Real Faith for Real Life

Sometimes, it can feel like there's a chasm between Sunday and Monday. We don't bring the sorrows and joys of our work with us before the Lord in worship, and we don't bring the worship of God out of the sanctuary into the rest of the week either. This special bonus episode is all about how to bridge that gap. Pastor Bill interviews Noah Toly, Katie Roelofs, and Brittany Deyoung about the upcoming Work & Worship Seminar on Jan. 31 and shares how you can be a part of it!

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you worked for the Lord? In Colossians, Paul says we should work as if we're working for the Lord because ultimately, we are! It isn't just pastors and ministry leaders who have a calling from God. The Bible says that everyone has a calling! But how do you serve God as a plumber, barista, or architect? We break it down in this week's podcast!

Many people find work to be a place of anxiety, stress, burnout, and difficult people. Last week, on the podcast, we learned that God is a worker and gave work to humanity as a gift in paradise. But not many people perceive it as a gift today. Why is that? Sin has damaged God's good gift to us. Although work is not the curse, it is under the curse. In this week's podcast, we look at how to find meaning in the midst of this dynamic.

Many think work is a necessary evil, just something we have to do to survive. But what if there is more to the story? In the Bible, the origin story of work starts on page 1, where we learn that God himself is a worker and created humans to work with and for him in paradise! Work was actually part of God's good design for us -- not a punishment on us. The key is seeing our work as a way of partnering with God to help protect the world and to see it flourish!

We spend half our waking hour at work -- 96,000 over the course of a lifetime! And yet a new study found that almost half of people in the US hate work so much they wouldn't wish it on their worst enemy. A full 33 percent are disengaged, and 19 percent are miserable!

We believe your work matters to God, and it has eternal significance! To help you see the connection, we're offering a seminar on Jan. 31. In this podcast, Pastor Bill interviews the keynote speaker, Dr. Cory Willson, author of the book Work and Worship. They talk about work...

In the final part of our series on mission and vision, Pastor Bill sits down with Connections Director Julie Beezhold to talk about community outreach. In the previous episode, we talked about who our neighbors are. In this episode, we talk about how we might begin to reach the many, many people who need to know the love of Christ!

As we refreshed our church's mission and vision, it was critical that we learned about the intersection of our church's gifts and our community's needs. But who are our neighbors? To learn more about the people who live near us, we used a great tool called MissionInsite. It told us about who they are and ways we can reach them! Pastor Bill shares highlights from this study in this video.

This season, we are talking about the health of our church. In this episode, Pastor Bill and Pastor Eric take a deep dive into data about the strength and growth areas of our congregation. Our vision consultant surveyed the congregation, called together various focus groups, and brought together the congregation to help interpret the data. What we found provides a helpful path forward to even more strength and health!

As part of our Vision Refresh process, our consultant surveyed the congregation, called together various focus groups, and conducted a congregational meeting. We were very encouraged but the results, which depicted our church as thriving in almost every way! In this video, Pastor Bill walks us through an overview of the data and puts it in historical context by reviewing recent history since the last visioning effort. In the next video, we'll dive even deeper into the results of our work with the congregation.

In part two of our series about the mission and vision of our church, we examine our priorities for the future and the next steps we are planning. Pastor Bill sits down to talk with Larry Doornbos, the consultant we used throughout the process, to discuss how uniquely blessed our church is!

In the new season of Real Faith for Real Life, Pastor Bill will walk us through the newly refreshed mission and vision of Cascade Fellowship. We'll discover how the church discerned God's calling and how it is following the Lord's leading. We start with an overview of the first phase of the Vision Refresh process and its outcomes.

If you've taken the step of starting a spiritual conversation with someone this holiday season, what comes next? If possible, it is great to keep the conversation goin, as you continue to develop your relationship. We have some practical tips on how to do that in this final part of the series.

Sharing your faith can be scary, but what if it all starts with listening well and developing a genuine friendship? In this episode, we talk about how important listening is in the process of sharing the gospel with people this holiday season.

