When were you glad as a child, and what could that look like for you as an adult? What does shame look like in your life? In the lives of people you love? @jessie.horney and @lyssastadt11 get really practical about calling, purpose, miracles, and shame, with little shout outs to Tim Keller and Brene Brown. Give it a listen, and be on the lookout for this episode to also be on the podcast soon! If you have questions, leave a comment or send us a DM and we’d love to talk with you!

“God uses the spaces where we say yes to change and shape us into the people he wants us to be.” Through the story of Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings, Andrew talks to us about the art of neighboring and its radical juxtaposition to the individualistic culture we live in for our tenth episode of the La Familia series. Andrew walks through the lies we believe that inhibit our impulse to live out our call to hospitality, our daring mission to go love the world, encouraging us to gather with our communities and pray, identify and go together into spaces that we feel a pull to show radical, generous love.

“These stories are an invitation to the religious leaders to repent. A challenge to change our thinking and believe something new about what people are worth. And it’s an invitation to us to rethink the notorious sinners in our lives and to accept Jesus’ invitation not to care for ourselves but to care for the one.” Jessie walks through the familiar language of “calling” in a way that asks us to re-examine the word in the ninth segment of the La Familia series. Beginning with the question “does my life remind people of Jesus?” and examining the kinds of stories Jesus tells when detailing our collective “calling”, Jessie lays out our missional purpose in the world: to remove the heavy garment of shame from those around us. She reminds us that when we learn that we are beloved, we have room to believe in the belovedness of others, creating unlikely relationships with those in our sphere of influence. Find more from Redemption Hill at redemptionboise.org, or follow us on Instagram @redemptionboise, and Facebook at Redemption Hill Boise. redemption church, churches near me non denominational, church of redemption, redemption hills church, redemption church near me non denominational churches in boise idaho, i church redemption, redemption hill boise, redemption hills, hills redemption, redemption hill church denomination, redemption i church, church of the redemption, church redemption, church boise, church near me, church near me now, church near me open now, church near me catholic, church near me Christian, churches near me, churches near me now, best churches near me, contemporary christian churches near me, church services near me, find a church, protestant churches near me, christian churches near me, evangelical church near me, bible based church, protestant church near me, church near me hours, open churches near me, american church near me, cool churches near me, christian church near me, best church near me, good churches near me, church service near me, contemporary church near me, bible churches near me, new churches near me, community church near me, late church services near me, churches near here, baptist church near me, non denominational church near me, contemporary church services near me, church open near me, house churches near me, churches in my area, born again church near me, churches near my location,small churches near me, modern churches near me, churches near me with evening services, bible based church near me, local churches, evangelical churches near me, black churches near me,

“As spiritual parents, we don’t give people their identity, but we make sure they know what it is.” In the eighth episode of La Familia, Robert exemplifies spiritual authority and spiritual parenting by examining the life of Jesus in Mark, the ultimate imitation. He talks about how Jesus does not use shame or coercion in relationships, but rather interacts with us through invitation and challenge, ensuring that we know who we are and what we’re doing, and embodying authority as an ambassador of the Father in the world. It is from this place that we can bring the comfort and peace of the presence of God, secure in our identity and our future.

“All of our deepest friendships happen when we are doing things together on mission.” In the seventh episode of the La Familia series, Robert continue teaching on the rhythm of the kingdom of God, seen through the rhythms of Jesus’ life and the life of the early church: up, in and out. He talks about our need for predictable patterns of connection, formation, and purpose, and how kingdom power, being truly missional, comes from a combination of these rhythms. He urges us to examine what it would look like to take on a more wholistic shape as God’s people.

“Family are those who surrender completely, laying down their agenda fully for the agenda of Jesus.” In the sixth episode of La Familia, Robert talks about how the rhythm of the kingdom is seen through living into the idea of family on mission. Using texts from the Epistles, Robert talks about the virtue of humility, the key practice that will move us into formative covenant with one another as we surrender our will and preferences for the sake of smaller units of community. He asks us: “what needs to change so I don’t miss out on God’s love and oikos for me?”

A really insightful conversation with Bob (and Bentley) today as we talk about spiritual parenting, imitation, and following Jesus! The whole sermon is on the podcast now to listen to, and stay tuned for this conversation to follow! If you have questions about anything we talked about today, we’d love to talk with you! Send us a DM and we will be in touch!

