On this special Easter week gathering, we look at the authority Jesus had during his final meal with his disciples and how he used that to set an example for us. We challenge the room to respond to this statement, "As a follower of Jesus, I have been given all authority, so I ___________."
"What is truth?" - Pilate "Follow your heart!" - Today's Culture When it comes to truth, how should we live? As followers of Jesus, how does the Gospel transform our understanding and commitment to truth? This month, we look at this important topic and what Jesus says about Himself.
This semester, our theme is Gospel Transformation. The Gospel is good news, not just that Jesus died and rose from the dead, but in every aspect of how we live as believers. To be truly transformed by the Gospel, we experience the good news of how following Jesus changes everything. In February, we talk about how the good news of the Gospel brings forgiveness of our past, present, and future. We live each day in the power of knowing that we are “a great sinner but Christ is a great Savior.” That...
We finish our look this semester at what Jesus says about what matters by talking about identity. How did Jesus find his identity, how did the enemy attack that, and how does that impact us today?
For our Friendsgiving Young Adult Gathering in November, we spent the night talking about gratitude, what Jesus said about it, and how we can live a life filled with gratitude.
In the midst of a divisive political season and the election of a new President, how can we as Christians navigate politics with a Biblical worldview and our faith intact? Should we engage in politics? If so, how? And what does Jesus say about it all?
In our September gathering, we discuss the question, "What is the mission of your life?" What does Jesus say about that and how can we live that out?
This semester, we are looking at what Jesus said about important matters of life and faith. For our August Gathering, we looked at the purpose of community and what Jesus had to say about it.
A message on the importance of rest.
A message from Matthew 13 about the Kingdom of God.
One of the core questions of humanity (and your life) is "What is my purpose?" or to ask it another way "What is my calling?" In today's episode, we want to give you a biblical worldview for calling. Maybe you're anxious because you feel like you're missing out on your purpose. Maybe you feel like a failure because you were told you needed to change the world or do something important but you work a normal job. Maybe you've heard you're supposed to make disciples at your job but don't know what ...
What if you don't sense a call to "full-time vocational ministry"? How can we live on mission here and now in our everyday lives? In this episode, we are joined by Tyler Godfrey and Kayla McDonald who not only lead YA Groups here but also led our GenSend Boston team this summer. GenSend's mission is to help develop "everyday, spirit-led missionaries" who view their neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, etc. as potential ground for God to move. Tyler and Kayla share a bit about their experience, wh...
All throughout Scripture and human history, we see God's heart for the world. He desires for His glory to be seen and known among the nations (Ps. 46:10) and that none would perish but all would come to the knowledge of the Truth (1 Tim. 2:3-6). But what can that practically look like in our every day lives? In today's episode, we are joined by our good friend "Reuben" who spent the past two years serving in Russia, Turkey, and Kazakhstan specifically among unreached groups with little to no acc...
We all have a desire to see our lives count. None of us woke up today and thought: "I'd love to waste my life on things that don't matter." Yet, we hear story after story of people getting to then and being filled with regret. How can we ensure that we don't make that same mistake? How can we live a life that makes a difference now, leaves a legacy later, and ripples in eternity? On today's episode, we discuss the biblical pursuit of legacy versus the way the culture tempts us to pursue legacy. ...
In this series, we are diving into how we are meant to relate to and connect with church as followers of Jesus. In today's episode we're asking the question of "what should we be looking for in a church?" As a young adult, this will likely be the most transient season of your life. Odds are you will one day be in a new season of life, a new community, and looking for a new church to connect with. Whether it's moving off to college, transitioning to a new job, or a major life shift like marriage ...
In episode one of our three-part series on the church, we discuss the basic question: "What's up with the Church?" We not only want to talk about what the Church is meant to be but we also want to address the common misconceptions (sometimes rightfully so) people have of the Church. We all have different experiences and expectations that we carry into the Church today but what does Scripture say? Let's lean in and talk about it! Hosts // Sawyer Strickland & Blake Odgers Next YA Gathering // ...
We decided to cancel episode three of "The Bible never said..." to talk about a compelling and potentially controversial topic: Revival . This has been a trendy topic of late and we've seen the word "revival" tossed around quite a bit. What is revival? Why do need it? How do we get it? When do we know it's happening? We want to bring some much-needed clarity to the conversation and cast a compelling vision for revival for our community in these days. Hosts // Sawyer Strickland & Blake Odgers...
This is the second of three episodes discussing things we often hear (or say) that are actually never seen in Scripture. Today's topic is: "The Bible never said that we must live an extraordinary life." Far too often, we see cultural pressures dressed in cheap theology and this is one of them. It's easy to dress the pressures of greatness and influence in missional language that positions Jesus as the mascot for our own selfish ambition. Today's conversation poses the question: "What kind of lif...
