Dayspring Fellowship Podcasts

Ezekiel & the Stranger: The God Who Turns Up the Volume

Ezekiel & the StrangerThe God Who Turns Up the VolumeAugust 23, 2020
In 1969, one of the longest running television shows in the United States debuted. Sesame Street has been on the air continuously ever since. If you were a kid who grew up watching or you had kids who watched, you most likely remember the song, One of These Things Is Not Like the Others. Kids were encouraged to identify which one out of four similar items, was different and didn’t belong with the rest. While our culture celebrates uniqueness, difference, and individuality, as humans, we also want desperately to connect, to identify, to belong.As we continue in our Stranger Things series this week, we’re taking a look at the prophet Ezekiel. His story is definitely unique and, to be honest…kinda weird! Ezekiel was both a priest and a prophet; an exile, living in Babylon during one of the darkest times in the history of Judah. He’s a man without a country, living as a stranger, even among his own people who had forsaken their covenant relationship with the Living God. And if that wasn’t difficult enough, God called Ezekiel to be a messenger to the people of Judah in some very strange and uncomfortable ways.Feeling like the one thing that “doesn’t belong” is hard. Ezekiel’s story reminds us that as followers of Jesus, we are called to be different, to be strangers in a world that is not our home. We too have a message from God to share with the people around us; people He desperately loves and longs to have a relationship with. Ezekiel’s story will challenge us to step out of our comfort zones and into God’s calling for our lives, even when it might be uncomfortable.

Isaiah & the Stranger: The God Who Turns Life Upside Down

Isaiah & the StrangerThe God Who Turns Life Upside DownAugust 16, 2020
Have you ever had the experience of bumping up against someone else’s assumptions about you? Or maybe you’ve been the one making assumptions about someone else? You don’t have to look far to realize that most of us are pretty good at making assumptions…about all sorts of things. At least we think we are. It’s so much easier than doing the hard work of pursuing truth. This week, as we continue in our Stranger Things sermon series, we’re taking a look at the life of the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah. We don’t know a lot about Isaiah, but we do know from his writing that God called him to the task of challenging the nation of Israel on their assumptions about God. That’s right…they (and maybe even we?) had some deep-seated assumptions about God that were literally destroying their relationship with Him. Have you ever even considered what assumptions you might have about God that may not be true?

David & The Stranger: The God Who Used to Show Up

David & the StrangerThe God Who Used to Show UpAugust 9, 2020
The dictionary defines “giant” as: a person or thing of unusually great size, power, or importance. The name Goliath has come to imply something that is big, really BIG. There are goliath frogs, goliath grouper fish, goliath spiders, goliath burgers, and my favorite, the Goliath rollercoaster at Six Flags! The common denominator? Each of these is enormous – relatively speaking – and most likely overwhelming in one way or another! “Giants” come in all shapes and even, all sizes. What is big, scary and overwhelming to me might not be to you, and vice versa.This week, as we continue in our Stranger Things series, we’re looking at the story of David, the giant slayer. Through David’s life we’ll see him in moments of confidence and, in others, crippled by crisis and chaos. We’ll also see how God sustained David through the valleys and the victories.Are you facing your own giant right now? In need of an infusion of courage? Of hope? Or strength? Maybe this season, fraught with insecurity and strife, is more than you can cope with. Perhaps your “giant” is closer to home. Maybe it’s depression or lost dreams. Maybe it’s a broken relationship. We live and work and breathe – day in and day out – in a world that can be overwhelming in a myriad of ways. So how do we keep moving forward in faith? Let’s learn together from the lessons of David’s life this Sunday.

