Encouraging Words:
Teaching Series. 6-week series looking at several
different well-known passages of scripture that
encourage and comfort us in difficult times.
Boxed set of audio messages on multiple CDs.
Our world is swept up
in uncertainty. Fear is capturing hearts
everywhere. As followers of Jesus, we can see
past the chaos and not lose ourselves in it,
because we know that God is present and providing
for us even as difficult circumstances surround
us. This series presents 6 well-known passages of
scripture that encourage and comfort because of
the focus they provide during difficult times.
This series includes:
#1 “God Hears You”
Marc Schelske
1/3/2009
The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:5-15). When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He was telling them something very important about God. He was telling them that regardless of our circumstances or need, God hears us and responds. We have not been left on our own to fend for ourselves, but instead have a God who is invested in our lives and growth and who has promised to be responsive to our needs.
#2 "God Provides for You"
Brittany Ouchida-Walsh
1/10/2009
The Shepherd’s Psalm (Psalms 23). Circumstances can be overwhelming and uncertain, but in the midst of them we are being watched over by a strong provider. God promises to provide what we need. While it may not always be what we want, it is enough. In the face of fear we can be peaceful, because we are being taken care of.
#3 "God Gives You Peace"
Marc Schelske
1/17/2009
“While we were sinners…” (Romans 5:6-10) We come to God in a variety of states, but the good news is that regardless of our background, God has already done everything necessary for us to be saved. Our value is established. No matter how bad our circumstances get, we can rest assured in this fact. God has already saved us.
#4 "God Understands You"
Marc Schelske
1/24/2009
Jesus, Our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16). We often feel alone and misunderstood as our life unfolds. We alone know the weight of our circumstances, it seems. Perhaps no other human can exactly understand our situation, but God does. Because of Jesus incarnation into our world and experience, God knows exactly where we’re at and what we’re experiencing. Because of this we can confidently approach God and trust that He is doing what is best for us.
#5 "God Powerfully Loves You"
Summer Krause
1/31/2009
More Than Conquerors (Romans 8:28-39). God’s love for us is not just appreciation or fondness. His love can shape our experience and empower us. When we feel like circumstances might overwhelm us, His love is strong enough to help us overcome. Nothing can separate us from God’s presence and work in our lives.
#6 "God Has More for You than What You Can See"
Marc Schelske
2/7/2009
The Blessed Hope (1st Thess. 4:13-18). Much of our fear and stress comes from uncertainty about our circumstances and what we have. But we forget that there is much more to life than what we can see, and this stretch of years is only the beginning. The promise of the resurrection and eternity with Christ reminds us that there is much more than what we can see.
This series includes:
#1 “God Hears You”
Marc Schelske
1/3/2009
The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:5-15). When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He was telling them something very important about God. He was telling them that regardless of our circumstances or need, God hears us and responds. We have not been left on our own to fend for ourselves, but instead have a God who is invested in our lives and growth and who has promised to be responsive to our needs.
#2 "God Provides for You"
Brittany Ouchida-Walsh
1/10/2009
The Shepherd’s Psalm (Psalms 23). Circumstances can be overwhelming and uncertain, but in the midst of them we are being watched over by a strong provider. God promises to provide what we need. While it may not always be what we want, it is enough. In the face of fear we can be peaceful, because we are being taken care of.
#3 "God Gives You Peace"
Marc Schelske
1/17/2009
“While we were sinners…” (Romans 5:6-10) We come to God in a variety of states, but the good news is that regardless of our background, God has already done everything necessary for us to be saved. Our value is established. No matter how bad our circumstances get, we can rest assured in this fact. God has already saved us.
#4 "God Understands You"
Marc Schelske
1/24/2009
Jesus, Our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16). We often feel alone and misunderstood as our life unfolds. We alone know the weight of our circumstances, it seems. Perhaps no other human can exactly understand our situation, but God does. Because of Jesus incarnation into our world and experience, God knows exactly where we’re at and what we’re experiencing. Because of this we can confidently approach God and trust that He is doing what is best for us.
#5 "God Powerfully Loves You"
Summer Krause
1/31/2009
More Than Conquerors (Romans 8:28-39). God’s love for us is not just appreciation or fondness. His love can shape our experience and empower us. When we feel like circumstances might overwhelm us, His love is strong enough to help us overcome. Nothing can separate us from God’s presence and work in our lives.
