Connexus Church Audio Podcast

You want to get life right. To live skillfully and even leave a legacy. But what do you do when the real, hard stuff of life happens? Nobody plans to mess life up, but it happens all the time. We try to avoid hard times and mistakes, but they happen. So what do you do in seasons of pain, conflict, doubt, or even success? How do you get them right? In this series, we'll be looking at some of the options out there and how Jesus took a different kind of approach–one that might surprise you but also shapes your heart into more of who you were created to be.

It can be tempting to believe that your failures, struggles, and disappointments will forever determine the outcomes of your life. But there is good news. God isn't finished with you yet, just like he wasn't finished with Jesus after the tomb. Instead, he wants to bring new hope and resurrection to your life's dark and dead places. He wants to restore hope in you through Jesus.

Experience a meaningful Good Friday service that includes music, scripture, and communion. Join us for Good Friday as we share in communion with our friends and family to reflect on the significance of the unique love Jesus displayed for each one of us.

Life has a way of throwing circumstances our way that we can't understand or make sense of. When this happens, how can you trust God?

Sometimes it feels like you don't know where your life is headed, or how to understand what is happening around you. How do you discover God's will for your life? And what do you do when it feels like reality isn't matching up with your hopes?

Storms of life come whether we are ready or not. How can you persevere and find hope in the midst of them?

Stories. They are the accounts of who we are. It's the summary of our stories that build our lives. Nothing is more personal than authentically listening to or sharing your story

If you were asked how Jesus lived his life on earth as a blessing, chances are you would say healings, the crucifixion, or preaching, but you probably wouldn't say eating. However, when you look at the life of Jesus he spent much of his time at parties connecting with people and serving them. What if the key to making an impact and rekindling relationships in our polarized society is as simple as having dinner together? What if at the heart of being human is humility itself?

Over the last two years, your friendship circles have shrunk and your social skills have likely atrophied alongside them. On top of that, you can feel an awkwardness about some of your friends. Things seem more polarized, even divided. But here's what's exciting. As we rekindle relationships on the backside of restrictions, the Holy Spirit wants us to invite him into our conversations. It's not another task to do, but a way of intentionally being yourself. In this series, we'll be looking at the secret to authentically living out your faith in a way where you see God change your friend's lives as you live yours. It's not a program or even a radical change, it's the possibility that opens up with an intentional shift that anyone can make, and we're excited to share it with you.

For God so loved the world. What does that mean? Did Jesus really come FOR you? To pursue you? How did he do that and what does it mean? What invitation is extended to us?

So, God gives you a word or a message but then what? Jonah didn't want to hear the message God gave him at first, so God again spoke to Jonah with the same message for a second time. God gave Jonah a second chance to live out the purpose He had called him to. What about you? Have you ever felt like you've needed a second chance with God? In the final part of this series, Mark challenges us to remove the distractions and refocus on the mission God has called us to; to share the hope of Jesus.

Ever think that God is done with you? That it's too late to start over? You aren't the only one who has thought that. In this message, Mark Clark walks us through a turning point for Jonah in the Book of Jonah.

Jonah was going about his life, just going through the motions. He lived with fears, doubts, insecurities and even ran from God when He called out to him. What about you? If you inserted your name where Jonah's is - how similar would that description be of your life currently? The good news is that God wants to use you in spite of who you are or what you've done, not because of you.

To realize your calling seven days a week involves something the culture doesn't understand. Rather than making your life about getting, the Gospel will challenge you to make it about giving.

Our culture is more divided than ever—vaxxed versus unvaxxed, masks versus no masks, conservatives versus progressives, church attenders who gather versus attenders who don't. Even Christians are at a loss to know how to respond. Enter the radical idea of the church. Going to church produces a group of people who reflect culture. Being the church produces a group of people who change culture.

One of the challenges of being alive today is that information comes at you from every direction 24/7. You know too much. And yet you also don't know enough. Because the most helpful information is being forgotten or lost. All of this takes us back to the Garden of Eden. This week, you'll discover why having the knowledge of God without the wisdom of God can kill. And you'll also see how knowing the wisdom of God can change everything for you.

If you've ever started watching a movie halfway through, not only is it almost impossible to figure out what's happening, but it can look like there's no hope for the end. But then you get to the end of the movie, and things resolve...often beautifully. Life is like that because the gospel is like that. God wins in the end. And as hard as that seems to believe, that means he's winning now.