“Truly learning from others in this way requires something that none of us like to do, and that word is submission.” In our fifth episode of La Familia, we hear from Bob on the concepts of authority, submission, discipleship, and spiritual parenting that lead to maturity and growing up as images of God in the world. He challenges us to step into relationship with others and offer ourselves proactively, willing to meet others the way we were once met.

What a GOOD conversation today about family, invitation, friendship and deeper relationship that we are called into with God, and the light and easy yoke of walking alongside God. Plus, a little dive into some Trinitarian theology for your afternoon. Listen to the podcast from Sunday, live now, and keep your eyes peeled for this episode on the podcast soon! Thanks for listening!

“Have you brought Jesus into your own family? Or have you joined into Jesus’ family?” In this week’s segment of La Familia, Robert talks about Jesus’ redefinition of family, stemming from God’s identity as a communal, relational being. He walks through three phases of walking in relationship with Jesus, from a friend, to a follower, to a family member, asking us where we fall, and how Jesus might be calling us further and deeper into life with him.

“Jesus is reinventing the family into something much more than blood and DNA.” In the third segment of our La Familia series, Robert talks about belonging in God’s family, as we are all adopted as children into the kingdom of God. He asks us what voices we hear, what those voices are saying about us, and whether or not they’re from our good Father and a covenant relationship that results in connection, belonging, provision and obligation to one another.

“There has to be a stop and a redirection if we want to see something new.” Today’s episode details our core value of sharing and giving as we reflect on giving at Redemption Hill, celebrating generosity and planning for mission. Robert reviews highlights from 2022 and gives a vision of evangelism, reaching the next generation, and increased capacity in 2023.

Our first season 2 instagram live conversation! Robert (and kiddos 😂) and Alyssa talk about why family on mission matters, hospitality, belonging, and community as a seedbed for transformation in our lives as we see the kingdom of God break in. Listen to the corresponding podcast episode, the first episode of La Familia, for more on this!

“We are not saved from this world. We are taken up and adopted into God’s family, and that is the thing that changes everything. We belong to him.” In the first episode of our first series of the new year, La Familia, Robert talks about what it actually means to be the family of God, a community that rolls deep with each other in our smaller communities, and in the world around us. In texts from 1 John, Isaiah, Mark, and Revelation, he details the need for a shift both in how we see family, but also how we see ourselves, in order to experience true belonging in God as we become part of the family of God on mission in the world.

What a fantastic place to end our instagram live interviews for the year. Bob talked all about worship and what that can look like for us as we seek to become more like Jesus, during advent and as our next year begins. Plus we learn some fun facts about Daniel the prophet!

“Christmas is the most offensive holiday because it tells us something that none of us want to hear: that we need a savior.” In the fourth sermon of our Advent series, Bob talks about the fourth candle of advent, the faith candle, or the magi candle. He talks about change, and the reality of God-with-us at Christmas that asks us to look inside and ask ourselves “what, or whom, do we worship?”

A fantastic conversation with @regularandrew all about shepherds and joy and the people God chooses to make his announcement !! We also talk about Andrew’s current work with people experiencing homelessness and ways to participate as a microchurch in kingdom work here in Boise. For more, check out Andrew’s sermon from Sunday, live on the podcast now!

“What’s spectacular, when we really look at this story, it’s that God would include me.” For our third Advent Sunday, Andrew talks about the shepherd candle, or the candle of joy. He explores joy in conjunction with humility and becoming lowly, God’s intentional seeking of the lowly among us to tell (and proclaim!) his good news, and encourages us to consider what that says about the Jesus we worship on Christmas.

On Angels and Advent A great conversation with @bobbycfrazier about kingdom peace, advent, angels and what all that looks like for us today! For all the advent event updates, click the link in our bio! If you want to read the poem I mentioned, it’s called “Black Rook in Rainy Weather” by Sylvia Plath. Thanks for tuning in! We’ll see you next week, talking with Andrew about joy! #redemptionhill #advent2022

“Peace is not just absence of conflict but the harmony between God and people.” In the second week of Advent, Robert dives into the idea of peace, and how the peace that came into the world with Jesus is radically different than the ways we think of peace as a society. A reality that only comes through through violence, power, and sacrifice, Robert walks through the angel’s message to Mary, and asks us to consider what it would look like for us to commit to the work of kingdom peace–shalom– in our communities.

