GBC Podcast

Episode 16: What is the posture of humility?

Humility is a posture, it’s described physically as literally laying down on the ground or lowering your head. But humility is also a posture we can live out in our daily lives as we think of others as more important than ourselves. If you look in the New Testament, Jesus says that the greatest commandment is loving others.

 

And when we think about humility, we often think about self-sacrifice instead of self-serving. It’s really about being open and willing for God to use you as you grow and love others.

Episode 16: Servant Leadership

What is servant leadership and how can a leader be a servant? In this episode Shane and Courtney dig deep into this idea of servanthood and how it pertains to leadership.

 

It sounds like a trendy concept to be a servant leader and may be more mainstream these days thanks to social media or other platforms, however servant leadership is something that is deeply rooted in the Bible and throughout the stories we read. Shane and Courtney also touch on the idea of seasons in our lives and how things don’t necessarily happen overnight. Take a listen and be encouraged learning about the biblical roots of being a servant in modern times.

Episode 14: When you've got the urge

There’s times in life when you simply feel an urge or a push to do something or talk about something. Shane shares more about this in today’s episode as he looks at Jeremiah 9, a part of scripture that he felt was really speaking to him. Yet, as a preacher it’s often easier to focus on “pure encouragement” while preaching. There’s times when you feel an urge to talk about something or write something or share something, yet it’s not always comfortable.

 

As Shane reminds us at the end of the day, we can’t know exactly where we are going. We don’t determine our path, but we can keep taking steps day by day in getting to know God. And that’s what both Jeremiah and Philippines talk about, the relationship and knowing God is more important than knowing exactly where you’re going.

Episode 15: God will give you more than you can handle

In these tough days we are all living, some days we may be tempted to say “Jesus, you’ve said you’ll only give me what I can handle.” And what we’ve seen in scripture shows us that there are times that Jesus does allow us to go through hard times and difficult moments in which we need to turn towards Him. Look at the story of the disciples in the stormy sea needing Jesus to rescue them as He walked on water towards their boat.

 

Saying “Jesus, take the wheel” is appropriate and necessary for these stormy days we are experiencing and also how social media has affected our relationships with others we love as we see so many opinions on Facebook and elsewhere. Remember that when God gives us more than we can handle, it often reveals something about Him or about us. Keep that in mind as you navigate these days.

Episode12: What are the Powers of Hell?

In Episode 12, Shane and Courtney talk about Shane’s sermon when he said “Don't allow fear to derail what God wants to do in your life, every great purpose of God will be met with the power of hell.” They unwrap this idea and talk about personal experiences and what we can learn from the Bible when it comes to following God’s purpose in our lives and the fear that often accompanies the journey.

 

There are so many areas of our lives in which fear may keep us from doing something and how God can still work out His purpose in spite of us and the mistakes we may make from day to day.

Episode 10: What are you so insecure about?

Sometimes we need to remember that God loves us in spite of ourselves. We may tend to be more like Martha and craving recognition and acceptance, and God still loves us. Being able to relate to Martha or Mary is what makes the Scripture comes alive.

 

It’s a living text that we can still experience and find relevance in 2000 years later. It’s a gift when we take the time to read scripture and apply it to our lives.

 

We may struggle with the story of Mary and Martha, because we want to be like Mary but feel like we relate more to Martha. And always trying to fit into someone else’s shoes is hard, even impossible and not how we’re called to live. Don’t force yourself into the character of someone else, yet we can strive to be more gentle with ourselves and allow us to just be who we are.

 

Today’s episode closes with a question, “What is it that makes you insecure?” Ask yourself and join us on this journey as we unwrap these questions and more with the GBC podcast.

Episode 9: When God stretches us

In times of stress and anxiety, we tend to want an easy fix or to do something fast to make things better. We live in a world that has immediate responses, yet when we see people doing well or in successful positions, we often don’t realize how much work it took them to get where they are.

 

Everything we do comes down to our intentions and our heart behind the actions. Jesus knew what Mary’s heart was feeling and what Martha was looking for when it comes to recognition. So often we do the same thing in our own lives. We are looking for recognition and affirmation with our actions, rather than being content just being and soaking in Jesus’ word.

 

There’s also an aspect of sibling rivalry in the story of Mary and Martha as we see ourselves in Martha getting annoyed with her sister. How often do we do that in our own lives when we compare our own efforts to the efforts or lack of the people around us?

 

Listen to this episode and be encouraged knowing it’s normal to feel that way and we can all work on being content with just being in the moment and using our time to spend more intentional time with Jesus.

Episode 8: Are you Mary or Martha?

In Episode 8, Courtney and Shane, talk about the story of Mary and Martha. Many of us have heard this story over the years when it comes to how we act when it comes to stress or anxiety. Do we choose to be like Mary who sits at Jesus’ feet while he is visiting or do we try to get everything just right for Jesus’ visit like Martha was doing?

 

Many times that we’ve heard this story over the years, we may have thought it was just Jesus, Mary and Martha. But as Sean points out, Jesus wasn’t traveling alone, he very well had an entourage of 100 people with him. It’s no wonder that Martha was stressed trying to get their house and meal ready for all the people.

 

Mary, sits at the feet of Jesus, listening to his teaching. Martha, was concerned about all the things that had to be done in that moment. There’s a moment in the story when Jesus asks Martha about her anxiety and not what’s she doing on the outside, but truly what her intentions are behind her actions.

 

We too can choose to serve with love and grace or we can show up and serve out of anxiety and worry. This comes to light especially with Covid-19 as we are all feeling anxiety, overwhelm and even fear about what’s to come. Yet, it’s a time we can all quiet down, like Mary, and soak in God’s presence during these times of uncertainty.

 

And as Sean and Courtney remind us, check your heart. Why is it that you are doing what you’re doing? Is your anxiety and worry driving you? Or are you allowing yourself to rest and feel peace in the midst of chaos? Use your time to be with God and not always trying to “do something” to please God.

Episode 7: Living Generously during a Pandemic Part 2

Being generous with your time is something you can still do even in the midst of a pandemic as you look for ways to help your neighbors.

 

Whether your neighbor is an elderly community member, a single mother or just someone that needs help. You can be a blessing to other people.

 

And even if we don't all agree on everything these days on Social Media, we can still use our social media networks to positively influence others and use the little influence we have to remind others to be generous and show love.

 

We can also ask ourselves, "What would Jesus do?" to help others and be generous in such a time as this, thinking about what we can do to personally make a situation better for someone else.

Episode 6: Being Generous in the Middle of the Pandemic Part 1

During this time of uncertainty and feeling unsure about everything, many people may be hesitant about what generosity can look like in such a time as this. Courtney and Shane talk about using what we have to make this season better for other people, whether it's using our influence, noticing someone in need and offering to help shovel their driveway or mow their lawn. It all comes down to caring for the other person as Jesus taught us to do in so many different stories in the New Testament.

 

Listen to this episode and be encouraged to use what you have to help others this holiday season as we can all be generous with our time, resources and talent.