#6 "God Has More for You than What You Can See"
Marc Schelske
2/7/2009
The Blessed Hope (1st Thess. 4:13-18). Much of our fear and stress comes from uncertainty about our circumstances and what we have. But we forget that there is much more to life than what we can see, and this stretch of years is only the beginning. The promise of the resurrection and eternity with Christ reminds us that there is much more than what we can see.
Origins, Detours & the Road Home
Teaching Series. 6-week series studying the first
12 chapters of Genesis, looking at what these ancient
stories have to say to us about who we are, who God
is, and what He is calling us to.
Boxed set of audio messages on multiple CDs.
Human nature and the
difficulties we face as a result are rooted in
the origins of humanity, as told in the Biblical
story. Genesis 1-12 tells the ancient pre-history
of humanity in big mythic terms with powerful
characters and compelling circumstances, and yet
these ancient stories tell us a lot about our own
hearts. In these stories we get a glimpse of
God’s intentions for us as His precious
creation and we see the stark consequences of
living out of alignment with His heart. We also
get foreshadowing about the long road back to
life in God’s presence.
This series includes:
#1 "Fullness: Everything We Were Made For”
Marc Schelske
2/21/2009
Genesis 1 & 2. The creation story gives us a peek at God’s heart towards us and everything He wants for us. We are of great value because we were hand-made by God. This is true of both men and women. We have been given great responsibility to take care of the world God made. God’s ideal existence for us is to be able to live in intimacy and communion with each other and with Him forever. It’s what we were made for. This week will set up the target. This is what God made us for, and what His plan of restoration is taking us towards.
#2 "The Fall: Broken Little Gods"
Brittany Ouchida-Walsh
2/28/2009
Genesis 3:1 - 24. Being created with the capacity to choose love means being created with the capacity to not love. The story of the fall illustrates the impact and consequences of choosing to live out of alignment with God’s heart. Our sense of self and value was crippled with shame. Our ability to be in intimacy was broken by blame and mistrust. Our connection with God was severed by the choice to be in charge. These three things have shaped our existence ever since. Like our first parents, we have this choice and face these same consequences. Will we choose to walk the path of restoration?
#3 "The Fall: A Shattered Family"
Marc Schelske
3/7/2009
Genesis 4:1-17. One of the consequences of the fall was brokenness in our relationships with others and ourselves. When pride and insecurity rule, we make choices that hurt others, often in order to justify ourselves. Cain’s murder of Abel was the first time a human took another’s life, and we’ve been doing it ever since. Why do we do this and what do we do about it? Do we ignore warnings from God like Cain did (v.7), and end up hurting others? Cain is the one who coined the phrase “brother’s keeper,” and for him it was a bad thing. But when we walk the path of restoration we become each other’s keepers in a good way. Are we willing to set aside pride and insecurity and become each other’s keepers?
#4 "The Fall: A Culture Beyond Repair"
Kevin Carr
3/14/2009
Genesis 6:1-9:17. Without the center point of God’s heart guiding people, things got pretty messy. The pride and selfishness of one person extended to the entire race and that brought violence, wickedness and destruction to the earth. In this case God decided that the right thing to do was simply start over. Too much damage had been done. God’s attempt at saving humanity with Noah was to give us another chance. Sometimes we wonder if we could start over if we could get it right this time. But this circumstances of Noah’s time make clear that another clean start won’t solve our problem. This story lays the ground work for the radical demonstration of grace in God’s third attempt that we with Abraham.
#5 "The Fall: The Fatal Delusion"
Marc Schelske
3/21/2009
Genesis 11:1-9. This very strange story ends the pre-historic section of Genesis. Even after the flood people continued to live lives centered around pride and selfishness. Babel was the culmination of people coming together to express their strength. They were attempting to say to those around them and to God - through the use of technology - that they were powerful. But the time was not ready for this kind of confrontation between God and humanity. So, God brought an end to the Babel project, scattering people across the land where they developed into separate language and culture groups. Ever since we have continued to build alters and temples to our own achievement and power. Why do we do this? What purpose does it serve? What is our response to this as followers of Jesus?