What great words from Kyle as we talk about Mary, her role as a prophetic witness in her own context, her bravery and example for our own discipleship, the humility she exemplifies for us, the humility Jesus is calling us to, and how that looks so different from the way we hope and work in our own cultural moment. Listen to the sermon on Mary on the podcast, up now! Next week’s podcast will be available this FRIDAY in case any micro churches need it for their gatherings this weekend.

“Because Mary knows who God is, and has placed her hope in the story… she’s able to respond.” For the first week of Advent, we are focusing on prophetic hope that advent brings. In today’s short homily, Kyle walks us through the story and the song of Mary in Luke 1. He asks us to stop and consider the reality of what God was asking of Mary when he asked her to carry Jesus. As God invites us into the same calling of participating with God in the world, Kyle reminds us that God still, in his abundant mercy, works through the humble and ordinary people to do his work of justice and love, asking us where we place our hope, and whether or not we will act on that hope this advent season.

“What does your life say about what you believe?” In the third and final episode of our series Philo-Xenia, Robert dives into Matthew 25, defining hospitality as the badge of belonging to the kingdom of God. He looks at the difference between spoken beliefs and embodied beliefs, and the way our actions are a perfect representation of what we believe and who we put your faith in. He offers us practical ways to live out hospitality in our neighborhoods, and challenges us change the way we see, joining God in the work God is doing all around us. This conversation is part of a larger series on Hospitality created for Redemption Hill and House Your Neighbor, a nonprofit that seeks to increase housing stock in Boise in response to our current housing crisis. For more information on how to get involved with House Your Neighbor and leverage what you have to help those in need, click here. Find more from Redemption Hill at redemptionboise.org, or follow us on Instagram @redemptionboise, and Facebook at Redemption Hill Boise.

A great conversation with @jessie.horney about Jesus and practical hospitality- both barriers to our own welcoming, and real life ways we can be conduits of hospitality in the world around us, both giving and receiving hospitality. We end with a little discussion on identity and how our belovedness is what allows us to shower love on other people. Listen to all of Jessie’s sermon on the podcast now, and return to this conversation there as well, if you so desire! P.s. my dog decided this was the moment to wake up, bark, ask to go outside, walk about the kitchen with her noisy feet, etc so I apologize for the extra noise!!

““We’ve gotten really good at keeping the wrong people out, but now we can’t seem to find the latch to open that gate back up.” In the second episode of our series Philo-Xenia, Jessie looks at the life of Jesus in Luke, and how Jesus showed radical, intimate, vulnerable hospitality to friends and strangers alike. She talks about 3 barriers that we come up against when faced with the choice to be hospitable, the paradigm shift we need when considering hospitality, how our assurance in knowing who we are in God changes our ability to show that same love to others. She asks us to wrestle with what this idea of hospitality could look like now, in our own lives, not as travelers but as people who have a place to stay. What does hospitality look like for us, now? This conversation is part of a larger series on Hospitality created for Redemption Hill and House Your Neighbor, a nonprofit that seeks to increase housing stock in Boise in response to our current housing crisis. For more information on how to get involved with House Your Neighbor and leverage what you have to help those in need, click here.

After a short break, we are back with another Instagram interview about our new series, Philo-Xenia. Alyssa and Robert talk about hospitality and its connection with narrative, trust and identity. They close with 2 simple postures you can take to start reframing the cultural narratives around poverty and marginalization in our country and our city. This conversation is part of a larger series on Hospitality created for Redemption Hill and House Your Neighbor, a nonprofit that seeks to increase housing stock in Boise in response to our current housing crisis. For more information on how to get involved with House Your Neighbor and leverage what you have to help those in need, click here.

“Hospitality is at the center of what it means to be God’s people.” In the first episode of our series, Philo-Xenia (the greek word for hospitality), Robert compares our practices of hospitality to the behavior of people in the Ancient Near East, looking at Abraham in Genesis. He looks at the provision, protection and lovingkindness of God, laying out what it might look like to embody the hospitality of God in the church, rather than be characterized by the subtle and not-so-subtle hostility of our Western individualism.

