RESTLESS UNDER THE SUN | Ecclesiastes

What happens when the things we thought would satisfy us… don’t?

In this opening message of Under the Sun, we step into the raw honesty of Ecclesiastes 1:1–11, where Solomon—king, philosopher, and man who seemingly had it all—declares, “Everything is meaningless.” Far from despair, this is a moment of clarity. We explore the ache beneath our busyness, the exhaustion beneath our consumption, and the quiet fear of being forgotten.

Why does life feel so repetitive? Why are we tired even when we’re successful? And what if that restlessness isn’t a flaw, but a clue?

This sermon holds up a mirror to life “under the sun” and then points us to the invitation of Jesus: Come to me, and I will give you rest. If you’ve ever wondered, Is this it?—this message is for you.

Today's podcast is brought to you by Boise Community Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://boisecommunitychurch.churchcenter.com/giving/ and making a one-time or recurring donation.

SCRIPTURE: Ecclesiastes 1v1-11

SPEAKER: Michael Newton

In this message, Michael Newton invites us to listen again to Jesus’ gentle call to the weary: “Come to me… and you will find rest for your souls.” Beginning with the honest reality of carrying too many roles and responsibilities, this teaching explores why exhaustion runs deeper than physical tiredness—and why productivity, vacations, or better systems can’t heal a weary soul.

Drawing from Scripture and the ongoing Sabbath series, this sermon reframes Sabbath not as a rule or life hack, but as an invitation into the unforced rhythms of grace. Through the practices of stopping, resting, delighting, and worshiping, we are invited to trust God more deeply, release the lie that everything depends on us, and rediscover joy, presence, and worship. Ultimately, Sabbath becomes a rehearsal for the life God promises—a way of practicing now the rest, freedom, and fullness of His Kingdom.

Today's podcast is brought to you by Boise Community Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://boisecommunitychurch.churchcenter.com/giving/ and making a one-time or recurring donation.

In week two of our Sabbath series, Michael Newton explores how Sabbath is more than rest—it’s an act of resistance. Drawing from Exodus 16 and the story of manna in the wilderness, this message reveals how Sabbath confronts the deep stories we carry about worth, productivity, and trust. For the Israelites, Sabbath was a declaration of freedom after generations of slavery. For us, it challenges the modern Pharaohs of hurry, pressure, and performance.

This teaching invites us to see how stopping exposes what we truly trust and how God uses Sabbath to gently rewire our hearts—not through more effort, but through presence. With honesty, Scripture, and pastoral wisdom, this message reframes Sabbath as a practice that forms secure trust with God, reminding us that we are not valued for what we produce, but loved because we belong. In a culture that demands more, Sabbath becomes a quiet, faithful “no”—and an invitation to rest in the God who provides.

Today's podcast is brought to you by Boise Community Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://boisecommunitychurch.churchcenter.com/giving/ and making a one-time or recurring donation.

In this message, Michael Newton kicks off a new teaching series on Sabbath—not as a rule to follow, but as a gift to receive. Rooted in Genesis, Exodus, and the teachings of Jesus, this sermon explores what Sabbath really is, why it matters, and how it begins not with human effort, but with God Himself. From creation to the wilderness to the grainfields with Jesus, we’re invited to rediscover Sabbath as a holy pause marked by rest, delight, trust, and presence.

In a world that feels relentlessly busy and demanding, this teaching gently challenges the belief that everything depends on us. Sabbath is not about doing more for God—it’s about making space to be with Him. With honesty, Scripture, and practical invitation, this message calls us to slow down, lay something down, and re-enter life from a place of trust. Because the Sabbath was made for us—and God is still inviting us into rest.

Today's podcast is brought to you by Boise Community Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://boisecommunitychurch.churchcenter.com/giving/ and making a one-time or recurring donation.

What does it actually mean to follow Jesus, not just believe the right things about Him, but to live the way He lived?

In this Community Sunday conversation, Graham sits down with Michael to talk about why our church is committed to practicing the teachings and lifestyle of Jesus, not merely knowing Scripture, but being formed by it. Michael shares his own journey of faith, from deeply valuing the Bible to realizing that knowledge alone had left his faith feeling hollow. That realization led him into the practices of Jesus, ancient rhythms meant not for self-improvement or earning God’s favor, but for true spiritual formation.

Together, they explore the core practices that shape a life of apprenticeship to Jesus, including prayer, Sabbath, community, generosity, and more. This year, the community is focusing especially on Sabbath, a weekly act of stopping, resting, delighting, and trusting God in a culture that celebrates hurry and productivity.

Michael reflects honestly on why Sabbath is challenging for him, how early experiences shaped his understanding of it, and how, when practiced well, Sabbath becomes a space to slow down, be present, and experience God’s love and care. Sabbath, he reminds us, isn’t something we do for God. It’s a gift God gives to humanity.

This episode invites listeners into a posture of trying, not perfection, and encourages practicing these rhythms together, in community, as we learn to live more fully into the way of Jesus.

