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Somebody handed the story of faith down to you. Who will you hand it to? In this episode, Pastor Craig looks at Joshua’s final words to the people of Israel. Before Joshua asks them to “choose this day whom you will serve,” he reminds them of everything God has done. After they choose, he sets up a stone so the next generation will remember. Three movements shape the message: remembering leads to choosing, and choosing leads to passing it on. Along the way, you’ll hear about the bones of Joseph carried out of Egypt, a Gideon Bible that saved a man’s life in a motel room, and how a baptism makes every one of us part of someone else’s story. We also honor our veterans and the Marine Corps on its 251st birthday. This week’s Faith Challenge: Set Up a Stone✔️ Remember three times God carried you through, and remember your baptism.✔️ Choose: ask yourself, “What’s still in the tent?”✔️ Pass it on: share a story of God’s faithfulness with someone younger than you. This episode includes a story involving suicide. If you or someone you love is struggling, call or text 988, any time, day or night.

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon says you’re never more than six connections away from anyone in Hollywood. But how far are you from God? In this All Saints Sunday message from Revelation 7:9–17 and Psalm 139, Pastor Craig takes us from Moses to Kevin Bacon in six steps, then to the great multitude standing before God’s throne, the saints who live Coram Deo, “before the face of God,” with no degree of separation. Along the way we meet Brother Lawrence in his monastery kitchen and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz in her final days, and we hear Stephen Wilson Jr.’s song “Grief Is Only Love,” written after losing his father. We also hear why, in Christ, the love we still carry for those we’ve lost always has somewhere to go. Whether you’re grieving someone this season or giving thanks for the people who led you to faith, this message is a reminder that nothing in life or death can separate us from the love of God.

Nobody plants an apple tree to admire the roots. In the final message of our series Rooted: Practices That Form a Disciple, we turn to John 15, where Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” For five weeks we’ve been putting down roots in Scripture, prayer, community, the Table, and rest. Now we ask what those roots are for. Through a story of storm-torn limbs and a well-known story about John Wesley and a robber, we explore why fruit is never the branch’s achievement but the natural result of staying connected to the vine. Along with Paul’s call in Romans 12 to offer our whole lives to God, we discover that being sent isn’t leaving the life we’ve nurtured behind. It’s carrying it with us. A launch point is a place you leave. A root is something you take with you.

When was the last time you truly stopped? In this fifth message of the Rooted: Practices That Form a Disciple series, Pastor Craig explores one of the hardest spiritual practices for busy people: rest. Starting with the story of a wagon train racing winter to Oregon, he traces Sabbath from creation in Genesis 2, to God’s command at Mount Sinai in Exodus 20, to Jesus’ reminder in Mark 2 that the Sabbath was made for us. Along the way, you’ll hear what John Wesley believed about keeping the Lord’s Day, why busyness isn’t the same as faithfulness, and a few Sunday afternoon memories of a pastor dad, the Miami Dolphins, and a well-earned nap. Rest isn’t a reward for getting everything done. It’s an act of trust that God holds the world together, and we don’t have to. Listen, then try this week’s Faith Challenge: one small Sabbath practice at a time.

On World Communion Sunday, Christians around the globe gather at the Lord's Table, and in Week 4 of Rooted: Practices That Form a Disciple, we come to that Table too. Drawing on 1 Corinthians 11:23–26, this message explores how a divided church in Corinth forgot who the Table was for, and what Paul meant by "discerning the body." We'll look at John Wesley's conviction that communion is a means of grace, not a reward for the worthy, and discover what it means not just to remember but to re-member: to be put back together as one body in Christ. Plus, a Christmas Eve story about a seven-year-old, his little sister on the back pew, and a small piece of bread that made Holy Communion more holy than ever. Wherever you are, there's a place set for you.

You weren't built to do this alone. In this episode, we dig into Acts 2:42-47, the picture Luke paints of the early church, a community devoted to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer, so devoted that no one among them went without. We talk about why community is often the hardest part of faith, why vulnerability isn't the cost of belonging but the whole point of it, and what John Wesley's class meetings can still teach us about "Christian conferencing" today. Plus, a look at this week's Faith Challenge and how you can practice "life together" in your own week, one day at a time.

Ever feel like you don't know what to say when you pray? You're not alone — even Jesus' own disciples had to ask him, "Lord, teach us to pray." This week, we're digging into Luke 11:1-13 and discovering that prayer was never about finding the right words — it's about honest, persistent asking to a God who gives good gifts. We'll talk about what actually gets in the way of a real prayer life, what John Wesley believed about prayer as one of the ordinary channels of God's grace, and what to do with the prayers that still feel unanswered. Plus — you'll never hear a chocolate chip cookie the same way again.