Naomi & the Stranger: The God Who Doesn't Turn Up At All

Naomi & the StrangerThe God Who Doesn't Turn Up at AllAugust 2, 2020
The Old Testament story of Naomi begins with loss, grief, and broken dreams. Stripped of everything that gave meaning and purpose to her life, Naomi struggles with God’s apparent absence. Pain and devastating circumstances convince her that God has abandoned her; and on the surface, we see no overt evidence of His presence in her story. There’s no burning bush, no voice from heaven, no angelic visitation. There is only silence. Has God truly forgotten her? Maybe you can identify with Naomi’s story. Perhaps it’s difficult for you to see God at work in the circumstances of your own life. We are in the midst of a sermon series called Stranger Things. We’re taking a look at stories from the Bible that give us a glimpse at some of God’s more perplexing personality traits. As we look at Naomi’s story this week, there are important truths for us to glean. As we will see, just because God is silent doesn’t mean He’s not at work. The fingerprints of God’s grace are all over Naomi’s life. We just might need to look a little more closely.In this season, it can feel like our days are full of change and loss. It can be overwhelming and exhausting trying to keep up with the restrictions, the data, the changing information, and the differences of opinion. It’s easy to develop a mindset, much like Naomi’s, that is focused on all that has been stripped away.
 
When uncertainty seems to stretch on endlessly, and it feels like nothing is “for sure” anymore, God is our firm foundation. Unshakeable, immovable, faithful. I trust Him.

Gideon & the Stranger: The God Who Turns Up Way Too Late

Gideon & the StrangerThe God Who Turns Up Way Too LateJuly 26, 2020
Any successful organization – whether it’s a business, church, or family –  has principles or guidelines that all who are involved agree to abide by. One of the expectations I’ve set for the people on my teams throughout the years is to honor and respect others by being on time. It’s a simple way to express our love for people – by  showing up on time, ready to begin – whether it’s a meeting, a rehearsal, whatever. Being on time matters.But when we consider the Creator of time, it can seem that He has little regard for timetables…especially ours. Why does the all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God of the universe seem to be so consistently inconsistent when it comes to timing?In his book, God is Stranger, (the book that inspired this sermon series) author Krish Kandiah writes, “For one whose timing is supposed to be perfect, God often seems to come across as rather disorganized. It doesn’t matter if it is heartbreaking global issues, or the personal challenges in our immediate circumstances…stuff happens that can make us seriously question God’s timing.”As you have faced the challenges and uncertainties of recent days, have you found yourself questioning God’s timing?I’m Chris Voigt, Lead Pastor at Dayspring Fellowship in Keizer. Last weekend, we began a new sermon series called Stranger Things. Over the next few weeks, we’re taking a look at stories from the Bible that give us a glimpse at some of God’s more confounding qualities. This week, we’ll be looking at how God showed up in the life of the Old Testament hero, Gideon. We’ll see how perfect and trustworthy God’s timing is, even when we can’t make sense of it.

Abraham & the Stranger: The God Who Turns Up Out of the Blue

Abraham & the Stranger:The God Who Turns Up Out of the BlueJuly 19, 2020
Author Andy Crouch writes, “In Scripture, the God who made us and calls us turns out to be so very different from what anyone expects – no matter what we expected.”All of us, regardless of age, gender, race, or any other defining characteristics, are living through a time that is overwhelmingly different from what anyone could have imagined or expected. There’s no script, no roadmap, no guarantee for what next week, next month, or even next year will look like.  These are some strange times. No matter what your expectations were for 2020, this year has turned out to be very different from what any of us anticipated. In very real ways, life on our planet has become very strange. It almost feels like the only thing we know for sure, is that nothing is for sure anymore!I’m Chris Voigt, Lead Pastor at Dayspring Fellowship in Keizer. This Sunday, we’re starting a new sermon series called Stranger Things. I’ve been following Jesus for most of my life. Through the years, as I’ve grown in my faith and obedience to Him, I’ve come to realize that the more I know or understand about God, the more there is for me to learn. I will never have Him “figured out.” He is beyond my limited human capacity to comprehend. Over the next 8 weeks, we’ll be looking at a series of stories from the Bible where God shows up in the lives of people in some pretty unique, if not downright strange ways. These stories will give us a glimpse at some of God’s more perplexing characteristics, and will both challenge and deepen our faith, as we navigate this strange season. Join us this week, as we look at a unique encounter with God from the story of Abraham.

