Dayspring Fellowship Podcasts

Peaceless: Finding Peace in a Peaceless World | Part 4 | Giving Peace Away | Michelle Snook

Giving Peace AwayPeaceless: Finding Peace in a Peaceless WorldJune 26, 2022
After the last couple of years, most of us have become hyper-sensitive to the thought of being ‘contagious.’ No matter what you believe about the source of Covid, the government response to Covid, masks, quarantines, lockdowns, and vaccinations, I think we can all agree that this ‘bug’ is contagious. The thing about having something that is contagious is that if you have it, you almost can’t help but share it. Unless you do something very intentional to stop the spread, it’s gonna get out! And that’s really the whole ‘problem’ if you want to think about it that way. Those communicable things inside us leak out in one way or another and spread to other people. Usually, we think of being contagious as a bad thing. But yawning is contagious. And laughter can be contagious. Aren’t we all drawn to people who make us feel good? Their positivity can be contagious! And isn’t it easier to keep working on a project if you have someone working with you? Someone else’s energy can keep you motivated! Being contagious means you’re spreading something to another person either by direct or indirect contact which is, then, likely to spread to and affect others. We are wrapping up our series Peaceless: Finding Peace in a Peaceless World this week by taking a look at how we can be agents of peace in a world that is desperately in need of it. It’s not just germs that are transmissible. We can also choose to ‘infect’ those around us with good things! Things like laughter, hope, energy, and love. I hope you’ll join us this Sunday as we consider how to contaminate our world with the contagion of peace!

Peaceless: Finding Peace in a Peaceless World | Part 3 | Growing Peace Within | Michelle Snook

Growing Peace WithinPeaceless: Finding Peace in a Peaceless WorldJune 19, 2022 
The Willamette Valley in Oregon is known as the grass seed capital of the world. Not so good news for those of us who suffer with allergies to grass pollen, this time of year can be downright miserable! But did you know that the Willamette Valley is perhaps the most diverse agricultural region on earth, producing more than 170 different crops? In addition to grass seed, the growing conditions of our area are also excellent for a wide variety of vegetables, tree fruits, berries, hazelnuts, wine grapes, hops, grain, hay, peppermint, and Christmas trees. In other parts of Oregon, crops such as pears, apples, wheat, corn, watermelon, sugar beets, garlic, onions and cranberries are produced. But did you notice that certain things grow better in certain areas? And nowhere on the list of crops in Oregon will you find things like coconuts, pineapples, oranges, papayas or mangoes. That’s because the conditions in Oregon aren’t naturally suited to producing those things. A friend of mine has a greenhouse on his farm where he is growing and harvesting Meyer lemons, limes, and tangerines. He’s made the effort to create the right conditions to produce fruit, even when the environment isn’t hospitable to growing them. It didn’t happen by accident; he intentionally designed the conditions needed to produce what he wanted to grow. We are in week 3 of our 4-week series, Peaceless: Finding Peace in a Peaceless World. I invite you to join us this week as we take a look at what it means to cultivate the right conditions for peace to grow in our lives. Yes, the Holy Spirit gives us peace; but there are also ways that we can intentionally arrange our lives to be more conducive to experiencing peace regardless of our daily circumstances.

Peaceless: Finding Peace in a Peaceless World | Part 2 | Aligning for Peace | Chris Voigt

