Dayspring Fellowship Podcasts

Harnessing the Power of Words | Part 5 | Final Words | Chris Voigt

Final WordsHarnessing the Power of WordsSeptember 4, 2022
If the search engine results on ‘Famous Last Words’ are any indication, there is an enormous fascination with the final utterances of those who have died. So, what’s the big deal with last words? We spend all day, every day, speaking, thinking, and listening to words. From meaningless chatter, observations about the weather, and bad jokes, to friendly banter, productive dialog, and words of encouragement, we are constantly communicating, in one way or another. Why would last words be so significant? What would you say if you had the luxury of knowing the next words you speak would be your last? And maybe that’s it... it would be a luxury, because, often, there’s no way to know. In 1776, Revolutionary War spy Nathan Hale was hanged by the British after he was captured during a failed espionage mission in Long Island. He had a pretty good idea that his end was coming. His famous last words were, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Drummer Buddy Rich died after surgery in 1987. As he was being prepped for surgery, a nurse asked him, “Is there anything you can’t take?” Rich replied, “Yeah, country music.” I’m with ya on that one, Buddy. But I wonder, might he have said something else if he’d had an inkling that those words would be his last? In 2008, American rock and roll icon Bo Diddley, on his deathbed, died giving a thumbs-up as he listened to the song “Walk Around Heaven.” His last word was “Wow.” Richard B. Mellon, a multimillionaire, was the president of American aluminum producing giant, Alcoa. He and his brother Andrew had a little game of tag going for about seven decades. As Richard was dying, he called his brother over and whispered, “Last tag.” Andrew remained “it” for four years, until he died. Richard’s last words seem carefully chosen. I’m Chris Voigt, Lead Pastor at Dayspring Fellowship in Keizer, Oregon. We’re wrapping up our series, Harnessing the Power of Words, this Sunday. While I have no reason to believe this would be my final message, I do have the ‘luxury’ of knowing it Is the end of this series! I would venture to say that our words are one of the most powerful resources God has given us. I hope you’ll join us as we consider some final thoughts about how we can use our words to build up, encourage, bless, and bring life to the people around us.  I hope you’ll join us as together we grow to be more like Jesus - harnessing the power of words and speaking hope and life into our world.

Harnessing the Power of Words | Part 4 | Can We Talk? | Chris Voigt

Can We Talk?Harnessing the Power of WordsAugust 28, 2022
Imagine with me for a moment... You’re short on time. You’re leaving, parting ways, it’s hasta la vista, baby. Could be that you’re just headed to bed or taking off on a weekend road trip; maybe you’re moving to another part of the country or a different one altogether; or perhaps you know that you’re coming to the end of your life (as all of us will, sooner or later). Every night, before I go to sleep, I say, “I love you,” to DeeDee. I know it’s kind of a gruesome thought; but, if she were to die in her sleep, she would die knowing I loved her; and if I died in my sleep, those would be the last words seared into her memory…haunting her for the rest of her days. In every “leaving” scenario, there are words that should be said; it might be instructions to give, cautions to share, values to communicate, or a relationship to mend. What things would be most important for you to say to the people in your life if you were leaving them behind, whether for an evening, a week, a year, or indefinitely? What would you want them to know? On the eve of Jesus’ execution, He spent time praying to His Father, talking about the things that mattered most to Him. He had spent three years speaking truth, hope and life into His closest friends. So, in His final hours, what was His greatest concern leading up to His execution? What did He most want to say? In John 17, Jesus, praying over His disciples, says, “Father... I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one...I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me...”Three times Jesus prays for unity among His disciples; and not just the small group who are gathered around Him in that moment, but He asks for unity among “those who will believe in me through their message.” That includes you and me! Unity was what mattered most to Jesus. Unity was what would spread His message to the world. If unity was such a big deal to Jesus, don’t you think we should do whatever is necessary to cultivate and protect it? In order to do that, we must love each other the way Jesus loves us, in the ways we treat one another and how we speak to one another. And it means that when unity is threatened…we must courageously wade into hard conversations to restore peace. I’m Chris Voigt, Lead Pastor at Dayspring Fellowship in Keizer, OR. We are in week 4 of our series, Harnessing the Power of Words. We’ve covered a lot of ground already; but as we come to this week, we’re going to unpack what it looks like to have hard conversation with a higher purpose…or, as I like to call them, redemptive conversations. We’ll look at how to navigate those conversations in a healthy way and why doing so is so important. Our words matter. Let’s learn to use them in ways that reveal the heart of Jesus to our world!

