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Welcome to Wellspring Church! Who is Jesus? In this message from the We Believe series, Pastor David Norris explores the Nicene Creed’s confession that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human. Hebrews presents Jesus as the exact imprint of God’s nature and as one who shared fully in our humanity. Pastor David explains why both truths matter: because Jesus is truly human, he knows our suffering; because he is truly God, he can bring us all the way back to God. 📖 Key Themes in This Message: 🔹 Why the Nicene Creed helps us speak faithfully about Jesus 🔹 What we lose when we deny either Jesus’ divinity or his humanity 🔹 How Jesus reveals God and represents humanity 🔹 Why “God with us” is good news for our salvation In Jesus, God has come near. We are invited to worship him with Thomas’s confession, “My Lord and my God,” and to share his good news with the world. 📅 Join us this week at Wellspring Church! Looking to grow deeper in your faith? Visit www.wellspringenglewood.comto learn more. Relevant Scripture references: Hebrews 1:1–3; Hebrews 2:14–17; John 1:1–3, 14; John 8:58–59; John 10:30; John 20:28; Matthew 1:18–23; Matthew 28:19–20; Ephesians 2:13; and Revelation 5:9. Support the show

Welcome to Wellspring Church! What keeps us anchored when life feels dark, turbulent, or confusing? In this message, Billy Waters begins a series on the Nicene Creed, showing how this historic confession serves as a trustworthy guide because it is firmly anchored in Scripture. The Creed begins by declaring belief in one God—the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. God alone is sovereign and sufficient. Through Jesus, believers are welcomed into God’s family and given intimate access to the Almighty as their loving Father. 📖 Key Themes in This Message: 🔹 Why the Nicene Creed must remain anchored in Scripture 🔹 What it means to believe in one sovereign and sufficient God 🔹 The intimacy and power of knowing God as Father Almighty 🔹 How creation reveals God’s goodness, purpose, and design 🔹 Holding firmly to truth while creating space for honesty and grace God created all things good and made humanity to glorify Him. Although sin has distorted His creation, Jesus offers forgiveness, freedom, and new life. Whether we are rejoicing, wrestling with doubt, or needing to repent, the church holds the rope together as we trust in the God who is more than enough. Relevant Scripture references: Genesis 1–2; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Deuteronomy 32; Job 38; Psalm 19:1; Psalm 139:13-14; Isaiah 49; Isaiah 66; Hosea 11; Matthew 27:46; Mark 12:29-31; Mark 15:34; John 1:12-13; John 4:24; John 17:17; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:1; Romans 8:18; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Philippians 3:12; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; and Hebrews 12:2. Support the show

Welcome to Wellspring Church! What keeps us grounded when the road ahead feels uncertain? In this message, Pastor Katie Gayle introduces our new series, “We Believe,” exploring how Scripture lights our path and the Nicene Creed provides guardrails that help us remain faithful to Jesus. Looking at Paul’s encouragement to Timothy, we discover that our faith is a gift received and passed down through generations. Scripture reveals who God is, leads us to salvation through Jesus, and equips us for faithful living. The creeds help us confess these truths together, drawing their authority from the Scriptures they summarize. 📖 Key Themes in This Message: 🔹 Receiving and passing on the faith entrusted to the church 🔹 Trusting Scripture as God’s Word and our final authority 🔹 Standing firm when cultural pressures and personal preferences distort truth 🔹 Allowing what we believe to shape our habits, relationships, and hope The faith we confess is meant to become visible in the lives we lead. As we explore the Nicene Creed together, we’re invited to know and love God more deeply, share the gospel with patience and grace, and hold firmly to his truth through uncertainty and suffering. 📅 Join us this week at Wellspring Church! Looking to grow deeper in your faith? Visit www.wellspringenglewood.comto learn more. Relevant Scripture references: 2 Timothy 3:14–4:5; Psalm 119:105; Psalm 19:14; Exodus 12:26–27; Acts 2:42; 2 Timothy 1:5; Acts 15; Matthew 4:4; John 1:1–14; John 6:68; and Hebrews 6:19. Support the show