God's plan for our lives is that we would "run and not grow weary, walk and not faint." Sometimes we struggle to step into all that he has planned for us due to the weight we carry from our past. There is a better way. Because of what Jesus did at the cross, God has made a way for us to live our lives unburdened.

Every generation of Jesus followers is responsible to ensure the news of the Christian faith stays true to the original. So are you good news? What if you're the only news someone gets?

The original message of Jesus was so compelling that everyone who heard it wanted it to be true. Maybe the version you've heard isn't as captivating. If Jesus truly offered an invitation that left no one out, would you consider it really good news?

People close to Jesus were convinced they had met good personified. So they documented the story. They were convinced it wasn't just for a nation or for a generation, but for all nations and every generation. This was good news, great joy, for all people—perhaps especially for those of us who aren't all that good.

Like many people, you might find the Holy Spirit to be a bit of a mystery, however, scripture teaches that the Spirit can be the source of power in your life; an opportunity to experience God and even live supernaturally. But many of us don't live that way. So where do you start?

Like many people, you might find the Holy Spirit to be a bit of a mystery, however, scripture teaches that the Spirit can be the source of power in your life; an opportunity to experience God and even live supernaturally. But many of us don't live that way. So where do you start?

Like many people, you might find the Holy Spirit to be a bit of a mystery, however, scripture teaches that the Spirit can be the source of power in your life; an opportunity to experience God and even live supernaturally. But many of us don't live that way. So where do you start?

"In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit". You've probably heard this phrase to describe God as some part of a ceremony or service. You know what a father and a son are, but what is a 'Holy Spirit'? How do you even relate to God as a 'Spirit? Is it a transcendent encounter, an emotion you feel, or a weird ghost or aura? Like many people, you might find the Holy Spirit to be a bit of a mystery, however, scripture teaches that the Spirit can be the source of power in your life; an opportunity to experience God and even live supernaturally. But many of us don't live that way. So where do you start?

The deadly sin of sloth will affect your life physically, intellectually, and spiritually. It can find expression in laziness and idleness. Be intentional with your time and energy on the mission of loving and serving God and others to enjoy Jesus now, in daily sacrifice.

Lust is a strong passion of longing, especially for sexual desire, when we objectify another person for our own personal pleasure. It is not a private sin but also destroys the lives of others. Fight this sin actively and help one another pursue the ultimate pleasure/fulfillment found only in Jesus.

Anger is a desire for vengeance, an emotion of resentment toward others or circumstances that arise out of self-preservation and one's life or ego being challenged or threatened. Anger is not inherently evil. Recognize when it is sinful, placing one's life or ego above all else, and learn how to fight it. Be challenged to take on a righteous, holy anger that helps correct injustices and expresses God's righteousness.

Envy is an emotion that occurs when another person's success or excellence overshadows your personal well-being based on our comparisons. The sin is rooted in believing that God is not good enough in your own life. Counter this vice with kindness, and taking on the posture of Jesus - desiring the happiness of others instead of their harm. How do we fight it? Envy is countered with kindness. Kindness desires the happiness of another person, not their harm. Kindness is composed not of heroic acts of virtue, but small, daily, regular acts of goodness towards another.

The conversations you have most often are the ones you have in your own mind. And if you are honest, they are likely more negative than positive. Sometimes what you hear comes from your past, while other messages are lies you've picked up over time, and others show up as anxiety and self-doubt. Here's what's critical: How you think tends to become how you live your life. What if it were possible to move towards internal freedom and win the war in your mind?

The conversations you have most often are the ones you have in your own mind. And if you are honest, they are likely more negative than positive. Sometimes what you hear comes from your past, while other messages are lies you've picked up over time, and others show up as anxiety and self-doubt. Here's what's critical: How you think tends to become how you live your life. What if it were possible to move towards internal freedom and win the war in your mind?

Do you wonder if you're the only one with a messy, complicated, or even anxious headspace You're not alone. We all need tools to help us conquer the inner critic in our heads and this message Pastor Jeff Brodie shares some super practical tools with us!

How to Deal With Your Inner Critic - the conversations you have most often are the ones you have in your own mind. And if you are honest, they are likely more negative than positive. Sometimes what you hear comes from your past, other messages are lies you've picked up over time, others show up as anxiety and self-doubt. Here's what's critical - how you think tends to become how you live your life. What if it was possible to move towards internal freedom and win the war in your mind?

What makes you happy? Don't think too hard about your answer ... what comes to mind first? Good food, cheering for your favourite team, an afternoon of shopping, or sitting on the beach. But what about God? Have you ever thought about his happiness? In this message, Ben unpacks how God's happiness is tied to ours and what that means for our lives.

