We are taught to forgive. But what happens when we forgive and reconciliation still feels impossible?

In this Beyond the Notes conversation, Pastor Omar Edwards returns to Sunday's teaching on childlike forgiveness and opens Romans 12:16-21, what many Bibles call the marks of a true Christian. He draws a careful line between forgiveness, a one-way choice to release anger and the desire for payback, and reconciliation, a two-way road that needs both people to change, rebuild trust, and come back to the table. He walks through what it means to pursue peace, check our pride, and keep loving someone even when the relationship cannot return to what it once was.

If you are carrying a broken friendship, a strained family tie, or a wound you have released but cannot yet see healed, this teaching offers a biblical way to think clearly and hold onto hope in a God who still changes hearts.

Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026

Why would a loving church ever put someone out of its fellowship?

On this Beyond the Notes episode, Pastor Russell Howard takes us past his Sunday notes on church discipline and into a real case history from the New Testament. Walking through 1 Corinthians 5 and 2 Corinthians 2, he traces how the church at Corinth confronted a man in serious, public, unrepentant sin, and how, about a year later, that same man repented and was restored. He connects it all to the steps Jesus laid out in Matthew 18.

You will walk away seeing that church discipline is not about driving people away but about calling them home, for their good and the health of the whole church. For anyone who has wondered how grace and accountability fit together, this one brings clarity.

Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026

Matthew - The King has Come

"Childlike Forgiveness"

When Peter asked Jesus how many times he had to forgive, he thought seven was already generous. Jesus answered with a number meant to stop the counting for good, then told a story about a servant forgiven an unpayable debt who refused to forgive a small one. In this sermon closing out Matthew 18, Elder Omar Edwards traces the command to forgive continually, the parable of the merciful king, and the hardness of a heart that forgets its own rescue. Forgiveness at Christ's standard is beyond us on our own strength, which is exactly why it drives us back to the cross and the Holy Spirit's work in us. You walk away seeing your own blind spots more honestly, and freer to extend the same grace you have already been given.

Sermon Notes

Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026

When will we actually be back in the worship center?

Mark, Tamar, and Christian give the honest two part answer. A certificate of occupancy is one milestone. A room ready for a thousand people on a Sunday is another, and the audio, video, and lighting install is the biggest piece left. Best case is sometime in November.

From there the conversation turns to the fall calendar. GriefShare starts Sunday at 12:30 PM in Faith Building room 174. DivorceCare meets Tuesdays at 6:00 PM, and it is not too late to join. Parent and Child Dedication is Friday, September 11, and registration closes August 26. The Know The Word Conference is September 18 and 19 with Dr. Greg Lanier. Prayer and Praise night is Wednesday, September 30.

If you have been wondering what is next at McGregor, or you know someone carrying a loss, this one is worth twelve minutes.

Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026

What did Jesus mean when He told a crowd to eat His flesh, or told a crowd of would-be followers to hate their own father and mother?

Recorded at a Hot Topic night hosted by McGregor's Journey Together ministry, this teaching opens a short series on the hard sayings of Jesus. Pastor Russell Howard lays out three ground rules for reading them well, then works through the bread of life discourse in John 6, the call to discipleship in Luke 14, and Jesus' words about a sword and a divided household in Matthew 10.

The takeaway is straightforward. Jesus meant to be understood, and when a saying is hard, the difficulty usually sits with us rather than with Him. If you have ever read past a verse because it unsettled you, this teaching is worth your time.

Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026

"I Am the Light of the World"

When Jesus stood in the temple and said, "I am the light of the world," He was not offering a nice idea. He was claiming to be God, reaching back to the name God gave Himself at the burning bush. Russell Howard walks through John 8 and 9, showing how Jesus made that claim in the brightest place in Jerusalem, why it enraged the religious leaders, and what His promise means for us: whoever follows Him will not walk in darkness. Along the way, Russell shows how walking in the light works in ordinary life, obeying what God has clearly said and trusting Him where He has not spoken, and how the healing of a man born blind puts the light of Christ on display. You walk away seeing why following Jesus, not just admiring Him, is the only way out of the dark.

Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026

Matthew: The King Has Come

"Church Discipline"

Jesus knows the church will include people who don't yet belong to Him, and He gives His people a way to respond that seeks restoration first. In Matthew 18:15-20, Pastor Russell Howard walks through the process Jesus lays out for confronting a brother or sister caught in sin: a private conversation, then a small group of witnesses, then the whole church, and only then removal from the congregation as a last resort. Every step aims at winning back a brother, not winning an argument, while also protecting what the church says about Jesus to a watching world. Whether you've been hurt by conflict in a church or you're unsure what to do when someone you love won't turn from sin, this teaching gives you a clear, gracious path forward.

Sermon Notes

Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026

Fifteen babies born into one church family this year. A Wednesday night with tables overflowing. And a stack of deadlines that all land before the month is out.

Mark, Tamar, and Christian start with a correction, the preschool and children's choirs meet at 5:30 and not 5:00, then recap the Journey Together kickoff and a first-time guest who nearly stayed home. From there: DivorceCare and DivorceCare for Kids begin Tuesday, August 18 at 6:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall, Beloved for young moms kicks off September 10 with a childcare deadline of August 27, and Parent and Child Dedication is Friday, September 11 with registration closing August 26.

They also preview the Know The Word Conference on September 18 and 19 with Dr. Greg Lanier, and introduce Tayler Newberg, Administrative Assistant to Human Resources. If you want one place to keep up with what God is doing in this church family, start here.

Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026

What if the thing you keep reaching for was never meant to satisfy you?

In the opening study of "I AM: Seven Signs of the Savior," David Miller begins in Exodus 3, where God reveals His name as I AM, then moves to John 6, where Jesus takes that same name for Himself. Miller walks through three marks of the bread of life: it is provisional, it is plain, and it is prescient. Along the way he traces the feeding of the 5,000, the crowd's demand for a bigger sign, and Jesus' clear claim in John 6:35.

The one thing you carry out is this: God sustains us in the wilderness so that we will long for Him, the only bread that satisfies forever. This teaching is for anyone tired of trying to fill a hunger that food, success, or effort never touches.

Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026

Do Christians have a guardian angel individually assigned to watch over them, or is that more folklore than Scripture?

Pastor Ryan Flint takes us Beyond the Notes from Sunday's study in Matthew 18, chasing a question the sermon intentionally set aside. He covers what Scripture confidently says about angels, who they are, what they do, and the guardrails for how believers should and should not think about them, working through Matthew 18:10, Hebrews 1:14, and Acts 12.

Scripture never guarantees each believer a personally assigned angel, but it says far more about God's care for His people than that single question. Whether you're curious about angels or just want a clearer view of how much your Father sees and protects you, this episode gives you a steady, biblical answer.

Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026