Welcome to Wellspring Church! What should we do when someone wanders from the faith? In this message, Billy Waters concludes our series through James by exploring the church’s responsibility to lovingly pursue those who have drifted away from Jesus. Looking at James 5, we learn that spiritual wandering often happens gradually as our love, obedience, and devotion slowly fade. Rather than standing at a distance, every believer is called to help bring the wanderer home with humility, truth, gentleness, and love. 📖 Key Themes in This Message: 🔹 Recognizing the gradual signs of spiritual wandering 🔹 Understanding our shared responsibility for one another 🔹 Looking within before approaching someone who has drifted 🔹 Listening with love and speaking the truth gently 🔹 Walking alongside people as they return to Jesus When someone wanders, the church does not merely observe—we lovingly pursue, restore, and welcome them home. Through God’s people, those who have drifted can encounter the mercy of Jesus, the forgiveness of sin, and the joy of restored relationship with Him. Relevant Scripture references: Genesis 4:9; Psalm 32:1-7; Matthew 7:3-5; Luke 15:11-32; 2 Corinthians 2:4 and 5:18-20; Galatians 6:1; Hebrews 1:14; and James 5:19-20. 📅 Join us this week at Wellspring Church! Looking to grow deeper in your faith? Visit www.wellspringenglewood.comto learn more. Support the show

Welcome to Wellspring Church! How do we persevere in faith and finish the race well? In this message, Pastor David Norris explores how believers can endure life’s hardships by looking to those who have gone before us—and ultimately by fixing our eyes on Jesus. Hebrews 12 reminds us that we cannot run faithfully while weighed down by burdens or entangled in sin. We are called to cast off everything that hinders us, receive the freedom Jesus offers, and trust him as both the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. 📖 Key Themes in This Message: 🔹 Learning from the faithfulness of those who have gone before us 🔹 Throwing off the burdens and sin that keep us from running freely 🔹 Fixing our eyes on Jesus, who begins and completes our faith 🔹 Celebrating baptism as new life and union with Christ Jesus is more than our example—his faithfulness makes our faith possible. Through his grace, we are forgiven, clothed in his righteousness, welcomed into God’s family, and empowered to persevere to the end. 📅 Join us this week at Wellspring Church! Looking to grow deeper in your faith? Visit www.wellspringenglewood.comto learn more. Relevant Scripture references: Hebrews 4:14, Hebrews 10:19-22, Hebrews 11, Hebrews 12:1-2, Matthew 7:13-14, Matthew 13:22, Romans 6:3-5, 2 Corinthians 1:20, Galatians 3:27, Ephesians 2:6, and 1 Peter 5:7. Support the show

Welcome to Wellspring Church! What does it look like when prayer works? In this message, Pastor David Norris explores James 5 and the invitation to become a church that turns to God in every circumstance—through suffering, joy, sickness, confession, and healing. Prayer is not reserved for church leaders or unusually mature Christians. It is the shared work of God’s people. Faith does not mean manufacturing certainty or placing confidence in a particular outcome; it means bringing our needs to Jesus and trusting His power, love, and mercy. 📖 Key Themes in This Message: 🔹 Turning to God in prayer through every high and low 🔹 Why healing was central to Jesus’ ministry 🔹 Understanding the prayer of faith without shame or manipulation 🔹 Confessing our sins and creating safe places to be known 🔹 Becoming a church marked by prayer, healing, and God’s presence We may not fully understand why some prayers appear to be answered differently than others, but we are invited neither to ignore nor embellish God’s promises. Instead, we can humbly embrace His gift of prayer, depend on Christ, and ask the Holy Spirit to make us conduits of God’s mercy, love, and power. 📅 Join us this week at Wellspring Church! Looking to grow deeper in your faith? Visit www.wellspringenglewood.comto learn more. Relevant Scripture references: James 5:13-18; 1 Kings 17:1 and 18:41-45; Matthew 6:10, 8:1-17, 9:1-8, 9:20-22, and 17:20; Isaiah 53:4; Luke 4:18-19; John 10:10; Acts 4:12; 1 Corinthians 12:9 and 14:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Hebrews 4:15; 1 John 1:9; and Deuteronomy 8:11. Support the show

