Branches HB Podcast

People are never our enemy. Instead, our Enemy is the one who robs people of their opportunity to live in relationship with God. As we heard this Sunday, though the battle is already won, we can avoid faltering along the way by actively pursuing our Father and putting on the armor of God.

Everything we do can be for God, for worship, and for love. In this message, Andrew Schey unpacks this divisive passage and recognizes it for what it is: an illustration of how Jesus radically changes the household as we learn to live like Christ.

This past weekend, we heard from Andrew and Melissa Barris about their call to the Bay Area and their encouragement for us as their Huntington Beach family. After taking some time to pray and commission them, Andrew Schey continues our study in Ephesians in which we are told to redeem our days and live into the light Christ offers us through confession and honesty.

You can follow Andrew and Melissa's journey at www.tentmakers.life

Returning to our study in Ephesians, Andrew Schey reflects on the new year ahead and Paul's charge to "put off the old self" and be made new in heart and mind. In this ongoing process of recreation, what does it look like to put on the new self?

In this standalone message, Brian Sumner uses several examples from scripture to discuss anxiety and how to deal with it. Rather than running from our anxiety as we head into a new year, he urges us to hand our fears over to God in order to be lifted up by our Father who cares so deeply for us.

In the final message of our series, Andrew Schey emphasizes that God is close to those who are crushed and contrite. In making God's love more clear to those around us, we can truly have peace near and far.

What does it mean to flow as a peacemaker, to step into a river of peace? As we heard from Chris Shaddix, becoming peacemakers is fundamental to our identity as children of God. We must look to the example set by Jesus in order to fight against the storm of conflict and become ambassadors of reconciliation.

In this teaching, Andrew Schey reminds us that God is eager to eliminate the baggage we accumulate throughout our lives. Though our unmet expectations may cause inner turmoil, placing our trust in God as our Ultimate Peace strengthens our faith and renews us from the inside out. Amid the chaos of our world, Jesus renews our past, provides purpose for the present, and gives us hope for the future.

What is peace and where do we find it? This advent season, we're reflecting on the full reality of the Christmas story in light of the peace Jesus brings. In this teaching by Andrew Schey, we unpack the true definition of peace and how to follow David's example in meeting the uncertainties of our circumstances with the realities of God's character.

On Sunday, Andrew and Melissa Barris filled us in on their next steps in ministry and what it looks like to follow God's leading with open hands. We also continued our series, Beyond Measure, with a stirring message from Andrew Schey on our call to be unified as believers and to ease tension in relationships. Rather than simply growing old in Christ, we must also grow up and bear with one another in love.

+ Our apologies for the poor sound quality of this recording. Unknown to the team, our camera was picking up ambient audio from the room rather than directly from the microphone feed. We'll be back with our typical audio next week. Thanks for understanding!