Walnut Grove Lutheran Church Podcasts

When confronted with the looming presence of God, we tend to stumble over or turn away from Him. Yet God is inviting us into a new way of living through His Son, Jesus Christ. With Jesus as the Cornerstone of our life, He makes us part of His beautiful Body that shines His light into the world around us. (Based on 1 Peter 2:4-10.)

To step into the fullness of life, we need to know who we are and what we can do. Jesus is offering us a life that is greater than what we could ask or imagine as we use the gifts he has given us for his mission in his Body, the Body of Christ. That’s how we grow. (Based on Ephesians 4:7-16.)

[We apologize for the audio quality during this podcast.] We may wonder why other people do the things that they do, but if we thought like they thought, we would do what they do. Therefore, the key question is “Who is forming the way that we think?” As we respond to God’s mercy by fully giving ourselves to him, he transforms our thoughts, emotions and will so that we passionately love God and humbly serve others. (Based on Romans 12:1-13.)

We tend to measure the worth of ourselves and others by what we see with our own eyes or what is reflected back from others. But such a worldly mirror will never give a true sense of human worth. Only by using Jesus as our mirror can we see the true value of ourselves and others in his Body. (Based on 1 Cor. 12:20-31.)

At the core of our being, all of us are following someone. But who are we trusting to lead us well? Our default answer is that we trust ourselves, yet that was not how God designed us to live, and that becomes evident when we lead ourselves into a disaster. Those disasters are opportunities for us to learn and look for a better leader. We need look no further than Jesus, for he is the best person to lead us because of what he has done, is doing and will do in the future for us. (Based on Col. 1:15-23)

Feeling lonely is not unusual, but sometimes it feels like that's all there is. Jesus has something more for us: a life where we are created and gifted to be part of something much bigger than ourselves, where our unity is not based on sameness, but on our common connection to our Lord. Together we can do far more than any of us can do on our own. This new life is what we were made for. It's life in the Body of Christ and it is a gift. (Based on 1 Cor. 12:12-20.)

Memories are often a source of comfort or encouragement to us, but they are more important than we realize. They can even direct our decisions and actions. Jesus is calling us to remember that he suffered, died and rose again for that memory helps us see our life in a new way: we are new creation people living in a hidden new creation world. Keeping that Good News at the top of our memory pile will help us to more fully live the new life that Jesus has given us. (Based on Luke 24:1-35.)

Surprise parties can be great because they reveal unexpected affirmations of love which fill us with joy. Can we live our lives based on such surprises? During the days before and after his journey to the cross, Jesus surprised people with unexpected revelations that he was our Messiah, Redeemer and Savior. Perhaps most surprising of all, he has chosen each of us to be a beloved, forgiven child of God through whom he works to surprise others with his grace. (Based on Mt. 21:1-11.)

Our tendency to be selfish is fed by a hard-wired desire for glory. But Jesus gives us new life as a beloved, forgiven child of God and helps us to become the person he always meant us to be. Then we live in the glory of who we really are in Jesus, and we are content. (Based on John 12:20-36.)

We live in a time of strong opinions. But are opinions all that is, or is there such a thing as absolute reality? If there is, how can we see and live in that reality? With the new birth we have from Jesus, we are able to live a new life in which we can see things as they really are. With Jesus’ love filling our heart, we reflect his life-giving love out into the world around us and we have hope for an even better life in the future. (Based on John 3:1-21.)

From time to time, what’s in our soul spills out before others. It can be embarrassing when that happens. Of greater concern is the fact that our soul is always transparent before God. So how messy is your soul and how can a messy soul be cleaned up? Jesus will do that for us. As we trust him to do that, he transforms us into holy temples of God that reflect his life-giving love into the world around us. (Based on John 2:13-22.)

It is natural for us to think that we can approach God and live a good life by doing the right things. But God knows that that approach will never work. Instead, he offers us the free gift of new life through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. Repentance is an important part of our new life with Jesus because repentance is what clears away the soul garbage that prevents us from receiving the fullness of that rich, full, abundant life. (Based on Mt. 3:1-17.)

It is hard when things that we intend for good turn out to be terrible. But Jesus is the Messiah who came to redeem us lost and broken sinners and bring us into God’s kingdom. Loved and encouraged by Jesus in the midst of our emptiness and suffering, we become more like him. Enlivened and directed by him, we step into the opportunities he gives us to love and encourage others who suffer. (Based on Mark 8:27-38.)

Relationships can be tricky to navigate. But with the new identity that Jesus has given us, and with the love that he pours into our heart, we are able to love others selflessly & sacrificially so they may have the greatest gift of all: a living relationship with the loving God. (Based on Colossians 3:18-4:6.)

Our focus directs how we live and shapes our future destiny. What do you focus on? Because we have been given new life with Jesus, we focus on the good things of God and intentionally live them out so we may better reflect God’s love into our broken and hurting world. (Based on Col. 3:1-17.)

It is easy for us to get taken in by counterfeits which promise the real thing but prove to be false. Jesus is the real deal. In him, we have both the fullness of God and our forgiveness. Therefore, we turn away from deceptive philosophies and human rules, and live with unforced rhythms of grace, where we are rooted in Jesus, strengthened in faith and overflowing with thankfulness. (Based on Col. 2:6-23.)

What is God really like and what difference does God make in our lives? To answer that question, all we need to do is look at Jesus because he shows us what God is really like. He is the author of our creation and the architect of our re-creation. Forgiven and free, we dedicate the new life Jesus has given us to sharing his Good News of healing and hope with others. (Based on Col. 1:15-29.)

How does one live a life that is fruitful? In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, we see that faith in Jesus Christ produces fruit from our lives that will last forever. As we believe in the message about our ultimate Rescuer, Jesus, he transforms our lives and produces fruit like faith, hope, and love in our lives. So we follow Jesus to become like him and we show others how to do the same. (Based on Col. 1:1-14 & Mark 1:21-34.)

We don’t get a choice about whether to suffer losses or not in this life. But how can we make something positive happen from our life when much has been taken away from us? God the Son saw that humanity’s need for salvation was so great that he wrapped Himself in human flesh and suffered in order to save us. With the new life Jesus gives us, we can look for human needs around us and give to others a portion of what Jesus has given us. (Based on Isa. 53:1-12 & Luke 2:40-52.)

Humans usually think of themselves as being right, good and true, and we like to think that God would agree. But how do we know what God thinks of us? The Bible tells us that God delights over us and Jesus is the One who makes that happen. (Based on Isa. 61:10 - 62:5 & Luke 2:22-40.)