Listen to Last Sunday

Letters from a Skeptic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ROOTS: Rediscovering the spirit of the Church

We believe that the world can be a better place when followers of Jesus live the way we were called to live! Jesus told his first friends; "As the Father has sent me, I am now sending you" (John 20:21). How did Jesus come? What was he sent to do? Where did he place his priorities? Why the stable and the cross? There is a growing movement of churches that are commiting themselves to learning from Jesus and spending their lives to make this world a better place. I love the promise of Scripture that declares; "God is making everything new!" He is using a whole host of sons and daughter's of God to see it happen ... and it's beautiful! At King Street Church, we are spending most of 2010 exploring an Ancient Text called 'Acts' as found in the Bible. We are aiming to read this ancient text with fresh eyes and we are asking the Father to make the mission and mandate of Jesus clear again in our hearts so that we can do his work and share his words in a way that will make all things new - including this world that God loves so much.

The Frequently Forgotten God

We've put together a series of talks designed to help us ‘include’ the God who promises to be with us through every challenge and who has tailor-made some wonderful opportunities just for us. We’ve entitled this series - “The Freqently Forgotten God” (borrowed from the book title from Francis Chan). Life is busy and complex. In the middle of the chaos, we can find God if we go looking for him. As we search for meaning and purpose in life, we stumble upon the reality that God has been looking for us! Too frequently, when we lose our way it’s simply because we’ve moved God from the center to the circumference of our lives. I hope you will consider listening to this series of talks designed to help us orient our lives around God. Our culture has forgotten him for too long and it’s time to remember the God who made us, called us to relate with him and holds out hope in the middle of any dark storm. The Forgotten God is a series of talks around the work and person of the Holy Spirit. He is working in the world and too frequently we ';simply miss Him';. We hope these talks help you rediscover the God who is a Holy Spirit.

The Road to Recovery: A Journey Through the Beattitudes

It could be said of us that each of us is in need of ';recovery';! God made each man and each woman in his image. God has placed something in us that reflects his nature and his character. The problem is, that each of us is only a ';distorted'; image, because of the affect of sin. God is restoring the world - one person at a time! Jesus came to announce that this is what God is doing - repairing the world!! Jesus taught us how to be restored. There is a life-changing series of talks that Jesus gave which are commonly referred to as his sermon on the mount. Within the sermon on the mount, Jesus teaches his friends the kinds of attitudes we should develop in order to ';recover'; the image of God in our lives. They are referred to as the BE-attitudes. This series of talks is taken from Jesus sermon on the mount - specifically his BE-attitudes. Each of us is in need of recovery and we hope these talks will help you become more fully recovered. Life can lead to significant mess-ups. Jesus isn';t afraid of our messes. He enters our mess and he brings meaning from them!! I hope you are helped by these podcasts.

The Missing PEACE

In the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) the word ‘shalom’ was a word that held great significance for the people of Israel. ‘Shalom’ quickly became associated with ‘peace’ ... but it meant so much more than that. To experience ‘shalom’ meant to experience physical, emotional, spiritual and relational ‘well-being’ - complete wholeness. Our world needs an infusion of ‘shalom’. For the month of September, we will be exploring together a series of talks entitled "The Missing PEACE." Specifically we will be dealing with the need for relational-shalom.

1 Corinthians - Shifting to Solution

Problems and life go together! Learning to solve problems is a mark of maturity. The earliest followers of Christ had some problems ... some of them were relational, theological, sexual and legal. The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to a group of Christians living in a place called Corinth - it’s called “Corinthians.“ We’re planning on spending the months of July and August looking at some first century problems that have some similarities to our 21st century life-situation. We’ve entitled this teaching series “Making the Shift from Problem to Solution ... A series of solution-oriented messages from 1 Corinthians”. Successful living has less to do with avoiding problems and more to do with solving them. Good leaders, healthy spouses, responsible employees and promising students become exceptionally good at solving problems. When they encounter a challenge, they don’t shrink from them, but they engage them; shifting immediately from the problem to the possible sollutions. These are the kinds of people we want to become and with God’s help - it’s possible!! Hope you will consider joining us for a series of talks designed to ‘shift us’ from problem preoccupation to solution-oriented living!

