Hungry for Righteousness: Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

Guest preacher David Williams opens by celebrating America’s 250 years and honoring service members, then shares church announcements: sign up on the app; student camp July 12–15 with payment help available; Jiffy 2 Camp (grades 1–3) July 19–22 and Junior 2 Camp July 19–24 at White Mills via White Mills registration; Prime Timers meet July 8; women’s ministry serves at Colonial House July 29; and a Clothes Closet work day July 9. Continuing a Beatitudes “Blessed” series, he asks what people are hungry for, teaching that life follows desire and that spiritual hunger is a God-given compass. Using Psalm 42/63, Esau, the Israelites, and the Samaritan woman, he shows misplaced hunger never satisfies. He urges “fixing our eyes on Jesus,” defining righteousness as right standing and right living, offering four practices: name true hunger, bring it to God first, starve wrong appetites, and receive Jesus regularly, ending with prayer and communion.

00:00 Welcome and Announcements

01:43 What Are You Hungry For

04:51 Spiritual Hunger Is Good

08:40 Three Wrong Wells

17:33 The Bucket With a Hole

19:59 Motorcycle Target Fixation

23:08 Hunger for Righteousness

28:09 Four Ways to Cultivate

32:03 Invitation and Communion

35:30 Closing Prayer

Blessed Are the Meek: Strength Under Control

Continuing the Beatitudes series, the message centers on Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek,” challenging the common view that meekness means weakness. Using the Greek idea of a war horse trained for battle, meekness is defined as strength under control, contrasting with a culture that rewards outrage and constant self-defense. Proverbs 16:32 is cited to elevate self-control over conquest. Moses models surrendering reputation by staying silent under family criticism while God defends him; David models surrendering revenge by refusing to kill Saul despite opportunities. Jesus embodies ultimate restrained power in arrest and trial, inviting believers to stop fighting battles God never assigned and to live from God-given identity.

00:00 Welcome and Updates

01:33 Beatitudes Recap

03:22 Why Meek Sounds Weak

04:46 Culture of Outrage

08:42 Meekness Redefined

11:15 Strength Under Control

14:52 Moses and Reputation

22:39 David and Revenge

30:25 Jesus the True Meek

33:46 Living from Identity

35:05 Final Challenge and Prayer

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn: Finding God’s Comfort on Father’s Day

On Father’s Day, Jeremy honors dads, grandfathers, mentors, coaches, and teachers who show up, while acknowledging the day can be painful for those grieving absent, distant, or deceased fathers. Teaching from Matthew 5:4 (“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”), he contrasts a culture of distraction with Jesus’ invitation to face pain honestly, noting that unprocessed grief resurfaces in anger, bitterness, isolation, and strained relationships. He explains the Greek word “pentheo” as deep lament over loss and the world’s brokenness, and points to Jesus weeping at Lazarus’ tomb as proof faith and tears coexist. Using Ecclesiastes 3 and Nehemiah’s tears before rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls, he urges lament, especially among men, as courageous honesty that leads to healing, comfort, and purposeful leadership, ending with Psalm 34:18 and a prayer for comfort and restoration.

00:00 Fathers Day Welcome

00:55 When Celebration Hurts

02:08 Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

05:19 What Mourning Really Means

08:28 Jesus Wept With Us

14:10 Redefining Strength For Men

17:54 Seasons Of Grief

19:31 Nehemiah Tears To Purpose

23:07 Lament Over Distraction

27:22 Comfort And A Way Forward

30:36 Prayer And Closing

Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit: Where the Kingdom Begins

Jeremy launches a summer series on Jesus’ Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. He explains that blessing is often mistaken for visible success or circumstantial happiness, but Jesus describes an inward kingdom transformation focused on posture, not behavior. Teaching “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” he defines it as recognizing dependence on God, the end of self-reliance, and the doorway to grace. Using Luke 18’s Pharisee and tax collector, he contrasts prideful spiritual performance with humble honesty, arguing no one graduates from grace and faith begins with admitting “I can’t.”

