Willow Creek Community Church Weekend Podcast

Money is one of the top sources of anxiety and relational strain, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Proverbs is full of practical wisdom that leads to financial freedom and good stewardship. Regardless of your financial state, learn how you can untangle from the stress and pressure our culture places on money.

Living a life with no regrets - is that possible?  It might seem impossible, and it’s certainly hard, but God has a plan and has always used all your experiences for good, even the ones we might regret now. So how do we move on, turning those regrets into positive changes that benefit us in the here and now?  Pastor Dave takes us through Proverbs 7, Psalm 143 and why it is beneficial to “enter through the narrow gate”, as Matthew 7:13-14 tells us.

What is a strong work ethic and why does God think it’s important, no matter what you do for work? Whether you are in your dream career or whether you are working just to pay the bills, every day when you go to work your job provides you a platform; a place to do ministry. This week we look at Proverbs 14 and Colossians 3, and discuss how to work well.

How to make friends as an adult and the wisdom God has given us in the Proverbs to help us meet new friends and be a good friend back. Yes, God is concerned with your relationships and wants to give you His best advice on how to make friends, and, specifically, good friends. God Himself declared, “It is not good for man to be alone”. Pastor Dave looks at Proverbs 6 and how this verse is packed with great advice for finding, and being, a good friend.

We’re kicking off our Life Hacks series; a dive into the Book of Proverbs and all the wisdom it contains, with Megan Marshman.  Who wrote the Proverbs? And why? This week we get basic, but fascinating, as we explore the author and their intentions for Proverbs in the Bible, and what we can learn from them today. We look at Proverbs 1, 2, and 3.

In the second part of our two-part series, Future Focus, Pastor Dave talks about how we can serve the world by becoming a volunteer at church. The church is representative of the body of Jesus, and we can all represent Him through our own work at church. We all have unique spiritual gifts we can use to help revolutionize our own local community, throughout our state, and even the world! Every person matters, and everyone has a place on a team within our local church.

We believe God has put you in your neighborhood, workplace, and family for a reason: to shine as light and share the hope of Jesus with those around you. At times, sharing faith with others can feel overwhelming. Learn how you can influence others and develop a rhythm of asking God which one person He is putting in your life to BLESS so they can experience God’s love in practical ways–no strings attached.

We all love the meaning held in one of the most popular Christmas movies of all time, How The Grinch Stole Christmas. The population of the Whoville doesn’t allow the Grinch (2000) to steal their joy because it comes from inside of them, not from external sources. So how can we stop a grinch and keep our joy in the season? The holidays can be marked by stresses that threaten to take our hearts and eyes off the true meaning of Christmas. Pastor Megan Marshman explores Matthew 2 to help us keep our eyes locked on the real key to Christmas joy (hint: it’s not the perfect photo, ham or lights!)

There are some obvious references to God and the Bible in the classic Christmas movie–It's a Wonderful Life. George Bailey encounters an angel who shows him exactly the impact his life has had on the town of Bedford Falls. This parallels the story of Jesus and how He came down to the world in a very dark time to impact everyone on earth's lives positively. Pastor Dave uses Romans 15 and Luke 2 to demonstrate how real joy can be found in the Lord, even in the darkest moments of our lives.

We’re kicking off Christmas At The Movies with one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time–Elf! You’re probably wondering–how does Elf, from 2003, have anything to do with the Christmas story in the Bible? Pastor Dave will use Matthew 1 to relate Buddy the Elf’s family reunion story to how Joseph dealt with the news of Mary's pregnancy and the stress that it brought. Stay tuned each week as we exploremore classic Christmas movies and how they relate to the Bible and our lives.

As we head towards Christmas, post-Thanksgiving, we want to take a position of gratitude as we give our time and resources to others. Do you have a family tradition of volunteering at Christmas? Are there people you give more time, effort, and help too?   Christmas is a time when we remember to give to our loved ones and to give to others in celebration of the birth of Jesus. It is important to do so out of our personal gratitude to God.  Meghan Marshman teaches from 1 Thessalonians 5, "give thanks in all circumstances."

This week we look at a man in the Bible called Naaman of Aram, from 2 Kings, who struggled with finding gratitude over his owngreatness. Sometimes we can get in the way of our gratitude, just like Naaman, by not being a good listener. Naaman's story also remindsus that it's the simple things we need to do to show our gratitude to God. How much can you relate to Naaman of Aram, and what can youdo to listen well to what God is calling you to?

Have you ever given a gift to someone and they didn’t say thank you? Not a great feeling! Luke 17 tells the story of Jesus healing ten men with leprosy, and only one returned to express gratitude. Let’s learn how we can recognize God’s goodness in our lives and respond with thankfulness.

This week our Online Associate Pastor, Faith Schiller, teaches us what it would look like to "grow younger" in the church. In Acts 1:8 and Matthew 4, Jesus demonstrates His commitment to bridging intergenerational divides by giving leadership positions to teenagers. Consider how we might reach the people who will carry the church beyond ourselves and how we could learn from their perspectives, bringing everyone together and celebrating diversity.

We welcome special guest pastor Andy Stanley!  Jesus modeled how it is possible to disagree politically and still love unconditionally. Pastor Andy Stanley shows us how, instead of being "in it to win it," Jesus came to lose intentionally. On purpose, but with a purpose. How can we become more Christlike by seeking to understand and love across the divide?

Is Jesus the Only Way?

We will never be able to fully love like Jesus if we don’t choose to walk humbly with God. Jesus Himself, who was fully God, humbled himself to become man and face death on a cross. What would it look like if you set aside your position or pride and chose humility instead?

It can be easy to see the way others are “sinning” or falling short, but when faced with the opportunity to shame a woman caught in adultery, Jesus instead challenged the onlookers by saying, “He who is without sin can cast the first stone.” Showing mercy is central to the Gospel—discover ways you can better love like Jesus by choosing a posture of mercy.

Justice is at the heart of God; it’s central to loving like Jesus. Learn from Micah 6:8 and the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10) to discover what it means to seek justice in a world plagued with injustice.

We’ve talked a lot about taking next steps with Jesus, growing in maturity as Christ-followers. I John 4 uses the word “abide” six different times in just a few verses, echoing Jesus’ own words in John 15. This week we continue to explore that salvation is restoration of divine attachment, that growth is not a manufactured series of checklists and steps but a constant “abiding,” or making our home with God.