Looking Forward to Heaven

An age-old question that people ask is “what happens after we die?“ Each of us has a life instinct, we’ll do almost anything to avoid death and one of the things we avoid is - talking about it. It doesn’t matter how good of shape we’re in physically - the sad reality is that each of us has an expiry date - our shelf-life in this world is limited. At first glance it feels like such a ‘bad-news’ story; especially without an informed understanding of heaven which changes everything! We’ve stood by the gravesides of those we’ve loved and said ‘good-bye’ with all sorts of emotions and questions: “Is this the end? Does our spirit live on after our body dies? Is there a place called heaven and if so; does everyone get to go there? Where is heaven? Can people in heaven see what’s happening on earth? Do animals go to heaven? What is heaven like ... and will I spend eternity playing a harp and lounging on a cloud - because, if this is so ... I’m not sure that sounds like a good time? There are a host of misonceptions about heaven - who goes there, what it’s like and what happens to us after we die. Some people believe in reincarnation, other’s believe we become angels, some believe there is no life after death and others are agnostic about the conversation - they simply throw up their hands and say ‘it’s impossible to really know’. Over the next four weeks, we will explore together the idea of ‘heaven’. I hope you’ll join us as we take a closer look at what happens to us after we die. An interesting stat: “One out of every one person dies” ... so the odds are quite high that we’ll experience it some day ... so, why not consider investing 4 weeks in learning some more about what to expect on the other-side?! It’s well worth the investment of time!

End of Religion

Jesus didn';t come to start a new Religion. In fact, Jesus came to show us that religion isn';t the way to God - rituals, rule and regulations hold out a false promise. Religion has caused alot of difficulty in our world and religious people do some very terrible things in the name of God. This series of talks is intended to point us back to the ';way of Jesus'; which is all about relationship. Jesus said it best when he said the chief commandment is; "to love the LORD with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and to love your neighbor as yourself." Love is a relational word and religion is impersonal. When we depersonalize God and reduce him to a list of rules and regulations - we miss the way of Jesus! Around King Street Church we are ';not into religion'; - but are big on Jesus and developing a life-changing relationship with him. I hope you find these talks helpful as you consider the ';way of Jesus';!

Theology for Ordinary People

Everyone thinks about God! Even people who struggle to believe or have resolved that they don’t believe ... they still think thoughts about him! Each of us has drawn some conclusions about what he’s like, how he works in the world and how we’re intended to relate to him. Theology is nothing more or less than the ‘study of God’! I can’t think of a more worthwhile pursuit in life than to learn about God with both our mind and heart. A well regarded author and Pastor from another day once said; “The most important thoughts we think are the ones we think about God!“ (A.W Tozer). During the month of March, we’re going to host a series of talks entitled; "Theology for Ordinary People". We hope you will come and gather with us as we look at the Scriptures and consider together again - who God is, how he works in the world and how we can relate with him. There are some theological words that don’t mean much to ‘ordinary person’ in the world; but these words are critical in helping us grow a healthy understanding of God and how he works in our world. We will explore these words together - and in so doing, we will gain a greater awareness of the God who is greater than our minds can comprehend.

Be Generous

Generosity is a commendable virtue! Human beings have an opportunity in life - to develop a ';scarcity mentality'; or an ';abundance world-view!'; Choosing to believe that God is generous and that a satisfying life is attained by ';giving'; not ';clutching'; is an important thing to resolve. This series will invite you to consider being generous with our words - each of us is helped by the ';generous words'; of others. We will also be encouraged to ';be generous'; with the poor - helping our brothers and sisters in this world is a mandate we';ve been given by our common Father. Finally, we will be shown that ';being generous'; with our time will help us make a full life - fruitful! Hope you find value in these talks!

Leading An Emote-Controlled Life

God made each of us with an emotional piece! Spirituality and emotional health go together! When our emotions go "unrestrained" - we create all sorts of complications for ourselves and others. We';ve designed a teaching series entitled "Leading An Emote-controlled Life!" In many ways, our lives are like a gigantic floating glacier. What';s above the water-line is only ';part of the story'; ... there is a large part of us that is below the surface and it';s rarely seen by others. We want to take a courageous look below the water-line, because what goes on below the surface affects greatly the visible part of who we are. I can';t think of a more emotionally charged season of the year than Christmas! Each of us has an ability to recall the Christmas seasons of the past - some experiences have left us with wonderful feelings, other past encounters have left us with painful memories. The sites and sounds of Christmas linger on in our hearts and create challenges that are unique to each family situation.