Welcome to Wellspring Church! How can we remain patient when life is painful? In this message, Billy Waters explores why patience is essential to spiritual maturity—and how God uses hardship to form perseverance, character, and hope within us. Looking at James 5, we discover that patience means showing long-suffering love toward people and standing firm through difficult circumstances. Like a farmer waiting for the rain and harvest, we must leave room for God to bring redemption rather than giving in to resentment, withdrawal, or despair. 📖 Key Themes in This Message: 🔹 Remaining patient in painful relationships 🔹 Standing firm when circumstances tempt us to quit 🔹 How grumbling damages our relationships with God and others 🔹 Finding hope in Christ’s return and the resurrection 🔹 Practicing lament by turning to God, bringing our complaints, asking for help, and choosing trust Patience is love that creates space for redemption. Instead of allowing pain to push us toward cynicism, we can honestly bring our sorrow to God and trust His mercy, compassion, and sovereign plan. Because Jesus has finished the work of redemption and will one day make all things right, even our darkest nights can give way to the brightest day. Relevant Scripture references: Genesis 1; Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:29; Job 1:21 and 19:25; Psalms 9:9, 18:2, 23:1, 27:1, 28:7, 30:5, 34:18, 100:5, 103:8, 118:6, 126:5, and 145:13, 18; Romans 5:3-5; 2 Corinthians 4:17; Galatians 6:9; 2 Peter 3:9; James 5:7-11; Hebrews 11:32-40; John 11:25 and 19:30; Revelation 5:2-10 and 21:5. Support the show

Welcome to Wellspring Church! What happens when wealth becomes something we trust, protect, and keep for ourselves? In this message, Billy Waters examines James’ sobering warning about hoarding and invites us to consider how God wants us to use what He has entrusted to us. Wealth itself is not the problem. The danger comes when possessions promise the comfort, control, power, approval, and security that only God can provide. Hoarding draws us away from God, corrodes the soul, and contributes to injustice—but Jesus offers another way: spending and saving sufficiently while giving extravagantly. 📖 Key Themes in This Message: 🔹 Recognizing the difference between wise saving and hoarding 🔹 How wealth can quietly compete with our trust in God 🔹 Why hoarding damages our souls and harms others 🔹 Using our resources to pursue justice and advance the gospel 🔹 Following the radical generosity of Jesus Everything we have has been given for a purpose. As we look to Jesus—who became poor so that we might become rich in Him—we are invited to repent of greed, embrace contentment, and invest generously in what is eternal. Relevant Scripture references: James 4:17; James 5:1-6; Proverbs 6:6-8; Matthew 6:24; Matthew 13:22; Matthew 25:31-46; Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Timothy 6:10; and 2 Corinthians 8:9. 📅 Join us this week at Wellspring Church! Looking to grow deeper in your faith? Visit www.wellspringenglewood.comto learn more. Support the show

Welcome to Wellspring Church! What does it mean to waste the one life God has given us? In this message, Billy Waters challenges us to examine whether our plans are centered on ourselves or surrendered to the purposes of God. Looking at James 4, we see that planning is not the problem—planning without dependence on God is. Because life is fragile and fleeting, we are called to trust God’s will, obey Him today, and live with eternity in view. 📖 Key Themes in This Message: 🔹 The danger of making plans without seeking God 🔹 Why Scripture describes our lives as a quickly vanishing mist 🔹 Choosing faithful obedience today instead of delaying until tomorrow 🔹 Living with an eternal perspective in our work, finances, relationships, and calling 🔹 Sharing the gospel with those who do not yet know Jesus We have only one life, and only what is done for Christ will last. Rather than wasting our days pursuing comfort, possessions, or personal ambition, we can make the most of every opportunity by depending on Jesus, serving His Kingdom, and remaining faithful in what He has called us to do today. Relevant Scripture references: Genesis 3:19; Psalm 103:15-16; Matthew 25:21, 23; Mark 8:35; Luke 12:16-21; Luke 22:42; Acts 18:21; Romans 1:10; and James 4:13-17. Support the show

Welcome to Wellspring Church! What happens when our desires become demands? In this message, Pastor David Norris explores how unmet expectations, discontent, and the belief that “I deserve it” can produce conflict—with others and with God. Looking at James 4, we see that quarrels begin with desires battling within us. Friendship with the world leaves us prideful and unsatisfied, but God offers something greater: more grace. 📖 Key Themes in This Message: 🔹 How disordered desires lead to conflict and spiritual restlessness 🔹 Why entitlement reveals discontent, privilege, and pride 🔹 Submitting to God, resisting the devil, and drawing near to Jesus 🔹 Practicing repentance early and often 🔹 Understanding humility as freedom from self-centeredness True humility is not self-hatred or weakness. It is confidently surrendering ourselves to God, trusting that Christ has already gone to the lowest place for us. As we look to Jesus—the humble and exalted Lamb of God—we discover that he alone can satisfy the deepest longings of our souls. Relevant Scripture references: Genesis 4:1-16; Exodus 19-24; 2 Samuel 11; Proverbs 3:34; Matthew 6:24; Matthew 19:16-22; John 1:29; John 3:14-16; John 17:20-23; John 18:36; James 3:9; James 4:1-10; and Revelation 4-5. Support the show