“How a message is delivered is just as important as the context of the message.” Our series, Liturgy: The Work of the People is wrapping up this week with our last Core Value of Contextualization. Robert talked about contextualization as a kingdom movement into the culture and the importance of contextualizing our structures to what people can and will understand. He describes contextualization as being about direction, sacrifice, a changed message, “third spaces”, and an embodied good news.

“The work is to do for the one or the few that we wish we could do for everyone.” Our 18th Core Value is a commitment to bringing the good news of the kingdom to the ends of the earth, acknowledging that we cannot do this work unless this same good news has penetrated the depths of our souls. In addition to a discussion about this value and a highlight of some of Redemption Hill’s missionary partners from Robert, we also hear from Tim Rule, Tavita Jenkins, and Laura Simplot on their own experiences with the transforming power of God’s love through the curriculum “Untying the Knots of Your Heart.” Note: Due to safety concerns of some of our missionary partners, a portion of the recording has been cut.

In this episode, Alyssa talks with Andrew about our Core Value of our commitment to the lost, the heart of Jesus, prayer, spiritual practices, proclamation and invitation. We also got to hear about Ruja, the non-profit Andrew works with in Uganda! If you are interested in their work, check out their Instagram @ruja_org . Resources mentioned in the podcast are: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton Rule of Life podcast by Practicing the Way Find more from Redemption Hill at redemptionboise.org, or follow us on Instagram @redemptionboise, and Facebook at Redemption Hill Boise.

“Proclamation is an invitation. We respect the freedom of the hearers, and its’ never done in a manipulative way. The church proposes, never imposes anything on the lost.” In our discussion of our Core Value of our commitment to the Lost, Andrew walked us through different interactions with Jesus in the gospels, and his posture towards those who others deemed “scum” and “notorious sinners.” Andrew walks through four ways we can follow the way of Jesus as we proclaim Jesus’ love for the lost and marginalized among us–through prayer, humility, invitation and witness. Note: We had some technical issues with microphones this week, so there is a 45 second cut in towards the beginning of this episode, along with residual subpar sound quality throughout. We apologize for the inconvenience.

“To not engage in the injustice and suffering is a misrepresentation, a distortion of the gospel. It is to fail to draw to the world the picture that Jesus drew and is calling us to draw along with him, and it fails to join Jesus where he is busy setting things right. So this is the real question: are we, as a community, ready to engage in the work Jesus is calling us into?” As we near the end of our Liturgy series, Bob speaks on our Core Value of The Poor, walking through passages from Isaiah and Matthew, examining the life of Jesus and his response to the poor around him as a model of our response to the poor around us. From the lens of justice as a proclamation of the hope to come, he calls us to action, asking if we are willing to let Jesus disrupt our lives as we work to follow him.

We live with “the echoes of a voice that calls us to live with a dream for justice.” (N.T. Wright) :: a really fantastic conversation on biblical justice with Robert today, talking about why justice is such a polarized issue in our country, how we can pursue justice when issues feel really big, the whisper of hope we hold in our bodies, and what it looks like to work towards justice in the way of Jesus.

“The church has to be a counter-example of justice in the world.” For this week’s Liturgy, Robert talks about the Core Value of Biblical Justice. Robert defines Biblical Justice as justice that is not only social, racial, and economic, but the overarching work of the people of God to join the work of the Kingdom of God in setting things right, and making things whole. He calls us through practical action we can take on a local level, encourages us to look for the injustice in our own neighborhood and leverage our privilege for those without, and rock the boat of injustice with our courage, truth, sacrifice and voice.

In today's episode, Alyssa interviews Robert all about different daily concepts and practices connected with simplicity- the theology of work, stewardship, community and emotions around our possessions. Thanks to all who tuned in to our TENTH episode! We are grateful for you and look forward to continuing to share this space with you as we go forward.

“Don’t waste the things God has entrusted to you when they were meant for someone else.” After a little break, we are almost finishing up our Liturgy series with Robert talking about our thirteenth core value of Simplicity. He walks through Jesus’ teachings on money and possessions in Matthew, Mark and Luke, encouraging us into a life of deep dependence on Jesus’ abundance that connects us with God and others, rather than harboring an isolating mentality of scarcity.