Great Expectations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living a Great Life

Routine and life go together! When life is simply a series of routines, there is little joy and little purpose. When we live our lives in survival mode, we end up finding the weeks turning into months and the months to year; and we are left feeling that life has gone through our fingers in tiny pieces. This series of messages is intended to help you re-evaluate your life so that you can lead a truly great one! No one approaches life saying; "I want to write a medocre, bland plot with the story of my life!'; We all want to live a GREAT, engaging kind of life! So, what';s stopping us! Would you say that you are presently on the ';great life'; track? Does the trajectory of your life seem to be leading you to where you want to go? We have designed a three part teaching series entitled; "Living a Great Life" which is designed to help us reclaim the perspective required in order to avoid writing a bland plot with our lives! There are three things required of each person who chooses to lead a great life: 1. Join Jesus on his mission in this world 2. Reclaim the image of God on your life 3. Decide that your chief purpose is to glorify God Hope your find these series of talks helpful!

Parental Guidance Required

Jewish Rabbis believe that a person who gives attention to repairing their own soul and then turns their attention to repairing the world is a person who is in touch with their primary purpose. This series of talks is taken from 1 John and 16 times John writes to the first Christians and calls them ';children';. Jesus said unless you become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of God. Being child-like is a pre-requisite to life in the Kingdom, but maturing our faith takes us from spiritual-infancy to adult-hood as we allow the Spirit of Jesus to grow us up. Repairing our souls requires divine activity! This summer, we have set aside a series of talks entitled; Parental Guidance Required! It isn';t about human parenting, but about receiving instruction from our Father who nurtures us his children, and in the process - repairs our souls. The world is in great need of repair ... and probably in even greater need of people who are ';prepared'; to do their part in reparing it. Hope you will find these podcasts helpful - after all, everyone needs some repair work, because life sure takes it';s toll on all of us!

FearLESS for Life

Have you ever felt gripped by fear? Social scientists tell us that there are well over 200 phobias that plague the human family. Many of us struggle with a measure of anxiety, worry or maybe ';straight up'; fear as it relates to some aspect of life. Fear gets in the way of us leading a healthy life where we can engage fully! Fear breeds in an enviornment where we compulsively ask the ';what if'; questions. We have designed a series of talks around the theme - FearLESS for Life. We know that many people struggle with the fear of death, the future, things that are unfamiliar. Some of us are even afraid of God, primarily because we are unfamiliar with him. We hope you will enjoy listening on-line and that you will find a God-sized reason to FearLESS for Life.

5 Things You’ll Never Hear God Say

We grow up with all sorts of ideas about what God is like. Some of these concepts are formed by our family of origin, difficult experiences in life, the messages of media and popular culture and sometimes merely from ';mis-information.'; This series of talks is intended to help re-form our view of God by tackling some of the common messages we';ve heard - maybe taught ourselves what God is like. I hope you will find these teachings helpful as you re-frame your view of God. With humility we must all admit, that no one has a crystal clear view of what God is like. We see through a mist this side of heaven and at best we can see ';blury'; images. The Scriptures help us cut through the fog and call into question some of our assumptions and faulty notions about what God is like. The most important thoughts we think are the ones we think about God - because this shapes everything from our self-concept to our primary purpose in life. Enjoy!!

There is a Way Out!

Difficulty in life prompts us to seek out an exit door! It';s human to look for ';ways out'; that lead us away from suffering and towards comfort. God was active leading the Hebrew people out of Egypt, but he did it in ways they didn';t expect. There are times in our life when we struggle to believe that there even is a way out of our difficult circumstances. God is the master of providing ';escape routes';! Jesus came to provide the ultimate escape route and following him will always lead us to a place of peace and rest. When we fail to believe that There is A Way Out, we end up losing hope! Our prayer is that this series of messages will help you be more hope-filled and confident in the God who is working in you - inspite of your circumstances.