Aligning For PeacePeaceless: Finding Peace in a Peaceless WorldJune 12, 2022
When we use the word ‘true,’ we most often use it to mean the opposite of ‘false.’ But like many words in our English language, ‘true’ has more than one meaning. In the construction world, ‘true’ means that everything is lined up correctly.All of your lines should be perfectly vertical (or plumb), horizontal (or level), and every corner should be exactly 90 degrees (square). If everything is ‘true,’ then whatever you’re building won’t be slanted, tilted or sloped. If nothing is leaning in any direction, everything will line up straight; and whatever you’re constructing will be ‘true.’ For most people, it’s hard enough just to draw a straight line, much less build something that’s straight. And you can’t just assume your building materials themselves aren’t crooked. So, how can you know whether your lines are accurate and everything is aligned correctly? Well, there’s a handy dandy tool called a level. Actually, there are several different kinds of levels, and the one you choose to use depends on the kind of job you are doing. But the principle of a level – whether it’s a torpedo level, a carpenter’s level, a string line, laser, plumb bob, bull’s eye, angle, or post level – is the same: to make sure that every component of your project aligns the way it should. This week, as we continue in our series, Peaceless: Finding Peace In a Peaceless World, we’ll be taking a look at the importance of knowing what is true, how we can make sure our lives are in alignment with that truth, and how that alignment impacts our peace. Peace is not just possible; it’s promised to us by God. Let’s discover how to experience it to the fullest together.

Peaceless: Finding Peace in a Peaceless World | Part 1 | What is Peace? | Chris Voigt

What Is Peace?Peaceless: Finding Peace in a Peaceless WorldJune 5, 2022
We all want it, but you can’t just order it from Amazon or pick it up at the store on your way home from work. In fact, you can’t buy it, but it can be stolen; you can’t borrow it, but you can make it! Once you’ve got it, keeping it can be a challenge. Do you know what it is?Close your eyes for just a minute. What images come to mind when you hear these phrases?“Peace and quiet.”  “Peace of mind.”“Give peace a chance.”“Peace out!”What everyone wants but all struggle to find is real, lasting peace.Wikipedia defines peace as, “A concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups.”I guess that’s a good enough place to start; of course, we all want our lives to be free of conflict, hostility, violence and filled with friendship and harmony. But is that really all there is to peace? Is peace just learning how to get along and play nicely with one another? Or is there something more, something deeper we need to understand about peace? Where does peace come from? How can we get it? And once we have it, how can we keep it?Join us as we begin a four-week series called Peaceless: Finding Peace in a Peaceless World. We live in a culture that is driven by fear and anxiety. We’re bombarded daily by headlines that inform and overwhelm us with the latest crisis and constant chaos. With so much that seems out of control, is peace even a possibility in our world?The good news is that real peace is available. Join us as we discover where to find it together.

Gospel of John | Part 12 | Resurrection & Transformation | Chris Voigt

Resurrection & TransformationThe Gospel of JohnMay 29, 2022
Most people are resistant to change. Granted, there are a few of you weirdos out there who get excited about it; but most of the time that excitement is due to the fact that you are the one facilitating or initiating the change. For the most part, we are rhythmic creatures who prefer familiarity, comfort, security and routine, even if those rhythms might be detrimental to us. And there’s a reason for that. Our brains are hardwired to resist change. There’s a part of the brain called the amygdala that interprets change as a threat and signals the release of hormones that cause us to respond to that ‘threat’ in one of three ways: fear, fight, or flight. But what would life be like if we didn’t welcome change; if everything, including you and I, just stayed the same? What if ancient Greek astronomer Eratosthenes hadn’t questioned the idea that the earth was flat and discovered that, instead, it was round? What if people like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison hadn’t figured out how to harness the power of electricity? Or what might our world be like if Alexander Fleming hadn’t discovered penicillin?Communication would certainly be different without Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of the telephone.And I, for one, am very thankful for the changes in transportation that people like Henry Ford and the Wright brothers brought about. This Sunday we are wrapping up our series on the gospel of John. With the crucifixion of Jesus, the disciples’ world was radically changed; and from their perspective, not in a good way! I invite you to join us this Sunday as we take a deeper look at what changed with the death and resurrection of Jesus and how those changes were incredibly good... for the disciples then and for us, today. Sometimes change can be a very good thing. Will you respond with fear, fight, flight, or faith?

