Pursuing God with Dave and Gene

The story of Jesus begins with a sign…and it begins long before Jesus ever came. Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, a prophet named Isaiah wrote, “Therefore THE LORD HIMSELF WILL GIVE YOU A SIGN: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) Gene challenges us today not to miss the sign of the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Today Gene answers the question, Could God bring peace, in spite of my circumstances? The answer is - YES! No matter how difficult or dark your Christmas season might be, Messiah Jesus is available to come to your rescue. No matter how much turmoil you may feel in your relational world, you can draw close to Jesus as your PRINCE OF PEACE.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Jesus being called Everlasting Father in Isaiah is a reference to the fact that the Messiah Jesus will provide for us in the way a good Father provides for his kids. It doesn’t mean He gives us everything we want or ask for. Jesus is not some celestial Santa Clause in the sky whose job it is to fulfill whatever is on our wish list. Instead, good fathers provide what their children need.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

The most fundamental principle about getting help for your blue Christmas is that you need to turn your worry into prayer. Gene reminds us today that Jesus is our wonderful counselor, our Mighty God who is able to unleash His mighty power into our world.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

In today’s episode Gene challenges us with this statement: Many of us feel the way we feel right now and are in the situations we find ourselves in because we didn’t listen to God! He also challenges us to talk with Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor, about what is making this season blue.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

When you look at the details surrounding the very first Christmas, you can’t help but see that it was a very blue season  for Mary and Joseph. While all the artists beautifully portray peaceful images of Nativity scenes on Christmas cards… the reality is Mary and Joseph were under significant physical, emotional, and financial stress. Today Gene shares how to comfort others who are experiencing a blue Christmas season.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

For the many who may be about to experience a blue Christmas, Gene challenges us to focus on Psalm 34:18, which says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Whatever has you blue this Christmas season—Gene wants you to know God is close to you. He sees your heartache. He cares about your pain. This week Gene is sharing how He heals and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

In today’s episode, Gene challenges us  to identify our style… and then, in the power of the Holy Spirit, use it. Let your light shine in a way that God has wired you to share the Good News about Jesus.  All around us are thousands of people who need to hear about the grace and hope of Jesus!  But they need to hear it authentically from someone who walks and talks and shares just like you.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Everyone can be a fruitful witness by simply inviting others to ‘come and see.’ Invite a friend, coworker, or neighbor to church. If you don’t feel very articulate, or you feel awkward about explaining what’s happened to you, you can be very effective just by inviting people to come and see someone else explain Christianity.

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.

Some people need logic and rational answers to their questions. Today Gene shows how to do that style of sharing. The Relational style of sharing is where you take advantage of the relationships you already have with people you work with; people in your family or in your extended family, and you are able to leverage your established relationships and create opportunities for meaningful conversations about spiritual matters. 

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.