Welcome to Wellspring Church! If God offered to grant you one request, what would you ask for? In this message, Pastor Billy Waters explores Solomon’s surprising request for wisdom and shows why true wisdom is essential for every area of life. Looking at James 3, we discover the difference between earthly wisdom and wisdom from heaven. Earthly wisdom places self at the center, producing envy, pride, anxiety, and disorder. Heavenly wisdom places God at the center, shaping a life marked by humility, purity, peace, mercy, sincerity, and love for others. 📖 Key Themes in This Message: 🔹 Why fearing the Lord is the beginning of wisdom 🔹 The difference between knowledge and wisdom in action 🔹 How selfish ambition distorts our relationships and identity 🔹 Three ways to cultivate wisdom: pray, embrace trials, and be still 🔹 Finding freedom by surrendering control and placing God at the center God created us for freedom, peace, and a life of purpose rooted in Him. As we pray for wisdom, allow trials to deepen our surrender, and become still before God, our lives are reoriented around His purposes and we learn to love others with humility. Relevant Scripture references: 1 Kings 3:5-13; Proverbs 4:7 and 4:23-27; Proverbs 9:10; Ecclesiastes 12:13; Isaiah 14:13-14; Psalm 46:10; Matthew 11:28-30; Philippians 2:3-4; Colossians 1:9-10; Ephesians 1:17; James 1:2-5; and James 3:13-18. Support the show

Welcome to Wellspring! Words are never “just words.” In this message, Pastor Katie Gayle continues our journey through the book of James, exploring how our speech reveals the true condition of our hearts. James isn’t merely concerned with outward behavior; he calls followers of Jesus to wholehearted discipleship that transforms even the way we speak.  Using vivid illustrations from James 3, Katie shows that our words have incredible power. They can encourage or wound, direct the course of a life or ignite destruction. Every one of us can remember words that built us up—and words that still echo years later because they caused deep hurt. The gospel calls us to recognize that our speech matters because our words flow from what is happening inside us. James doesn’t leave us with a message of simply trying harder. While human beings can tame wild animals, we cannot tame our own tongues by willpower alone. The restless tongue exposes divided hearts, reminding us that lasting change comes only as Jesus transforms us from the inside out. Rather than relying on self-discipline alone, we are invited to continually apply the gospel to our lives, allowing Christ to reshape both our hearts and our speech. 📖 Key Themes in This Message: 🔹 Our words reveal the true condition of our hearts. 🔹 Even small words can have life-changing consequences for good or for harm. 🔹 The tongue cannot be tamed through human effort alone. 🔹 The gospel transforms us from the inside out, producing speech that reflects the character of Christ. 🔹 Our calling is not simply to speak less carelessly, but to become people whose hearts have been renewed by Jesus. Faith is expressed not only through what we do, but also through what we say. As we surrender our hearts to Christ, our words increasingly become instruments of blessing, encouragement, truth, and peace. Jesus doesn’t merely ask us to control our tongues—He offers to transform the hearts from which our words flow. Relevant Scripture references: James 3:1-12, Genesis 1:26-28, Luke 19:1-10, Matthew 12:34-37, Proverbs 18:21. 📅 Join us this week at Wellspring Church! Looking to grow deeper in your faith? Visit www.wellspringenglewood.com to learn more. Support the show

