Conversations At The Table

Hello and welcome to Conversations At The Table; a podcast where we continue the ongoing dialogue of what it means to build Christ-centered community through radical hospitality and an irrational commitment to the well-being of each other. 

Seth Mercer and Dave Richa will be your hosts and we’re continuing with our podcast series that has replaced our Sunday Morning gatherings temporarily. With the recent quarantine placed on us because of the coronavirus, we’re all having to readjust our lives and look into an uncertain future. And as a church, we’ve talked about how our dream is to be much more than a community centered on Sundays for one hour. So just as each of you have the opportunity to use this time to take a breath, slow down, and dream about what this new future could look like in your lives, as a church, we’re going to use this opportunity to live and love in a new way as Jesus leads us to do. So with that…Dave is going to continue our look at the book of Exodus and then I’m going to sing a few songs and our hope is that you join in on the conversation and singing - at home, in your car, in the shower, or wherever you are -  and that it makes this time a little bit lighter for you. Alright, let’s start the conversation!

Hello and welcome to Conversations At The Table; a podcast where we continue the ongoing dialogue of what it means to build Christ-centered community through radical hospitality and an irrational commitment to the well-being of each other. 

We’re in our second week of having to do things a little different than normal for our Sunday Gathering. With the recent quarantine placed on us because of the coronavirus, we’re all having to readjust our lives and look into an uncertain future. And as a church, we’ve talked about how our dream is to be much more than a community centered on Sundays for one hour. So just as each of you have the opportunity to use this time to take a breath, slow down, and dream about what this new future could look like in your lives, as a church, we’re going to use this opportunity to live and love in a new way as Jesus leads us to do.

So with that…Dave is going to continue our look at the book of Exodus and then I’m going to sing a few songs and our hope is that you join in on the conversation and singing - at home, in your car, in the shower, or wherever you are -  and that it makes this time a little bit lighter for you. Alright, let’s start the conversation!

Today, we’re doing things just a little different than normal. As you are aware, the coronavirus outbreak has many of our regular gatherings postponed or cancelled. We at The Table have decided not to gather for our usual Sunday gathering this morning as well. As a church, we’ve talked about how our dream is to be much more than a community centered on Sundays for one hour. We’re going to use this opportunity to live and love in a new way as Jesus leads us to do. So we asked our Worship Team who was scheduled to play this Sunday and a few others to join us for this episode to sing a few songs and join in on the conversation, and that you - at home, in your car, in the shower, or wherever you are -  can worship and dive into scripture right along with us.  Alright, let’s start the conversation.

In today’s episode, we’re talking about the 10th plague that happens in Exodus chapters 12 and 13. The 10th plague, of course, is the killing of the first-born sons of Egypt as a result of Pharaoh not responding to the previous 9 plagues. Because of the violence, the blood-shed, and the huge culture gap, reading this in scripture can be hard…especially when we’re trying to seek God’s character in the Old Testament. But if we don’t lean in and live in the difficult portions of Scripture like this, we’ll miss the resounding command from God to REMEMBER. Remember where He’s brought you out of. Remember that you are free.

Welcome to Conversations At The Table; a podcast where we continue the ongoing dialogue of what it means to build Christ-centered community through radical hospitality and an irrational commitment to the well-being of each other. Our hope is that you’ll join us in these conversations and that what comes from them encourages and speaks life to all of us in our spiritual journeys….We’re happy you’re with us as we have these Conversations at The Table.

In today’s episode, we continue in Exodus Chapter 5 with the first of many showdowns between Moses and Aaron against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Moses is requesting that the Israelites be allowed to go into the wilderness to make their traditional sacrifices, but Pharaoh is reluctant to let them leave. In fact, he makes things harder for the Israelite slaves! In the middle of Pharaoh resisting, the Israelites grumbling, and even Moses complaining to God, we see what happens when shalom is trying to be brought into an anti-shalom environment. Sometimes that’s outside us, sometimes it’s internal - either way, how do we continue to bring God’s message of peace and love where it’s not wanted?

Welcome to Conversations At The Table; a podcast where we continue the ongoing dialogue of what it means to build Christ-centered community through radical hospitality and an irrational commitment to the well-being of each other. Our hope is that you’ll join us in these conversations and that what comes from them encourages and speaks life to all of us in our spiritual journeys….We’re happy you’re with us as we have these Conversations At The Table.