#6 "Restoring Brokenness One Heart At A Time"
Brittany Ouchida-Walsh
3/28/2009
Genesis 12+. Our origin stories end here as the story of God’s plan for restoration begins in earnest. We were created to experience intimate communion with God and each other, but pride and selfishness turned us away from that. The consequences have been brutal - shame, fear, separation from God, broken relationships and violence, destruction to the earth God made - every kind of tribute to pride possible. But even with all of that God has been unfolding His plan to restore us to that which we were created for. He called one man, and from that one man built a family. He led that family through every kind of difficulty and built a nation. And the purpose of this was to usher in a whole new way of living through the Messiah, who came from the family of Abraham, but came for the family of humanity.
This series includes:
#1 "Fullness: Everything We Were Made For”
Marc Schelske
2/21/2009
Genesis 1 & 2. The creation story gives us a peek at God’s heart towards us and everything He wants for us. We are of great value because we were hand-made by God. This is true of both men and women. We have been given great responsibility to take care of the world God made. God’s ideal existence for us is to be able to live in intimacy and communion with each other and with Him forever. It’s what we were made for. This week will set up the target. This is what God made us for, and what His plan of restoration is taking us towards.
#2 "The Fall: Broken Little Gods"
Brittany Ouchida-Walsh
2/28/2009
Genesis 3:1 - 24. Being created with the capacity to choose love means being created with the capacity to not love. The story of the fall illustrates the impact and consequences of choosing to live out of alignment with God’s heart. Our sense of self and value was crippled with shame. Our ability to be in intimacy was broken by blame and mistrust. Our connection with God was severed by the choice to be in charge. These three things have shaped our existence ever since. Like our first parents, we have this choice and face these same consequences. Will we choose to walk the path of restoration?
#3 "The Fall: A Shattered Family"
Marc Schelske
3/7/2009
Genesis 4:1-17. One of the consequences of the fall was brokenness in our relationships with others and ourselves. When pride and insecurity rule, we make choices that hurt others, often in order to justify ourselves. Cain’s murder of Abel was the first time a human took another’s life, and we’ve been doing it ever since. Why do we do this and what do we do about it? Do we ignore warnings from God like Cain did (v.7), and end up hurting others? Cain is the one who coined the phrase “brother’s keeper,” and for him it was a bad thing. But when we walk the path of restoration we become each other’s keepers in a good way. Are we willing to set aside pride and insecurity and become each other’s keepers?
#4 "The Fall: A Culture Beyond Repair"
Kevin Carr
3/14/2009
Genesis 6:1-9:17. Without the center point of God’s heart guiding people, things got pretty messy. The pride and selfishness of one person extended to the entire race and that brought violence, wickedness and destruction to the earth. In this case God decided that the right thing to do was simply start over. Too much damage had been done. God’s attempt at saving humanity with Noah was to give us another chance. Sometimes we wonder if we could start over if we could get it right this time. But this circumstances of Noah’s time make clear that another clean start won’t solve our problem. This story lays the ground work for the radical demonstration of grace in God’s third attempt that we with Abraham.
#5 "The Fall: The Fatal Delusion"
Marc Schelske
3/21/2009
Genesis 11:1-9. This very strange story ends the pre-historic section of Genesis. Even after the flood people continued to live lives centered around pride and selfishness. Babel was the culmination of people coming together to express their strength. They were attempting to say to those around them and to God - through the use of technology - that they were powerful. But the time was not ready for this kind of confrontation between God and humanity. So, God brought an end to the Babel project, scattering people across the land where they developed into separate language and culture groups. Ever since we have continued to build alters and temples to our own achievement and power. Why do we do this? What purpose does it serve? What is our response to this as followers of Jesus?
#6 "Restoring Brokenness One Heart At A Time"
Brittany Ouchida-Walsh
3/28/2009
Genesis 12+. Our origin stories end here as the story of God’s plan for restoration begins in earnest. We were created to experience intimate communion with God and each other, but pride and selfishness turned us away from that. The consequences have been brutal - shame, fear, separation from God, broken relationships and violence, destruction to the earth God made - every kind of tribute to pride possible. But even with all of that God has been unfolding His plan to restore us to that which we were created for. He called one man, and from that one man built a family. He led that family through every kind of difficulty and built a nation. And the purpose of this was to usher in a whole new way of living through the Messiah, who came from the family of Abraham, but came for the family of humanity.
Be The Church 2.0
Teaching Series. 10-week series studying the
Biblical nature of the church. The church is not the
building, the organization or the program. It's the
people. So what does that mean for followers of Jesus
and the way we live today?