Harnessing the Power of Words | Part 3 | Close the Gap | Chris Voigt

Close The GapHarnessing the Power of WordsAugust 21, 2022
The purpose of a bridge is to allow people or cargo easy passage over an obstacle by providing a route that would otherwise be incredibly difficult or impossible. The obstacle might be small, like a creek or stream, or it could be something larger; a deep canyon like the Royal Gorge in Colorado, or a mighty river like the Columbia here in Oregon. The obstacle creates a chasm or gap that separates one side from the other. In order to cross, we need a bridge. I’m Chris Voigt, Lead Pastor at Dayspring Fellowship in Keizer, Oregon. We are in week 3 of our series Harnessing the Power of Words. Much like the landscapes of our world, our relationships can be scarred by obstacles that create gaps in communication and understanding between people. Which can turn into distance or even disconnection from people we love. If the gaps are small, we might be able to bridge over them easily. But if the span between people has grown and the distance is significant, bridging the gap will require effort. But as the bridge photos reveal, even monumental gaps can be successfully bridged, with the right tools, skills, and time. I invite you to join us as we look at what God’s Word has to say about navigating the gaps in our relationships and how we can learn to communicate in ways that will help us close the gaps.

Harnessing the Power of Words | Part 2 | Careless Words | Chris Voigt

Careless WordsHarnessing the Power of WordsAugust 14, 2022
I think I’m pretty good with words. I’m an avid reader, which has helped me develop a good vocabulary. But recently I ran across an article from Reader’s Digest titled 100 Funny Words You Probably Don’t Know. Ok... challenge accepted. Let’s see if you know any of these... Octothorpe. You may not know what it means, but I bet you know what it is. You probably call this symbol a pound sign or a hashtag—but its “official” name is an octothorpe! Collywobbles. This word is used to describe nausea and bellyaches. Next time you want to show off your repertoire of amazing words, tell your boss that you’ve got a case of the collywobbles and can’t come to work tomorrow. Or how about smicker? This word is like if “ogle” had an affectionate and innocent counterpart. To smicker at something means you are admiring a person, and it’s visible from your expression. Crapulence is a lack of self-restraint, especially when drinking. Next time you’re on a night out, don’t let your crapulence get the best of you.If you actually used any of these or the other 96 weird words on the Reader’s Digest list in a conversation, you’d probably choose them very intentionally. Most of us just don’t think that much about what comes out of our mouths. We throw words around, speaking without really thinking. And sometimes it gets us in trouble. I’m Chris Voigt, Lead Pastor at Dayspring Fellowship in Keizer, Oregon. We are in week 2 of our series Harnessing the Power of Words. This week we’ll be considering what the Bible has to say about careless words. Sometimes, our words are careless because we let words fly out of our mouths before we really give them much thought. Other times, we let them fly when we could really care less how they impact the person we’re talking to or about. God’s Word has a lot to say about how we wield our words. Just like every resource God has given us, we are responsible to use words wisely. 

Harnessing the Power of Words | Part 1 | You Don’t Say | Chris Voigt

You Don't SayHarnessing the Power of WordsAugust 7, 2022
Fifty years ago this month, the Disney classic Bambi was released. In the movie, Thumper, Bambi’s little rabbit sidekick, says a line that’s become rather famous. In fact, it’s actually called The Thumper Rule. I’m sure you’ve heard it, even if you didn’t see the movie! Maybe your mom said it when you were squabbling with your siblings. “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.” Not bad advice, for a bunny! But a 2005 study by Robert Schrauf, an anthropologist and professor of applied linguistics at Penn State, revealed that regardless of age or culture, people have far more words in their vocabulary that express negative rather than positive emotions. In his study, Schrauf says, "Half – 50 percent – of all the words that people produce from their working vocabulary to express emotion are negative... only 30 percent are positive and 20 percent are neutral." Apparently, though we’ve all heard The Thumper Rule, we haven’t figured out how to apply it! I’m Chris Voigt, Lead Pastor at Dayspring Fellowship in Keizer, Oregon. This week we’re beginning a brand-new series called Harnessing the Power of Words. The author of an online article wrote: Moment by moment we are interacting with ourselves and others using language. We take what we know from our upbringing, what we regularly see and hear in our lives, and the words from the media we ingest and it becomes how we are able to express ourselves. Over the next five weeks, we will be looking at what the Bible has to say about our words and how we use them. I invite you to join us as we journey together to a deeper understanding of how to use our words to bless and encourage others, rather than to discourage or destroy them. The writer of Proverbs 18 said that, “Life and death are in the power of the tongue...” If that is true, don’t you think we should know how to better use it?