Talking to Jessie and Andrew was SO fun! We got to know them a little better, found out they both like green and black coffee with oatmilk, talked about what they love about God, justice, wonder, and discipleship! Plus, 10 random rapid fire questions about their life! If you are interested in the Tim Timmon’s podcast Alyssa mentioned, it’s called 10,000 Minutes: The Experiment. Start with the Ellie Holcomb episode if you need a place to jump in. Thanks all for listening!

It’s our 5th birthday! Redemption Hill turned five on Sunday, and we celebrated by reflecting on our story and by commissioning Jessie Horney and Andrew Green as pastors in our community. In this episode, we get to hear from Robert, Andrew and Jessie as they share their own stories, hopes and visions for this next season at Redemption Hill. Find more from Redemption Hill at redemptionboise.org, or follow us on Instagram @redemptionboise, and Facebook at Redemption Hill Boise.

Alyssa interviews Robert in today's episode, where they really dig into the ideas of deconstruction (and what we mean by it), missionary as a term and a practice, what we face when we lean into the way of Jesus, and how we can accept the easy yoke of Jesus from an identity as beloved. If you want more reading on beloved-ness as your identity, check out Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen.

“God’s church doesn’t have a mission. God’s mission has a church.” We’re taking a break from our Core Values series this week, as we held our gathering in the park with all of The Syndicate, a movement of micro-churches that we belong to, committed to engaging every neighborhood with the gospel and sending every believer as a missionary. This week, looking at Jesus’ instructions to the apostles in Matthew 10, Robert talked about what it means to be the church- sent ones in the way of Jesus-, and our command to listen, obey the challenge to go into the world, and take upon us the easy yoke of Jesus, the light burden that tells our anxieties that God’s grace is sufficient for today.

A bonus episode with all the teaching content from our Micro Church Summit at the end of August. You’ll hear from Robert, Dusty, and Malia on the history of the church and where the Micro Church movement fits in, the definition of a micro church and a description of the different types, the vision of the Syndicate, the cycles and seasons of a micro church, and what it looks like to cultivate hospitality. Needless to say, it’s a jam-packed episode–listen in! The speakers reference a few different handouts- if you’d like to look at those, they are linked here. Find more from Redemption Hill at redemptionboise.org, or follow us on Instagram @redemptionboise, and Facebook at Redemption Hill Boise.

“Can we trust in God’s generosity instead of trusting in the world’s scarcity?” Kyle hosts our eleventh episode of our Liturgy series, expounding on the core value of Sharing and Giving. Walking through passages from Matthew, Acts, and the Psalms, he talks about God’s creativity, cultivation, kindness, and abundance in connection with our own tendency towards worry, exploring how trusting in God leads to our own generosity of spirit and builds God’s kingdom one moment at a time.

“You and I are original artworks of God.” In the tenth episode of our series, “Liturgy: The Work of the People,” Cindy talks about our tenth Core Value of Empowerment. Using different texts from the New Testament, she walks through what it means for us to be uniquely called by God into the good works laid out for us to do, and details next steps for us as we discover the specific ways we’ve been empowered to step out in faith and follow Jesus.

“Our journey was saying yes to God shaping us, not changing our circumstances.” In our ninth “Liturgy” episode, Jessie talks about our core value of Passion through the lens of story and the hero’s journey, touching on the big ideas of anxiety, suffering, lies, truth, and faith. Reframing anxiety as a balance between hope and fear, she talks about what it looks like to step over the thresholds of faith again and again as we respond to God’s call to follow him, carrying the good news of Jesus into the world.

“Our commitment to each other is a commitment to each other’s burdens and needs.” In the eighth episode of the series, “Liturgy: The Work of the People,” Matt shares about our core value of Each Other. He talks about how this core value is at the heart of learning the way of Jesus, expounding on the value of loving each other and the world as a conscious commitment to our small communities and the church community at large, a commitment of relationship that is willing to be vulnerable, humble, intentional, generous, and accepting.

“The move from pride to humility is largely done in a way that moves from the outside in.” In episode 7 of our “Liturgy” series, Bob hosts a conversation on our core value, Humility. Referencing the New Testament writers, he explores common beliefs about humility, how to cultivate it in community as a practice that develops patience, forgiveness, respect, kindness, and a willingness to be wrong, and how this all stems from the freedom that comes when we believe that we are incredibly loved by our Creator.