Welcome to Wellspring Church! What does it mean to treat people the way Jesus does? In this message, Pastor Billy Waters continues our series through the book of James by exploring the destructive power of favoritism and discrimination. James reminds us that showing partiality isn’t just poor manners—it contradicts the very character of God. Every person bears God’s image, and the Church is called to reflect the mercy of Christ by welcoming, honoring, and serving others without distinction. 📖 Key Themes in This Message: 🔹 Why favoritism and discrimination distort the witness of the Church 🔹 Every person is created in the image of God and possesses equal dignity 🔹 The “royal law” calls us to love our neighbors rather than elevate some above others 🔹 God’s mercy transforms us so that we extend mercy to everyone we encounter James doesn’t merely expose sin—it points us to the mercy of Jesus. Having received God’s undeserved mercy, we are freed to become people who demonstrate that same mercy to others. As we follow Christ, our lives become a testimony to the gospel when we refuse favoritism, embrace every person with dignity, and allow mercy to triumph over judgment. Relevant Scripture references: James 2:1-13, Leviticus 19:18, Deuteronomy 1:17, Genesis 1:26-27, Matthew 22:37-40, Matthew 25:31-46, 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, Luke 8:1-3 and James 2:13. 📅 Join us this week at Wellspring Church! Looking to grow deeper in your faith? Visit www.wellspringenglewood.com to learn more. Support the show

Welcome to Wellspring Church! What does real spiritual growth look like? In this message, Pastor Billy Waters explores a question many Christians wrestle with: if God desires to transform us, how do we actually grow? Looking at the book of James, Billy reminds us that spiritual maturity is not primarily about trying harder or compiling a longer list of religious accomplishments. Instead, growth begins with a heart that is humble, receptive, and responsive to God’s Word. Throughout the message, we are challenged to move beyond simply hearing Scripture and into a life of obedience. Billy explains that transformation is both God’s work and our participation. The Holy Spirit changes us, but he also calls us to cultivate a posture of humility, receiving the Word with openness and allowing it to shape our lives. As we submit ourselves to God’s truth, we are gradually transformed into the likeness of Christ. 📖 Key Themes in This Message: 🔹 Why spiritual growth is more than behavior modification or trying harder 🔹 The danger of reducing Christianity to a list of commands and expectations 🔹 Receiving God’s Word with humility and spiritual receptivity 🔹 Becoming doers of the Word, not merely hearers 🔹 How transformation happens “from one degree of glory to another” 🔹 Living faithfully in a challenging cultural moment while remaining rooted in Scripture Faithfulness is not achieved through sheer effort but through a heart surrendered to God. As we listen to his voice, receive his Word, and walk in obedience, the Holy Spirit forms us into people who reflect the character of Jesus. The result is not only personal transformation, but a church marked by holiness, justice, spiritual growth, and faithful witness in the world. Relevant Scripture references: James 1:19–25, James 1:22, James 4, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Isaiah 1, and 1 John 2:2. 📅 Join us this week at Wellspring Church! Looking to grow deeper in your faith? Visit www.wellspringenglewood.com to learn more. Support the show

Welcome to Wellspring Church! In this message, Pastor Katie Gayle launches our new series through the book of James by exploring a question that sits at the heart of Christian discipleship: What does it actually look like to follow Jesus in real life? James wrote to believers who had been scattered by persecution and were facing significant trials. Rather than offering easy answers or promises of comfort, he assumes that hardship is a normal part of life with God. Katie reminds us that James is not interested in a faith that is merely claimed, but a faith that is lived—a community whose lives reflect wholehearted devotion to Jesus, not just Christian language or identity.   📖 Key Themes in This Message: 🔹 The difference between claiming faith and living faith 🔹 Why trials are not an exception to the Christian life, but an expected part of it 🔹 How God uses suffering to form maturity, perseverance, and wholeness in his people 🔹 The temptation to build our lives around comfort, control, and self-protection 🔹 Finding joy in the midst of hardship because God is actively at work in us 🔹 Seeking God’s wisdom when we do not know how to navigate life’s challenges 🔹 Trusting that Jesus is present with us in every struggle and is using even difficult circumstances for our good James challenges us to see our trials differently. Rather than viewing them as evidence that God has abandoned us, we are invited to see them as opportunities for God to shape us into people who are mature, complete, and fully devoted to him. The Christian life is not about avoiding hardship but about remaining faithful through it, trusting that God is refining us and giving us the wisdom we need along the way. As we walk through seasons of difficulty, we can take courage knowing that Jesus meets us there and is forming us into the kind of people whose faith is visible in everyday life. Relevant Scripture references: James 1:1–8, James 1:2–4, James 1:5, James 2:17, James 5:12, John 20:24–29, 1 Corinthians 15:7, John 16:33, Matthew 6:25–34, Luke 11:9–13, Hebrews 4:15–16.  📅 Join us this week at Wellspring Church! Looking to grow deeper in your faith? Visit www.wellspringenglewood.com to learn more. Support the show