God's Word in Our Lives
Words are a big deal. In an understood word, my thoughts become your thoughts! And this happens almost instantly. Then you speak, I listen, and your thoughts become mine! Remarkable.
That the God who created all things, sustains all things, and fills all things would communicate with us is nothing short of beautiful. God speaks. We listen. Then we speak. God listens. Join us to hear what God has to say every week!
God's Word in Our Lives is a weekly dive into God's Word with Pastor Pete Zaferos.
Episodes
258 episodes
Because He Lives: Death Has Lost Its Sting!
Death can sting in many ways. First, death can sting by casting a shadow over every moment of life. No matter what earthly joy you are experiencing, death guarantees it won’t last. Second, death can sting by separating loves. There are no phone...
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Season 5
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Episode 42
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30:44
Dead And Buried: Surrender Buries Seizure
As we begin Holy Week, we see Jesus bury humanity’s endless attempts at seizing power. In our world, power dynamics are almost always in play. Those who don’t have power want it, often more than anything else. Those who have power are willing t...
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Season 5
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Episode 41
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23:32
Open Door Policies: Hiding Treasure in The Trash
This week we see how our Father makes the treasures of his house available to any and all. He places them in the last place we’d expect—the trash. In God’s family, the things the world prizes and pursues are counted as worthless. Conversely, wh...
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Season 5
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Episode 40
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26:06
Open Door Policies: Grace Instead Of Condemnation
We assume people get what they deserve. We assume that what goes around comes around. We assume God helps those who help themselves. Those assumptions are false. God does not operate on the principle of merit but of grace. No one is beyond the ...
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Season 5
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Episode 39
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24:34
Open Door Policies: Always Present, Always Patient
The heavenly Father is always present in the lives of his children. He sees every sorrow we endure. He also sees every sin that we commit, even if it’s only in our thoughts. He is always present. Yet, he is also always patient. God does not sna...
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Season 5
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Episode 38
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26:04
Open Door Policies: One Stands; Everyone Else Sits
Normally in a family everyone must do their part. . . pitch in. . . pull their weight. In God’s family, he assigns and accepts the work of one on behalf of all. In God’s house, God’s Son—our brother, Jesus—stands alone on the field of battle ag...
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Season 5
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Episode 37
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26:11
Epiphany Moments: Glory Is Hidden In Order To Be Revealed
Would you look directly at the sun? Only if you wanted to burn your retinas and have permanent blind spots. Would you like to look directly at God? It sounds wonderful in theory. Yet Scripture describes God’s glory as being brighter than the su...
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Season 5
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Episode 36
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22:12
Epiphany Moments: Blessings Are Cursed; Curses Are Blessed
“This is good. That is bad.” We often think life is that simple. We believe we can assess a situation accurately determine if it is positive or negative. It’s hubris. As Jesus gathered followers, he taught them that his kingdom runs exactly opp...
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Season 5
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Episode 35
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24:58
Epiphany Moments: The Least Qualified Are The First Sent
Imagine you need heart bypass surgery. When meeting with the surgeon, you ask, “How many of these have you done?” He responds, “You get the honor of being my very first patient!” You probably feel more anxious than honored. With important jobs,...
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Season 5
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Episode 34
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19:21
Epiphany Moments: Popularity Is Not Proof Of Success
In 2009, Facebook added the “like” button. That same year, Twitter added the “retweet” feature. Interestingly, reported cases of depression began to rise sharply in 2010. It is easy to think that the more people like us, the more successful our...
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Season 5
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Episode 33
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24:33
Epiphany Moments: Rejection Is Not Proof Of Failure
When you are trying to share some important information with someone, but they refuse to listen or perhaps totally reject what you are saying, it feels like you have failed. This is especially true when someone rejects the gospel! We proclaim t...
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Season 5
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Episode 32
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24:30
Epiphany Moments: Baptism Is The Cure For An Identity Crisis
“Who is Jesus?” For the longest time, people thought the answer to that question was, “Mary and Joseph’s son” or “a carpenter from Nazareth.” While true enough, those answers do not adequately describe Jesus. But when Jesus was baptized, God th...
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Season 5
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Episode 31
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24:12
The Gift of God Is For All People
On Christmas Eve the angel told the shepherds, “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10). One wonders if those words struck those Jewish shepherds as odd. For centuries, God had given special attention to ...
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Season 5
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Episode 30
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22:22
God Gives Himself As One Of Us
Have you ever opened a Christmas present and had to ask, “What is it?” Perhaps it was some new type of technology or perhaps a unique toy. You were grateful for the gift, but also not 100% certain what you were looking at. “What is it?” Today, ...
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Season 5
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Episode 29
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24:31
Heaven's Best Gift In The Unlikeliest Place
When the President of the United States visits a city, he does not stay at a discount motel. He stays in some posh hotel with luxury accommodations. Moreover, when making such trips, the President’s agenda generally does not include him spendin...
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Season 5
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Episode 28
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19:08
A Real Christmas Results In Great Joy
Multiple studies have proven that the holiday season exacerbates mental health issues. For some, the pressure to have “a perfect Christmas” can be overwhelming. For others, their loneliness is amplified. Such people need a real Christmas, one t...
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Season 5
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Episode 27
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17:36
A Real Christmas Is Rooted In Repentance
The closer we get to Christmas, the greater the pressure. There is so much work to be done! We want our houses to look good for out-of-town guests. We want to impress people with the thoughtfulness of our gifts. What a welcome relief, therefore...
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Season 5
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Episode 26
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17:14
A Real Christmas Requires Remembering Why Christ Came
It is easy to get so caught up in the imagery—a tiny newborn baby, lying in the straw filled manger under a star-filled sky—that we forget the why. Why did the Son of God come into our world and take on human flesh? So that he might die as the ...
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Season 5
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Episode 25
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20:02
Thanksgiving: Connecting the Old with the New
This Thanksgiving, we're connecting thanksgiving in the Old with thanksgiving in the New Testament! Join us!
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Season 5
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Episode 24
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22:28
Live Free From The Fear Of Judgment
Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) affects many millions of adults. It is more than shyness. SAD includes an acute fear of being judged. An individual with SAD struggles with everyday tasks like talking to people at work or school because he is terr...
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Season 5
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Episode 23
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24:22
Live a Life of Startling Generosity
Perhaps you have heard the axiom, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” In other words, while you still can, use what you have in order to enjoy life to the fullest. If this life is all there is, St. Paul agrees that would be a good ...
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Season 5
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Episode 22
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27:20
Live Knowing Life Only Gets Better!
“It will get better.” We say that to try to comfort someone who is having a bad day (or maybe a whole string of bad days). Perhaps tomorrow will be better. But perhaps it’s worse. In this life, there really are no guarantees that things will ge...
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Season 5
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Episode 21
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18:50
A Tree And Its Fruit
Today, we focus our attention on the fruit produced by the tree of the cross. Fruit with the promise of eternal life attached. Fruit that brings nourishment and joy!
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Season 5
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Episode 20
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26:29
The Need For Followership: Followers Of Christ Maintain Proper Priorities
People think that establishing priorities is about ranking things in order of importance. But it is more than that. We do not have unlimited time and energy. So, establishing priorities enables us to say “no” to things which might be good yet n...
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Season 5
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Episode 19
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25:08
The Need For Followership: Followers of Christ Know How To Love Their Families
Love can cause harm. Consider the wife whose husband wants little to do with church. She loves him and does not want to upset him. So, when her husband wants her and the children to stay home Sunday morning, she complies without protest. That w...
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Season 5
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Episode 18
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29:35