Oakhaven Church Podcast
258 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 days ago -Messages from The Barn: Oakhaven Church in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
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Episodes
04.14.24 - Mark VII: Forgiven - Healed - Sent
April 16, 2024 19:00 - 32 minutes - 22.7 MBAs we continue our journey into the Gospel of Mark, we come upon the memorable story of a lame man lowered through the ceiling in order to be healed by Jesus. The doorway was too crowded to get through, and the man’s friends had faith that Jesus would heal their friend; and so they did what had to be done in order to get Him to Jesus. This story functions on so many levels when applied to our lives. We too face barriers to Jesus, whether put there by circumstance or actively erected by the e...
04.07.24 - Mark VI - Let's Keep Teaching!
April 10, 2024 19:00 - 32 minutes - 22.2 MBIn our survey of the Gospel of Mark, we are still in Chapter 1, but Jesus has already had several opportunities in which to be identified as God's Son, the Holy One who heals diseases, teaches with authority, casts out demons... and spends time by Himself with the Father in order to refresh and reset His Spirit. Duey Unbehaun shares a lesson based on Mark 1:29-39. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
03.31.24 - Mark V - EASTER SUNDAY - Up from the Grave
April 03, 2024 19:00 - 28 minutes - 19.8 MBIn his Gospel, Mark is careful to lead us to the deep meaning of Jesus’ first spoken words in Mark: "The time is fulfilled. The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news." If all time has been working towards Jesus’ arrival, Jesus’ mortal life has been working towards the climax of His story and ours: the climax of His resurrection from the dead. We are in danger of treating as commonplace the most extraordinary truth of our existence, but instead Jesus calls us to revis...
03.24.24 - Mark IV - Hosanna to the Humble King
March 25, 2024 21:00 - 34 minutes - 23.7 MBAs we gather together on Palm Sunday, we skip ahead in our young study of the Gospel of Mark to his account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Mark’s account in chapter 11 is spare in comparison to its parallels, but there is still a clear purpose in Jesus’ decisions and the reactions that flow from them. His courage, power, authority, humility, and love shine through it all. In the end, we are asked whether He is the king in our life - if He is the one holding the reins, because some...
03.17.24 - Mark III - The New King in Town
March 20, 2024 20:00 - 32 minutes - 22.6 MBThe first words spoken by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark are “The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news.” This is the theme verse of the entire gospel: all that has happened before now has been building to this moment. And how does the kingdom come near? The King brings it with Him. His first considered act upon launching his mission in Galilee is to call four fishermen to follow Him, indicating that HE would make them fishers of men. Their exampl...
03.10.24 - Mark II - You are God's Beloved
March 11, 2024 16:00 - 38 minutes - 26.7 MBMark's description of Jesus’ baptism is quick, cryptic, and powerful. The Spirit descends upon Jesus to empower the ministry He is at this instant embracing as the heavens are torn apart and the Father’s voice proclaims the most important affirming statement ever made. This statement of being beloved by the Creator, the One Who takes great pleasure in us His children, is as true for us today as it was for Jesus in the Jordan river that day. He is the pioneer going ahead of us, through baptis...
03.03.24 - Mark I - On Your Mark!
March 06, 2024 00:00 - 36 minutes - 25.3 MBWe begin our journey through the Gospel of Mark by examining his (and his gospel's) role in the New Testament and Scripture as a whole. In just a few phrases, Mark conveys the importance of the coming One Whose sandals a camel-hair-wearing John the Baptist (see Elijah for fashion notes) Whose sandals John is not worthy to untie. And Who, BTW, has a universe-changing experience in the Holy Spirit up His sleeve. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
02.25.24 - Ready? Action!
February 26, 2024 20:00 - 35 minutes - 24.5 MBAn overview of the gospel is presented by a close friend of the apostle Peter. One particular insight involves one of Jesus' healings in which sight is restored through two ministrations by Jesus. The lesson of His staying with us through the healing process until we are healed and our sight is restored is an encouragement when things we hope and pray for do not come about immediately. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
02.18.24 - Spirit V - This Means War
February 19, 2024 17:00 - 42 minutes - 29.1 MBToday we finish our brief series looking more closely at the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives (and our role in His). At the end of Colossians, Paul describes a significant shift in our identity and circumstance: God has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son. We look today at some of the issues surrounding these two kingdoms, and how God has prepares us for battle against the dark side by putting His powerful Spirit within us, and t...
