Connexus Church Audio Podcast

From the Christian down the road who never practices what he preaches, to witch hunts, to the crusades, what is the deal with Christians who look nothing like Jesus? You told us that the hypocrisy of Christians is one of the top problems you have with God. So let's go there.

Here's the question millions of people have asked: God is good and if God is all-powerful, why is there suffering? Every world religion and worldview (including atheism and agnosticism) has to answer that question. Christianity has an unbelievably different kind of answer that almost everyone misses.

So many people believe there's an irreconcilable tension between science and Christianity. If you become a Christian, you can't embrace science. If you embrace science, you can't have faith. What if faith and reason aren't enemies, but friends?

So maybe you think that to believe in God requires a giant leap of faith. And maybe you think that essentially, there's zero evidence for God's existence apart from the Bible. Is that true? Is there any evidence for God outside of scripture or blind belief? We'll explore those questions in part one of The Problem of God.

Why is it some people go through extraordinarily tough times and are broken, while others are not? Check out this secret to weathering the storms of life.

Starting Sunday January 14th we begin a new series - "The Problem of God - Facing the Top Questions Skeptics Ask". In this bonus episode, Carey interviews Problem of God author, Mark Clark, about his book. We can't wait to see you and your friends for this incredible series this January.

The Christmas story is a strange one, and for Mary, it really didn't make sense at all. Which is exactly what can give you hope when your story doesn't make sense.

It's overwhelming to think about how God uses His Church to bring the hope of Jesus to people in communities around the world. As we reflect on what God has done through Connexus we see His faithfulness time and time again. God is building the Church around the world by changing lives, and He is allowing all of us to be a part of it. We're excited about seeing more people's lives changed by the hope of Jesus in Orillia, Barrie and beyond!

Surprisingly, selfishness isn't always a product of narcissism or pure ego. Often it's the product of insecurity. The me-monster inside of you won't die because you're so worried you don't measure up, that you're not enough, and as a result, you really don't like yourself. Which is why you can't stop thinking about yourself. And it's damaging your relationships, your parenting and even your performance at work.

We all dream of being rich enough to give money away, but what if that day never comes? After all, right now you have bills to pay, mouths to feed and debts to pay off. What if generous living had nothing to do with how much you make, but with what you do with what you make?

He's supposed to complete you, and she's everything you've been looking for. The power in a relationship comes from what you get from someone, right? Maybe that's exactly why you can't find the satisfaction you're looking for.

There's a monster inside most of us—a me-monster, and it's rarely satisfied. It always wants a little more, makes demands of others, wants to take, not give and thinks about what it can get out of anything. The monster screams 'feed me', so you do, but it's never satisfied. What do you do with it?

At some point in our attempts to get the most out of life, we lose control of our lives. We try to force one more thing in to our already busy lives and we reach a breaking point. Too much pressure causes an emotional breakdown. Too much debt causes a financial breakdown. Or maybe you're on the verge of a breakdown in your relationships. What do you do when your worklife is so full you don't have time for the people who matter most?

We live in a culture that continually tells us to pursue a higher standard of living in order to improve our quality of life. But "standard of living" and "quality of life" aren't the same thing. One has to do with the stuff we accumulate. The other is about the peace we experience regardless of our circumstances. What if your pursuit of a standard of living is undermining your quality of life?

We're all busy. Our schedules are packed with career, family, friends, church, and other responsibilities. Sometimes our days are so full that we don't enjoy anything because we're trying to do everything. Our relationship with God and with others benefits when we create breathing room in our schedules. But where do we start?

Our lives are busy and fast-paced. The lack of margin increases our stress and shortens our tempers. It can distract us from the most important things in our lives . . . and our relationships suffer. It can even affect our relationship with God because there's a connection between our willingness to create margin and our faith. Life is better with breathing room.

Sometimes your running is over, but if you're really honest, you're still mad. We meet Jonah at the end of the story, and he's angry. Angry at God, angry at life. You can run away from God, but as we'll see, for some strange reason, God doesn't run away from runaways.

So what does God do with runaways? Especially stubborn ones who have adopted a lifestyle that completely dishonours him? He loves them. So many people who run from God think God is mad at them. God may be angry at the running, but he loves runners.

You can try to escape God, but your escapism actually provides no escape. We meet Jonah as Jonah meets a sovereign God who traps him. Trying to escape God is futile, but we try anyway, don't we?

At some level, all of us are running from something. Your past. The future. Your job. Your family. God. There are 1000 reasons to want to escape. Any idea what you're running from? And why?

Once upon a time, Jesus stood against the injustice of the Roman empire and the hypocrisy of religious leaders. He changed the course of human history. What will our Once upon a time… story be?

What if our faith was characterized by fearlessness, humility, confidence in Jesus, and love of others? Imagine how that would change the world around us.

We see daily news reports about violence and terrorism. The world can feel like a dangerous place. Surrounded by uncertainty, it's difficult not to be afraid. But Jesus offers us another option.

Our culture celebrates autonomy. Not needing to go to any more meetings. Not needing to answer the phone. Having enough money and enough health that you can do exactly what you want to do, when you want to do it. But what if your fulfillment is not found in isolation, but actually playing a part in something greater than yourself? What if there were a multitude of people waiting, hoping that you would play your part?

70% of people admit to being disengaged at work. That includes people who got their dream job, only to discover it was hardly a dream. Why is work so frustrating? And how can you spend your time and energy in ways that are far more fulfilling? God has something fairly radical to say about work that could completely change your attitude and your satisfaction.

