theFormed.life

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Join us as we delve into stories of divine provision and the transformative power of generosity within the church community. Get ready to be inspired by the impact of open-handedness and stewardship as we journey through the remarkable experiences of Christ Community Church. In this episode of theFormed.life podcast we explore the theme of "Financial Generosity" with special guests Kevin Harlan and Tom Nelson. 

THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. The impact of financial generosity and open-handedness within Christ Community has been instrumental in shaping the church's growth, sustainability, and impact, demonstrating the power of generosity in the local church.
2. The importance of faith, trust in God's provision, and acknowledging divine providence in overcoming financial challenges and achieving a flourishing life with others through generosity.
3. Encouragement for listeners to embrace a generous posture, commitment to the mission, and stewardship for God's glory and kingdom, highlighting the transformative power of collective engagement and generosity within the congregation.

#FinancialGenerosity #ChurchImpact #DivineProvidence #GenerousGiving #StewardshipJourney #GodsProvision #CultivatingGenerosity #GenerosityStories #TrustInGod #ImpactOfGenerosity

GUEST BIO: 

Kevin Harlan serves as the vice president of philanthropy at Made to Flourish. He works to build a broad base of philanthropic support and guide philanthropic endeavors to invest financially in pastors and churches.Kevin played a role in the formation of Made to Flourish, and served on the senior pastoral team at Christ Community Church in Kansas City for 15 years. He and his wife, Sharon, have been involved at Christ Community in many leadership capacities since 1994. Prior to his work with Christ Community, Kevin served with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). During his 19 years with FCA, Kevin held many roles, and served as the executive vice president at the end of his tenure.

Tom Nelson is the Lead Senior Pastor of Christ Community Church and founded the church over 30 years ago. He also serves as president of Made to Flourish, a network that seeks to empower pastors to lead churches that produce human flourishing for the common good. Tom is the author of Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work, Economics of Neighborly Love: Investing in Your Community’s Compassion and Capacity, and The Flourishing Pastor: Recovering the Lost Art of Shepherd Leadership. Tom speaks regularly on faith, work, and economics around the country. Tom has served on the board of regents of Trinity International University and is also a council member of The Gospel Coalition. Tom graduated with a master’s of theology degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and received his doctorate of ministry degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Tom and his wife, Liz, have two grown children and live in Leawood, Kansas.

QUOTES:

“Our loaves and fishes in our life may not be that cool or exciting or the best, but God can take Even little crusty loaves and fishes and multiply to multitude, and we're seeing that.”

— Tom Nelson

"It's the generosity of our congregation, everyone. They are deeply committed to forming the new pastors in generation."

— Tom Nelson

"The ideas are now spreading across the country in a variety of denominations and sizes and geographies, and, it's a really beautiful picture, I think, of, again, another example of Christ Community's open handedness that is now bearing fruit in remarkable ways."

— Kevin Harlan

RESOURCES:

www.madetoflourish.com

www.cckc.church

The Economics Of Neighborly Love - Tom Nelson

TIMESTAMPS:

05:57 Discussion on human experience, generosity and acknowledgment.

08:33 Sensitivity to institutional practices, emphasizing generosity, gratitude.

10:20 Elder team considering loan, then church in Romania.

14:46 Left Dallas in 24 foot truck.

16:59 God spurs generosity, stories inspire others.

20:21 Teamwork, stewardship, financial difficulty

26:02 Church building refurbished.

29:35 Importance of funded residency program.

32:10 Excited about church leaders forming work programs.

36:03 Generosity and church planting.

39:09 Encouraging generosity and investments for shaping the future church.

42:59 Organizing life, trusting God for provision, memories.

46:05 Memories from pastor, staff, congregants.

46:51 Kevin's other dream job.

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In this episode of theFormed.life podcast, host Paul Brandes sits down with our on staff guest, Johnny Daigle, to talk about the Christmas season. Together they explore Christmas through the eyes of faith and how sacrifice can be a powerful spiritual discipline during the holiday season. They reflect on the stories of characters like Ruth, Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, and the Wise Men and shed light on the interplay of faith and sacrifice. Join them as they unravel the profound significance of these characters' experiences and discuss the hope for the listeners to identify their next step of faith during this special time of the year. 

THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. Seeing through the eyes of faith: Johnny and Paul emphasize the significance of seeing life through the eyes of faith, where faith is described as a form of perception beyond sight. It's about stepping beyond what can be controlled and facilitating God's work beyond human control.
2. Sacrifice as a spiritual discipline: They highlight how sacrifice as a spiritual discipline is pivotal, emphasizing the importance of sacrificing for others and abandoning personal security to trust in God's provision. This perspective is connected to the characters in the Advent series, reflecting the idea of offering oneself to help others and experiencing God's provision.
3. Living out the light of God with us: Johnny and Paul underscore the idea that the light of God with us should resonate throughout the year, not just during the Christmas season. The hope is to encourage individuals to identify their next steps of faith, embracing the call to sacrificially step into and experience God's presence in a deeper and more profound way.

#AdventPodcast #ChristmasThroughFaith #ChristmasSeason #SacrificeAndFaith #EyesOfFaith #ChristmasTraditions #LightOfTheWorld #ChristmasCharacters #ChristmasSacrifice #WeddingSingerDream

GUEST BIO: 

Johnny was born and raised on the north side of Pittsburgh, PA, and met his wife Kelly at Wheaton College. They stayed in Chicago after graduating in 2015, and in 2019 Johnny began attending Trinity International University to pursue his Masters in Divinity. Johnny and Kelly have two children Benjamin and Zoe. In 2022 the Daigles moved to Kansas City and Johnny joined the Christ Community staff.

QUOTES:

“But when you stepped out on the reality of God, it is so much more blessed because God is there at the end. When you step out, you're stepping into the hand of God and he will uphold you. And that's what Jesus shows, and that's what we get to do."

— Johnny Daigle

"What does it look like for us to really sacrifice with an expectation and an eye on something that God can do far beyond what we could control or manipulate on our own terms?"

— Johnny Daigle

"Why do we do lights? Well, Jesus is the light of the world. Why do we give gifts? Because Jesus is the greatest gift ever given, and we rehearse that. And it's easy with the secularization of Christmas to kind of forget those fundamental truths."

— Paul Brandes 

RESOURCES:
theformed.life

cckc.church/christmas

KEYWORDS:

podcast, Christmas season, family, traditions, faith, sacrifice, eyes of faith, Christmas lights, Christmas gifts, Christmas story, church, Jesus, Advent, characters, Ruth, Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, Wise Men, spiritual discipline, sacrifice, fasting, light, God, compassion, wedding singer, escape rooms, sports broadcaster, soul

00:00 Popular Christmas house draws visitors from afar.

04:26 Christmas reminds us of Jesus through gifts.

09:40 First Christmas characters navigating chaos and faith.

12:31 Focus on Ruth's unique story and resources.

16:09 Connecting Ruth to Judges, both in context

17:31 Engage Christmas season famously, with gratitude and moderation.

21:05 Identify our next step of faith sacrifice.

24:22 Johnny regularly sings loudly in the building.