The Common Ground

Have you ever reached a point in your life where you felt like something needed to change?

Maybe things weren't necessarily bad. Maybe everything was moving along just fine. But deep down,       something was telling you that there might be more.

More to life. More to your faith. More to the purpose God has for you.

I think sometimes we get so comfortable with the familiar that we stop looking for what's next.

And sometimes, when we do recognize that something needs to change, we get so focused on what we   need to do that we forget to ask what God might already be doing.

There's a verse in Isaiah that reminds us that God isn't finished with us. In fact, He may already be doing   something new.

Sometimes we're so focused on what has been, or so comfortable with where we are, that we fail to          recognize what God is doing right in front of us.

Are you moving through life, but not really moving forward?

On a recent 13-day adventure along the East Coast with my wife, I found myself reflecting on something I hadn't fully recognized before. I was feeling stuck professionally, personally, and even in my faith. I had become so focused on making it through each day that I was struggling to see the path ahead.

In Episode 98 of the Pekin First Podcast, we're talking about being stuck, recognizing when we're just going through the motions, and how God can help us find our way forward.

Through Scripture, honest reflection, and the reminder that we don't have to have all the answers, we'll explore how sometimes the first step forward is simply trusting God with the next step.

You may feel stuck where you are, but you don't have to stay there.

🎙️ Join us for “Moving, but Not Moving Forward” — Episode 98 of the Pekin First Podcast.

Every person has a story.

We all have a story about where we’ve come from, the people who have shaped us, the experiences that have changed us, and the moments that have brought us to where we are today.

And I think our faith journey is much the same.

For some people, faith has been a part of their story for as long as they can remember. They grew up in church, learned the Bible as a child, and have spent their entire lives walking with God.

But for others, the journey looks very different.

Sometimes faith comes later in life. And that's what I love about faith.

God doesn't ask us to have everything figured out before we come to Him.

In Romans 3:22, Pastor Sean Refered to this this weekend Paul says, “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”

Righteousness by faith.

It's a powerful reminder that our relationship with God isn't about earning our way into His good graces. It's not about being perfect. It's not about having the perfect past or knowing all the right answers.

It's about faith.

It's about trusting Jesus.

It's about taking that next step—even when we don't know exactly where the road is going to lead.

And that's what we're talking about on this week's Pekin First Podcast.

We live in a world filled with voices telling us how to think, what to believe, and how to live. With so much noise around us, how do we know which voices to listen to and which paths to follow?

In this episode of the Pekin First Podcast, we turn to Proverbs 4, where Solomon passes along the wisdom he received from his father, David. We'll explore what it means to guard our hearts, choose our paths carefully, and be intentional about what we allow to influence our lives.

In a world full of distractions, opinions, and competing priorities, perhaps the most important question isn't what the world is telling us, but what are we allowing to shape our hearts?

I Wonder What They Say About Me?

After a busy weekend filled with large crowds and plenty of conversations, it got me thinking about something we've probably all wondered: “I wonder what people say about me when I'm not around?” But maybe the better question is, “What am I saying about other people when they're not around?”

In this episode, we talk about rumors, gossip, assumptions, and the power of our words—and what Scripture teaches us about using those words to build people up rather than tear them down.

 When rejection becomes a roadblock—or a redirection