02.11.24 - Spirit IV - The Best Defense is a Good Offense
February 12, 2024 20:00 - 33 minutes - 22.8 MBAs the Spirit empowers our walk with Christ, the Apostle Paul approaches our relationship with Jesus and His Spirit from several different angles. In the book of Colossians, Paul has a straightforward discussion of living with a focus on Jesus and our gratitude to him. In Romans, Paul examines the role the law has had in suggesting disobedience Paul would never have considered in what we’re calling a wet paint syndrome. If we focus on our weakness and past failures, it increases the chance o...
02.04.24 - Spirit III - Our Powerful Permanent Guest
February 05, 2024 22:00 - 33 minutes - 23 MBWhen the waters of judgment receded from the earth in the time of Noah, it was a dove that brought back the sign that the judgment was over. And so it is a dove that descends on Jesus at His baptism, a sign of the peace and peaceable kingdom that Jesus is bringing (Isaiah 11). The dove rests and stays on Jesus as a sign of abiding presence. Then when the Spirit is poured out on Christ-followers in Acts 2, flames of fire rest upon them much as the dove rested upon Jesus at His baptism. The p...
01.28.24 - Spirit II - Empowered
January 29, 2024 22:00 - 33 minutes - 22.8 MBWe are seeking to learn more about the Holy Spirit and His role in our lives as individuals and as a church. We began at the very beginning last week, from the opening sentence of Genesis, and found the Spirit at work from then until now. As Christians we benefit from a drastically different experience of the Spirit than even the prophets of the Old Testament. Ezekiel prophecies that God will put a new, softer, undivided heart in us, and because of that Spirit, Paul writes that we can - are ...
01.28.24 - BONUS EPISODE - Table Message
January 29, 2024 22:00 - 8 minutes - 5.58 MBThere are at least three different historic and significant meals invoked by The Lord's Table, each of them bringing added meaning to our taking of communion together. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
01.21.24 - Spirit I - A Strong Family Resemblance
January 22, 2024 17:00 - 34 minutes - 24 MBThe Spirit of God is present at creation, hovering over the waters in Genesis 1:2. Ages later, John in His Gospel tells us that Jesus is also present at creation, that all things are made through Him. And so the Trinity is together before time, the “family” of God united in this most important work. Then in Ephesians 1, the Apostle Paul says that God has chosen us since before creation. So that as the God Family creates, it is with us (with YOU) in mind. Then across the ages, the God Family ...
01.14.24 - Starting Fresh
January 15, 2024 23:00 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MBWe turn our thoughts to the turn of the year today since we spent last Sunday with the magi and the layers of theme in their story. In the Book of Lamentations we are reminded that God’s mercies are new every morning, providing a fresh start with each rising of the sun; however, the seam of the calendar is a chance to be more intentional and aware of new beginnings. Paul talks often about putting off our old self and putting on a new person. John the Baptist kicks the gospels off with that ...
01.07.24 - Christmas III - King of Kings
January 08, 2024 20:00 - 34 minutes - 23.5 MBThe season of Christmas comes to an end in Matthew 2 with the arrival of the magi at the Bethlehem home of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. There are several themes of consequence in Matthew's account of matters concerning the magi, the stars, the king, Egypt, incarnation, exaltation, Pax Romana, the Prince of Peace, the way of the cross - not to mention gold, frankincense, or myrrh (we won't). See if there's something that sticks to your awareness and brings a nudge along with it... To investigat...
12.31.23 - Christmas II - Why Lies He in Such Mean Estate?
January 02, 2024 17:00 - 39 minutes - 27 MBJesus' birth in a stable puts Him beside animals destined to be sacrificed. He is not simply "born to die," though, but to establish His kingdom, to set the captive free, preach good news to the poor, and to commission followers to continue in His steps* once His days of incarnation are finished. *That includes us! And on the outside chance you're seeing this bottom paragraph, we're sending a "shoutout" to our listeners in Germany to kick off the New Year. Drop us a note and tell us about...
12.24.23 - Advent IV and Christmas Eve - Love and Lessons & Carols
December 27, 2023 14:00 - 1 hour - 49 MBWe celebrate the birth of Christ with a traditional service of Lessons and Carols. Nine Scripture readings lead us from the beginning of humanity’s walk with (and exile from) God, through the prophets, and then the virgin birth, shepherds, and wise men. Each passage is paired with a carol or song that matches its theme, and at the end of the service, we share the light of Jesus with one another, symbolically passing his flame and good news to each other with candles. To investigate this mos...