This is the first of three episodes discussing things we often hear (or say) that are actually never seen in Scripture. Today's topic is: "The Bible never said that we are all God's children." We believe everyone has inherent value, worth, and dignity as people made in the image of God. However, not everyone is a child of God. Is that true? Where do we get that from? How do we know where we stand? How can we know for sure that we are children of God? Let's talk about it! PSA // YA Gathering is t...
The beginning of 2023 is here. We have a fresh start—a blank canvas—calling for us to pick up the brush and paint something beautiful. That’s the power and hope of The New Year. But the fact of the matter is... we’ve been here; we’ve done this. We’ve been at the end of one year peering over into the next making bold proclamations and heartfelt promises only to see them shattered and broken days (if not hours) later. We make our resolutions with all the best intentions and sincerest motivations b...
At this month's gathering, we were joined by author, speaker, and mental health advocate Hannah Brencher who preached a powerful message from God's Word and gave us practical applications or "battle tactics" in our fight for mental health. Although the recording got cut a little short (our apologies), there is plenty packed into these 30+ minutes for you to build on. Battle Tactics: 1. Get honest with the people around you. 2. Clear out the noise. 3. Learn how to feast. 4. Cultivate lasting disc...
In this week's episode, we continue in our series on the spiritual disciplines by discussing the Christian's call to give (specifically financially). The relationship between humanity and money is a difficult one. In today's market-driven and materialistic society, it's hard to know how Christians are supposed to relate to money. Are we supposed to fear it? Are we supposed to hate it? Are we supposed to pursue it? Thankfully, this isn't unique or new to us. This is a conversation Jesus had many ...
When you serve the Lord or others, do you feel a sense of duty or joy? Have you felt that inner shame of entitlement (desiring to do literally ANYTHING else) while serving and thought, "What is wrong with me?" Do you even really serve at all? We know that Christians are called to have a heart of humility like Jesus that loves and serves others but many of us struggle to really care or want to... On today's episode, our question is simple: How do we cultivate this heart of humility and service? J...
Maybe you're like us and often feel as if your prayers are hitting the ceiling. Maybe you struggle to even start praying at all. We know that God calls us to pray but why? If He's God and He's just going to do His will anyway, then why does praying even matter? In this week's episode, we wrestle through all these questions and how God's Word instructs us to respond. Prayer can be difficult for a host of reasons but the reward of prayer is life-changing in the way God uses it to transform our hea...
You have no choice: we are all being formed by something. However, you can choose who/what you are formed by. We are all becoming someone. Jesus invites us to become someone healthy and whole but this doesn't happen by accident. There is a kind of spiritual resistance and rebellion we must have against the ways and pace of this world in order for us to be formed by the One who designed us and loves us. This takes discipline, courage, and intentionality... but through Christ and by His spirit, it...
One of the common fears amongst the followers of Jesus in our generation is legalism. We believe a lot of this derives from a misunderstanding of what biblical obedience is and the role it should play in our lives. In this episode, we want to take the time to actually define legalism and answer a few questions. What does it mean that Jesus has set us free from the law? Is there any expectation or reason we should prioritize obedience in our lives if we're under grace? If we no longer have to fea...
Continuing in our theological series of topics, it's time to talk about sanctification. Maybe you've heard it said that people can't change... Is that true? Can people change? If so, how do we change? That's what this episode is all about. God's desire for us is that we become like Jesus. Not only does He desire it, but He's given us His Spirit to empower us to actually do it! We can become like the greatest person who has ever lived. Our lives can be filled with power and used by God to influen...
Last month we discussed the fact that by grace through faith in Jesus we have been justified (declared innocent) by God and made righteous in His sight. That changes our position but it doesn't change us... In this episode, we continue our discussions around core doctrines as we dive into the topic of regeneration. We constantly see the term "born again" throughout Scripture but what does it mean? Why is it necessary? How are we born again? And what does it or should it produce in the life of a ...
Did you know you were made and called to glory? That you were made to image God—the most glorious and beautiful being. You were made to rule, to reign, to have dominion—to be a conduit of glory and beauty. But maybe you've noticed -- our lives and our world are filled with brokenness? What happened? Is there any hope for us, for our futures, for our world? Because of Jesus, there is! Check out our initial message of this semester's theme: Redeeming . Prayer & Announcements: Carly Lamp (YA Te...
Over the next few weeks, we are going to talk through some theological terms. As we've read through the New Testament this year we've seen words like "justification", "sanctification", "regeneration", and many more. It's easy to read these words and gloss over them, deeming them as unimportant or assuming we get the general meaning... but the fact of the matter is they carry so much weight to the beauty of what it means to be in Christ and the benefits that come with it! Today, we're asking the ...
