Northplace Church Podcast

Over the last 4 weeks we have been having a conversation about Life Defining Moments. We are either facing one now or we are between them. Defining moments are as certain as death and taxes. These moments always force us to make decisions that will affect the trajectory of the rest of our lives. That’ why we label these moments as “defining”…the decisions we make or fail to make in these moments define us. Last week, my message was more introspective, informational, and contemplative. But the majority of our conversations over these last few weeks have been raw, honest, and personal. Today will probably be the most raw, honest, and personal. Each week, I’ve referenced a personal moment that defined my own life. So far…each of these moments have defined my life based on my own “right” decision, my own “wrong” decision or my own “indecision”. Today, I want us to look at the life defining moments housed in those experiences where something evil, unfair, or unjust is committed against us.

Two weeks ago we launched this 4-week conversation called Moments. Life is full of defining moments. Right now, you are either facing a defining moment or you are between defining moments. Defining moments are the landmarks on your life’s journey. In week one, I talked in a very raw and open way about my past of sin and addiction and the defining moment that REVERESED the downward spiral of my life. Last week, we talked about the Regret of Missed Opportunity. Today, I want to open up about another personal life defining moment. When I survey the last 41 years of my life, this experience has to rank in my top five life-altering moments. It all started after coming out of a season of great personal sacrifice. Here’s what I learned in that moment: Jesus…is…Enough. In this Life Defining Moment, I learned about the sufficiency of Christ. I heard another pastor say it this way: Jesus Plus Nothing Equals Everything or think of it as an equation… Jesus + Nothing = Everything. It all starts and ends with Je

Last week, we had a special weekend. We celebrated our one-year anniversary in this new facility. We launched our Saturday night worship experience. We had a record Non-Easter attendance. But the greatest news of all is that over 50 people committed or recommitted their lives to Jesus Christ! Last week, I talked in a very raw and open way about my past of sin and addiction and the defining moment that REVERESED the downward spiral of my life. At one of the lowest points of my life during a season of rebellion and addiction, I was confronted with a truth about life…my own mortality. Dealing with life and death issues made me deal with spiritual matters in a way I had avoided my entire life. In those moments I made a decision to cry out to Jesus. He graciously and compassionately responded. Today, I want us to continue to delve into the power of these seemingly insignificant—brief periods of time…that end up defining our lives. BUT… instead of looking at the positive outcomes of making the right decision in

Today we launch a 4-week series called Moments. We are going to look back on some moments in our lives…moments that, at the time, seemed unimportant and insignificant. But in hindsight, those little moments actually altered the course of our entire lives. There are moments in business, in relationships, in spiritual matters that seemed small at the time…but the influence of those brief moments have completely changed the trajectory of our lives…some for the good…some for the bad. When it comes to the good…even if we didn’t notice it then…when we look back, we see the fingerprints of God’s grace at work in those strategic little moments. But…I don’t want us to JUST look back in the past to find those moments. We need to start looking for those Defining Moments now. Life is full of defining moments. Right now, you are either facing a defining moment or you are between defining moments. Like landmarks on a map, defining moments are the key points along your life’s journey.

Today the feel of the message is going to be noticeably different. It’s less “prophetic” and more pastoral. I have a shepherd’s heart and feel as directed to share this very practical information from God’s word as I did the strongly prophetic messages of the preceding weeks. I want to talk to you today about the Sabbath. Over the last few months we have been preparing to launch our Saturday night services. Part of that preparation has been researching other churches that have started Saturday nights and we have gathered some really good information. We had several of those churches tell us… “Don’t do it! It will destroy the family lives of your pastors and staff and it will wear out your volunteers.” Of the several churches that we talked too who have sustained a healthy Saturday night service and kept balance in their staff families and health with their volunteer ministry teams…the one key is understanding what God has to say about the Sabbath. Let me say this…our goal for starting Saturday night se

In Revelation 21:6 God identifies himself as "Alpha and Omega." Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and omega is the last letter of the alphabet. In our culture it would be like saying, Jesus is the A and the Z...In other words He is "the beginning and the end." But the emphasis here isn’t on alphabets. He is speaking of reality. God is absolutely the beginning and absolutely the end. Everything that IS originates ultimately in him. And everything that IS will somehow end with him.