Sealed With a Kiss

Sealed with a KissJuly 12, 2020
For the past five and a half months we’ve been studying Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth. When we began this study on February 2, we had no idea of the things that lay ahead of us in the months to come. Who could have imagined all that has transpired around the world, and here in our own nation? In a very real way, the foundation of our global civilization is being shaken, and the fabric of our nation continues to fray. Paul’s words to the Corinthian believers are practical and purposeful, filled with exhortation and encouragement about what it means to authentically live out a vibrant faith in a broken world; to fully embrace our freedom in Christ, acknowledging that we have not only been freed FROM something, but FOR something. In a season of confusion and division in their world and in ours, Paul has reminded us that our focus must be on the eternal, not the temporary. This intensely practical study has been incredibly timely for us. The unshakeable truth of God’s Word is our firm foundation, even and perhaps especially, in uncertain days.We are wrapping up our Messy Church series this weekend, with a look at Paul’s concluding words to the Corinthians in chapter 16, which he seals with a kiss. I hope you’ll join us – in person, or online – this Sunday!

God Bod

God BodJuly 5, 2020 
The global health club industry is a $94 billion market. Around the world 174 million people like me spend time every week trying to get in shape, or stay in shape, so they can live longer, healthier lives. From the moment I started working out, I decided that I wasn’t ever going to cross the line into obsession. I’m not after the perfect body. I just want to be healthy. But it’s no secret that cultures around the world are obsessed with the perfect human body. For centuries, artists have celebrated, even exalted the human form in their art. A quick search on Amazon reveals that this obsession with bodies continues to thrive in our own time and culture. There are more than 90,000 books about exercise, 80,000 books about diet, and over 90,000 search results for exercise equipment available through their website! That’s a lot of emphasis and focus on something that’s as temporary as the human body! Or…is it as temporary as we think?This Sunday we’re in the second half of chapter 15 of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church. Last week, Pastor Jon unpacked Paul’s teaching on one of the foundational beliefs of our faith: the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ and all that that means for us. This week, we’re looking at the promise of our own resurrection and the implications that promise holds for us today, both in how we view our bodies and how we use them.

Two Truths and a Lie

Two Truths & a LieJune 28, 2020 
I have never broken a bone.I love rollercoasters.I’ve traveled to Antarctica.Of those three statements, two are true and one is a lie.Two Truths and a Lie is a popular party or icebreaker game. The point of the game is to get to know the people playing a little better. In turn, each person makes three statements about themselves, two of them true, and one being a lie. The other players then try to guess which “fact” is false. Often, it can be challenging to discern which of the statements is true and which one isn’t!This week, in our study of 1st Corinthians, we’re in the first half of chapter 15. We’re getting close to the end of Paul’s letter to the young church at Corinth. After focusing much of his attention on encouraging the Corinthian believers to live out their faith more consistently, Paul now begins to emphasize and reinforce a foundational truth of their faith in Christ. Upon this truth, their faith stands firm or falls flat; and Paul wants to make sure that they are solid in their understanding of it! This truth is essential for us as well, as we navigate a world that is overflowing with half-truths and outright lies.
 
Oh…and just so you know…I really haven’t ever broken a bone, and rollercoasters are one of my absolute favorite things. And as much as I believe penguins need Jesus too, in all my traveling, I haven’t made it to Antarctica…yet.

Come Together

Come TogetherJune 21, 2020 
Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last few weeks, you can’t help but be aware of the protests that have occurred - and continue to occur - in the streets of cities all across our country. From coast to coast, people of every background, ethnicity, and skin color are crying out for justice. There have been thoughtful and respectful conversations that are leading to greater understanding and producing much-needed change. But there have also been demonstrations filled with disorder, chaos, and destruction that have only created greater division.This Sunday, as we pick up our study of Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church, in chapter 14, Paul continues to emphasize the importance of order in public worship services. As followers of Jesus, we have become members of one body, each of us gifted with unique abilities intended for the edification of the Church. But the Corinthian church had lost sight of their purpose, and their gatherings had become self-serving exhibitions, rather than demonstrations of the self-sacrificing love that must characterize those who follow Christ. And just like we see in our culture today, the chaos resulted in disorder and division.