What's the difference between a tree that survives a drought and one that doesn't? It's what's happening underground, long before the dry season hits. In this episode, we kick off a new series on the practices that form a disciple, starting with Scripture. We look at Psalm 1's tree planted by streams of water, unpack what 2 Timothy means by Scripture that "equips" us, and dig into John Wesley's own life — why his Oxford classmates mocked him as a "Bible moth," and what he meant calling himself "a man of one book." Plus, a simple, centuries-old method for reading Scripture you can use this week. Whether you're new to reading the Bible or you've been at it for years, this one's an invitation to send your roots a little deeper.

Every morning, we make a decision before we even leave the house: what are we going to wear? In this episode, we dig into Romans 13:8-14, where the apostle Paul suggests we've been asking the wrong question. It's not "what am I going to wear today?" — it's "who am I going to wear today?" We explore Paul's striking call to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ," unpacking what it means to treat faith less like a belief we hold and more like a garment we choose, every single day. Along the way: the one debt we can never fully pay off (love), what it means to dress for a day that's already dawning, and why the world is always watching to see what — or who — we're wearing. This episode was recorded on a Holy Communion Sunday, so you'll also hear reflections on coming to the table already clothed in grace we didn't earn.

Have you ever gotten the biggest answer of your life exactly right — and then, just moments later, gotten everything else completely wrong? That's exactly where Peter finds himself in this week's episode, going from naming Jesus as the Messiah to being called "Satan" just six verses later. Pastor Craig unpacks Matthew 16:21-28, the real cost of following Jesus, and a life lesson from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library along the way — recorded alongside Christ UMC's Healing Service. Wherever you are on the journey, there's room for you here.

Peter didn't answer a trivia question at Caesarea Philippi — he spoke from something he'd witnessed and wrestled with. In this episode, we into Matthew 16:13-20, exploring what it means to move from recognizing who Jesus is to actually saying so out loud — to the people in our own lives.

Six weeks ago, we set out with a question borrowed from an old rock song: what does it mean to never stop believing? We've walked through hope, welcome, perseverance, trust, and rest — and this week, the journey lands somewhere unexpected: not an ending, but a sending. Inspired by Journey's "Lights" — a song Steve Perry rewrote entirely once he found the place he actually belonged — We close out the series with Matthew 5:14–16 and a simple, world-changing truth: you are the light of the world. Not someday. Not once you've earned it. Already. This isn't a call to prove yourself. It's an invitation to stop hiding what's already true — and carry it into every ordinary corner of your life. The journey isn't ending. It's just beginning.

Some of the most exhausted people you'll ever meet are the ones telling everyone else to rest. This week, Pastor Craig unpacks the surprising true story behind Journey's "Be Good to Yourself" — written by two men who couldn't practice what they were about to preach. Drawing from Matthew 11:28–30 and Psalm 103:13–14, we ask what it means to lay a burden down — not once you've earned it, but simply because you're weary and Jesus is asking you to come. If rest feels like something you have to earn, this episode is an invitation to set that down and remember you're loved exactly as you are.

Don't Stop Believin': A Journey of Faith What do we do when we can't control how the wheel turns? Pastor Craig explores trusting God when the road ahead disappears from view — drawing from Proverbs 3:5–6, James 4:13–15, and the surprising true story behind Journey's "Wheel in the Sky." Discover why trusting God "with all your heart" costs more than we think, and why the clearest path forward isn't always a straight one — just a trustworthy one. Scripture: Proverbs 3:5–6, James 4:13–15 This week's Faith Challenge: "Whatever Befall"

There's a guy named Jesse in an old Journey song, still riding the same streets every night, long after the world around him has moved on. It's a haunting picture of endurance — but is it the same kind of perseverance the Bible talks about? In this episode, we dig into Hebrews 12's "cloud of witnesses" and what it really means to run a race with perseverance — not just staying in motion, but running toward something. We talk honestly about what it feels like to be tired in your faith, why Galatians 6:9 doesn't scold us for growing weary, and why the Psalms promise that even those who go out weeping carry something worth planting. If you've ever felt like you're just going through the motions — showing up, but exhausted — this conversation is for you. Because tired isn't the same as finished. And the long, quiet, unnoticed obedience? God sees it. And God honors it. Part of our summer series, "Don't Stop Believin': A Journey of Faith." Want me to adjust the length, tone, or add a specific call-to-action (subscribe, share, etc.) at the end?