The Watching World

Learn about what true biblical leadership is with Abundant Life’s Young Adult Pastor, Luke Crabb.

An upcoming leadership event happening at Abundant Life is the “Leadership Summit” where they encourage those who are already serving in ministries to continue to be leaders. The job of the pastor and the church is to equip the saints to go and do the work God has called us to.

Culture shows a different picture of leadership than what is described in the Bible. Often times, leaders will gravitate towards craving their own praise for their influence, but the Bible says otherwise. As described in the book “Jesus on Leadership” by CG Wilkes, you don’t become a leader without first becoming a servant.

Being a servant isn’t the most desirable title, but this is exactly who Jesus was on earth, and he modeled it with perfect humility. Being genuine in your desire to be like Christ, you will bear the fruit of humility that will go unnoticed by most but will speak volumes to a few who are watching. It shows that as a leader, you care deeply about those you are influencing, wanting only the best for them, and accepting the role of vanishing into the background to avoid the applause and directing all the glory to God.

Pastor Luke Crabb says it’s not about being strong in leadership in your own strength, it’s about knowing Jesus is going to empower you to be strong.

Get to know Abundant Life Church’s Online Campus Pastor Kyle Worsham. He is married to his bride Sarah, and has moved from Houston Texas, to the north west, to San Antonio, to Missouri where they now reside.

What does an Online Campus Pastor do? Their goal is to get the congregation engaged in the church service, via the internet. Whether that be in your own home on a Sunday morning or at a nearby friend's house, gathering for church on a screen, together. It’s key to remember that we are the church, and talking to people and getting to know their stories is the first step in sharing the gospel.

Watching online, you get the opportunity to send a message and chat about the service as it’s going on, which helps with our engagement and comprehension. It also allows you to ask questions and share your own story in the “story room” online. Kyle says the gospel fits into everyone’s story! Jesus is there for the weak, weary, lonely, and downcast. Everyone has a story, and everyone is in need of Jesus’ saving grace.

Contact Pastor Kyle at:

[email protected]

livingproof.co/online

Abundant Life Church has been so blessed to have multiple campuses, in Lee’s Summit, Independence, and Blue Springs Missouri, and now they are expanding into the heart of Kansas City, opening their Crossroads Campus. Learn more about what’s happening with the new campus Pastor, Chad Glover.

The launch of the Crossroads campus will provide a place of worship for regular attendees of Abundant Life who live in the city. Having church right in their neighborhood will open more opportunities for near by friends to come and hear the gospel preached. The population of Kansas City is diverse in culture and walks of life. This is what God loves, and His heart is for the lost to come to him, no matter the differences we face. Millennials and Generation Z are a large group of people leaving the faith all together, many of whom live in the City, and with the launch of the new campus, we pray their hearts would be open to faith in Jesus in a real way.

Preparing for the opening of the new campus, we must be faithful to the word of God, and the great commission. “We act in the vision, and wait on the provision of God.” We do our part in being obedient to God’s calling to evangelize and watch Him change hearts. In gaining this new campus, there has been one open door after another, God’s hand has been so clearly over the whole process, and Abundant Life Church has been so blessed by the generosity of their members that they are able to make it happen.

After all, Romans 10:14-15 tell us “how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?” The goal is to make disciples and multiply, not just “add”. If you would like to get involved in the new launch, Chad asks us to Pray, Prepare, and Pay.

Get to know Brent Ewert, financial advisor, president of Community Financial Services Group, loving husband, dad, and grandpa, and faithful camera director for Sunday service at Abundant Life Church.

In this podcast, Brent gives us a fresh perspective on how to handle our everyday finances, and how to take steps to prepare for the future.

There are 2,350 verses in the Bible on the topic of money and possessions. God thinks what we do with the money we bring in is very important. It’s a good perspective to have that 100% of what we earn is not ours, but His. So let us not be like the rich young ruler with an “iron fist”, holding tightly to what we have, (Matthew 19:16-30) and turning away from what God is calling us to.

God values a smart saver, and giver. Proverbs 13:22 says, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” Planning for retirement starts with having no debt. Prolonged debt costs you the opportunity that those dollars could have provided for you, says Brent. We’re called to be generous, and it’s hard to obey that calling if we’ve made poor financial decisions and are in debt. Debt is modern-day slavery.

All in all, remember that your financial goals are possible, that it isn’t so much of a money issue than it is a heart issue.

Remember your eternal perspective, and live below your means. Follow this outline, give 10%, save 20%, live on 70%. When it comes to our finances, it’s really a matter of faith. We should absolutely trust God with what he’s provided for us, and live in obedience to Him.

In this episode, featuring Abundant Life Church’s Special Needs Coordinator, Quincey Nicholas, we learn more about how the church includes these individuals in various ministries.

Quincey is a wife and a mother of two boys, who has a passion for special needs individuals. After becoming pregnant, she made the switch from working as a special education teacher to working at the church part-time as the Special Needs Coordinator.

Quincey says “I’m not teaching reading and writing anymore, but I’m teaching the grace and beauty of the gospel.”

Quincey gets special needs individuals involved in ministries that fit them at Abundant Life, including Journey Kids, Fusion, Deaf Ministry, other adult ministries, and events like Respite Night. There’s something for everyone, ages 3-65+.