12.17.23 - Advent III - I've Got the Joy (Joy, Joy, Joy) Down in My Heart!
December 19, 2023 19:00 - 38 minutes - 26.8 MBAs we reach the halfway point in our journey through Advent toward Jesus' birth, we pause to reflect on the Joy Christ brings with Him in His first coming, and the joy that is promised at His second coming. It is for this latter joy - "the joy set before Him" - that Jesus endures the cross. This eternal perspective is ours as well, and is the source of joy deep down in our hearts in spite of our immediate circumstances. Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King. To inv...
12.10.23 - Advent Peace Theme Intro
December 12, 2023 22:00 - 5 minutes - 3.93 MBAs we walk through the season of Advent, each week has a specific theme on which we focus. Last week's "Hope" introduction was bundled into the sermon podcast (in case you missed it!). Because this week's message is an in-character narrative sermon, here is the reflection on the theme from earlier in the service. He's brought us peace that passes understanding! To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
12.10.23 - The Crafted Craftsman
December 12, 2023 22:00 - 33 minutes - 23.3 MBThis narrative Christmas message reminds us of how very human all the humans are that take part in the amazing story of the Incarnation. We are just as human, if not moreso, and just as usable by God to bring about His powerful purposes. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
12.03.23 - There's No Place Like Hope
December 04, 2023 21:00 - 35 minutes - 24.6 MBWe enter into a time of anticipation and reflection as we look forward to the birth of Jesus AND at the same time to His return when He comes again. We are able to put our hope in the trustworthy God Who has been working toward the birth of His Son in a stable for thousands of years. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
11.26.23 - Save It, Or Lose It?
November 28, 2023 23:00 - 37 minutes - 25.9 MBHow we prioritize our lives and how we spend them is a continual challenge as we seek to be used by God and to make the most out of the life He's given us. Jim Harwell brings this message on the Sunday following Thanksgiving, reminding us that Jesus tells us that whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Jesus' sake, will find it, and live the most meaningful life available this side of heaven. To investigate this most important of stories further, go ...
11.19.23 - Count Your Blessings Not Your Worries
November 28, 2023 23:00 - 38 minutes - 26.6 MBAs we prepare to gather with loved ones for Thanksgiving, we look at giving thanks and its role in scripture and in our lives. Mentioned over 150 times in one form or another, giving thanks to God for everything is the antidote for anxiety, and yields a life that is filled with peace and even joy in the face of even challenging circumstances. Jesus promises that we need not worry: He’s got His eyes on the sparrows, and we matter a whole lot more than them! And the word for thanksgiving in Gr...
11.12.23 - God's Family on Orphan Sunday
November 14, 2023 19:00 - 35 minutes - 24.7 MBOn International Orphan Sunday, Cynthia Mudd speaks on the life and heart of God for all His children, with with a special place in his heart for the marginalized and disregarded. "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you (James 1:27, NLT). Cynthia is the founding president of The Haiti Education Alliance, dedicated to improving the lives of orphans and other impoverished in Haiti ...
11.05.23 - The Long Way Home IV: Identify Yourself
November 07, 2023 20:00 - 31 minutes - 21.7 MBWe are in a season of looking at the larger context of our life with God, starting at the very beginning. A striking moment in the early stories comes whey Yahveh curses the serpent, promising that the seed of Adam and the seed of the serpent will be enemies and “strike” or “bruise” one another. Later (2nd century) Christian writers assign this scene to Jesus’ triumph over evil in His resurrection. Instead, we look at the related theme of “seed” in the promise to Abraham, that the moving for...
10.29.23 - The Long Way Home III: Incarnation
October 30, 2023 18:00 - 30 minutes - 21.2 MBWe are in a series of lessons focused on the large context of God’s relationships with humans, starting at the beginning of time in our direct contact with Him in the garden, walking side by side “in the cool of the day,” through all the consequences of our sin. God nurtures humanity as well as our redemption from the earliest chapters of the Bible, embarking on our rescue with the promise to make from this old man and wife an entire nation through whom all families on earth will be blessed....
10.22.23 - The Long Way Home II: Exile
October 24, 2023 17:00 - 30 minutes - 20.8 MBToday we continue our survey of God’s “long game” in preparing humanity for His kingdom to come “on earth as it is in heaven.” Our original design is to be in direct contact with the Creator, to walk side by side with Him as in the Garden. In order to restore that level of relationship, both our sin AND our understanding of it (and God and us and…) must be dealt with. God has always had a plan, and patiently works it out over millennia, including now. Just as He revealed Himself to His peopl...