Love, Dates & Heartbreaks | Part 5 | When Dreams Can’t Come True | Chris Voigt

When Dreams Can't Come TrueLove, Dates & HeartbreaksJuly 31, 2022
I’ve never met a kid who didn’t have a dream or two, or twelve, for their future. Even if they can’t put it into words; even if their answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is “I don’t know,” at some level they DO know that they want what every child wants... to belong. To someone, somewhere. We all want to be wanted. When our daughter, Lexi, was little, she loved to dress up as a princess, playing, pretending and dreaming about her future prince. No kid dreams about growing up and being alone. Because we all want to be wanted. But childhood dreams don’t always come true. And even if, eventually, you found your prince or princess, it probably didn’t happen without some heartbreak along the way. And we all know that even healthy relationships have their fair share of heartache. I’m Chris Voigt, Lead Pastor at Dayspring Fellowship in Keizer, Oregon. We are wrapping up our series, Love, Dates & Heartbreaks this Sunday. Over the past few weeks, we’ve talked about loving our people the way Jesus does, and what it means to date in a different direction than our culture. But we all know that even the best relationships take work; and even when you make the effort, you don’t always get a fairytale ending. Sometimes the magic wears off, the princess stumbles and loses a shoe, or the prince falls off his horse and dreams get shattered. Perhaps you’re facing heartbreak right now. Or maybe you’ve had more than your fair share and you’ve just decided to tap out of the relationship game. Because it’s just too hard and hurts too much. Or maybe you care about someone who’s in that place. I encourage you to join us this Sunday as we consider what God wants us to know about navigating heartbreak. The reality is that sooner or later, in one way or another, we all face heartbreak. But our hearts don’t have to stay that way and you don’t have to face it alone. 

Love, Dates & Heartbreaks | Part 4 | Groundhog Date | Chris Voigt

Groundhog DateLove, Dates & HeartbreaksJuly 24, 2022
You’ve probably heard it said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Humans are creatures of habit. Those habits we live by can either be good ones; or, as is often the case, they can be not-so-good ones. The development of habits, whether they are good or bad, is the same... you keep repeating the same behavior, making the same choice, over and over and over. Eventually, your repeated choice creates a pathway in your brain – just like repeated footsteps create a path in the woods – that leads you to a particular destination or result. If you want to get to a different destination, you’re going to need to take a different path. But clearing and creating a new path is hard work! I have a habit of working out every weekday. Some days I run; other days I go to the gym. Recently, I shared that I have a new fitness goal... to be able to do one handstand push-up by the end of summer. If I continue to just do my ‘default’ workout routine, it’s very unlikely that I’ll achieve my goal. Running won’t increase my upper body strength at all. Though it’s a good habit, it won’t get me where I want to go. Even if I increase my distance or improve my pace, becoming a better runner won’t help me accomplish that handstand push-up. I must do something different if I want a different kind of outcome. We are in week four of our series, Love, Dates and Heartbreaks. Do you find yourself stuck in a rut, relationally speaking? Are you hoping for a different result with your next relationship? Or just hoping that something will change in your current one? If you want a different outcome, you’re gonna need a different strategy! I’m gonna accomplish that handstand push-up. I’ve made some changes to my routine; I’m doing things a little bit differently. Is it easy? Of course not. I have to think a bit differently, and not just rely on my old habits. But I want the outcome enough to make the changes. Do you?

