! In Paul's Letter to the Romans, he promises us "all things work for Good."You've probably heard that one before on a Hallmark Card. But is it really true? How can everything work for good? Turns out it's a little bit more complicated than that. Tune into this sermon to understand exactly what Paul means when he makes this promise to us.Text us directly by clicking ‘Text Us’ at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Stop asking if you're allowed. Start asking if it's worth it.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Every choice you make is either building your soul or hollowing it out. There's no neutral.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Not everything that's allowed is wise. Not everything that feels good is good.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Freedom doesn't cost nothing. It costs the thing you're most afraid to lose.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! You know exactly what you should do. And you do something else anyway. That's the whole problem.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! Why does the bible talk so much about God's wrath? Isn't he a loving God?Drawing on the parables of Jesus, this sermon explores the connection between love and judgment. As it turns out, they aren't quite as opposites as you might expect!Text us directly by clicking ‘Text Us’ at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! The striving life isn't a burden. It's the most beautiful thing a human being can do.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show

We want to hear from You! Send us a Text! The goal of striving isn't performance. It's transformation. And the two could not be more different.Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamilyConnect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWordSupport the show