Walnut Grove Lutheran Church Podcasts

During the month of February, we will be focusing on the importance of the Christian Church's mission to the world. Our mission is actually Jesus' mission to redeem and restore all things and it is rooted in his infinite love and compassion for the world. During this series, we will have four guest speakers who will each share with us about a different area of missions and each of these mission speakers has a connection with WGLC. This week we will hear from Daniel Kibarita about Africa.

During the month of February, we will be focusing on the importance of the Christian Church's mission to the world. Our mission is actually Jesus' mission to redeem and restore all things and it is rooted in his infinite love and compassion for the world. During this series, we will have four guest speakers who will each share with us about a different area of missions and each of these mission speakers has a connection with WGLC. This week we will hear from Rae-Anna Hedlin in Japan.

During the month of February, we will be focusing on the importance of the Christian Church's mission to the world. Our mission is actually Jesus' mission to redeem and restore all things and it is rooted in his infinite love and compassion for the world. During this series, we will have four guest speakers who will each share with us about a different area of missions and each of these mission speakers has a connection with WGLC. This week we will hear from Rhonda Kelman of the BC Mission Boat.

Our ordinary lives may seem like they have little significance. We are born, we live, then we die. But Jesus is the God who removed all barriers to life with him and invites us to join him on his mission of redeeming and restoring all things. Comforted, encouraged and strengthened by his loving presence with us, we are prepared to leave all behind and follow him. (Based on Luke 5:1-11.)

Because we can never fully know all things, we live much of our lives based on assumptions about many things, including God. But if our God-assumptions are false, they can hold us back from fully living in God’s kingdom and lead us to oppose God and what he is doing in the world. It is through repenting of our false beliefs and believing the new truths Jesus reveals to us that we are able to partner with him in transforming lives for God’s kingdom. (Based on Luke 4:16-30.)

One of the hardest things for a human being to endure is to be publicly shamed, and yet such an experience can help us because it reveals where our faith is placed. Refocusing our faith can be a challenge, but Jesus makes it easy for us because he is the God who turns our embarrassments into blessings. (Based on John 2:1-11.)

We tend to derive our sense of security from our circumstances, but when we do that, we live with constant anxiety over the possibility that our circumstances will change and our lives are shattered when they do. Thankfully, in his Baptism, Jesus both stood with us broken humans and was revealed to be the beloved Son of God. United with him in our Baptism and secure in the new identity he has given us, we can live with confident faith in him. (Based on Luke 3:15-22.)

When we forget the spiritual blessings we have through Jesus, it is easy for us to forget our true purpose and make our lives all about glorifying ourselves. But when we anchor ourselves in the truth that God chose us before creation for purity, redemption & abundant life with him and has revealed to us his plan for redeeming & renewing all things through Jesus, we want to reset with our true primary purpose: to glorify God with our lives. (Based on Ephesians 1:3-14.)

Trying to save our before-Jesus life is a lost cause because that life is the source of all problems between us and God and that life needs to die so that the new life that Jesus wants to give to us can be planted in our soul, take root and grow. Thankfully, Jesus is our perfect representative who died and rose again for us. In response to what Jesus has done for us, we embrace the new identity he has given us. (Based on Colossians 3:1-17.)

Christmas is a tough time of year for many (loneliness, grief, family conflicts) that the earthly joys of the season cannot overcome. But God the Son became human to give us new life with him that will last forever. Therefore, we move forward and face the challenges of life in this world with the hope, courage and strength that we have in Jesus. (Based on 1 John 4:7-17.)

Suffering is part of life in this world and it is easy for us to become discouraged when we suffer. But Jesus has used suffering to make us beloved children of God and give us the future hope of future glory with God. In the meantime, God works to make all things work out for our good. So we persevere knowing that nothing, not even death, will separate us from Jesus and his great love for us. (Based on Romans 8:18-39.)

In times of struggle, loss or suffering, it is hard for us to have joy. However, that changes when our joy is based on Jesus and his promise to return to this world, banish all evil, overturn all injustice, and heal and restore all creation, including us. As we walk toward our ultimate home on the highway of holiness that Jesus built for us, we sing songs of joyful praise in thanksgiving for him. (Based on Isaiah 35:1-10.)

Though there are many things which work to make our hearts and minds anxious, Jesus came to give us new life as citizens of heaven and the sure and certain promise of resurrection life. Therefore we imitate those who have gone before us in faith, focus on whatever is good, beautiful and true, and give all our anxieties to God in prayer. And the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Based on Philippians 3:17-4:1, 4-9.)

As followers of Jesus, we often feel like we don’t belong in this world for we are strangers in a strange land. But God has good plans for us, plans to give us hope and a future. Those plans are fulfilled in Jesus, who will sustain us throughout this life and, one day, bring us to our proper home. (Based on Jeremiah 29:4-14.)

Like a water-soaked cell phone, on our own, we human beings are broken and unable to function and glorify God as we were originally designed to do. Thankfully, we are saved from eternal brokenness and given eternal life by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Resting in his love and forgiveness, we are able to live for the glory of God alone. (Based on John 17:1-12.)

It would be the easiest thing in the world for us to let ourselves be guided by our selfish desires and the ways of the world. But God is calling us into a life that is far, far greater than that. The Bible, God’s Word has the power to save, transform and preserve us, and when it becomes our blueprint for life, we have God’s purpose and direction guiding us. (Based on 2 Timothy 3:14-4:8.)

We all want to be at the top of our game, but how do we do that in our relationship with God? As we dig into the Bible, we see that being right is not something we feel or do, it is a gift from God given to us through faith alone in Jesus Christ. Jesus is God’s righteousness for us because he has fully fulfilled all the ways that we fall short. (Based on Romans 3:21-28.)

The thought of living life on our own naturally appeals to the human soul. But having a healthy soul requires strong medicine. It means facing up to two truths the Bible tells us. First, that we are as good as dead and lost forever without Jesus. Second, with Jesus, we are given new life and raised to live in the heavenly realms with him. It is only by grace alone that we are able to receive this gift of new life and be a person of grace in this world. (Based on Ephesians 2:1-10.)

We all want to live an abundant life, but who are we following to get it? There are plenty of options for us to consider. All those options over promise and under deliver, except for the God of the Bible. He gives first, and then invites us into a relationship with him, where we continually receive. We see this most clearly in Jesus who invites us to commit to an exclusive relationship with him. Only Jesus will give you the abundant life you seek. (Based on Joshua 24:1-5, 14-18.)

Memories from the past often direct us in the future, but that future can go awry because we tend to remember our pain and past failures. While we cannot choose what memories we have, we can choose which memories we emphasize. God is inviting us to make and mark new memories based on his faithfulness. Those God-given memory markers can be signs of hope and encouragement for the future for us and for others. (Based on Joshua 4:1-7, 19-24.)