Love, Dates & Heartbreaks | Part 3 | Five Rules for Dating | Chris Voigt

Five Rules For DatingLove, Dates & HeartbreaksJuly 17, 2022
It seems as if there are rules about absolutely everything. Every family has their own household rules. Things like, “If you made the mess, you clean it up.” Or, “No cell phones at the dinner table.” Maybe, “Homework before screen time.” You know what I mean. Every sport has rules. There are rules for driving, rules for grammar, rules of law, and rules for games. If you’re playing dominoes at my house, I don’t care what the rules on the box say, we’re playing by Voigt rules! Which brings up an interesting point... rules can change from one place to another. There are differences between the driving rules in Italy versus the United States versus Peru. Actually, in Lima the rules are more like suggestions, but you get the point. It’s important to know and follow the rules that apply in your setting. The word ‘rule’ can be traced back to the Latin word ‘regula’ which meant ‘straight stick, bar, or ruler.’ The root word, reg, means ‘to move or direct in a straight line.’ Have you ever bought what we commonly refer to as notebook paper when stocking up on school supplies for your kids? It comes in wide-ruled or college-ruled. Ruled refers to the straight lines printed on the paper. Rules tell us which way to go. Where to write on the paper, which lane to drive in, or what you must do when you’re down to your last domino. And if you don’t... there’s a price to pay. 
We are working our way through a five-week series called, Love, Dates & Heartbreaks. We’ve spent a couple weeks talking about love. This week we’re taking a look at five rules for dating. As with all the other types of rules we’ve considered, these rules for dating have a purpose; they are intended to help you know which way to go when it comes to building a relationship with a potential romantic partner. I suppose you could just wing it... but successful relationships are cultivated intentionally. Even if all you turn out to be is friends, don’t you want to develop that friendship in a healthy way? I don’t know anyone who is anxious to leave a string of broken relationships in their wake. No rules relationships result in heartache. But choosing to play by these dating rules will help you build connections that will allow both you and your significant other to thrive, regardless of how you ultimately define your relationship. Healthy relationships are worth the work. Let’s play by the rules.

Love, Dates & Heartbreaks | Part 2 | The Fine Print | Chris Voigt

The Fine PrintLove, Dates & HeartbreaksJuly 10, 2022
Between the German fairy tales written by the Brothers Grimm and classic Disney princess movies, the phrases “Once upon a time...” and “...they lived happily ever after” have pre-disposed generations of girls and boys to believe that happy endings require only a little bibbity bobbity boo and a sprinkle of magic. And though we all know that to be successful, real-life relationships require a lot more than that, somehow, we seem to think that we can have the fairy tale ending as long as we find the right person and wish upon a star. There’s just something about the idea of having to work to build a great relationship that sounds so... unromantic. But in the real world, if we want the fairy tale, we need to know how to navigate the gap between once upon a time and happily ever after. Last week we began a 5-part series called Love, Dates & Heartbreaks. We’re looking at what it really takes to build and sustain healthy, successful relationships so that your chances of a “happily ever after” are more than just a wish your heart makes. I invite you to join us on Sunday as we dive a little deeper into what it really means to love well. Relationships, whether you’re actively dating, waiting, or married, can be successful, rewarding, and deeply satisfying. It will require a bit more than a few magic words and some pixie dust, but the benefits are more than worth the effort! Let’s figure it out together!

Love, Dates & Heartbreaks | Part 1 | The Right Person Myth | Chris Voigt

The Right Person MythLove, Dates & HeartbreaksJuly 3, 2022
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.I love thee to the depth and breadth and heightMy soul can reach... These opening lines of Sonnet 43 are often wrongly attributed to Shakespeare. But William didn’t have a monopoly on the writing of sonnets or the topic of love. Sonnet 43, more commonly known as How Do I Love Thee was written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. She wrote the poem to the man who would become her husband, Robert. The year was 1844 and Elizabeth was one of the most well-known and best-selling writers in England. The popular, handsome and younger Robert Browning, who was also a poet, decided he wanted to meet her. She agreed and upon meeting, they talked together for hours. Their connection deepened as they began corresponding with long, passionate letters. Elizabeth and Robert were in love. This week we’re beginning a 5-part series called Love, Dates & Heartbreaks. We all know it’s complicated. Love…complicated. Dating…complicated. Heartbreaks…complicated. No matter if you’re married, single, divorced, or remarried, relationships are just complicated. This series can help you get it right. As for Elizabeth and Robert...well, they were an odd pair. Robert was six years younger, handsome, fit, healthy, and socially well connected. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was practically confined to bed with a serious respiratory condition and a spinal problem. To make things even more complicated, Elizabeth’s father refused to allow any of his 12 children to court (that’s the Victorian word for ‘date’) or to marry! And if they did, he disinherited them! But, undaunted and deeply in love, the young couple secretly courted for two years, then quietly married. Sadly, Elizabeth was disinherited by her father. She and Robert went to live in Italy, and historians tell us she never spoke to her father again. Love is complicated. Relationships are complicated. But the good news is that they don’t have to be! I invite you to join us as we take a look at the whole topic of relationships and how to make sure yours are healthy.