So you're on the journey of rebuilding something that matters--your relationship with your daughter, your marriage, your personal finances. But as you're making progress, the distractions start to creep in. A few extra hours at the office, some extra time on Netflix, the opinions of your friends when you say no to their invitation. So what do you do? How do you stop getting distracted from rebuilding what matters most?

Whatever road you take in life, you're going to meet resistance and obstacles. How do you handle that? Do you push through it? Avoid it? Meet it? When you are trying to rebuild but things are standing in your way, is there a path through? In this message, we'll discover how to rebuild the broken parts of your life, even when you meet resistance head on.

When you look at the brokenness in your life, it can be hard to see a way out. And what are the practical steps to fix what's broken? How do you rebuild the broken parts of your life? What can you do, today, to heal what's hurting? In this message, we'll share 3 practical steps you can take towards 'Rebuilding You'.

What do you do when you feel broken inside? If you're honest, after the year we've had, you don't have to look very far to see brokenness in the world around you--or in your own life. You see people you love facing mental health challenges, marriage struggles, sickness, and even financial hardship. On the other hand, you and I are rebuilders! God calls us to be a force for change in the world. We love a good restoration, makeover, or story of redemption. But where do we start? How do you rebuild your broken world?

Our world, in many ways, is about pursuing what's next, what's better, what's greater. Greatness has really taken on a whole new level in our lives, and people of every age and stage are looking for the next best way to achieve greatness. A better job, a bigger house, a more successful business, a happier family, a higher education--it's all a constant pursuit that on the other side can sometimes leave us with regrets. We have all been made, even created, with something in us that desires greatness. But how do we have true greatness without regrets?

We want to be open-minded, but we naturally resist things we can't control or don't understand. So how can we learn to be open to changing our ideals and beliefs, especially if we may be wrong about something? It begins with a simple prayer.

Jesus told his followers to pray to avoid temptation. But before we can pray that with a clear conscience, there are some things we need to ask ourselves first.

If God already knows my needs, why pray? Because the purpose of prayer is to surrender your will, not impose it.

At one time or another, we've all been told we should pray. But how should we pray? Jesus's disciples had the exact same question.

When you look at scripture and the world around you, do you see God as a God of abundance or a God of scarcity? How you see the world impacts your generosity. Jesus teaches on money throughout the four Gospels because he knows it is a major competitor for your heart. Money is what we use to obtain what we possess in our lives. What if generosity with your funds is vital to your contentment? What if the ancient practice of tithing could be a key to happiness in your life?

Our stuff and the money we buy it with are a part of our everyday lives. We talk about them often. However, when Jesus begins to challenge us on how we manage our resources, we can feel emotionally reluctant. Why is that? On one hand, we live in one of the wealthiest parts of the world, and yet there's something about our consumer-driven culture that leaves us unsatisfied. What drives that dissatisfaction? And what if we did listen to what Jesus has to say about it?

What does the bible say about managing resources? How do you actually live a kingdom-first life? Like practically ... what does that really mean? ⁠ ⁠ You work hard for your money and contentment ... which grants you the ability to pay for the things you need, buy the stuff you want, and afford the experiences you enjoy.⁠ ⛳🚘🎣⁠ ⁠ But does living a kingdom-first life mean you have to give all that up?⁠

Too much stuff? Let's face it. The ease of hitting "add to cart" is a little too easy Then that package shows up on your front porch and it's exciting. If we're all honest, being home has brought out the shopping bug in all of us to fill the void of missing out. You know deep down that it only gives you a little happiness and then you're looking for the next thing to lift your spirits. What if true contentment came through something else, even something spiritual?

Over the last 15 months, our church has continued to be FOR people, and we've positioned ourselves to reach more people into the future. Lowering case counts and an increase in vaccinated individuals make us optimistic about opportunities to gather safely in the near future. So what does that mean for Connexus Church for the rest of 2021 as we reach people with the hope of Jesus? And how can you be a part of it?

They say that all work and no play makes jack a dull boy - could that be more true than you might think? What if play, and rest, was a crucial key to firing on all cylinders in every area of your life?

The pandemic has changed how we experience our work and see our purpose. One recent study shows that one in four employees is seriously considering a job change. While more people are working from home, others are on the front lines. Then there's the work of home life. You will likely work 90,000 hours in your lifetime, so work is worth thinking about. Work impacts your happiness, your health, and even shapes who you become. What if your understanding of work is distorted? What if it's not about changing your job, but changing the way you see your life? What if work could be different?