“It’s about active trust and your inner life.” We are so excited to hear from Laura for our sixth episode in the series “Liturgy: The Work of the People,” as she talks about our core value of Zeal with Contemplation. Exploring the stories of Martha and Mary, Laura walks through how to navigate these paradoxical rhythms, the “gentle swaying” of work and rest, of faith and action, and of zeal and contemplation in our lives as a community, focusing on the transformative practice of silence and solitude.

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Do you believe that about your prayers?” In the fifth “Liturgy” episode, Kyle explores the core value of missional prayer, a powerful, life-changing, life-bringing practice that shapes us in our daily liturgies to be more like Jesus. He walks through the commands in James to pray in every circumstance, with and for the community and the world and talks about the power that comes when we pray in faith. He also describes the discipline of Shema in our updated context: the communal prayer seeking to love the Lord with all of ourselves, and to love our neighbors as ourselves–the core of what missional prayer is all about.

"This is the good news of the gospel: that we are made to be one with the God who made all things.” In our third “Liturgy” episode, Robert jumps into our core value of Unity head first, through the lens of the Apostle’s Creed and Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer in John 17. He asks the questions of what it means to be a community and why it’s so difficult for us as Jesus followers, talking about the story of our belonging to Christ and to one another. He walks through what unity looks like, derived from mission and direction, values, grace, humility, in relation to the historic and ecumenical church, and in grabbing hold of the clear and essential things with ferocity.

“The work we do together is the work of God’s kingdom.” In our second “Liturgy” episode, Robert talks about our core value of MicroChurch. He explores how practicing the powerful work of the kingdom happens in intentional community as we embody the rhythms of gathering, scattering, focusing on God, each other, and the world at large, actively choosing connection and inviting each other into obedience,

“What you do is who you’re becoming.” Our summer sermon series, “Liturgy: The Work of the People,” is exploring our liturgies–the work of the people of the Kingdom–and throughout the next few months we are diving into the core values that we hold as a community. Our first episode of our new summer series, Liturgy: The Work of the People, Robert talks about our first core value, learning the way of Jesus, and what it looks like when we allow that, above all else, shape our practices, actions and behaviors as a community. Note: Unfortunately, we were experiencing some technical difficulties with the signal and clarity of sound on this episode. We apologize for the feedback throughout! Stay tuned for better sound quality in the next episode! Find more from Redemption Hill at redemptionboise.org, and follow us on Instagram @redemptionboise, and Facebook: Redemption Hill Boise.

“We have access to the authority of the Father–but the access we have to the Father is for the people around us.” In this last episode of our spring series, “Robes, Candles, Smells, and Bells,” Robert talks about the first and the last priests of the world, this significance of the mysterious figure of Melchizedek, and the good news of our role as family members of the royal priesthood who are bringing about the new creation here on earth: called, equipped, empowered, and prepared. This is our work.

"Good news is proclaimed out loud in the language of the people." In the sixth episode of the series "Robes, Candles, Bells and Smells," Robert continues in his sermon from last week on the supernaturally normal voice of God, elaborates on our role as prophetic priestly ambassadors who speak the good news in a language that people understand, and explores what God's voice actually sounds like as we emulate Jesus in our lives.

"God's voice will be an supernaturally ordinary thing, and it will be accompanied by the kingdom breaking in." In the fifth episode of the series, "Robes, Candles, Smells and Bells," Robert talks about our role as prophets and priestly mediators in the kingdom of God, people who pay attention to the gift of the voice of God and gently proclaim what we hear to the people around us as open channels of God's grace.

"To be a priest is to set your life aside." In the fourth episode of the series "Robes, Candles, Smells and Bells," Robert talks about the purpose of God's people in the world, the expansive mission of God's kingdom, and our holy, peculiar, passionate, particular calling to be priests, unified by one Spirit.

In the third episode of the series "Robes, Candles, Smells and Bells," Robert talks about kingdom authority for everyday miracles, and what that bold prayer looks like for us as priests and followers of Jesus.

"The work of worship is to infuse our actions with meaning." In the second episode of the series "Robes, Candles, Smells and Bells," Robert speaks on sacrifice in the kingdom of God, how we actively live into our role of imago dei - "little representatives" of God, called to be priests and sacrifices, an altar and a temple of the Holy Spirit.