This season, we're demystifying the process of sharing Jesus during the holidays with friends and family. If you want to have good spiritual conversations, it may be helpful to take some time and map out your moment. Consider what days and times might provide the opportunity to strike up a conversation. In this episode, we'll help you consider when it would be most appropriate and when it may be less appropriate.

This season, we're giving you practical advice on how to share Jesus over the holidays. An important step is thinking about how you would start a spiritual conversation. In this episode, we talk about how questions can often be the best way to get going!

We all love giving and receiving meaningful gifts. This season, many of us want to give someone the gift of the gospel message, but we're not sure how to get started. In this five-episode mini-series, we'll demystify the process of starting spiritual conversations. Step one is to make a list of those you'd like to talk to and to begin to pray over the list.

In our season finale, we take on the most common questions you submitted -- How were people saved in the Old Testament? Pastor Bill interviews Old Testament Professor Wilson Cunha to answer this and related questions.

As we continue with our series that seeks to answer your hardest questions, Pastor Bill and Pastor Eric address a very difficult issue on this episode. How do we approach different views on abortion? They outline legal, medical, logical, and biblical reasons the pro-life point of view is reasonable. And they urge that Christians approach the issue with care and concern for all involved.

In this special episode, RaeAnne Porte shares her journey in finding freedom from eating disorders. She says she found freedom by trusting God rather than food or fitness. Only he can provide ultimate security, comfort, and meaning. Wherever you are in life, you can find the same freedom through faith!

In this very special edition of the podcast, Pastor Bill interviews our missionary to Israel. He shares a bit about his calling and his perspective on current events.

Why is it that Christians often strongly emphasize some verses while skimming over or skipping over others? Bill, Eric and JP have some ideas and practical examples in this week's episode. In addition, they engage with your feedback and see who is up on Gen Z slang!

How can God judge us if we all sin? How do we know if our relationship with him is good enough to go to heaven? How do we keep going after failing? Bill, JP, and Eric address these important questions on this week's podcast!

In this episode, Bill, Eric, and JP take on your follow-up questions about swearing and suicide, as well as a new question about saving and investing.

Religion and politics are two of the most divisive issues today. What happens when you bring them together? Find out on this episode, as Bill, Eric, and JP tackle your toughest questions!

When we feel God's presence, how do we hang on to that and carry it with us through our everyday lives? Why does God let sinful Christians teach the Gospel when he knows we will mess it up? Why does life seem good and happy without God? Bill, Eric, and JP tackle these tough questions on the show this week!

In this episode, we take on your toughest questions about God, the Bible, and the Christian faith. What does the Bible say about swear words? How do we use our words to honor God? How do we express our anger, concerns, and doubts, to people and to God, while remaining meek and gentle? What does the Bible say about mental health and suicide? Bill, Eric, and JP tackle this and more!

We kick off the fall season of our podcast by introducing you to one of our new hosts, JP Gaylord!

The Lord’s Supper is the sacrament God uses to assure of that we share in Christ's benefits. It is a visible reminder that Jesus' body and blood were given for us. Just as food and drink strengthen our bodies, God is at work in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper to nourish our souls.

Baptism is the sacrament God uses to incorporate us into his covenant family. Just as water washes dirt away from our body, so Jesus blood washes away our soul's impurities. This is beautifully communicated in the waters of baptism.

God calls each of us to a life of gratitude, and a very important way we express our thanks to him is through prayer. For this reason, prayer is a vital part of our relationship with God. Jesus gave us a model prayer that can help us understand how God wants us to pray.

The Ten Commandments show us God’s character and his will for all who follow him. God is not a cosmic killjoy. He created life and knows how it is best lived. Just like any Father, he wants the best for us and doesn’t want us to hurt ourselves. When we show people this better way of living, we put him on display!

Good works have a role in the life of Christians. While we are not saved by good works, we are saved to do good works. Everyone who has been redeemed is also being restored into the image of Christ God calls us to a life-long process of turning away from sin and toward God's will. Doing this shows our gratitude to God for salvation, wins our neighbors over to Christ, and assures us of our faith by its fruits.

