Awakening @ First Church Podcast

"Christmas Carols", Part 3 of 4 - "We Three Kings"

Traveling is a big part for many during the Christmas season. But as much as we travel, it's nothing compared to the journey of the magi as they sought out the King of the Jews. What drove them, allowed them to move on in this journey through countries and regions far from their homeland? What is our call this season in response?

Join us as we unpack this and more in our latest series, “Christmas Carols”.

"Christmas Carols", Part 2 of 4 - "O Little Town Of Bethlehem"

I want us to imagine what it was like in this little town of Bethlehem for this young couple, Mary and Joseph, as they entered during a crazy time. Mary is pregnant, ready to have her baby boy. I can’t imagine the pressure they felt going door to door, being rejected over and over again because there were more people than rooms. What was it that allowed Mary and and Joseph to move forward?

Join us as we unpack this and more in our latest series, “Christmas Carols”.

"Christmas Carols", Part 1 of 4 - "Go Tell It On The Mountain"

It's great to begin this season of advent here, with the story of shepherds in their fields. It shows us a lot about the character of God and who He calls to Him, who He shares good news with. It's not a coincidence who God chose to deliver this news to. God has always had a thing for the common man, for the marginalized, for those that everyone else would look over. So what is our call as follower of Christ during this Christmas season? What is our mountain?

Join us as we unpack this and more in our latest series, “Christmas Carols”.

"Love, Period.", Part 6 of 6 - "Love Moves Forward"

Six weeks ago we proposed to answer three big questions. What might happen if you and I took the words of the love chapter literally and began to apply them every day to our lives? What might happen is we embraced the principles of 1 Corinthians 13 and used the as a pattern for all of our personal relationships? What might happen if we begin to move beyond our limited perspectives and truly considered the other person in EVERY human encounter? As we wrap up our series, with chaos and strife all around us, we try to wrap our heads around this concept and move forward, together.

Join us as we unpack this and more in our latest series, “Love, Period.”

"Love, Period.", Part 5 of 6 - "Love Creates Community"

This week First United Methodist Church & Saint Mark United Methodist Church joined together in an historic pulpit swap. We are so blessed to have Pastor Junius Dotson from Saint Mark United Methodist Church join us and lead us in the charge that "Love Creates Community." As we follow the words of Christ and move forward in this world, we must remember that God calls all of us to live together as brothers & sisters.

Join us as we unpack this and more in our latest series, “Love, Period.”

"Love, Period.", Part 4 of 6 - "Love Overcomes Evil"

We hear about evil all the time, we think about the evil we see, the evil around us, even the evil perpetrated against us, and it hurts. It drives many of our thoughts, our emotions, our actions. So how can we love the way 1 Corinthians says, love our enemies the way Christ says, and still stand against evil? It's a dichotomy that troubles us.

Join us as we unpack this and more in our latest series, “Love, Period.”

"Love, Period.", Part 3 of 6 - "Love Never Quits"

Many of us never had someone chase them, not because of all the good they do, but in spite of it. You've never truly believed it when someone said "I love you." How could they? Don't they know who you are, all you've done? THAT is our typical deciding factor in who and how we love. It's how we gauge when & how I will love you, & when I'll STOP loving you? But when we read the words of 1 Corinthians 13, when we match those words with the way Christ loved and the way He calls us to live, and when we hear our Heavenly Father affirm us and love us, we are reminded that we have no right so stop loving.

Join us as we unpack this and more in our latest series, “Love, Period.”

"Love, Period.", Part 2 of 6 - "Love Is Diverse"

It starts with a simple question: "who is my neighbor?" That was the response to the law of love. It's easy to love those like us. But Jesus expands our minds and perspectives, always welcoming anyone into the fold, increasing diversity. And He did it in a way that showed more than just who our neighbor is, but showed us in a very real way what loving our neighbor looks like.

Join us as we unpack this and more in our latest series, “Love, Period.”

"Love, Period.", Part 1 of 6 - "Love Revolution"

If we are calling ourselves Christians, acting as the Body of Christ, then shouldn’t we be expected to live the way He did? To love, the way He loved? God desires us to love others in this world the same way that is described in 1 Corinthians 13. But the truth is that most of us love with conditions. We change the punctuation from loving, period, to something else.

Join us as we unpack this and more in our latest series, “Love, Period.”

"I Love My Church", Part 4 of 5 - "I Love Giving"

The early church had a special, completely sold-out way of loving each other. They loved personally, relationally, and with everything they had. They even went so far as to sell everything they owned for the betterment of the whole. So what is it that keeps us from living in a similar way? Why do these concepts and ideas seem so foreign to us, and what can we do to take one step closer to the vision God has for His church? Join us as we unpack this and more in our latest series, “I Love My Church.”