Gospel of John | Part 11 | The Cross | Chris Voigt

The CrossThe Gospel of JohnMay 22, 2022
The odds are good that you have at least one. Most people do. Studies show that 8 out of 10 Americans have them and most frequently keep them in their kitchens. But it’s not unique to us...people in other countries and cultures have them as well. What is it? The infamous junk drawer. A whole myriad of things seem to end up in the junk drawer. Things we don’t know what to do with or don’t want to take the time to deal with. It’s just easier to toss it - whatever IT is – in the junk drawer rather than taking the time to make a decision about where it should go. Junk drawers are the catch-all for the debris of daily life. They’re filled with pens, paper clips, old birthday candles, and take out menus. Batteries, scissors, sticky notes, and band-aids; screwdrivers, permanent markers, and a flashlight that’s most likely dead. There might be old ketchup packets, assorted leftover hardware, a roll of stamps and a wad of rubber bands. What do you keep in your junk drawer? Some people have a whole junk cabinet, because a drawer couldn’t hold it all. Or a junk room, shed, or garage! And if you’re really bad at deciding what to do with all your stuff, you might find yourself on an episode of Hoarders! For those of you who’ve never seen it, it’s a show about people whose entire house is overflowing with junk they just can’t decide what to do with. Over the past several weeks we’ve been working our way through the gospel of John. John wrote his gospel for one purpose: so that people would know the truth about Jesus and believe. Not just give intellectual assent or agreement, but really believe... and choose to do something... choose to follow Him… not just file Jesus away as good information for another day. We’ve almost reached the end of John’s gospel. I’d like to invite you to join us this Sunday as we look through John’s eyes at the crucifixion of Jesus. Out of the inner circle of 12 disciples, he is the only one we know for sure was there. He saw it all unfold and his testimony about that day is important.  Junk drawers can be helpful... they give us a place to keep something until we make a decision about what to do with it. What have you decided to do with Jesus?

Gospel of John | Part 10 | Guilt & Grace | Kap Otten

Guilt & GraceThe Gospel of JohnMay 15, 2022
The non-stop clamor for justice from every corner of society, every country around the world, dominates the headlines of news sources every day. According to vocabulary.com “Justice is the quality of being just or fair. Super heroes fight for justice because they want everything to be fair and not let the bad guys win. Just ask Wonder Woman, Superman, or any other member of the Justice League.” But we all know that life isn’t fair. We live in a broken world, with broken people. And yet, as humans, uniquely designed as image bearers of a justice-loving God, our hearts yearn for justice. We long for right to triumph over wrong, especially when we are the ones whose well-being is in question. Pastor Chuck Swindoll says this about Jesus’ experience with justice: Jesus was the only person to live His entire life without failing morally, yet He was arrested, tried, convicted, and condemned to suffer a criminal’s punishment. His arrest was a betrayal, His trials a farce, His conviction illegal, and His punishment a travesty of justice.” Imagine enduring this kind of injustice. How would you respond?I encourage you to join us this Sunday as we take a look at the way Jesus responded to the injustice He experienced at the hands of His friends, the spiritual leaders of His country, and the government under which He lived. What can we learn from the way Jesus faced injustice? What lessons are there for us in His example? Growing in our relationship with Jesus, to better align our lives with the heart of Jesus, and increasingly become more like Jesus is our highest priority at Dayspring. We invite you to join us in the journey!

Gospel of John | Part 9 | An Emotional Time | Jon Sprouse

An Emotional TimeThe Gospel of JohnMay 8, 2022
I’m sure you’ve seen them before. Although most of us tend not to really notice them until we’re in a desperate situation. They’re those “In case of emergency, break glass” boxes. Sometimes they have a fire hose inside; most just have an alarm button or lever to pull.However, fire is not the only emergency for which these kinds of boxes might be needed. Consider these other “emergencies” for which you might want to have a panic option available: there’s the toilet paper emergency, a cold, hard cash emergency, or a desperate need for chocolate.You most likely have an emergency medical kit in your home or car; hopefully you’ve got an emergency fund at your bank; some people even have emergency food rations stockpiled... just in case of... well, an emergency! You just never know what tomorrow might hold, and it doesn’t hurt to be prepared!While it is wise and good to be physically prepared for emergency situations, what does it look like to be prepared emotionally and spiritually for the desperate seasons or circumstances of life?  As followers of Jesus, we have been invited to dialog with God... to connect with His heart and to know and have a relationship with Him. We have access to Him through the gift of prayer. Not just when we need rescued, but in the ordinary, everyday rhythms of daily life. It’s this regular connection and communion with Him that enables us to weather the storms that will certainly come our way.We’ve seen this modeled in the life of Jesus as we’ve worked our way through the gospel of John these past couple of months. This week, we’ll see it once again.In our study this week, we’ll be looking at the conversation that Jesus had with His Father as He walked with the disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane. This was no casual stroll. Emotions were high; the stress was heavy. And Jesus pours out all that is on His heart in prayer, as His disciples listen in. 
Join us as we dig in to this part of Jesus’ story and discover what mattered most to our Savior in these last hours of His life.