Who is God? The Bible affirms that there is only one God but also calls the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit God. We will explore the mystery of the Trinity in this podcast and talk about the unique role each member of the Trinity plays in our salvation.

2:45 - Review
7:06 - Trinity
13:08 - God the Father
22:37 - God the Son
46:24 - God the Spirit
51:51 - Discussion

Jesus won a great victory over sin and death. How can we benefit from his victory? The Bible is clear that the only way to receive these benefits is by being grafted into Christ through faith. In this week's message we'll talk about what faith is and is not.

At the heart of the Gospel is a great exchange. By sacrificing himself in our place and paying sin's penalty on our behalf, Jesus solves the problem of sin in our lives. Through the cross, God remains just while also justifying those who had sinned.

Many people today would say that sin is no big deal. They presume that a loving God will just look the other way. However, the Bible is clear that God is perfectly holy and that our rebellion has separated us from him. Because he is our source of life, we face death, and we can’t do anything to make our situation better.

As humans, we face many problems in life. The Bible is clear that our greatest problem is that sin has separated us from God. In fact, we don't start life as a blank slate, but we are born with an inclination toward sin that affects every part of us. Unless we are able to correctly diagnose our problem, we’ll need seek the right cure.

We all need strength to get through the ups and downs up life. The Heidelberg Catechism says that strength can only come from knowing that we belong to Jesus in life and in death. The first two questions and answers give us a preview of the rest of the Catechism's structure -- sin, salvation, and service.

Why do some churches use creeds and confessions? Isn't the Bible enough?

In this series, Pastor Bill will teach us how to use the Heidelberg Catechism as a tool to help us understand the Bible better. In part 1, the shares how creeds and confessions can help us read the Bible better, know God better, and love him more deeply.

As we wrap up our study of the book of Hebrews, we get practical by talking about how to put your faith in action. Plus, Pastor Bill and Pastor Eric look at what's in the news and connect real faith with real life!

What is faith? What difference does it make in life? We turn to the book of Hebrews for answers as we continue our study. Plus, Pastor Bill and Pastor Eric talk about what it would be like to live in Disney World and get your food delivered by drone!

What is the deal with the Old Testament? What still applies? How does it relate to the New Testament? How were people saved back then? The book of Hebrews offers us great answers to all these questions! Pastor Bill and Pastor Eric continue our series by looking at how Jesus fulfills all that was foreshadowed in the Old Testament tabernacle and sacrifices.

How can you get access to God? That's the question that Pastor Bill and Pastor Eric address in this week's Bible study, as we continue our journey through the book of Hebrews. A lot of religions offer a lot of different answers to this week's question. Some even say there are many ways to God. But we present that Jesus is the only way to gain access to God the Father.

People today are looking for peace, safety, and security. The Bible calls this "rest." In the Old Testament, we read that God offered people rest, but they didn't trust him and lost their opportunity to enjoy rest. The same offer stands for us today! In this episode, Pastors Bill and Eric look to Hebrews 3-4 to learn about this topic. Along the way, they note what the author of Hebrews says about the Scriptures and how he models the right way to interpret it.

What role do angels play in God's plan? How do they relate to Jesus? Pastor Bill and Pastor Eric tackle these questions and more as we continue our series through the book of Hebrews.

People are walking away from the church and from faith. Many are wondering if it's worth it to follow Jesus today. In this podcast series, Pastor Bill and Pastor Eric are looking at the experiences of Christians who decided that Jesus is absolutely unique and that there is no alternative to him. They kept the faith! In part 1, we look at why Jesus is the best way to know who God really is.

In this special summer bonus episode, Pastor Eric sits down with Kids Ministry Lead Paige Rohen to talk about how we pass on our faith to the next generation!

In this special summer bonus episode, Pastor Bill sits down with Family Ministries Pastor Eric VanderWall and Student Ministry Lead Eric Rosendahl to talk about how the church can equip young people to face the unique challenges in today's world.