Some Assembly Required

God designed us for relationship! Success in life has everything to do with relationships. It';s not a stretch to say that the quality of our lives is directly related to the quality of our relationships. Our lives these days are busy and it';s been said that there is "Much motion ... but little meaning!" I think we struggle with meaning in the 21st century because many of us are relationally deprived. We seem to be pushing our lives right up to the limit and it leaves us little time for people. You will find in this series of teachings some lessons from our friends from Lego. We were made with an inherant desire and ability to connect ... but when we remain unconnected, we miss a big reason why we were made! We were created to connect!! I hope you find value with these series of talks.

What Will You Find this Christmas?

Searching for parking spots, fighting through crowded malls and listening to over-played Christmas carols that began getting air-time in November -- these are all signs that December is here and Christmas is not far off!! My kids are anxious to set up the tree and probably even more excited to find out what';s got their name on the packages under the tree. Those of us who live in the west, are generously blessed! Do you ever remember a time when you were disappointed with what you found at Christmas? The sweater was the wrong colour, the DVD you opened you already had or the gift card was for a restaurant that you just couldn';t stand?! We';ve designed a series of teachings entitled "What will you find at Christmas?" that will be sure not to disappoint. Who among us doesn';t want to receive hope, love and joy this Christmas? Over the next 4 weeks, we';ll be exploring together as a faith community the things that God has wrapped up for us. They';ve got your name on it!

What on Earth is the Holy Spirit doing?

The Holy Spirit is the most typically understood person in the Godhead. The very language of his name tends to de-personalize him. This series is intended to help us embrace the person of the Holy Spirit while making friends with the mystery that surrounds his work in the world. The Holy Spirit is leading us into new beginnings, he is active raising a family, he is calling us to join him in his redemptive work in the world and he is empowering us to do his work his way. Our prayer for you is that this series of teachings will help you become more familiar with him so that you can write a truly great story with your life.

Money Matters

How we handle money really does matter! Spending, saving, borrowing, planning and giving does require wisdom and the outcomes are massive if we get it wrong, and the rewards are huge when we get it right. The Bible speaks about money twice as much as it talks about faith or prayer. Jesus spoke about money twice as much as he did about heaven or hell. If the Bible includes that much content about the money, then we should spend some time thinking and deciding how to handle it God';s way. I hope you enjoy this teaching series - it was intended to help you navigate your way through Money Matters in a God-honoring manner.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is something that each of us needs. Who among us has not messed up at some point along the journey of life and needed someone to extend us some grace? This two-part series deals with the horizontal and vertical dimension of forgiveness. If you';ve often wondered ';how God forgives'; I think you will appreciate the teaching based on Psalm 32. There are three Hebrew words that help us understand how God forgives. Extending forgiveness to others helps us heal. The business of forgiving is not easy - it';s hard - but it';s the only way to be whole. Hope you find these teachings helpful on your journey towards wholeness and well-being.

In the Dust of the Rabbi

Jesus was a first century Rabbi who invited people to follow him. A Rabbi in the first century was one of the most highly regarded and influential people in the culture. To be invited to follow a Rabbi was to be granted an enormous privilege of ';learning';. So a saying developed among the Rabbinical community - ';May you be covered in the dust of your Rabbi!'; Followers of Rabbi';s in the time of Christ would leave family, friends, houses, vocation and aspirations in order to give themselves fully to ';being with the Rabbi,'; so that they could learn to be like the Rabbi in order to do what the Rabbi does. This is what it means to be a disciple - To hear the invitation to follow, to be prepared to give up all in order to be with him, so that we might learn to be like the Rabbi and to do what the Rabbi does.

7 Wonderings of the World

Questions and life go together, don';t they? I';ve never met anyone who has all the answers. Though we wish this wasn';t the case, mess and mystery are built into the fabric of our lives. Life rarely comes to us in neat packages, but leaves us frequently living with unanswered questions. These 7 teachings deal with some of your ';wonderings';. Each of us wants meaning, significance and hope; and yet sometimes our searching questions appear to deny us the very things we';re looking for.