"Do you see yourself as a priest?" Robert asks in the first episode of the series "Robes, Candles, Smells and Bells." In this episode, he explores what it means to be a part of the royal priesthood mentioned in 1 Peter 2. He works through the reality of our uninhibited access to God's presence following the resurrection, the history of priests starting with Melchizedek, how to build our life on the cornerstone of Christ, and the idea that we, together, are the new temple, ambassadors of God's vibrant presence in the world.

"God also aches for renewal." For our Easter episode, Robert explores the beautiful, wild reality of resurrection, and how in order to fully understand the glory of new life, we first have to grapple with the truth of death in our world. He talks about recreation in a kingdom in which resurrection is normal, and what it means to be resurrected, following our King and experiencing the beauty of the kingdom together.

"The week of easter is the spiritual battle played out right in front of us. Either we can fight it or we can pretend like it doesn't exist, but we're going to be on the battlefield either way...but there's hope because God has given us the spirit and he's given us each other and he's given us his presence." In episode 14 of our series PLAN: God's Purpose in a Fractured World, Robert speaks on the spiritual battles we face in our lives, God's dangerous purpose for his people, and where we can find hope.

In the 12th episode of our series, “PLAN: God’s Purpose in a Fractured World,” Robert dives into the 6th chapter of Ephesians, exploring the characteristics spirit-filled relationships, specifically between children and parents, and slaves and masters (and what those seemingly archaic terms look like in todays modern context!)

In a world that is "helplessly confused," what would it look like to live a better way? In the tenth episode of our "PLAN: God's Purpose for a Fractured World," series, Robert elaborates on the concept of shame, how the answer to our shame is the reality that we are covered by the love of Jesus, and how the reality of our belovedness is the foundation of a life dedicated to imitating Christ.

For the start of Lent, and the ninth episode of our series, "PLAN: God's Purpose for a Fractured World," Marques explores Ephesians 4, and what it looks like practically to get rid of the bitterness and anger that slips into our lives, choosing to live instead as people full of light, hope, kindness and goodness.

"We are meant to be the ongoing incarnation of Jesus in the world." In the eighth episode of the series, "PLAN: God's Purpose for a Fractured World," Robert speaks on unity "in a thick sense," how deep connection with the Father draws us together, and the five-fold, spirit-led ministry of the church that is the tool for equipping, strengthening, and building up the unified body of Christ.

In the seventh episode of our PLAN series, Robert finishes the second half of Ephesians 3, and the mighty power at work within each member of the body of Christ, as Christ makes his home in our hearts in our journey of trusting him.

In the sixth episode of our series "PLAN: God's Purpose for a Fractured World," Robert explores the first half of Ephesians 3, touching on what Paul's message of radical inclusion of both the Jews and Gentiles in the body of Christ means for us today in our modern day church.

In the fourth episode of the series "PLAN: God's Purpose in a Fractured World," Marques talks about the interconnectedness of kingdom of God, how each member of the body is of value, and the necessity of listening to, being in community with, and loving people who are different from us, even (especially) when it's hard.

"That is the work that God is doing throughout all time in history, is to fill all things with his presence, his spirit and then have all things come under his rule and reign. That brings the flourishing, the hope for a renewed creation that we're all living and dying for." In the third episode of the series PLAN: God's Purpose for a Fractured World, Robert talks about the beauty of transformed lives and relationships in God's kingdom, temptations, covenants, masterpieces, and mosaics of broken clay.

"Paul prays that we will be given a heart and mind that can understand and appropriate what christ has already done, what we've already been given. That the lights will go on in our brains, so we can know God and understand the reality of what he's doing and what it means to join him." In the second episode of the series PLAN: God's Purpose for a Fractured World, Bob Hyatt teaches about the definition of God's people in Ephesians, centering around the truth that God's people are diverse, global, and offensively inclusive.

In this first episode of season 1, Robert introduces the new series for 2022, “PLAN: God’s Purpose in a Fractured World,” with Ephesians 1, talking about covenant triangles, spiritual blessings and the ultimate purpose for our lives–to embody, praise and glorify Christ. Note: We had some technical difficulties with our live stream/recording so this audio is the only first segment of the sermon. We apologize for the inconvenience!