Do you face a mountain…a seemingly impossible task? Finding a job. Caring for aging parent. Fighting cancer. Battling depression. Rebuilding a life after death or divorce. Seeking a new career. Starting a ministry. Finishing college. Overcoming an addiction. What mighty mountain looms before you? Some of you have a mountain of rubble in your life…a mountain of your own making due to disobedience or neglect…others of you stare at a mountain caused by the invasion of the enemy into your life or family…regardless of the reason…that mountain serves as a constant reminder of your past defeat and present bondage. It seems impossible and overwhelming and God seems disengaged or disconnected. Every time you step out to do something for God or make progress spiritually, the enemy will take you back to your mountain—and remind you of the past or point to the obstacles in your present trying blur your destiny. The very memory of your mountain is like a leech the sucks the life out of your faith and your future.

This morning we celebrate Servant leaders from our family of faith have taken the gospel "glocal". We have literally made a global and local impact this summer. We will examine what Jesus had to say about serving others and being compassionate. Take a look at what has transpired over the summer Challenge your thinking in regards to having an impact in your world.

Malachi 3:6 NIV 6 “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. A lot is said in this short verse. One translation of this verse infers … if God did change the descendants of Jacob would have already been destroyed. They had been disobedient…and even blasphemous…they deserved judgment…but God had made them promises and given them his word. He is saying: “The only thing that is keeping you from being destroyed is the fact that I do not change. Even when you go back on your word…I do not go back on mine. There is a word that is rarely used in our vocabulary today that powerfully explains the nature of our God. That word is: Immutable

Jesus’ parable from Luke today is really not one that is easy to grasp the meaning of. It would be easy to look at this and say it is a lesson in social skills. But it’s not. Jesus is challenging those present to look at their life in a different way. He was subverting social norms. What do I mean? I mean, at that time, there were clear distinctions between classes of people – how food is distributed by Roman soldiers for example. Who and how much depended your social status. You knew who was above you and who was beneath you in the social order. We still have some of this today, it’s not as clearly defined, or maybe it is, but in a Democracy it not supposed to be...nevertheless, it is still with us today. Our emphasis on brands or logos, for example. The car we drive has a way of saying something about us. The logo or brand of a piece of clothing, shoes, accessories says something. It’s not just about the brand, but what the brand means or stands for. Flying first class or coach on an airplane is another exa

Many bible-believing Christians all over this country had an odd mix of emotions this patriotic weekend. Some of them were willing to express those emotions…others were so bothered by what they were feeling they were ashamed to express it. Let me see if I can put into words what some of you are feeling.It’s the 4th of July weekend…it’s the weekend for all that is Americana…the nostalgia…of baseball, fireworks, apple pie, and Norman Rockwell paintings…the childhood memories of chasing fire flies or lightening bugs during a July sunset. And while you may have partaken with family and friends in some of those traditional Fourth of July gatherings and events. Something was missing. It just wasn’t the same. Why? Because the America you remember celebrating doesn’t exist any more. That statement is so hard for me to say. It’s the very reason some of us have not put any words to the emotion we felt this weekend. We don’t want to admit it. We can’t bring ourselves to say it. We don’t want to say it because we don’t w

"But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself…" Daniel 1:8 ESV The ESV says “resolved” other versions uses similar words: Daniel Resolved...Purposed...Decided...Determined. He made up his mind. There was an abrupt change in his surroundings. Daniel encountered serious external changes. His land had been invaded and he had been taken captive. He no longer lived in Jerusalem but in Babylon. He was no longer able to worshiped in the temple. He was forced to live in a city filled with pagan temples. There was an abrupt change in values. The culture in Babylon did not value the things of God. Everything that Daniel held dear was despised in Babylon and everything he despised was embraced. But in the middle of all the change, Daniel resolved to live his life from the inside out. He did not waste his time trying to control the uncontrollable. He knew the only event, circumstance, or person he could truly control was himself. He did not expend energy trying to change the unchangeable, nor ex