00:00 Welcome and Updates

01:03 Summer Camp and Guests

01:46 Free Bibles for Everyone

02:21 New Series Beatitudes

04:57 What Blessing Means

07:19 Poor in Spirit Explained

15:02 Self Reliance Trap

19:02 Parable Two Prayers

26:01 Empty Hands Grace

29:32 Gospel Good News

34:09 Invitation and Prayer

Awakening the Next Generation: What Are We Passing On?

Guest speaker JonnyMac shares a simple family pancake recipe to illustrate how naturally people pass down habits and traditions, then asks what is being passed to the next generation—especially faith. Citing Judges 2:10, he warns that a generation can grow up not knowing the Lord if families and churches go on autopilot and delegate responsibility. He references a study noting that more people in the region have never been to church and traces Israel’s decline from Deuteronomy through Joshua into Judges, describing how disobedience and compromised worship led to spiritual drift. Using Deuteronomy 6 and the Shema (“Hear, O Israel”), he calls listeners to love God fully and to teach God’s words diligently in everyday life, urging Bible reading at home, discipleship across ages, fighting generational sin, and remembering Christ through communion.

00:00 Pancake Recipe Legacy

01:05 Silly Traditions Chat

04:10 What We Pass On

05:26 Judges Warning Verse

07:03 Church Growth Shifts

09:00 Israel Timeline Setup

13:12 Dan Altar Dark Turn

15:45 Call to Awaken

22:20 Deuteronomy Shema Plan

26:16 Live It Daily

29:02 Scripture at Home

31:04 Message to My Kids

32:43 Communion and Prayer

The Prodigal Son Explained: Two Lost Sons and the Father’s Grace (Luke 15)

Jeremy introduces Jesus’ parable in Luke 15 as a familiar story often reduced to a rebellious runaway, arguing it is really about two lost sons and what the Father is like. With tax collectors and sinners alongside Pharisees, Jesus tells of a younger son who demands his inheritance, leaves, squanders everything, and reaches desperation before “coming to his senses” and returning home in shame. The father sees him from far off, runs to him, and restores him with a robe, ring, and sandals, showing full acceptance and identity as a son. Jesus then highlights the older brother’s anger, performance-based resentment, and refusal to join the celebration, portraying another kind of lostness. The message concludes that the central figure is the Father who moves toward both sons, inviting everyone to come home to grace rather than performance.

00:00 Why This Story Matters

02:44 Luke 15 Setup

04:12 Two Lost Sons

05:41 Younger Son Runs

08:49 Emptiness Hits Hard

12:22 Coming To His Senses

16:50 Father Runs Restores

21:17 Older Brother Resentment

27:11 Servants In The Middle

30:42 It Was About Father

33:18 Come Home Invitation

35:26 Closing Prayer

Memorial Day Message: Doing Good Through Service, Sacrifice, and the Upside-Down Kingdom of Jesus

On Memorial Day weekend, the church holds one combined service and announces a post-service cookout fundraiser to help kids and students attend summer camps, emphasizing donations and that money should never be an obstacle to participation. The message explains Memorial Day as honoring those who sacrificed for freedom and connects that sacrifice to a Christian call to a meaningful life beyond self. Using quotes and Scripture (Mark 9–10, 1 Peter 2, Colossians 3), the speaker contrasts cultural self-promotion with Jesus’ “upside-down kingdom,” where greatness is serving others, as Jesus did by giving his life. He urges believers to “do good” through small acts with great love, avoid performative generosity, and see opportunities to serve daily. He encourages people to contribute as the church, use whatever is “in your hand,” and reflect Jesus in work and everyday life.

