Branches HB Podcast

This weekend, Andrew Schey shared a pragmatic message on Jethro's advice to Moses and how that relates to our church culture. How do we process our dissatisfaction with church and what does that mean for you personally? This teaching addresses leaders who are worn out, as well as capable people on the sidelines and those who need to step toward spiritual maturity and personal responsibility.

Despite some technical difficulties during our park service, we heard an impactful message from Andrew Schey on Exodus 15:22-17:16. Merely three days after they experienced God in amazing ways, the Israelites still got caught up in their needs and circumstances. This "grumbling" speaks to the human condition in which we immediately forget our blessings as soon as we encounter hardship. Although we may test God on a pass/fail system, God tests us in an entirely different way: to grow and mature our relationship with Him.

In this teaching, Andrew Barris focuses on Exodus 13:17-14:31 in a God-centered message on the ways God puts His characteristics on display to redeem humanity. Using His creation as a stage, God demonstrates that He has the might to deliver His people - even in impossible circumstances. From parting the Red Sea for the Israelites to sending His son as our redeemer, God affirms that there is no one like Him in all of the universe.

Sometimes when we follow the will of God, our circumstances actually get worse. As Andrew Schey points out, even though Moses is told what's going to happen, the experience of Pharaoh's rejection is hard to take, causing disillusionment for not only Moses but also the Israelites. Moses' experience parallels Jesus' teaching that in this life we will experience hardship. Although we are told what to expect, it is much harder to accept experientially. As a result, circumstantial hardship often shakes the foundation of our faith and leaves us feeling like God over-promised and under-delivered. But by pairing glory and suffering, we acknowledge hardship as part and parcel to our development as followers of Jesus and point to the promise of glory that we cling to in faith.

Appearing as flames within a bush, God calls upon Moses to bring the Israelites out of their bondage in Egypt - but such a call is quickly met with resistance. Rather than listing out all of the reasons why He chose Moses, God instead responds with a personal declaration of might and power beyond human limitations. As Andrew Schey explains, natural ability isn't the justification or qualification for our calling. Instead, God's presence enables us to do what we normally cannot do, thereby using our empty vessel to do something phenomenal.

Starting the year off with a new series, Andrew Schey walks us through Exodus 1-2:10 and the apparent absence of God during hardship. Although God's presence isn't always readily apparent, as we see in the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt, grace is the undercurrent beneath the injustices of the earth, leading God's people on a winding road to redemption. So, what does it mean to trust in a bigger reality despite our limited experience of this world?

In this standalone message, Brock Snook teaches from Joshua 1:1-11 to encourage us to take hold of God's promises, just like Joshua did after 40 years in the desert. By seeing everyday as preparation, trusting God's word, and moving forward in faith, we can be ready for God's call to act and step into the promised land.

Life can feel like a moonless night and navigating a way forward requires that we find a light. The story of Christmas and Christ’s coming is a story of light. It is a creation story, or rather, a re-creation story. Just as God spoke light into the void of darkness at the creation of the world, so God in sending Jesus into the world spoke a spiritual light into the void of spiritual darkness.

In the third week of our advent series, LET THERE BE LIGHT, Andrew Schey unpacks Isaiah 58:1-12 and we find that if we aren't taking up God's cause and expressing love, we're dying from the inside out. In spending ourselves on behalf of others, our experience of the present darkness will change and our overall experience of the world will brighten. We can radically reshape reality by allowing God's light to shine through us. Though it may seem daunting at first, it all starts with reaching the person right in front of you.