Is it best to rigidly hang on to traditions from the past? Or is it best to look ahead to the future with flexibility and adaptability? Could it be that balance is best? In this episode, we look at the example of the apostle Paul, and we learn that we should hold on tightly to the things that never change and hold loosely to the things that always change. But how do you know which is which? Pastor Bill and Pastor Eric tackle those questions and more in this week's podcast!

They say not to talk about politics or religion at the dinner table. Well, it's not dinner time, so we're going to talk about both on this week's podcast! Specifically, we're going to ask how Christians can simultaneously be a citizen of heaven and a citizen of our country. We think the Bible has wisdom that can guide us even through the most tumultuous times, and we think you'll agree!

The Bible tells us to be humble, but it also calls us to be confident. These two character traits seem to be opposites, so how are we to find balance? Pastor Bill and Pastor Eric tackle that on today's episode, and they look at what's in the news.

The Bible calls us to be content. And the Bible calls us to be ambitious. How can those two things both possibly be true at the same time? Pastor Bill and Pastor Eric dive deep into the Scriptures and find that the key to achieving balance is defining both correctly. Plus, we talk about what's in the news and how it intersects with faith.

In a world that seems more divided than ever, we all want to know how to come together. The Bible offers us a balance that may help. In Ephesians 4, the apostle Paul speaks about truth and love. While some people may be all truth, and some people may be all love, Paul says it is important to achieve balance. Pastor Bill and Pastor Eric talk about how to do this in church, in our marriages, and even in the business world.

If you ask six people who God is like, you'll probably get six different answers. Every religion also has an answer, including Christianity. In today's episode, Pastors Bill and Eric talk about how we know who God is. Specifically, they say we need to find a balance that affirms he is both majestic and merciful. They look at several scriptures that hold these aspects of God together.

In John 6, Jesus talks compares himself to bread, which can be difficult to understand. But it gets even trickier when he says that unless we must eat his flesh and drink his blood, we will not have life. Pastor Bill explains that Jesus was clarifying his purpose and his mission -- to offer himself as a sacrifice in our place. On this week's podcast, dive deep into this passage and talk about fun things from the news!

In Matthew 5, Jesus says if you eye causes you to sin, gouge it out, and if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. This can be hard to understand. Pastor Bill explains that Jesus was trying to help his followers understand the width and depth of sin so that they would seek a Savior. On this week's podcast, we go beneath the surface to find three great applications everyone can take from this difficult passage.

In Luke 14, Jesus says you cannot be his disciple unless you hate your relatives, hate your own life, and give away everything you own. This is a difficult saying! Many people wonder what this means. Pastor Bill and Bryan talk about it in this week's episode of the Real Faith for Real Life Podcast.

Jesus says in John 14:6 that he is "the life." In a world characterized by languishing, everyone is looking for meaning in life. Could it be that Jesus uniquely brings purpose and joy into our lives like nothing else can? What did he mean when he said he wants to give us life in abundance? In this episode, Pastor Bill and Pastor Eric will examine what the Bible says about abundant living (and what it does not say).

One of the bold claims Jesus makes in John 14:6 is that he is "the truth." In today's world, this message sounds intolerant. Many people today believe that there are many "truths" that are true, but can this be the case? In this episode, Pastor Bill and Pastor Eric will reveal the basic rules of logic that disprove this position. And we'll talk about practical ways to have discussions about what is true and what is false without being unloving.

Jesus makes some bold claims in John 14:6—starting with stating he is the only way to heaven. But there are often many objections to this claim—in fact, only half of self-profession Christians believe this to be true. In this episode, Pastor Bill and Bryan address common objections to Jesus' claim and discuss what absolute truth looks like in modern culture.

What is "evangelism" anyway? In this episode, Pastor Bill and Bryan dig into the Scriptures to see what our mission—making disciples—ought to look like in the 21st century. Spoiler: It probably looks different than you think. Our actions and daily life make a major impact on our evangelism. We believe that faith and life intersect, so we discuss what that looks like. In this season finale episode, we also take a look at the holiday season—gifts ideas you probably haven't heard of, and how the Great Resignation is impacting the holiday shopping season.

