Faith Forward Podcast - CFC Ashburn
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God wants us to know Him as provider. He IS the provider! And at the same time, there have are moments in life when we question the way that God provides. We'd like Him to just give us what we want when we want, but thankfully, our God is always after more than we could ask for or imagine. So how can we learn to walk with God when He's not providing as we'd like? Join Brian and Jon for a helpful conversation on learning to see Jehovah Jireh as He is instead of how we'd like Him to be.
This might be the most difficult and the most culturally loaded of the names of God that we'll discuss in these 9 weeks. Jehovah Shaphet. God http://shaphet.god is Judge. The judgement (or the judgementalism) of God is one of the most polarizing aspects of faith in our world both in and outside of the church. Each one of us has a different internal reaction to the concept of God as judge, and the invitation this week is to move towards those preconceptions rather than away. To discover more of what God meant about Himself and more of how He meant that name to inform our relationship with Him. So join Jon and Pastor Lee for a heartfelt and helpful conversation on how we can come closer to our loving Father by knowing Him as judge.
When God introduces Himself with a name, it's an invitation to know Him more personally. But what do we do with the name "Kanna," the name that means God is jealous? What is God jealous of? Better stated, what is God jealous FOR? Once again, we find ourselves in a place of needing to unlearn things about God so that we can connect with Him as He truly is. So come join Brian and Jon for an incredibly helpful and somewhat uncomfortable conversation around God's jealousy, our idols, and the life with God we were always meant to have.
The names of God are powerful, not only because they show us what He's capable of but also because they show us who He is. When God introduces Himself with a name, it's an invitation to know Him more personally. But sometimes that means we need to do some unlearning first. So join Brian and Jon as we look at the Scottish poet, George MacDonald's, timeless question -- is it possible that we have learned God wrong?
When God answers prayers, it sometimes creates more worry than excitement. It only took the Israelites 6 weeks to start thinking that slavery in Egypt was preferable to freedom in the wilderness. They suddenly found themselves face to face with a much bigger and more real God than they had ever personally experienced. What happens when God starts answering our prayers in ways that are immeasurably more than we had asked for or imagined? We get worried. Come join Brian and Jon for an honest and practical conversation on how to navigate worry when God starts answering our prayers.
Reaching the next generation is entirely dependent upon how we see the next generation. We need a clear understanding of what they need and - just as important - what they already have to offer. When Jesus said to make disciples, that includes kids. And God's desire to work through people includes working through kids. It's a "both-and" conversation, and so we brought in both Brooke Jones and Mike Haynes to talk about how we can all more effectively partner with the next generation in the work of the Kingdom.
To commemorate the 100th episode of the Faith Forward podcast, we asked you to share the stories of what God has been doing in your life. THANK YOU to those who sent in video, audio, or email in celebration of God's faithfulness. And THANK YOU for your commitment to growing closer to Him day by day! We hope you enjoy these stories!
To commemorate the 100th episode of the Faith Forward podcast, we asked you to share the stories of what God has been doing in your life. THANK YOU to those who sent in video, audio, or email in celebration of God's faithfulness. And THANK YOU for your commitment to growing closer to Him day by day! We hope you enjoy these stories!
In this final episode on developing "transformational community," we're looking at how to grow it...and be grown in it. It can only happen over time, and only as each member commits to growing from the inside-out - becoming more vulnerable and transparent. It's challenging and disruptive, but the rewards are beyond imagining.
In this second episode on developing "transformational community," we're tackling the potential traps that arise as we engage others in deeper levels of relationship. Whether it's fearing to risk, struggling with authenticity, lacking discernment, or not trusting God's heart, there are a variety of ways the enemy can foster disruption and division in our circles. So join Brian and Jon for a helpful and honest conversation on practical ways we can avoid these traps and truly experience transformational community.
The Biblical call to be "in community" is not a geographic or demographic statement. Rather, it's a life of being deeply known by others - and knowing them. It's sacrificially engaging in the lives of others - and letting them sacrifice for you. It's hard to find that kind of community and harder still to maintain it, but it's essential to our spiritual survival and growth. Join Brian and Jon as they discuss practical choices we can all make to discover and sustain the kind of connections that result in true transformation.
One of the primary - and most powerful - ways we will ever know God, love others, and experience the Kingdom is through the discovery, development, and deployment of our spiritual giftings. So how do we do that? Join Lee and Jon for a passionate and practical discussion on uncovering the gifts God has placed in us and beginning to practice them in a way that brings life to us and those around us.
When it comes to the challenge of loving others, the challenge often has less to do with our knowledge and more to do with our preferences, our authenticity, and our willingness to obey. The good news is there's hope! And some practical suggestions to get at the heart behind the struggles. So join Brian and Jon as they share practical ways to invite God into the struggles of loving others well.
We need to live like EVERYONE is worthy of serving and loving. But what does that actually mean in our day-to-day? And what gets in our way...sometimes without even realizing it? As we kick off 2024, join Brian and Jon as they share stories and suggestions for loving others that can bring real transformation in the world around us.