Sometimes it's hard to know what you should really be doing with your life. Other times the trajectory of your life can be clear but it doesn't have the meaning you hoped for. What were you put on this earth to do? What if discovering more of who God made you to be, can help you discover more of His purposes for you?

So you probably think the angst you feel in life some days will get better if you were more gifted, or you had money or fame. Most people find just the opposite—the more you have, the less fulfilled you feel. Why is that? Why is it that some of the most gifted people are the most miserable. And where does your dis-satisfaction come from?

When you have a mess to address, first options aren't usually the best options. First options often make messes messier. In this message, Andy explores an approach that can take the -er out of your messy situations.

Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. But that's easier said than done. What are the limits of our responsibility to others? The answer may surprise you.

A common misperception is that the Christian life is all about avoiding messes and staying out of trouble. But following Jesus isn't about avoiding something; it's about becoming something.

I know a mess when I see one because I am a mess. When we acknowledge our messes, we're a baby step away from acknowledging God. Your mess has the potential to bring God near you.

Whether we're religious or not, we've all been in, are in, or are only one decision away from a mess. But there's a powerful connection between your messes and your relationship with God.

Every week you spend time with people who don't know Jesus, and opportunities to have a conversation come up. How exactly do you have a good conversation with someone about your faith? How do you start and what do you even say? Jesus gives us a few examples of conversations he had with people on the journey to faith. Let's look at his example of how to have a truth and grace filled conversation about faith.

How do you have meaningful conversations - even friendships - with people who are radically different that yiou and who don't share the same values as you do? Few are better at doing this that Rose Zacharias Meeder. A married woman with four kids, Rose has built many friendships with people from the divorced, to the Buddhist, to the atheist. In this podcast - Rose walks us through how not to be weird while having meaningful conversations with those around us.

In a culture where people are spiritually curious, they are looking for people who are willing to have open and honest conversations. At the same time, it can be difficult to understand someone's journey to Jesus. When does God show up in someone's life? How do we play a role in that? How do we trust God to show up? How do they trust us as a safe person to help them on their journey?

If you've ever met a Christian, you know that we aren't always good at talking about what we believe. If you are a Christian, you may have experienced how talking about your relationship with Jesus can feel weird, scary, or just make you feel incompetent. What if you could change that? We'll see how Jesus and early Christians had spiritual conversations in a culture where it was taboo, and how sharing your faith is easier than you think.

Maybe it started when we were kids, but most often find ourselves wanting just a little more. For most of us, that's also true of money. The problem is more is it has no end point. If you don't make your money serve God, you'll make money god.

People who were not like Jesus liked Jesus, and he liked them back. Since the church is the body of Christ, people should be drawn to Jesus followers. Even if they don't agree with the message of the church, they should like the church. So, why isn't that true?

What do you do when people hurt you? Sometimes it seems impossible to forgive. Revenge is about what you want from someone. Forgiveness is about what you want for them-and ultimately for you. Few people show us how to practice forgiveness better than King David.

Family stirs up such mixed emotions. It's often the source of our deepest joy and our deepest wounds. And the people closest to you seem to drive you the most crazy. Why is that? And what can you do about it?

How do you know you really love someone? Believe it or not, much of what masquerades as love in our culture is actually lust. How do you know the difference?

What do you do when work just feels like, well, work? The grind of putting in your time just doesn't seem worth it anymore, but is there any other way? Do you remember when the idea of work was exciting, life-giving, and came with great rewards? Why does it feel like it's boring, draining, and meaningless?

When your stress leads you to the end of your rope, what should you do? Simple. Change what's at the end of your rope. Swap out your big fear for a big God. Today, we'll show you how to do that.

You can practice everything we've talked about so far to help you lessen your worry, anxiety and stress. But sometimes that's not enough. What if a large part of the problem with your stress is the source and frequency of the information pouring into your life. Has the rise of social media and 24/7 communication made it easier to be at peace, or more difficult? And what can you do about it?

Dealing with stress as an adult is one thing. But what about your kids? More and more teens seem to struggle with stress, worry, anxiety and depression than ever before. In this message, Carey not only looks at scripture, he interviews Dr. Rob Meeder, a pediatrician who specializes in treating teens and children for depression and anxiety. Together, they'll share practical ways to help destress your kids and help them deal with anxiety.

Understanding the source of your stress is one thing. But what can you do about it? After all, so much of life feels out of control: work, how people respond to you, your family, the political situation. The question is...if God is in control, is there anything you can or even should do about these things. What's your role? And what's God's role?

So you're stressed, worried or even anxious. What's going on? Well, if you dig a little deeper, it's like your stress and anxiety are tied to a rope that has something at the end….often, something that's hidden from you. What's at the end of your rope can tell you a lot about why you worry and how to reduce your anxiety.

We all want to be friended, followed, linked, and mentioned. We all want to be recognized, admired, sought after, and envied. We hunger for approval. We want applause. We want to be known. But what do you do when there is no amount of "known" that will satisfy your appetite?

Maybe you're a "Three P" person—you have power, prestige, and possessions. You have influence. You are envied. People take you seriously because of what you've accomplished, what you look like, or who you're married to. There's nothing wrong with being a "Three P" person. But when it comes to pride, "Three P" people face a unique challenge.

There is a sin that is so common to the human experience, it is the gateway to all other sins. It promises to make us bigger, better, and more important, but only makes us smaller and meaner. It strips us of our capacity to connect with others. It stands between us and our heavenly Father.