Today, we hope to challenge the men of the church but we also hope to impart life to you…we hope to help you see the potential of your influence to shape families and ultimately nations…we hope to send you with hope… we pray…that regardless of your past…Father’s day 2015 is day of new beginnings. But, here’s the elephant in the room…some of us had bad fathers and its difficult to show honor or be excited about this day…others of us are grieving because our father’s have passed away…some of us as father’s are living with a ton of regret because of our past mistakes and wasted years. I believe there is grace for all of us in these situations. This video features Pastor Bryan Jarrett with his son Cadyn Jarrett on Father's Day.Visit our website for the video of this message.Northplace Church on FacebookNorthplace Church on InstagramPastor Bryan Jarrett on FacebookPastor Bryan Jarrett on InstagramPastor Bryan Jarrett on Twitter

Over the last couple of weeks, we have been talking about trust. When we started, I didn’t intended to preach a series on trust…but each week…it seemed like the Lord was wanting to deposit another nugget in our hearts about his vital piece of what it really means to be a Christ follower. Today I want us to look at what it looks like to trust God in the middle of a storm but before we can do that we need to first ask the question…what’s the source of the storm? Why am I even going through this storm in the first place?

Welcome to Northplace Church, the place where the doors are wide open to people from all backgrounds. Whether you're new on your spiritual journey or a committed Christian who wants to get connected more deeply to Jesus, you have a place at Northplace.

"Last week, in a very raw and transparent way, I told you about the remedial course in trust…Trust 101…that God seems to be taking me through. I thought I had proven my trust to him multiple times. There have been moments in my life where I have taken unthinkable, irrational steps of faith…and I thought… “Surely those moments validate my level of trust in God.” But as I mature…as I grow in him…I am learning that A mature trust is not only the willingness to take a single irrational step of faith but also the willingness to trust him consistently in the small daily things." Bryan JarrettFor more information visit http://northplacechurch.com/

Welcome to Northplace Church, the place where the doors are wide open to people from all backgrounds. Whether you're new on your spiritual journey or a committed Christian who wants to get connected more deeply to Jesus, you have a place at Northplace.

"Today, I am going to ask you to extend grace to me and allow me to think out loud. The Lord is working on me and in me. The words I share with you today are not the polished words of a man who has mastered these principles. These are the words of a reflective heart trying to grow from the Lords loving rebukes and correction in my life. Today, I am not preaching “at” you…but inviting you into a conversation that has been going on between me and the Lord this week. Every time I tried to “get a sermon” for you…I felt impressed to preach the sermon going in me. I argued with God. This is personal. I really don’t want to admit this. It’s not fully developed yet. My thoughts are polished enough…its too raw.But as I always do…I lost that argument. So…here is a raw and…probably rambling conversation about Worry, Pessimism, Pride, and Prayerlessness…and how these things are the symptoms of hearts that are controlling, have given up hope and stopped trusting. Listen to that again:Worry, Pessimism, Pride, and Pray

There are actually 2 celebrations taking place this weekend: one on the national calendar and one on the church calendar. Today, we want to honor them both. On a national level…this is Memorial Day weekend. Our nation pushes pause to honor the men and women who have given their lives in military service to this country. We honor the fallen.A few years ago, a counter-insurgency consultant was brought in to speak to a group of Army officers. He started his presentation with "Ladies and Gentlemen, America is at War." Immediately a voice comes up from the back "Sir, you are wrong. The US Army is at war, America is at the Mall."That statement by an officer in the US Army is sobering but this weekend will remind us again, how detached we are from the reality of the world around us. For most, Memorial Day is a three-day weekend, filled with bar-b-que’s and picnics, big sales and shopping sprees . . . A time to get away from the normal humdrum of the week. For other’s it’s the beginning of summer

"As I prepared for our time together today, there were three groups of people strongly on my heart: The battle weary saint, the graduate, the convictionless Christian."The Battle Weary…This is the person who is spiritually, emotionally, and physically exhausted. This season of your life has been plagued by battles on every front. You have recently said something similar to this: The Lord promised us he wouldn’t put on us more than we could bear. I don’t want to question him but I don’t know how much more I can handle. You’re tired, you’re fatigued, your fingers are slipping at the end of the rope. You’re Battle Weary. "The Graduate…This is the student who is finishing high school or college. Your so excited that school is over or about over that you are beside yourself. But underneath all that excitement there is this anxiety or even fear of the unknown in your future. "The Convictionless Christian…This is the person who enjoys the very real presence of God. They worship, they love Sunday,