Sustaining a life with God is...hard. Sustaining growth, connection, closeness is hard. It requires intentionality. It requires a plan. And a successful plan will involve more than just more activity. As we conclude this series on Something Greater, join Brian and Jon for some helpful steps in cultivating a life with God that helps us to experience the abundant life.
There's a difference between living life for God and following God God's way. What would it look like to allow God to reorder our life - to put Himself at the center - to be the sole object of our focus - to be the recipient of our first and best - to lead us willingly into divine appointments? Join Lee Towns and Jon Ackerman as they offer practical steps to discover a reordered life!
What's your internal reaction to "confession" or "repentance"? Does it feel like a beautiful invitation to come closer to God? Or does some combination of fear, shame, condemnation, and reluctance feel closer to the mark? What if our definition of those words is preventing us from experiencing something wonderful with the God who created those words? Intrigued? Join Brian and Jon as they share the incredible things these words unlock in our relationship with God.
"There is always a fresh start with God." Forgiveness and restoration are at the heart of God's desire for His people. And the path to experiencing forgiveness and restoration invariably leads through conviction and repentance. And while those words may feel intimidating, they don't need to be a source of fear or indifference. So, join Brian and Jon as they share helpful suggestions on how to grow deeper with God -- or even start fresh!
Does it ever seem like you've done the thing you were "supposed" to do, and then life gets harder rather than easier? Does it seem like the attacks and the doubt pile on when you're worn out rather than when you're fresh? If so, you're not alone! Join Brian and Jon for a helpful look at how to resist the schemes of the enemy...especially when we're at our lowest and most vulnerable.
If we're truly going to be part of "Something Greater," there will come a time when our selfishness must be confronted. More accurately, we'll need to have our eyes opened to areas of selfishness we've never noticed...and come to terms with the effect that selfishness has had on the people around us. So come join Brian and Jon as they share stories and practical suggestions on how to submit to the process of crucifying our selfishness.
To experience something greater in the world around us, we first need to experience it within us...at a heart level. The enemy's mockery attempts to undermine the work we've engaged in with God, but the enemy's ultimate target for sabotage is not the work itself, but the heart of the workers. How do you handle the enemy's attacks? Listen in as Jon and Mike Haynes share helpful suggestions on recognizing, resisting, and recovering from the mockery of the enemy -- and how to do that in community rather than going it alone.
There is more to a life with God than any single one of us has yet experienced. And that is a wildly exciting -- and often terrifying -- prospect. Terrifying because of what it may require of us to release. Wildly exciting because of how much more God is offering than we realize. So pull up a chair and join Jon and Pastor Lee as they share stories and realizations of just how much more God is offering.
God is inviting you to participate in something greater...something that can only be accomplished if you partner with Him AND a group of like-hearted allies. Along the way, however, there will be distractions and detours -- and we need to learn to recognize them, as well as what God is up to in the midst of them. How do we do that? Join Brian and Jon for some helpful suggestions and stories on how we live out "Something Greater."
If we want to participate in "something greater" in God's Kingdom, it's going to require a greater life of prayer and a greater willingness to risk. And neither of those things may look like what we imagine. Join Brian and Jon for an open and honest conversation on the ways that God invites us to be part of the "more" than we could ask for or imagine.
What ignites your heart? What ache for the Kingdom has God placed in you? And what is He inviting you into that you CANNOT accomplish alone? As we begin a new series on the book of Nehemiah, join Brian and Jon as they share honest stories and practical steps on how to discover the desires God has placed in you...and how to avoid some traps along the way.
"Love each other as I have loved you," (John 15:12). What if Jesus is offering us a far greater gift than we've realized or experienced? We often conclude that "community" is a convenience, not a necessity. That loving others is more about acts of service than "knowing and being fully known." What if there's more? Join Brian and Jon for a sincere, heartfelt conversation about one of our greatest needs.
No longer slaves, but now sons and daughters of a good Father. And not just sons and daughters, but heirs -- with full access to an incredible inheritance. Knowing that truth is important. But LIVING in that reality is where true transformation takes place. Where do you find yourself today? And what would it look like to experience more of who God says you already are? Sit down with Jon and Pastor Lee as they share stories and suggestions from their own journeys on this path -- one that each of us is invited to take with God!
You are called to be a "give-away" person. But what does that mean? And more importantly, what gets in the way? Join Brian and Jon as they offer some transparent and helpful insights on how to allow Jesus to "re-tune" our hearts in this essential part of Kingdom life.
We're back with another season on the Faith Forward podcast, and we're going back to basics. What is it that God asks of us? What is He truly after? And what gets in the way? Join Pastor Brian and Jon as they share practical suggestions and personal stories on how to walk even more closely with God.
It's our last episode before summer break, and as we wrap up the Heartbeat series, we return to everyone's favorite topic - pain and suffering. But this time, the question is how to see the hardships of life in a redemptive and eternal way. That does NOT mean minimizing or ignoring or comparing to others. It DOES mean learning to ask God to show us how He sees our circumstances, AND how He's asking us to respond to those challenges. Join Brian and Jon for a helpful and hopeful conversation on walking with God through hardship.