As we stand at the threshold of a new year, it’s natural to reflect on who we’ve been—and who we’re becoming. In this message from Matthew 4v18–20, we’re reminded that discipleship doesn’t begin with resolutions, information, or trying harder, but with a simple invitation from Jesus: “Come, follow me.”

This teaching explores what it means to be formed through practice rather than intention, to follow Jesus not just in belief but in way of life. Together, we reflect on the habits and rhythms that are shaping us, the “nets” we may be holding onto, and how Jesus patiently forms us over time as we walk with Him.

This episode is an invitation to slow down, reflect honestly, and prepare for a year not of spiritual intensity, but of faithful, communal practice—trusting that as we follow, Jesus will do what He promised: “I will make you.”

Today's podcast is brought to you by Boise Community Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting ⁠⁠https://boisecommunitychurch.churchcenter.com/giving/⁠⁠ and making a one-time or recurring donation.

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 4v18–20

SPEAKER: Michael Newton

Waiting for Joy | Advent Week 4

Today's podcast is brought to you by Boise Community Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting ⁠⁠https://boisecommunitychurch.churchcenter.com/giving/⁠⁠ and making a one-time or recurring donation.

SCRIPTURE: 1 John 4v10

SPEAKER: Kyle Williams

Waiting for Joy | Advent Week 3

What do you do when the season tells you to feel joyful—but you don’t?
In this third week of Advent, Pastor Michael Newton walks us through Philippians 4 to explore a deeper, truer joy—one that isn’t dependent on circumstances, seasons, or emotions. From the darkness of winter to the darkness of a Roman prison cell, we’re reminded that Paul’s call to “rejoice always” wasn’t written from comfort, but from suffering.

This message wrestles honestly with anxiety, seasonal heaviness, and misplaced joy, while inviting us to anchor our joy in the one place it can’t be taken from: Jesus. Through Scripture, story, and a simple practice of gratitude, we’re invited to make room for joy—even when it feels faint.

Joy didn’t arrive loudly.
It arrived quietly, in the dark.
And even a small flame is enough to push back the night.

Today's podcast is brought to you by Boise Community Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting ⁠https://boisecommunitychurch.churchcenter.com/giving/⁠ and making a one-time or recurring donation.

SCRIPTURE: Philippians 4v4-7

SPEAKER: Michael Newton

Waiting for Peace | Advent Week 2

In the second week of Advent, Pastor Michael Newton leads us into the heart of a world longing for peace—just like the world Isaiah addressed 700 years before Christ. In a time marked by fear, division, political turmoil, and personal anxiety, Isaiah announced a hope that didn’t come through alliances, power, or control, but through a child: the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

This week’s message weaves ancient prophecy with honest, modern struggle. Michael shares pieces of his own story with addiction and the longing for real peace—peace that touches the mind, the heart, the body, and the soul. The same ache for wholeness that filled Judah fills many of us today: anxious minds, heavy stories, broken habits, strained relationships, and futures that feel uncertain.

But Advent reminds us that peace is not something we achieve—peace is Someone we receive.

Jesus enters the confusion with wisdom, the weakness with power, the wounds with compassion, and the chaos with restoring peace. He comes into the parts of our story we try to hide, bringing the shalom our hearts were made for.

If you’re longing for clarity, strength, stability, or inner stillness, this episode will point you to the One who still speaks peace into the noise.

Because peace isn’t a feeling.
Peace is a Person.
And that Person has come for you.

Today's podcast is brought to you by Boise Community Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://boisecommunitychurch.churchcenter.com/giving/ and making a one-time or recurring donation.

SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 9v6

SPEAKER: Michael Newton

Waiting in Hope | Advent Week 1

In this first week of Advent, Pastor Michael Newton invites us into a season marked not just by celebration, but by longing, waiting, and quiet expectation. Drawing from Luke 1, we explore the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth—a faithful couple living through political darkness, cultural turmoil, and deeply personal disappointment.

What does it look like to hold onto hope when nothing seems to change?
When prayers feel unanswered?
When God feels silent?

Through the lens of this ancient story, we’re reminded that God’s silence is never His absence, that delay is not denial, and that hope often grows strongest in the shadows. With honesty, warmth, and pastoral insight, Pastor Michael helps us see that Advent is not just a countdown to Christmas—it’s an invitation to keep following Jesus in the in-between, to keep praying even when our hearts ache, and to keep lighting the candle even when the room still feels dim.

Whether your hope feels vibrant or barely alive, this episode will encourage you to lift it to God again. Because the God who came then is the God who comes now—and He always keeps His Word.

Listen in, and step into Advent with renewed courage, quiet expectation, and the steady light of hope.

If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://boisecommunitychurch.churchcenter.com/giving/ and making a one-time or recurring donation.

SCRIPTURE: Luke 1v5-13

SPEAKER: Michael Newton