10.22.23 - The Long Way Home II
October 24, 2023 17:00 - 30 minutes - 20.8 MBToday we continue our survey of God’s “long game” in preparing humanity for His kingdom to come “on earth as it is in heaven.” Our original design is to be in direct contact with the Creator, to walk side by side with Him as in the Garden. In order to restore that level of relationship, both our sin AND our understanding of it (and God and us and…) must be dealt with. God has always had a plan, and patiently works it out over millennia, including now. Just as He revealed Himself to His peopl...
10.15.23 - The Long Way Home I
October 16, 2023 21:00 - 39 minutes - 27.4 MBIn our discussions about Jesus' Kingdom in these final months of 2023, we stop today and consider an even broader perspective that helps define the Kingdom of God. Starting at the very beginning, we see God's design and desire for us is to be with him, in His presence. Piggybacking on last week's lesson focused on the power of God's presence, we survey His patient partnership with humans, beginning with Abram all the way up through the coming of Jesus, all in one fell swoop of a sermon. Buck...
10.15.23 - The Long Way Home I: Foundations
October 16, 2023 21:00 - 39 minutes - 27.4 MBIn our discussions about Jesus' Kingdom in these final months of 2023, we stop today and consider an even broader perspective that helps define the Kingdom of God. Starting at the very beginning, we see God's design and desire for us is to be with him, in His presence. Piggybacking on last week's lesson focused on the power of God's presence, we survey His patient partnership with humans, beginning with Abram all the way up through the coming of Jesus, all in one fell swoop of a sermon. Buck...
09.10.23 - Called to Be Untouchable
October 10, 2023 20:00 - 26 minutes - 18.3 MBWe continue today our series on God’s call in each of our lives by looking at the Apostle Paul and the dramatic way Jesus calls and changes his life. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
10.01.23 - Forgiven for Good
October 10, 2023 20:00 - 32 minutes - 22.6 MBAs we consider our place in Jesus’ kingdom as His subjects and ambassadors, we look today to Paul and one of the ways the apostle bore witness about Jesus to others. He both proclaimed the good news of Jesus’ love and mercy, but then also illustrated those things in his own life by sharing his testimony of who he was before Jesus came along. His awareness of Jesus’ mercy and grace at the core of Paul’s identity is the nuclear reactor that fuels his passion for Christ and the boldness of his ...
09.17.23 - Called to Be Empowered Subjects of the King
October 10, 2023 20:00 - 35 minutes - 24.2 MBAt the finish of a special weekend with Marvin Bryant in which we have focused on God's Kingdom, Jesus' Kingship, and our role as His subjects, Marvin leads us through a powerful summary of the good "NEWS." To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
09.24.23 - Partners in Prayer
October 10, 2023 20:00 - 26 minutes - 17.9 MBAs we embark as a congregation on a 90 day journey, we are reminded of how important prayer is in this endeavor. We are not doing something FOR God, we are doing something WITH Him. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
10.08.23 - Abiding Fruitfulness
October 10, 2023 20:00 - 29 minutes - 20.5 MBIn John 15, Jesus tells a simple but powerful parable that likens our relationship with him to vines, branches, and fruit. We consider this metaphor today and its many implications: He is the source of power, nutrition, and life as we abide in Him and bear fruit. Meanwhile the gardening Father has his eye on the whole process and prunes us so make us more fruitful. And we’re all in it together with the Trinity and each other! To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
09.03.23 - Called to a New Identity
October 10, 2023 20:00 - 29 minutes - 20.3 MBWe are in a “mini-series” of messages focused on God’s call on our lives. Last week we examined Peter’s call to ministry, and this week we will look at an aspect of Paul’s call to be a Christ-follower. Both men left their old lives and ways and followed and preached Jesus. We are called to do the same. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
08.13.23 - Grace and Gratitude
October 09, 2023 20:00 - 21 minutes - 14.6 MBElder Duey Unbehaun shares a message based on Luke 17, a story in which 10 lepers are healed of their disease, but only one returns to thank Him. Are we grateful for what He has done for us? If so, how do we show it? To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
08.06.23 - The Disciple's Way
October 09, 2023 20:00 - 26 minutes - 18.4 MBGuest speaker and former Oakhaven elder Wayne Hawley brings a message based on Matthew 6 in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