00:00 Welcome and Schedule

00:52 Cookout Fundraiser Details

02:14 Memorial Day Meaning

03:38 Why Sacrifice Matters

06:31 Doing Good Not Performing

09:54 Jesus Redefines Greatness

14:40 Not So With You

18:21 Called to Do Good

20:38 Small Things Great Love

25:30 You Are the Church

27:38 Whats In Your Hand

31:17 Gifts and Everyday Work

34:07 Be a Light Conclusion

37:21 Closing Prayer

Resilient Joy in a Fragile Life

In this sermon Jeremy argues that beneath pursuits of comfort, success, and entertainment, people are ultimately seeking joy, especially amid life’s heaviness of loss, anxiety, betrayal, grief, and uncertainty. He distinguishes happiness (circumstance-based) from biblical joy that can coexist with sorrow, citing James 1 and emphasizing joy is not denial or fake positivity. He critiques a distracted, consumption-driven culture and “hedonic adaptation,” noting joy cannot be sustained by consuming more. Drawing from pastoral experiences in hospitals and grief, he highlights life’s fragility through Ecclesiastes’ “hevel” (vapor) and urges enjoying present, sacred moments rather than postponing life with “someday,” echoing Jesus’ teaching not to worry about tomorrow. He warns cynicism is self-protection rooted in pain, while joy requires vulnerability, gratitude, wonder, and attention. Joy’s foundation is “the joy of the Lord,” rooted in identity, grace, and freedom from comparison, leading to practical calls to slow down, love, forgive, worship, and be present.

00:00 The Search for Joy

01:56 Joy Versus Happiness

03:19 Distraction and Consumption

05:09 A Pastor in the Pain

09:37 Ecclesiastes and Vapor Life

12:43 Stop Waiting for Someday

14:48 Cynicism as Self Protection

17:48 Resilient Joy in Suffering

20:25 Gratitude and Wonder

24:53 Fragility Makes Life Sacred

26:55 Practical Steps to Joy

27:49 Joy of the Lord

31:24 Closing Prayer

Mother’s Day at Journey: Breaking the Cycle with Abigail’s Wisdom

In the message, Jeremy contrasts Jesus’ “golden rule” with the instinct to repay harm, describing how “hurt people hurt people” and revenge spreads. Using 1 Samuel 25, he recounts David’s overreaction to Nabal’s insult and Abigail’s intervention that prevents bloodshed, urging listeners to find and be “Abigails” who bring peace, break cycles, and become peacemakers.

00:00 Mothers Day Welcome

00:14 Lost Phone Notice

00:54 Gutter Fundraiser Update

02:39 Podcasts And Summer Plans

03:13 Teacher Appreciation Thanks

03:41 Ice Cream And Gift Cards

06:02 Golden Rule And Revenge

08:28 Hurt People Hurt People

11:42 David The Fugitive Setup

14:40 Nabal And Sheep Shearing

17:04 David Requests Supplies

18:39 Nabals Insulting Reply

19:07 Nabal Insults David

20:15 David Mounts Up

21:40 Revenge Justified

24:22 Abigail Intervenes

29:23 You Fight God Battles

32:42 A Better Story

34:42 Aftermath and Marriage

35:26 Find an Abigail

38:01 Be a Peacemaker

40:02 Closing Prayer

Justie’s Journey: Adoption, Malawi Missions, and Seeing God’s Goodness

Justie introduces herself and her husband Nathan, reflects on starting Journey church with Jeremy, and shares how God led their family from a comfortable life into full-time missions. About eight or nine years ago they began adopting, which took them to Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, where they faced poverty, helplessness, and deep faith and joy among locals. Ongoing relationships led to a nonprofit registered in the U.S. and Malawi and to building a medical compound with outpatient and pediatric facilities and a large maternity hospital capable of C-sections; a $50,000 gift unexpectedly funded a key hospital phase. After a cyclone, they expanded into business training programs that enable families to earn income, send children to school, and strengthen churches, alongside work with schools, wells, girls’ health education, and a police unit. She emphasizes God’s unconditional love and invites prayer and support.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:21 Prayer to Begin

00:56 Our Journey Church Story

02:32 Called to Adopt

03:42 First Malawi Trip Shock

05:26 Joy and Faith in Poverty

07:36 Back Home and New Partnerships

09:37 Launching the Nonprofit

10:04 Maternity Hospital Update

10:58 Faith for a Hospital

13:10 The 50,000 Dollar Miracle

16:00 Cyclone and Community Needs

16:46 Business Training Breakthrough

18:54 What God Taught Me

19:50 Learning to Receive Love

23:40 Invitation and Closing Prayer