Reaching Across the Fence and Around the World

During this year';s missions conference, we were reminded that missions starts at home and spreads to the rest of the world. Reaching ';Across the Fence and Around the World'; is a biblical idea (Acts 1:8), one which this church has a deep commitment to. Close to 2 billion people on this planet have yet to hear about the gospel of Jesus and it is our responsibility to partner with God in spreading the word about the grace of God.

Home Sense - Uncommon Sense for Family Life

In the 21st Century, family life has become increasingly complex! New definitions of family are emerging and the pace of life has taken its toll on marriages, children and our personal sense of wholeness. As the Christian community, we believe that the family is a critical piece in a well-functioning society. My prayer for you over the next 6 weeks is that each of us would make a re-investment in our family-life. "Home Sense - Uncommon Sense for Family Life" is intended to be extremely practical and applicable to all of us regardless of our life-season. Hope to see you at all 6 weeks and why not consider inviting a neighbor to join you. Let';s share together the UN-common sense found in the Bible - after all, it';s for everyone!!

NO REGRETS - Making the Most of Your Life!

Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16 Life is fleeting at best! The days turn into weeks, the weeks so quickly become months and the years seem to merge together. As James said so well, "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes". James 4:14 Beginning 2007 by taking a fresh inventory of our lives is worth the effort. You will find in this sermon series a group of talks that will help us reflect on our priorities, the way we handle our minds and the way we manage our bodies. New Years Resolutions usually are negated early on in the year and the way of least resistance is embraced typically by mid-February or earlier. We only get one mind and one body and how we choose to care for both of these has an impact on the quality of our lives. Hope you find these messages helpful as you reconsider what is most important in life. Who wants to finish life with a series of ';big regrets';?

Why the Nativity

Christmas is more than cards, trees, gifts and Egg Nog. Recently, Hollywood produced a film entitled; "The Nativity" and it invited our culture to re-think the nature of Christmas. This series of talks was intended to help people reflect on the real meaning of Christmas by going back to the birth of Christ and spending time with characters that were part of that great event! The wonderful thing about the Scriptures is that if you read with an open heart, you might just find yourself in one of the characters OR all of the characters. If you struggle to believe in Jesus, the message on Christmas Eve may be helpful that was entitled; "Why Believe?" This talk was built around a popular animated Christmas movie "The Polar Express." We ought to never forget, that Christmas is primarily about God showing the world the depth of his commitment to us by sending his Son to be the Saviour of the world. No greater gift can than this!!

Making Room for Each Other

The church is a collection of people from all sorts of different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives on life. Yet in the midst of such diversity there is an unmistakable sense of unity that takes place. It has been said before that God is always moving from ';plurality to oneness.'; He always takes multiplicity and brings singularity. This is best described in God';s design for marriage – "The two will become one flesh" (Genesis 2). Jesus prayer for us is that we would be one (John 17). These 4 talks invite us to reconsider what it means to be a unique individual who chooses to embrace community. We belong to each other and the church is a place where we ';make room for each other.'; This series deals with our need to embrace our spiritual temperament and make room for those who have a different temperament than us. To recognize that we have been gifted in ways that compliment the rest of the people around us and when we discover, develop and deploy our giftedness, others are helped. The last thing that should be present in a community of faith is a judgmental attitude – this will only serve to separate and divide, which is not the work of God in the church. Hope you find value in listening to these talks on our need to move towards one another, not away from each other.

7 Habits of Highly Effective Christians

The Apostle Peter wrote to a 1st Century reader and he reminded them of some very important character traits that if they are found in increasing fashion in people';s lives, they will keep them from leading an ';unproductive and ineffective'; life. We all want to be productive and effective with our lives. Stephen Covey wrote a book some time ago that was widely embraced by the culture that outlined "7 Habits of Highly Effective People." This series of talks will help you embrace 7 habits or character traits that will help you from a faith perspective become an effective person on God';s terms. Developing these 7 habits in your life is not an issue of trying harder, but of allowing the Spirit of Jesus to be at the center of your life. When Jesus is at the center, he helps us with our character. Being a person of character is critical to sustain healthy relationships, foster trust and to be a person who contributes to society. Hope you find these talks helpful as the Spirit of Jesus desires to work out in you a character that reflects his.