07.30.23 - A Living Parable: Love Is of God
October 09, 2023 20:00 - 28 minutes - 19.5 MBA special dramatic narrative sermon features the point of view of someone we all think we know, but from whom we have not yet heard as well as we do here. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
07.23.23 - What I Think I Think
October 09, 2023 20:00 - 18 minutes - 12.6 MBJohn Loe shares a message that surveys several scriptures looking at the long arc of God's plan and work in reclaiming His children. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
08.20.23 - Bubble Busting
October 09, 2023 20:00 - 21 minutes - 14.5 MBElder Brenda Wilusz takes a closer look at scriptures we may be a bit off on... To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
07.16.23 - We Are Called
October 09, 2023 20:00 - 44 minutes - 30.4 MBJim Harwell shares a message based on Jesus' call on Peter, and Jesus' call on us. To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
07.09.23 - People You Meet in God's Kingdom
October 09, 2023 20:00 - 32 minutes - 22 MBElder Brenda Wilusz shares a message based on the book, "The Five People You Meet in Heaven." To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
08.27.23 - Called: Out of the Blue and into the Kingdom
October 09, 2023 20:00 - 32 minutes - 22.3 MBToday we look at how Jesus calls Simon Peter in the Gospel of Luke. Peter has a series of encounters with Jesus that crescendo to a miraculous catch of fish both in number and in the whole “you don’t catch fish in the heat of noon” thing. We consider Jesus’ call on each of us in both ordinary and extraordinary circumstances, and how Jesus makes clear to Simon and to us that He can be trusted, even if His commands are on the counterintuitive side. To investigate this most important of storie...
07.02.23 - Pentecost V: The Pursuit of the Holy Spirit
July 03, 2023 17:00 - 36 minutes - 25.2 MBWe finish our series in which we’ve been reflecting on the Holy Spirit in a focus on “The Pursuit of the Holy Spirit.” This is a both/and concept as He pursues us AND we are called to pursue Him. Ezekiel paints God as a shepherd who retrieves His sheep. Jesus provides multiple examples of His own pursuing the Spirit’s presence throughout His ministry. If Jesus, Son of God and united with the Trinity, spends this kind of time alone in pursuit of the Spirit, how much more should we? To invest...
06.25.23 - Pentecost IV: Dry Bones Come Alive
June 30, 2023 21:00 - 39 minutes - 27.5 MBWe continue our focus on the Holy Spirit this morning in these weeks following Pentecost. Today we look at one of the most colorful stories in the Bible as we join Ezekiel in his vision of God’s raising a valley full of bleached, dry bones into an enfleshed army. As Yahveh breathes His Spirit into them to bring them to life, we are linked to Genesis 2:7 when Yahveh first breathes life into Adam, and are joined in new creation in the kingdom of God. The story is a powerful one of renewal of r...
06.18.23 - Pentecost III: The Family of God
June 20, 2023 19:00 - 38 minutes - 26.8 MBToday is Father’s Day, a day to celebrate for a lot of people, but also a tough day for others. None of us have (or are) perfect fathers, but we can all rejoice in God the Father caring more for us than we can imagine. He adopts us into His family in a powerful way that removes distinctions like male, female, Jew, gentile, slave or free. We are no longer treated as slaves, but as His children, a powerful theme to contemplate the day before Juneteenth, upon which we will also reflect in an ef...
06.11.23 - Pentecost II: (A Few of) the Roles of the Holy Spirit
June 13, 2023 19:00 - 34 minutes - 24 MBWe continue our rumination on the Holy Spirit in these weeks following the universe-changing day of Pentecost. Today we’ll look (all too briefly) at some of the roles the Spirit plays in our lives: Companion, Comforter, Counselor, Companion, Intercessor, Equipper, Empowered, Sanctifier, Pray-er, Deposit and Guarantee, and more than we can ask or imagine! To investigate this most important of stories further, go here.
06.04.23 - Pentecost I: God Among Us
June 06, 2023 20:00 - 30 minutes - 20.9 MBThe Bible begins with a picture of God and His children, Adam and Eve, living a life of close relationship with one another in actual physical presence together. When human sin forces exile, the rest of scripture is about how God restores His relationship with His children, including us. Over and over, He promises that there will come a day when He will be our God, and we will be His people. The full restoration of that relationship and presence awaits us at the return of Christ; HOWEVER, o...