Boxed set of audio messages on multiple CDs.
Our culture’s
understanding of Christianity and Church is
deeply flawed, and that understanding has subtly
shaped the way that even followers of Jesus
think. Being a follower of Jesus is not about
agreeing with a solitary belief system. It is a
membership in a new family. When we accept our
place “in Christ” we find ourselves
adopted into a new family. We not only gain a new
relationship with God, but we also gain a new
relationship with all our family members
“in Christ.” So we are—as
followers of Jesus—automatically part of
the church, regardless of whether we participate
or attend. We do not attend or select a church.
We are the church. But living as the church takes
our role in the family much more seriously than
just a new position. “Being the
Church” means living out as individuals and
as a community the Kingdom Life that Christ
brought into the world. When we truly understand
and live this out, then we are “being the
church” and God works through us to extend
his Kingdom
This series includes:
#1 "Tag. You're It!”
Marc Schelske
4/18/2009
Debunking the cultural idea of the church as an organization, program or building. Understanding the Biblical nature of the church as the called-out community of Jesus, given authority and responsibility in this world. “Go be the church” is a call to a higher way of living - not more religious, but more impactful.
#2 "Welcome to Your New Family"
Marc Schelske
4/25/2009
Looking at the first community of the early followers of Jesus we begin to get a glimpse of what kind of life this is. The people of the church lived a new kind of community life where they were serious about four things. They were serious about growing, serious about their commitment to each other, serious about loving people in practical ways, and serious about God's involvement in their lives. This new kind of community was powerfully blessed by God. What would our lives looked like if we were oriented the same way?
#3 "Image Bearers & New Sharers"
Marc Schelske
5/2/2009
The people of the church throughout the New Testament did a number of things as they lived out this new mission. The first of these is that they were Image Bearers & News Sharers. In the way that they lived their lives and in what they said, they shared the story of Jesus. This wasn't about proselytizing, or correcting people, or building a new religion. It was about sharing with people in need. When they came across someone hungry, they gave them food. When they came across someone in spiritual need, they gave them Jesus.
#4 "Jesus' On-Call Junior League of Evil Fighters"
Marc Schelske
5/9/2009
When Jesus came He opened up a whole new kingdom. This kingdom was defined by Him as good news for the poor, healing for the sick, and freedom for those in bondage. The first followers of Jesus took this mission seriously. They were representatives of Jesus' new kingdom. They opposed Satan's lies by speaking God's truth. They opposed Satan's influence in culture by being a Kingdom influence. They opposed Satan's presence through the power and authority of the name of Jesus.
#5 "The Perfect Ensemble Cast"
Brittany Ouchida-Walsh
5/16/2009
This new community established by Jesus has a big mission. It's not something any one person can do alone. In the New Testament we can see that this was never the plan. The church is a body. Like any body, all the parts have important work to do. The motivation is not to be in charge, or to be the best, or become the most charismatic. It's to serve well and with love.
#6 "Unexpectedly Holy Imperfect Saints"
Marc Schelske
5/23/2009
One of the things scripture calls the church to be is holy. But what does that mean? Is it all about doing the "dos" and avoiding the "don'ts?" This is a study of what the Bible means by holiness, and the implications of that for our lives.
#7 "Upside-down, Inside-out, Clowns & Prophets"
Marc Schelske
5/30/2009
This new kingdom brought by Jesus was a new kind of culture, a culture that is totally different than the prevailing culture of the world. Instead of being motivated by attainment and upward mobility, this new community is motivated by a heart to serve. Instead of evaluating people and things by how they look on the outside, this new community values what happens on the inside. Instead of trying to comfortably fit in, this new community is willing to speak truth when needed, and is never afraid of looking foolish for the Gospel.
#8 "Guides, Coaches & Work-Out Partners"
Kevin Brusett
6/6/2009
The members of this new community have a certain responsibility toward each other. We are called to encourage one another, to “sharpen” one another, to live with love toward one another, even to restore each other if necessary—in short to be each other’s keeper. What does being your brother’s keeper look like? How do we enter into that kind of a relationship? How does this role help us grow spiritually?
