thinking out loud

Terry Timm reflects on Isaiah 25 and Revelation 7 to describe God's coming kingdom as a great feast where all peoples are welcomed, death is defeated, and every tear is wiped away. Connecting this vision to World Communion Sunday, he reminds the church that God's table is global, inclusive, and centered on Christ. He invites listeners to live toward that future now by seeing people as image-bearers, practicing hospitality, and moving toward those who are in pain.

In the second message of the series, *Kingdom Come*, Terry Timm explores Jesus' parable of the workers in the vineyard from Matthew 20. He shows how the kingdom of God is not built on what we earn or deserve, but on the generous character of a God who keeps coming, sees the overlooked, and gives abundant grace. Terry invites us to receive God's goodness with humility and to celebrate that same grace when it is poured out on others.

In the first message of the "Kingdom Come" series, Richie Reeder introduces the "already but not yet" reality of the kingdom of God and what it means to live under the reign of King Jesus here and now. Focusing on Matthew 18 and the parable of the unmerciful servant, he explores how deeply forgiven people are called to become forgiving people. Richie acknowledges the difficulty of forgiveness while distinguishing it from reconciliation, reminding us that forgiveness releases us from bitterness even when restored relationship is not possible or wise.

In this Labor Day message from Terry Timm, he frames work as a God-given calling to "cultivate and care" for the places and people entrusted to us. Acknowledging that because of the fall, work is often marked by frustration, toil, and distorted identity, our true worth is found in being beloved children of God. Through Christ's finished work, we are empowered to join God's redemptive mission, praying the words of Psalm 90:17, "Establish the work of our hands."

In this message, Richie Reeder reflects on Jesus' invitation to choose presence over performance through the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10. In a culture marked by busyness, striving, and distraction, this talk invites us to slow down, sit at the feet of Jesus, and rediscover the gift of resting in God's presence. You may want to watch this video, Be Still, before or after listening to the message.

In this message, Terry Timm brings the "Blessed and Broken" series to a close by reflecting on the deaths of Jacob and Joseph in Genesis 49–50. He shows how Scripture makes room for grief, names brokenness honestly, and reminds us that evil is never the final word in God's story. Through Joseph's trust in God's unseen promise, this message points us to the hope that all of God's promises find their "yes" in Jesus Christ.

In this message, Terry Timm continues the "Blessed and Broken" series by exploring Joseph's story in Genesis 45. Using the question from the musical, "Hamilton"—"Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?"—he invites us to consider how Joseph interprets his painful past through the lens of God's providence. Through betrayal, suffering, and eventual reconciliation, we see that God may be hidden in our stories, but is never absent.

In this message, Terry Timm continues the "Blessed and Broken" series by turning to Genesis 37 and the beginning of Joseph's story. He explores how God's promise moves through a deeply fractured family, a mysterious dream, and circumstances where God seems hidden. Through Joseph's journey, Terry invites us to trust that even when we cannot see God's hand, God is still faithfully at work.

Terry Timm explores Genesis 32 and Jacob's wrestling with God, showing how God meets us at the end of our strength and forms us through struggle. He highlights Jacob's new identity as Israel, reminding us that wrestling with God is not failure but part of a faithful relationship with Him. The message invites listeners to bring their "limp"—their weakness, pain, and dependence—to Christ, where the struggle is real but so is the blessing.

Richie Reeder explores Genesis 29 and the story of Jacob, Leah, Rachel, and Laban, honestly naming the discomfort of patriarchal polygamy, deception, family dysfunction, and cultural brokenness. He shows how Jacob, the deceiver, becomes deceived, revealing the blind spots, unhealthy patterns, and relational wounds that run through the story. Yet the message emphasizes that God remains faithful in the midst of human brokenness, working through imperfect people and painful circumstances without endorsing the dysfunction itself.