In today’s episode, we explore a bizarre story found in Exodus Chapter 4 about Moses, his wife, and one of his sons. It’s bizarre because of the detailed description of a circumcision taking place by Moses’ wife. At first glance, we might skip over a story like this to get to something we interpret or understand better…but if we put this story in the context of Moses’ life and calling to lead Israel out of slavery, and then in the even bigger context of God’s redemptive story for us, we can find ourselves relating to this story more than we might think. We may begin a part of our spiritual journey with such fire and passion, but soon we find ourselves “burned out” or having a hard time trusting God’s promises. So the question becomes ‘How do we approach the burn out and rekindle our passion and trust     to following God’s calling on our lives?’.

Welcome to Conversations At The Table; a podcast where we continue the ongoing dialogue of what it means to build Christ-centered community through radical hospitality and an irrational commitment to the well-being of each other. Our hope is that you’ll join us in these conversations and that what comes from them encourages and speaks life to all of us in our spiritual journeys….Thanks for joining us as we have these Conversations at The Table.

In today’s episode, we look at a famous story of Moses and the burning bush found in Exodus chapter 4. So many times in our lives when trying to seek God’s will, we run into the problem of doing our own thing and inviting God to what we’re    doing. We can also believe the lies we tell ourselves that we’re “not good enough” or “don’t have what it takes” to do what we feel God is calling us to…sometimes we even just tell God to just “find someone else”…I know I’m guilty. Today, Dave and I explore what it looks like to make ourselves available to join in God’s work already taking place around us and how to overcome self-doubt when responding to God’s calling on our lives.      

welcome to Conversations At The Table; a podcast where we continue the ongoing dialogue of what it means to build Christ-centered community through radical hospitality and an irrational commitment to the well-being of each other. Our hope is that you’ll join us in these conversations and that what comes from them encourages and speaks life to all of us in our spiritual journeys….We’re happy you’re with us as we have these conversations at The Table.

In today’s episode, we continue our intro into the book of Exodus as Dave and I dive into the last half of Chapter 1 and into Chapter 2. There we find the story of Moses’ birth. And what we’re really focusing on today is how many times Pharaoh used his power to snuff out the growth of the Israelites. In the midst of a genocide, God’s plan for a Moses to grow up and literally walk His people out of slavery just could not be stopped. And what we find in this incredible story is that, just like Moses, God takes what the enemy meant for evil and uses it for good.

Welcome to Conversations At The Table; a podcast where we continue the ongoing dialogue of what it means to build Christ-centered community through radical hospitality and an irrational commitment to the well-being of each other. Our hope is that you’ll join us in these conversations and that what comes from them encourages and speaks life to all of us in our spiritual journeys….We’re happy you’re with us as we have these conversations at The Table.

In today’s episode, we begin a new journey through the book of Exodus. After an entire year in the book of Acts and learning how the early church conducted itself, we want to understand the story of Israel - the laws, the slavery, the wilderness - and what it means for us. When we pull back the stories and unpack them in the context of today’s culture, we find an ancient culture that reminds us of our own lives as we pursue our own Promised Land. Today specifically, Dave breaks down the first 14 verses of Chapter 1 as an introduction to this incredible book.

Welcome to Conversations At The Table; a podcast where we continue the ongoing dialogue of what it means to build Christ-centered community through radical hospitality and an irrational commitment to the well-being of each other. Our hope is that you’ll join us in these conversations and that what comes from them encourages and speaks life to all of us in our spiritual journeys. We’re happy you’re with us as we have these Conversations At The Table.

In this episode, Dave and Seth look back on the last decade and reflect on where God has taken them, both individually and as a church community. They also take a look forward as they attempt to ask the question, “What does it look like to be an Innovator of the Good News?”. How can we be on the forefront of what it means to love God, each other, and the world we live in? And most importantly, how do we do that without getting out in front of what God is doing?

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Welcome to Conversations At The Table; a podcast where we continue the ongoing dialogue of what it means to build Christ-centered community through radical hospitality and an irrational commitment to the well-being of each other. Our hope is that you’ll join us in these conversations and that what comes from them encourages and speaks life to all of us in our spiritual journeys….We’re happy you’re with us as we have these conversations at The Table.