#9 "Paramedics & Art Restoration Specialists"
Marc Schelske
6/13/2009
One of God’s stated intentions for his people and for this world since the intrusion of sin has been to restore what has been lost. The church is the outpost of His new Kingdom, living with the values and practices of that Kingdom. That means that the church will always be a community of restoration. Here we find restoration of lost relationships with God, restoration of broken human relationships, restoration of emotional health, restoration of health—every possible kind of restoration. It is the church’s role to be an open avenue of God’s healing and restoration to both the people in the church and to the people outside of it.
#10 "So, Be the Church!"
Marc Schelske
6/20/2009
A summary of the teachings of this series, and a call to step forward in living out this new life.
This series includes:
#1 "Tag. You're It!”
Marc Schelske
4/18/2009
Debunking the cultural idea of the church as an organization, program or building. Understanding the Biblical nature of the church as the called-out community of Jesus, given authority and responsibility in this world. “Go be the church” is a call to a higher way of living - not more religious, but more impactful.
#2 "Welcome to Your New Family"
Marc Schelske
4/25/2009
Looking at the first community of the early followers of Jesus we begin to get a glimpse of what kind of life this is. The people of the church lived a new kind of community life where they were serious about four things. They were serious about growing, serious about their commitment to each other, serious about loving people in practical ways, and serious about God's involvement in their lives. This new kind of community was powerfully blessed by God. What would our lives looked like if we were oriented the same way?
#3 "Image Bearers & New Sharers"
Marc Schelske
5/2/2009
The people of the church throughout the New Testament did a number of things as they lived out this new mission. The first of these is that they were Image Bearers & News Sharers. In the way that they lived their lives and in what they said, they shared the story of Jesus. This wasn't about proselytizing, or correcting people, or building a new religion. It was about sharing with people in need. When they came across someone hungry, they gave them food. When they came across someone in spiritual need, they gave them Jesus.
#4 "Jesus' On-Call Junior League of Evil Fighters"
Marc Schelske
5/9/2009
When Jesus came He opened up a whole new kingdom. This kingdom was defined by Him as good news for the poor, healing for the sick, and freedom for those in bondage. The first followers of Jesus took this mission seriously. They were representatives of Jesus' new kingdom. They opposed Satan's lies by speaking God's truth. They opposed Satan's influence in culture by being a Kingdom influence. They opposed Satan's presence through the power and authority of the name of Jesus.
#5 "The Perfect Ensemble Cast"
Brittany Ouchida-Walsh
5/16/2009
This new community established by Jesus has a big mission. It's not something any one person can do alone. In the New Testament we can see that this was never the plan. The church is a body. Like any body, all the parts have important work to do. The motivation is not to be in charge, or to be the best, or become the most charismatic. It's to serve well and with love.
#6 "Unexpectedly Holy Imperfect Saints"
Marc Schelske
5/23/2009
One of the things scripture calls the church to be is holy. But what does that mean? Is it all about doing the "dos" and avoiding the "don'ts?" This is a study of what the Bible means by holiness, and the implications of that for our lives.
#7 "Upside-down, Inside-out, Clowns & Prophets"
Marc Schelske
5/30/2009
This new kingdom brought by Jesus was a new kind of culture, a culture that is totally different than the prevailing culture of the world. Instead of being motivated by attainment and upward mobility, this new community is motivated by a heart to serve. Instead of evaluating people and things by how they look on the outside, this new community values what happens on the inside. Instead of trying to comfortably fit in, this new community is willing to speak truth when needed, and is never afraid of looking foolish for the Gospel.
#8 "Guides, Coaches & Work-Out Partners"
Kevin Brusett
6/6/2009
The members of this new community have a certain responsibility toward each other. We are called to encourage one another, to “sharpen” one another, to live with love toward one another, even to restore each other if necessary—in short to be each other’s keeper. What does being your brother’s keeper look like? How do we enter into that kind of a relationship? How does this role help us grow spiritually?
#9 "Paramedics & Art Restoration Specialists"
Marc Schelske
6/13/2009
One of God’s stated intentions for his people and for this world since the intrusion of sin has been to restore what has been lost. The church is the outpost of His new Kingdom, living with the values and practices of that Kingdom. That means that the church will always be a community of restoration. Here we find restoration of lost relationships with God, restoration of broken human relationships, restoration of emotional health, restoration of health—every possible kind of restoration. It is the church’s role to be an open avenue of God’s healing and restoration to both the people in the church and to the people outside of it.
#10 "So, Be the Church!"
Marc Schelske
6/20/2009
A summary of the teachings of this series, and a call to step forward in living out this new life.