Joy!cast

We have all been taught that giving is better than receiving but when it comes loving our neighbors, there are times when we must be willing to receive.

When we take the command to love our neighbors literally and seriously our motives matter. We don’t love our neighbors to convert them. We love our neighbors because we are already converted.

In many ways, neighboring can be scary. Will they like me? Will they like me too much? Will they want to borrow my stuff. What if we get into a disagreement, will they talk behind my back? Will I talk behind their back? Jesus never let the fear of what might happen to him if he faced his neighbors; the people other people would not hang around with. Again, Jesus shows us how to love our neighbors even when it’s scary.

In order to take The Great Commandment seriously, we must create space in our lives to build relationships with those who live near us. The greatest thread to loving our neighbors is time. This week we look at the life of Jesus (who gave us this command) to see if we can learn how He broke through the time barrier.

Jesus gave us the great commandment. Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. The power and genius of The Great Commandment is that it’s so simple and yet extremely powerful when acted on. The smartest thing that we can do collectively to impact our city is to actually live out Jesus’ command to love our neighbors.

Preacher Mark Borgetti (Joy! Lead Pastor) reflects on a song that has meaning to him called Dive.

Preacher Wayne Miller (ELCA Bishop) reflects on a song that has meaning to him called Lord Whose Love in Humble Service.

Preacher Al Caldwell (Retired Pastor) reflects on a song that has meaning to him called For All The Saints.

Preacher Colin Cranmer (Joy! Youth Director) reflects on a song that has meaning to him called This Is My Wish/Let There Be Peace on Earth.

We completed the seamless series learning how we can all be blessed to be a blessing.

This week we pick up where we left off. We continue our journey through the Bible with the first 5 books of the New Testament. We continue to look for the seamless themes that run throughout Scripture.

This week we pick up where we left off. We continue our journey through the Bible with the Judges, Kings and Prophets. We continue to look for the seamless themes that run throughout Scripture.

This week we pick up where we left off. We continue our journey through the Bible with the patriarchs; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We continue to look for the seamless themes that run throughout Scripture.

In week one we explore Creation, The Fall, The Flood, The Tower of Babel and their implications for us today.

When the Israelites crossed the river into the promised land, God told them to pause and remember what He had done by taking 12 stones and making a memorial. So on this Sunday, we hit pause to remember all God has done in the past year.

Does less faith mean less help from God? It's hard to face everyday struggles when you're struggling with your faith. Our prayers turn into "GOD IF YOU CAN" prayers. GOD IF YOU CAN, help me find a job? GOD IF YOU CAN, stop them from drinking? GOD IF YOU CAN, find me someone to marry? GOD IF YOU CAN, take away the cancer? Listen this week as we explore how God rescues us when we struggle.

This week we study Jesus's encounter with a lonely woman getting water in the middle of the day from the community well. This encounter changed the woman's life as Jesus meets her when she is lonely.

For those who follow Jesus, it’s very easy to take Holy Communion for granted. For those not connected to a church, the idea that the bread and wine are somehow Jesus’ body and blood is just weird. But Holy Communion is more than something we consume. The grace and forgiveness it gives is meant to consume us.

If you have or facing hardship and struggle and finding it hard to experience joy, listen to this weeks podcast. This week we study the unbelievable sense of joy a man named Paul had in the midst of crisis and hardship. Joy is possible.

When we are hurting or going through a difficult situation, we often feel alone. But walking with God means we are never alone. God promises to walk with us through life’s difficult circumstances. He is an abundant resource of love, hope, and wisdom as we face life’s overwhelming challenges.