Public Church

Today is a little different as we have a leadership conversation about our thoughts on summer. Without a preferred future, we will drift towards an accidental destination. To prevent this, we discuss the practical benefits of a summer vision. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

We all face bitterness at some point, and if we don’t process bitterness, then it will consume us. As Nathan Brown says, “Bitterness will cause you to burn your house down to get rid of a rat.” We begin our series by diving into the character of a bitter lady named Naomi, as we look for connection between her journey and ours. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

Whitney chatted with Nolan and Jade about Crammers Corner and how we were able to love on our college students during finals! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

A theme for intros for each talk in this series is the following: let’s not be an obstacle to people following Jesus. To put it more positively: let’s point people to Jesus instead of pushing them away. We finish our series in 1 Corinthians 9, Paul focuses on how we become love displayed for the world. Many of us have seen the damage of not living out this passage. Personally, I (Todd) have created some of the damage myself. In order to not be an obstacle, we must internalize and live out what Paul teaches here. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

Todd talks with Cody Disney as he reflects on all Jesus did and continues to do through Worship Night. If you were unable to attend, you can find it on our YouTube channel! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

Would you rather be thought of based on what you are FOR or AGAINST? Simon Sinek and Jeff Henderson are both thought leaders who establish why it’s better to be known by what we are FOR. In so doing, they simply reflect the lifestyle and teachings of Jesus, who taught and showed us what it means to be FOR people and who we should be FOR. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

Whitney sat down with our Flourish leadership team and discussed what God has been teaching them through our new series, Love Displayed for the World. We hope this encourages you! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

When you hear Christian, what word or phrase comes to mind? In 2019, Barna did a study, and Dave Kinnaman, their president, concluded that the reputation of evangelicals is more a barrier than a bridge. This is a problem no matter how you spin it. It’s even more of an issue when we consider that Jesus, on the night before he died for the sins of the world told his followers exactly what their reputation should be. He does so with terrifying clarity. So what did he say? Why don’t those of us who follow Jesus do what he said? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

Consider today’s episode like a recommendation for a wellness check with your doctor. Todd challenges us to evaluate whether or not we are aligning with rhythms that are part of God’s natural design. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

When installing a battery, which terminal do you connect first? If you get that wrong, a few bad things can happen, which all fall in the category of danger. Questions like that reveal that in certain areas, including our faith, the starting point matters. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

On this weeks episode of Embracing the Journey, Whitney sits down with Nolan, our Public Students Director, to talk about this Easter Season. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

Many of us have Easter activities that we enjoy with our loved ones, but have you ever paused to ask why Easter is such a big deal? We do all this stuff, but why does Easter matter? Is all this concocted to get you to a church Gathering, so we can get something from you? Bottom line: if Easter is a big hoax, then following Jesus is a hoax. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul states that everything hinges on the truth of the resurrection. We invite you to bring your questions as you engage with Paul’s claim and wrestle with this question. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

Last week Todd challenged us to read one of the accounts of Holy Week, from Palm Sunday through the resurrection. Today Whitney shares how Jesus has challenged her on her Easter journey! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

How do we respond when what we expect isn’t what we experience? We could face this discrepancy in a job, retirement, or just our everyday lives. What happens when this gap involves Jesus? At some point, we will experience a gap between who we want Jesus to be and who Jesus actually is. This is the underlying tension of the original Palm Sunday that we discuss today. Our vision is to develop a public church that invites people to embrace the journey of following Jesus. To give towards the vision of Public Church, click here: https://pushpay.com/g/publicchurch?src=hpp  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

Easter can easily sneak up on us, and we can wake up the day after Easter having missed what Jesus could have done in and through us during the Easter season. To prevent this from happening, let’s go on an Easter Journey together. Between now and April 4, we invite you to read one of the accounts of Passion Week (from Palm Sunday through the Empty Tomb) or 1 Corinthians 15, which is focused on the the resurrection. Here are the accounts: Matthew 21 – 28 | Mark 11 – 16 | Luke 19:28 – 24:53 | John 12:12 – John 21:25 | 1 Corinthians 15. If you need a Bible, please message us—we would love to get you one. You can also download the YouVersion Bible app. We look forward to going on this Easter Journey together! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

Daily we are surrounded by distractions. Sometimes we can even be distracted by good things that take our eyes off of Jesus. When we slow down, remove distractions and sit at the feet of Jesus, we look to serve those around us and invite other to sit with him. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

The heart of Embracing the Journey is to help us see the intersections between following Jesus and our everyday lives. For over one year, one of those intersections is how we navigate Covid-19. Todd discusses how the team is processing this transition, and he shares how he is walking through it. If you have questions about our decisions or processes, please email katie@publicchurch.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

Each of us has a circle of concern that includes the people we love. When someone in that circle, or our own lives, is affected, we feel the pain. Outside of that circle, we sometimes fail to notice the issues others are facing. For Jesus followers, our failure to care about the concerns of those beyond our circle can actually make it hard for people to come to Jesus. For those who don’t follow Jesus, please don’t let us keep you from Jesus. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

We are joined by Olympia Pierce, a phenomenal leader in our community, to share the vision behind the College Hill Podcast. Olympia shares wisdom and challenges us to act as a result of what we learn through the stories captured on the podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message

We are inundated with information, and this can lead us to feel overwhelmed. At times, there is so much coming at us that we don’t even have time to process. We discuss our final rhythm, “Turn Down the Noise”, and we will see how Jesus regularly synced his life with this rhythm. The challenge is to make him our pattern and live as he lived. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/apublicchurch/message