Bethlehem Lakeville Weekly Podcast

It is hard to be a dad, especially when you look at the version of fatherhood that God calls men to be. But despite all the pressure, every dad can be a happy dad if there’s just one thing they know and remember. Enjoy this last message we preached from Lakeville North High School!

Predictions and threats about the end of the world have always gotten people's attention. But while all the talk is about when it might happen or how it might happen, this message hones in on a much more important question to ask.

Jesus didn't just give a hope that is for real. He gave a hope that is for you, and that means a lifetime of transformation. But when it comes to the story of how hope has shaped your life, the story begins more with what you see than what you say.

Even when a season of life leaves you feeling lost and left behind, Jesus offers hope and purpose that nobody else can.

What you hope for could always be more certain, but at some point you have to move towards whatever it is you are hoping for. What about the hope that God gives you? When eleven men were hesitant about what to do with their hope in Jesus, he mobilized them to go farther than they ever thought they could go. Jesus continues to empower people just like you to make hope go mobile.

* Sorry about the audio quality! We'll get that fixed for the next message! * For as long as there have been moms, there has also been this thing called "mom guilt." If you're a mom (or even a dad), this message will both comfort you and challenge you as you rethink the way you view your role as parent.

Some pivotal moments in life have effects that last for years. But most of life is just a collection of regular days and ordinary moments that we experience through the years. An unlikely breakfast on the beach shows you how Jesus brings hope to every moment and circumstance of life...even the ordinary ones.

After he was raised from the dead, Jesus appeared to various people in various circumstances to give them all the same thing: HOPE. But what if the hope you've been holding onto has actually been getting in the way of the hope Jesus wants for you?

The account of Easter can rouse up all sorts of emotional reactions, but how does the account stand up to reality? What you may not know is that those in the 1st century who were responsible for spreading the resurrection story didn't expect people to take their word for it.

Loneliness is an odd thing. You can feel lonely when you are around a lot of people, and even though we are more connected than ever, people are more lonely than ever. Jesus experienced a level of loneliness more intense than you will ever know, and how he confronted it will change the way you react to being alone.

Jesus experienced "All the Feels" during the week leading up to his death, but there was one feeling in particular that directed him through all of it.

It's so good to know that we have a God who is filled with love and compassion. And yet, during the last week of Jesus' life, we see that we have a God who can also get very angry. Why? What makes God angry? And how does Jesus display both amazing love and intense anger?

What do you do when you start to feel overwhelmed? Make a plan to proactively address it? Ignore the problem and hope it goes away? Nobody likes to feel overwhelmed, but there are times in life when it is unavoidable. Jesus felt overwhelmed at a level you could never imagine, but the way he addressed it means you will never have to carry a burden alone.

About a week before Jesus died, he was honored with a most extravagant gift. Not everyone in the room approved of the gift, but Jesus was worthy of it. Did you know that right now your life is being used to honor something or someone?

The right book or the right movie might give you "all the feels," but the value of Jesus' sacrifice cannot be measured by how it makes you feel. It's what he felt that makes his sacrifice worth so much.

*Bonus Episode* We decided to add a week to the "Let's Be Real" series to address a topic we've been asked about throughout the series: being single. With all the emphasis on marriage, does that mean that single people are missing out? Let's be real. While the Bible describes marriage as a blessing, it also describes singleness as a gift.

Working through marital conflict can be so difficult that you might just want to do nothing about it. After all, time heals all wounds, right? Let’s be real. Conflict is difficult, but not addressing it makes things even worse. This message uncovers the truth of what really heals all wounds.

If a marriage is built on unconditional love, does that mean your spouse should just accept you for who you are without any nagging? Let's be real. This message exposes a lie that often turns healthy confrontation into unhealthy conflict.

While lots of marriages begin with the dream of living happily ever after, marriage was never designed to produce happiness for you. This message will challenge you to confront a lie that society and culture have steered you to believe.

A line from a certain movie made "you complete me" a popular saying, but nothing burdens your partner more than expecting your completion to come from them. In this talk you'll learn more about what it looks like when this lie influence a marriage, and how to replace it with God's truth.