You don’t need any specific qualifications or training to volunteer in these ministries. You just have to be a friend, if you can love others as Jesus tells us to do, you can love people with disabilities.

livingproof.co/ministries/specialneeds

Continuing in their story of surviving Covid, Ramon and Tammy LaRue share just how intense Ramon’s sickness got.

It seemed as if Ramon was in the clear, off the ventilator, and stable. Until Tammy got a call from the hospital saying Ramon had developed blood clots in his lungs. He was transferred to another hospital where he was put on a ventilator once again.

After giving all the care they could at this hospital, they had no choice but to transfer him to one more hospital in the city, but this time there were even more complications. It seemed like all hope was lost when the tubes to their machines were not staying connected, and Tammy was saying what she thought would be her final good-byes to her husband.

Another small miracle happened when a flight nurse gave advice and made the third trip to the hospital possible. There, the doctors were able to keep Ramons levels stable, and he was on the road to a month-long recovery in a hospital room.

Tammy says it wasn’t one big miracle that saved his life, but a lot of small miracles along the way. With the help of their small group’s prayers and their desperation for Christ, they saw God’s hand over Ramon. Ramon is beyond grateful to be alive and gives God all glory and honor.

In part 1 we chat with Ramon and Tammy LaRue and their experience with COVID.

Ramon and Tammy have attended Abundant Life for seven years and have been married for 24 years with two children. They are business owners that see the importance of pouring into others.

Ramon began developing flu-like symptoms while working in February. With a history of pneumonia, he knew he needed to get checked out. He didn’t have breathing issues at the beginning, and they thought after a few days he would begin feeling better. The turning point for him was when he couldn’t keep his medication down and the weakness and shortness of breath became an issue. What they thought was a quick hospital visit, turned into 3 different hospital stays, and some major health issues.

Ramon and Tammy relied on their faith during this time as the ups and downs of the virus consumed them. Their community group stepped in and walked alongside them during the time.

In today’s Christmas episode, featuring Pastor Phil Hopper, we dive into the reason for the season. You may picture baby Jesus lying in a manger, but as we search and know the scriptures, there’s a lot more surrounding the nativity story that points us to God’s real purpose in sending His Son.

The gospel accounts of Matthew and Luke describe genealogies leading up to Jesus’ birth. Matthew’s genealogy is directed toward the Jews, describing the lineage of Jesus from Abraham and David, showing how Jesus is their messiah, and King. Luke’s account goes back to Adam, the first son of God, who tainted the image of God that was created in him, passing along sin to the whole world. Jesus is the “last adam” and the only one who restores us to become children of God again!

Christmas is a special time of year to highlight what Jesus has done for us, and also what He is doing. We celebrate the Kingdom come. Jesus came to redeem us from sin and to eventually restore His Kingdom. It’s our ever-expanding universe that is all His, and one day He will come back to reclaim it all. Though we live currently in the fallen world, we can be a part of God’s Kingdom by confessing Jesus as the King of our hearts and trusting in his name.

Does faith belong in sports? Yes, says special guest Jason Romano, “If you’re a Christian, your faith belongs everywhere.” Jason Romano is a former ESPN producer, author, and podcast host of Sports Spectrum. In this episode, Jason shares his story of success to significance.

Jason grew up in the Catholic Church but didn’t have a relationship with God until later in life when his brother got saved and shared the gospel with him. He was drawn to his brother’s attitude toward life and the way he treated people in his life, and this drew him into wanting to know more about Christianity.

As his faith grew, he found himself feeling unsettled with where he was. He had his dream job working as a producer at ESPN, but he didn’t know how to implement his faith on the job. But even the little changes in his life, people noticed. He stopped using foul language around his peers at work, and though this lead to some teasing, it mostly bought him respect.

He started to realize his identity was first a follower of Christ, and secondly a sports producer. After speaking at a conference gathering for a group of people who all worked in social media for various ministries, Jason got the tug to strive for something more meaningful in his own work. He began to pray “God, do you want me to stay at ESPN or leave for something else?” Looking back, he sees how God’s hand was in all of his decisions! He began working for Sports Spectrum, a podcast where special guests share their intersections of sports and faith and has felt immense purpose in this job, which is truly a ministry.

Learn about what a singles ministry really is like on today’s podcast featuring Dan Stiegler, the leader of Abundant Life’s Singles Ministry.

Dan and his wife Debbie both come from marriages that ended in divorce. There can be misconceptions and controversy surrounding this topic but to make it clear, God hates divorce and the ripple effect it causes. God hates to see families broken up, and the hurt that it causes for a lifetime. But He does not hate the people involved, and there is hope and redemption through the mess.

The Singles Ministry is designed to be a safe haven for those who find themselves single, to come together in fellowship, listen to speakers, and answer questions as a group. It is not a speed dating environment, it is a casual and Bible-focused time to listen and share with others. When you share your story and your hurt with other singles, you can begin healing in your heart and open up doors for more relationship opportunities too.

Sometimes dating with purpose starts as not dating at all. Debbie did not have love on her radar when she met Dan, she was just focused on her ministry work and walk with Christ. Dan was looking for love and prayed often for God to make him into the godly man he would want for his future godly wife. Dating as a Christian means being intentional about your personal walk with God and being ready for when the one He has for you comes along.

Learn more at livingproof.co/singles