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This week, Pastor Bob Arbogast from Celebration Fellowship takes a look at Paul and Silas in prison from Acts 16. Pastor Bob serves a worshipping community that is behind bars, and yet he speaks of how his members can sing and pray because they know they are free, just like Paul and Silas did...not only when the prison doors opened and their chains fell off, but even before that. Listen in this week as Pastor Bob reflects on his experience as a pastor who serves those on the inside that have found a freedom more true and real than what they had experienced in captivity on the outside. Prison may hold their body, but their person is free...  because in Jesus we are set free to know genuine love and forgiveness. 

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In this world there is a lot of suffering, but we serve a God who cares for us in the midst of our suffering. He tells us that we are not alone when we suffer, there will be a purpose, and our suffering is only temporary. There is hope in the gospel, especially for ones who are suffering. 

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Today we enter into the story of the disciples straining against their oars on a stormy sea because the wind was against them. Jesus shows up walking to them on the water, and tells them, "Take courage! It is I, do not be afraid." This is a word for us today as well, as the church strains against the oars of our turbulent times. The winds are against us too. Join us as we reflect on the full meaning of Jesus' words to the disciples, and also to Peter, as he attempts to walk on the water- but, like us, needs Jesus to reach out and grab him when his fear overwhelms his faith. 

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This week we hear the words of Amos who went to Israel with a protest at the height of their prosperity. His words are full of blistering judgement because this prosperity was built on the backs of the poor through acts of injustice. Anytime the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer, God is not on board. And so God, through Amos, tells the believers what he thinks of their worship in the sanctuary: He hates it!  But a call to repentance is good news, not bad news. It's an opportunity to turn around. To do things differently. And to believe in the One who brought judgement and justice together perfectly on the cross. In Him, we are freed up and sent out to be accurate representatives of this God who loves justice. 

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How do we live faithfully, right here, right now? This week, we turned our hearts to the story of Esther—a story often mistaken for a fairy tale, but in reality, one of risk, resistance, and divine purpose. Esther's journey from hidden identity to bold advocacy reveals what kingdom living looks like in the midst of oppression and uncertainty.

Through Esther's courage, Mordecai's integrity, and even Vashti's refusal to be objectified, we are invited to see the many faces of faithful resistance. This message challenges us to consider: what time is this that we’re living in, and what is God asking of us?

Whether you're in the palace of influence or in the quiet places of obscurity, God may be inviting you to say yes—just like He did with Esther—for such a time as this.

Thanks for listening. We pray you're encouraged, challenged, and drawn closer to God's purpose for your unique placement in this world.

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Today we consider the story of Rahab, who lived within the thick walls of earthly power and security in Jericho. Even so, she fixed her eyes on a coming kingdom, yet unseen, that was truer than the one she was a part of. In faith, she defects from her earthly citizenship and aligns herself with the Kingdom of God. Because Jesus came preaching the Good News that the "Kingdom of God is at hand," believers must be willing to take on that same realignment. This is not easy to do! It is risky and costly... and yet critical... as the writer of Hebrews reminds us, "... for here we have no lasting city, but fix our eyes on the one that is to come.

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Today we come to the very end of Habakkuk and his profession of faith even in times of scarcity. Habakkuk brings his laments to God, and God answers him with a memory tour of His deliverance. Times of trouble are on the way, but even so, Habakkuk pins his hope to the God of his salvation. As we face turbulent times, we are grounded in our faith by remembering all that God has done in the past, all he is doing even now, and all he will do in the future. When we come to this place, we like Habakkuk, can rejoice no matter our circumstances. 

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Finding strength in adversity, the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) teaches us about unwavering faith under pressure. These three Hebrew men refused to worship King Nebuchadnezzar's golden statue despite the threat of a fiery furnace. Their remarkable response—that God could save them but even if He didn't, they still wouldn't bow—demonstrates true faith that transcends circumstances. In the furnace, they encountered a fourth figure, likely Christ himself, walking with them through their trial. Their experience reminds us that genuine joy comes not from being delivered from our fires, but from knowing who holds our future regardless of outcomes.

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Today we consider the quiet resistance and civil disobedience of the midwives in Exodus, Shiphrah and Puah. When Pharaoh told them to kill all the baby boys at birth, they did not listen because they feared God. Believers have always lived in the shadow of the empire, and there will be times when God's Kingdom and the Kingdoms of this world do not align. How will we practice Christian resistance when that happens? Like Shiphrah and Puah, we are to bear life in places of death, wherever we are. Join us as we are reminded of our vocation: all of us-midwives- who bring to birth the kind of world that God intends.  

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"God with us in Turbulent Times" sets us before the story of Joseph as a spiritual resource for the believing community for when life feels perplexing or uncertain. The journey of Joseph from favored son, to slave, to prisoner, to Egyptian leader, to the rescuer of a nation and the forgiver of his betrayers, reminds us that God's way of accomplishing His purpose is often slow and hidden. The repeated biblical phrase 'the Lord was with Joseph' becomes a centering reality for us even in the midst of difficult circumstances that try to convince us otherwise. And so, along with God's people across time and place, we return once again to anchor ourselves in God's sovereignty during turbulent times, believing in faith that "He's got the whole world is in His Hands."