The Christians Hour

The Christmas season is full of joy, but it is also full of stress.  And that’s how it was when Christ was born—born into a scandalous situation, into an occupied nation, under an oppressive regime, ruled by a maniac - murderous, governor, forced to escape as a refugee to a foreign country - a time of joy and anxiety.  Perhaps that’s why four times in the birth narratives the angels say “Do not be afraid.”   This month teacher, Rick Atchley is exploring why Christmas should make us bold; because there’s something about Jesus coming that makes fear leave.  Rick Atchley is the lead pastor with the Hill’s Church in Fort Worth, Texas.  Today’s message is entitled “Fearless Faith.” So, what do Christmas, fear, answers to prayer, and a mute old man all have in common?  Here’s Rick to unwrap it all…

With everything that is always going on around us, good OR bad, God’s desire for us is “all good”!  Most of all, God wants us to take on the image He designed just for us, one that resembles His image.  Given where all of us start this requires a big, big change, perhaps better described as a complete makeover, re-imaged into who He designed us to be.   This week our speaker is Bob Russell., This message is one shared by Bob during his 40-year ministry with Southeast Christian Church.  Southeast, one of the largest churches in America is located in Louisville, Kentucky.  This week’s message; “The Grace of Gratitude” is a fitting conclusion to our series “Re–Imaged”.   Have you ever noticed that some of the most thankful people are those who have the least?  You might observe; the origin of a thankful heart is not so much special things that happens to us, as it is a conscious decision to appreciate the life God has given us.   So, as we celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving, here’s Bob Russell with a recipe for gratitude that can be, well, life changing!

With everything that is always going on around us.. good OR bad, God’s desire for us is “all good”!  Most of all, God wants us to take on the image He designed just for us, one that resembles His image.  Given where all of us start this requires a big, big change, perhaps better described as a complete makeover, re-imaged into who He designed us to be. This month, Aaron Brockett, lead minister with Traders Point Christian Church, with campuses throughout the Indianapolis, Indiana area, is leading us through a series of messages entitled “Re–Imaged”.   Okay, I get it, relationships happen.  They are a part of the ebb and flow of life.  But have you ever thought about nurturing relationships on purpose, recognizing they can be a big strength… or a point of weakness in our walk with God?  In today’s message Aaron unpacks how to navigate purposeful relationships and how getting this right, or not; can be instrumental to making or breaking down our relationship with God.  So here’s Aaron with the nitty gritty of relationships…

No matter what is going on around us.. good OR bad, God’s desire for us is “all good”!  Most of all, God wants us to take on the image He designed just for us, one that resembles His image.  Given where all of us start this is a big, big change, perhaps better described as a complete makeover, re-imaged into who He designed us to be.   This month, Aaron Brockett, lead minister with Traders Point Christian Church, with campuses throughout the Indianapolis, Indiana area, is leading us through a series of messages entitled “Re–Imaged”.    Did you know that God cares about your work, your job? Built into each one of us is a deep-down longing, a calling, to find what God made us for. In this message, Lead Pastor Aaron Brockett shares that our motivation and reason for working has to go beyond money in order to find and live out God’s purpose for our lives.   So, here’s Aaron with some pointers for finding God’s design for fulfillment in our lives…

When-ever I see a new building starting, I love to guess by its bones what it will be when it is finished.  By that I mean; do they begin with elevator shafts, steel structure, perhaps a concrete vault?  So, will it be a hotel, a bank, an office building, a hospital?    Over the next few weeks, Aaron Brockett, lead minister with Traders Point Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana is leading us through a series of messages entitled “Re–Imaged”.    In today’s message, “An Image to Bear”, Aaron unpacks God’s building plans for each of us as He Re-Images” us into who He wants us to become.  Would you believe God begins that process from the inside out, forging our character in preparation for the purpose He has in mind.    So, grab your hard hat, your tool belt, and let’s see if we can guess what Image God is building in us!

Trust is a funny thing.  By that I mean how we sometimes trust but other times not so much.  For example, we trust that as we approach on coming traffic on the highway those drivers will follow the rules and stay on their own side of the road, even though they may be disregarding the rules about speed.  We may not trust a politician yet we elect them and trust them to run the country we live in.  In the same way we call on God in times of trouble yet trusting His word, His promises, His plan for our eternity, not so much.   This month, Gene Appel who ministers with Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim, California has been walking us through the book of First Peter gleaning from its pages foundational life concepts that will help us live out “Unshakeable Hope”.   One of the original 12 followers of Christ, Peter penned the letter of first Peter to early Christians to help them live in Hope through Unwavering Trust in the Eternal God and His plan for redemption through Jesus His Son.    Okay, did you know that “Trust” is not just a noun, but also a verb?  Here’s Gene Appel with a piece of the action…

Have you ever wondered, what drives this world, where this world is headed?  Ever wanted to just shout: “Stop the world, I want off”.  There were some folks, a long time ago, that were probably thinking just that.  Persecuted, displaced from their homes, not really belonging.  In the Bible there is a letter of hope written to people actually living that out.  The Bible’s book of 1st Peter is that letter.   This week, Gene Appel who ministers with Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim, California is walking us through the book of First Peter gleaning from its pages foundational life concepts that will help us take on “UnShakeable Hope”.   In his letter, the follower of Jesus, Peter uses a concept that most all of us find very, very scary.  In fact, it goes against our very foundations yet it can be key to giving us a living hope through the grace of Jesus.  Got ya hooked yet?  Here’s Gene to unpack it all…

Sometimes do you ever wonder, am I enough? Am I too broken, too flawed, or even too exhausted to keep going? This month, we invite you to “listen in” as we discover, from a Jesus follower named Peter, how God is bigger than our story, greater than our circumstances, and stronger than our storms.   This week, Mike Breaux, teaching pastor with Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim, California with multiple campuses in Southern California and beyond, is walking us through some foundational concepts of grace from the book of First Peter.   Turbulent times can leave us unraveled, unsure, undone, and, let’s face it, insecure.   But, when we turn our lives over to the God and Father of Jesus Christ, He can, and will give us a living hope through the resurrection and undeserved grace of Jesus.  So, here’s Mike with a mighty dose of hope that comes from the Undeserved Grace of Jesus, that can help us become UnShakeable!

Sometimes we just wonder, am I enough? Am I too broken, too flawed, or even too exhausted to keep going? Over the next few weeks we invite you to “listen in” as we discover, from a Jesus follower named Peter, how God is bigger than our story, greater than our circumstances, and stronger than our storms.   This month, Gene Appel and Mike Breaux, pastors with Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim, California with multiple campuses in Southern California and beyond, will be walking us through the book of First Peter gleaning from its pages foundational concepts that will help us become “UnShakeable”.   So, here’s Gene to help us shore up our Spiritual foundations with a blueprint for “UnShakeable Hope”!

Through-out the month of September our messages have centered on how, in all of our lives sometimes, life’s struggles are very real!  Our speaker this week follows up on that series with a reminder that dealing with life’s struggles for the long term, requires living a life that does not follow the norm.    Today’s speaker, now retired, Tim Harlow, was the lead minister of Parkview Christian Church, located in the Chicago, IL area.  In today’s message Tim challenges the concept of 'normalcy,' using his own unique style of humor and personal examples to illustrate how societal norms might not lead to long-term fulfillment. In fact, Tim implores us to be "Abby-Normal" by prioritizing values over immediate desires.    So, not sure how the term Abby-Normal plays out?  Here’s Tim with the low down on how Abby-Normal, the narrow road, and the Bible’s account of the lives of brothers, Jacob and Esau, can help us live for the long haul…