Gospel of John | Part 8 | Relationships | Michelle Snook

RelationshipsThe Gospel of JohnMay 1, 2022
What time did you get up this morning? Did you hit the snooze button or hop out of bed right away? Did you check Facebook first thing or the weather? Look at your calendar or read your Bible? What color shirt did you pick out of your closet? Was it eggs and bacon for breakfast or coffee and toast? Did you stop for gas on the way to work or decide to wait until later? Some internet sources claim that on average people make an astonishing 35,000 decisions each day. I’m not sure how they came up with that number, but even a quick stroll down the cereal aisle at any grocery store would give you a great visual example of the overwhelming number of options that we as humans encounter on a daily basis. Some of our choices are big ones, others...not so much. But even the little ones like Cheerios or Rice Krispies for breakfast, tax your brain just a bit. Is it any wonder that by the end of the day, when you ask your spouse where they want to go for dinner, the answer is often, “I don’t care. You choose.” So, when it comes to making a difficult choice, we are often prone to put off or avoid making the decision altogether. But choosing to delay or ignore is making a choice... it’s just not a great one. We are continuing in our series on the Gospel of John, and this week we’re taking a deeper look at what Jesus said about relationships. What does it look like to really love others, especially when those others can be so opinionated, obnoxious, or different from us? When those others are so stinkin’ hard to love? Loving others is a choice. And like all the other choices we make every day, doing it requires intentionality; doing it well requires real effort. I invite you to join us as we consider what it means to love others, especially those who are challenging for us, in ways that are healthy. At Dayspring, we are fully committed to growing as followers of Jesus, in every area of life. Come grow with us as we learn to more intentionally love others the way Jesus calls us to.

Gospel of John | Part 7 | Humility & Heart | Chris Voigt

Humility and HeartThe Gospel of JohnApril 24, 2022
What was the last promise you made to someone? We make little promises all the time without really giving it a second thought. You might agree to a task or errand, commit to a meeting or appointment, or something bigger like signing a contract or agreement. All of these, in one way or another, are some form of a promise. From the time we are kids, promises are a big deal. Whether it’s a pinky swear or a blood brother covenant, in our earliest relationships we long to know that we matter to someone else and that we can count on and trust them. Our sense of belonging and confidence deepens when we know we can trust another and that they, in turn, trust us. But as we’ve all experienced, broken people, operating in a broken world will not perfectly keep their promises. Sooner or later, we will experience disappointment. But, we were designed by God to be interdependent, not independent. And so even in our disappointment, we continue to look for trustworthy sources in which we can place our confidence. Sometimes, it can feel as if we are out of options. We’re picking back up with our series in the gospel of John this week; and as we do, we find Jesus’ disciples just a little... well, maybe more than a little disappointed in the way things are playing out. But in the midst of their confusion and deep disappointment, Jesus makes some promises. Things are about to get really ugly, and Jesus knows that they will need a lifeline or two. And so do we. I invite you to join us this Sunday as we look at six promises that Jesus gave His disciples just before their world got turned upside down.In a world where it can feel like everything is upside down, and things are going to hell in a handbasket, we need to know there is Someone we can count on and Who keeps His promises. The promises of Jesus are just as much for you, today, as they were for His disciples then.