Disagreements and division are everywhere. Our culture is filled with polarization and it's nearly impossible to have reasonable conversations with someone when you disagree. In this episode, Bryan Haley interviews Kevin Douglas of The Colossian Forum about how Christians can take steps to disagree well, regardless of the topic. Plus Pastor Bill and Bryan discuss how we ought to strive for unity in our disagreements instead of accepting division.

We wrap up our series in Romans as we take a look at the final chapters. In his letter to the church in Rome, the Apostle Paul discusses conforming versus transforming. What does that look like in our daily life today? Where can we see ourselves in this letter? Plus, we dive into real life topics—Daylight Saving Time is difficult, but you probably don't need a team of people to change the clocks, like this person does. And we take a look at the new MacBook Pro and the pressure to conform.

What is predestination? What does the Bible say about election? In this section of Romans, the apostle Paul talks about some heavy concepts that have lots of implications on our faith. While a central tenant of the Reformed tradition, what is the role of God's mercy? How about our faith? When a man faced certain "fate" that he shouldn't play piano, he has beaten all odds to become a prodigy. We talk about the "Bionic Pianist" as well as our addiction to social media, and what one nation's government is doing to break what it sees are dangerous habits.<...

Bryan and Pastor Bill continue the discussion of Romans this week by looking at chapter 8 and the role the Holy Spirit plays in our Christian growth. This section of the book of Romans also reminds us of the security of our salvation—we have been adopted as God's own, and are now co-heirs with Jesus Christ. Before diving into Romans 8, the two discuss a newly-finished symphony from Beethoven, as well as the extreme pressure that athletes face as a result of social media.

We're saved by faith alone, so what place does the Law have in a Christian's life? In this episode, we take a look at Romans 6 and 7, and walk through the conversation Paul is having about what place the grace of God has in our lives, and how we ought to handle the Law of the Old Testament. Plus, we take a look at current events: Eastern Europe trolls are creating fake Facebook Pages appearing as a Christian organization in an effort to divide Christians and place inaccuracies in our news feeds; There's been a drastic decrease in parents naming...

Protestant Reformer Martin Luther once called Romans 3 the center of the book of Romans, and center to the entire Bible. But before jumping into Romans, we take a look at Amazon's new robot and a new taco subscription service from Taco Bell. Bryan and Pastor Bill visit Romans 3 and discuss what Luther meant when he talked about this chapter in Romans, and how Christians today can view the gospel through the lens of Paul's letter to the early church in Rome. We also skip ahead to chapter 5, and discuss real faith and our salvation. 

This probably isn't the most fun topic to discuss: judgement. But, in Paul's letter to the church in Rome, he talks about judgement in the beginning of his letter to help lay a foundation for our desperate need for the gospel message. In this episode, we dive into Romans 2:17-29—but we also talk about Facebook in the news again as they develop a virtual reality metaverse. Bryan and Pastor Bill also talk about how "happy" music is making a comeback—Pandora has recently seen a 111% increase in people searching for happy music on its music streaming service.

I've got idols, you've got idols, we've all got idols. We all have things we put before God, and it doesn't take long to find some examples. Bryan and Pastor Bill talk about a new option to have Chick-Fil-A delivered on Sundays, and the recent Apple event is a prime example of how good things can become idols. What things do we prioritize before God? Do Old Testament laws even matter? In Romans 1, the Apostle Paul tells his readers (and us) about God's wrath, laying the foundation of our need for the gospel.

Our identity is central to who we are: it’s how we see ourselves, and how others see us. Outside forces that affect our identity are everywhere: a recent study from Facebook shows the impact that social media has on mental health; SpaceX is sending everyday citizens to space; and in the book of Romans, we see the apostle Paul talking about his purpose. How do all these stories impact our identity? Listen as Bryan Haley and Pastor Bill Whitt discuss identity.