Port City Community Church - Audio Podcast

In episode 53 of the Parent Network Podcast we interview Gina Fimbel on "How to Talk to Your Kids (and Yourself) About Racism." As parents, we are obviously in a unique position to lead our kids in a healthy way, but some of us need to do a little internal work ourselves. If you are a white parent, we hope this conversation will continue to open your eyes to a world we all need to see. If you are a parent of color, we hope this conversation lets you know how much we are in this with you!

We assume caring comes naturally, but often what we care about are only things that impact us. If an issue doesn't influence our world, we don't have to care about it, worry about it, or take the time to understand it. Facts get interpreted through the context of our story. The narrative we tell ourselves influences how we treat people who think differently than us or reside on the other side of an issue. Our understanding of the facts will drive us to defend, which tends to offend. But, Christ doesn't call us to stand on issues, but rather walk with people. We need to exchange our declarations of contempt for a posture of curiosity. To care about something important to someone else is an act of love. Entering someone's story will help us understand. Leaning in to understand is the first step in learning to care.

Nehemiah was perfectly positioned, but he was not entirely prepared for the task before him. That didn't stop Nehemiah from taking action and getting others involved. There are times that God calls us to things that we are not adequately prepared for, ready for, or trained for, and yet He calls us anyway. Our part in God’s work in this world is to participate. We all have a role to play in His work in this world. Dependence on God never leaves us apathetic but pushes us to display compassion and take action. God does His extraordinary work through our ordinary obedience.

The book of Nehemiah isn’t an ancient text detached from our current reality. His story, one that happened long ago, is relevant and challenging to us today. Our current world feels broken. Lives turned upside by the Coronavirus with people losing their jobs and incomes. The tragic reality of racial injustice and inequality can’t be ignored. Brokenness feels extremely heightened for many of us. How should we, as followers of Jesus, respond when things are not as we want them to be, not as they should be? We need only to look at the story of Nehemiah.

In episode 07 Geoff and Sass interview college senior and TSU leader/intern Anna Raines about her journey through all of the family ministries at PC3. She has some great advice for students all along the way and Geoff and Sass may have some good stuff they share too. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share the podcast with your friends!

Challenges and opportunities arise whether we’re ready or not. Your reactions will determine your readiness which is why we must wrestle our thoughts out with a pen. The way to depend requires us to test our perspectives, confront our tendencies, and allow the Holy Spirit to recreate and shape. Readiness isn’t about control, but our response. It’s seen through our dependence on God to guide our steps.

In episode 52 Sass talks to Shelly Kinder and Erica Svab about some really practical parenting ideas as our time of quarantine continues. They offer some simple suggestions and share about real moments from their family life in this season. They also share about a family challenge you can participate in.

We can align yourself on one side of the issue or the other and still completely miss the way of Jesus. We don't bring the Kingdom to the world around us by winning the culture war. We bring the Kingdom by following the King. Jesus lived and taught in a way that challenges, confounds, and confronts. Jesus didn't come to bring an insurrection; He came to bring resurrection. The first place of His rule resides in your heart. What we do in this season matters - it matters to who WE are becoming.

The Port City Students Podcast episode 06 features eighth grader Bailey Willard along with Taylor, Courtney, and Sass. We talk about things like life in quarantine and how Baily is owning more of her faith. Take a listen and share with your friends!

The culture in which we reside shapes our way of life and the way we see the world around us. We need to remain in Christ to be changed. Surrender isn't an event; submission is a struggle, but it is worth it. It's impossible to indulge in our way of life when we remain in His. We can't bypass the formation process.

Our view of a “way” is typically framed by “my way”! We create our own destinies and then try so hard to manage and preserve them. The issues of the world only become a problem when they become a problem for us. Christ calls us to so much more. We must have a concern for what concerns others. Our way goes away when we walk in His way. Surrender means staying close.

In episode 51 of the Parent Network Podcast we step into talking about how parents of college students can lead their kids during this season. We have a conversation with Clay Everett and Kailyn Johnston from the college ministry at Port City and we learn what they are hearing and observing from college students. We then interview the Griffin family who have a college student back at home for this season. In both sections there is some great insight for those of you in this boat.

Waiting is a series of moments. What we do in those moments matters a great deal. Hope remains deferred, and frustration kicks in, as long as we demand it occur on our terms and in our time. When we lay our demands and calculations down, our waiting comes to rest on His goodness and it becomes our hope. Waiting isn’t about our ability to figure out if it’s going to be worth our time, but rather about our willingness to trust that the One we are waiting for is worthy. To be present means we have to show up. We renew our strength by remaining present. Courage is the freedom to trust with our whole heart. As we remain present, we remain hopeful.

Our perspective frames our expectations and projections. Often, we’re not waiting on God; we’re waiting on God to do something we want. What we wait for reveals what we hope in. We need a vision worth waiting for.

Episode 005 goes on the road to LA (or Leland) as Geoff and Sass do some social distance recording with PC3 Leland Student Ministry Coordinator Matt Rabalais and high school junior Jackson Metty. We talk about everything from XBOX to Tik Tok and we hear Geoff share some questionable theology. Oh yeah, we also hear from Jackson about how he is navigating this season, growing in his faith, and leading students younger than him. Lots of laughs and fun times!

In episode 50 we welcome back a familiar voice of the podcast to celebrate a big milestone. We also hear from Mike Ashcraft in the midst of the current crisis and we get some great insight and encouragement in how to lead our kids during this season of life.

We won't admit it, but we often want God's will on our terms. Our intolerance causes us to take matters into our own hands and run ahead while God commands us to wait. We resist waiting not only because it feels passive, but because it's in this place where our will is broken. Faithful waiting requires a posture of dependency, trust, and contentment. We need to set our hopes on God and not on what He will do for us. God's presence is more important than His direction. We won't know His will if we don't know Him. In difficult moments, what we're waiting for is for our hearts to be content and captured by His presence.

In Episode 004 of the Port City Students Podcast Geoff Banks and Taylor Swander talk with high school student Lucy Davis about life, faith, and how she is navigating this season. Lucy shares some great stuff about her love for worship music, what she does for devotions, and how she is growing in her faith. She has some great insight that is encouraging to hear. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share with your friends.

In episode 49 of the Parent Network Podcast Sass, Shelly Kinder, Erica Svab, and Michelle Hufham talk about practical ways to help your family while under a “stay at home” order. We talk about everything from school to meals to good ole family fun. We’re all in the same boat and we hopefully give you some practical ideas to help your family navigate these strange times

God welcomes us to enter into the emotions we feel because He knows the brokenness that we experience matters. Christ possesses the power to create beautiful things out of broken things, including our mess. Spiritual endurance is our willingness to embrace the difficult for the sake of God’s purposes. God’s promise is redemption, not solutions. Some problems never get fixed; they simply get redeemed. Hope looks like patience because God wastes nothing. Patience is the fruitfulness of love. His love is designed to move through us and then out to the world around us.