Dayspring Fellowship Podcasts

The Christmas Light (Isaiah 9:6,7)

December 13 & 14,
2014
Christmas is a time for the light to shine. I read this week about people in
distress, walking in darkness and experiencing gloom. This seems to describe
what is in our news everyday, but these phrases come from Isaiah 9, written 700
years before Jesus was born. The chapter turns a corner to point the reader to
a light that will dawn, bringing joy, freedom, and peace. From the vantage
point of ancient history, Isaiah 9:6 predicts the arrival of the One who would
come as Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world, dividing all of human
history in two. The words of our key verse are familiar at Christmas time
because of their inclusion in Handel’s famous Messiah oratorio.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on
his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Come worship with us this week as we take this verse apart in a way that will
equip us to get it together and shine this Christmas season.

What Makes a Gift Great? (Isaiah 7:14)

December 6 & 7,
2014
The Old Testament foreshadows what God accomplished for us in the New
Testament. Some of the most familiar Christmas verses are predictions about the
coming Christ. God clearly understood our deepest needs and planned from ages
ago to meet them. I’ll begin our series of Christmas messages by focusing on a
classic prophecy found in Isaiah 7:14  - “Therefore the Lord himself will
give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son,
and will call him Immanuel.”     
This prophecy foretells the miraculous arrival of Jesus. From this verse, we
will learn what makes the first of all Christmas gifts the greatest gift ever
given.     
I’m looking forward to worshipping with you this weekend.  

Lovingkindness Forever (Lamentations 3:22-23)

The final of six
messages on God's natureNovember 29 & 30, 2014
The prophet Jeremiah was not
a popular man in his day. Know why? He urged his people to surrender to a
foreign power, accept God’s discipline for their sin, and turn afresh to Him.
The book of Lamentations is a collection of sad songs, or ‘laments’. There are
times we all feel
down & defeated. Sometimes these feelings are the result of our own
foolish choices. Are you in need of renewed hope? Turn to
Lamentations 3.17-26, the passage we’ll look at this weekend. Jeremiah’s words
remind us to remember the God whose loving-kindness never ends. It’s a
message that brings hope, even in the midst of despair.
I look forward to seeing you this weekend!
Pastor John

The God Who Provides (Philippians 4:19)

The fifth of six
messages on God's natureNovember 22 & 23, 2014
Christ-followers are told to live with an ‘attitude of gratitude’ (see 1
Thessalonians 5:18). What better time to reflect on God’s faithful provision
than the Thanksgiving holiday?  This weekend, I plan to retell the most
moving & heart-wrenching account of God’s provision from the Old Testament,
found in Genesis 22.  Then, we’ll look at a key New Testament verse from
Philippians 4.19… “My God will
supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus”
…to better understand our God who provides what
we really need, when
we need it, as we live by faith!
I look forward to seeing you this weekend! - Pastor John

For GOODNESS Sake (Nahum 1:7)

The fourth of six
messages on God's natureNovember 15 & 16, 2014
Diet Coke is a gooood
drink. Unless you like the other stuff, then it’s not so good (well, it is…you
just don’t have any taste).
Bacon is good eats, unless you prefer ham.
What does good mean, anyway? And, when we say that God is good do we really
understand?
Since good can apply to anything, it really doesn’t mean anything. Let’s figure
out God’s description of good together this weekend. - Pastor Chris

THE Sovereign God (1 Chronicles 29:11-12

The third of six
messages on God's natureNovember 8 & 9, 2014
His will. His way.
Ah, if life were only that simple. Maybe it is that simple, we just are too dense to figure it
out!
This weekend we will continue our trek through the attributes of God’s nature
and character. The Bible is filled with verses declaring His sovereignty over
all things, all people. But what does that really mean for our daily lives?
Let’s figure it out together this weekend. See you there.  - Pastor Chris

He Shines All the Time (1 Chronicles 29:11)

The second of six
messages on God's natureNovember 1 & 2, 20141 Chronicles 29:11
It seems like everything is changing these days. No matter where you turn,
change is inescapable. Nothing seems to remain the same. Technology, morality,
the economy, our health, our relationships - is anything still solid? What can
we rely on? My title points us to God. The one thing that is certain is his
character.
     
What is God like? If we can really know him better, then no other pursuit
compares. Someone once said the church is all about knowing God and making him
known. That’s a good motto for life! The Bible reveals much about God and as we
study the key verses in our series on God’s attributes, we get to see God from
new perspectives. What a great opportunity we have to learn about God.
     
This week we will concentrate on God’s majestic glory. Some people would say
that we don’t see much of God’s glory these days. His radiance isn’t always
visible. We can illustrate the problem by thinking about how the clouds here in
Oregon obscure the sun. The moral atmosphere or our world is so spiritually polluted
that God’s majesty is similarly shrouded. Don’t blame God; he still shines. We
just can’t always recognize his power from our vantage point down here.
     
Think of it; if we could see God’s majesty more clearly, without anything
obscuring our view, what would we see? How would we feel? What would we do?
Come worship with us this weekend as we get to know God better.
This weekend we will begin a series of messages on God’s attributes. Our first
installment will focus on God’s unchanging nature. The fact that he is now and
forever will be as he has always been is the only basis for security in life
and in death. Our key verse, Isaiah 54:10, calls us to trust in God despite all
the terrifying turmoil surrounding us. Come worship with us this weekend and we
will explore the meaning and importance of God’s unchanging nature.

One Thing Never Changes (Isaiah 54:10)

The first of six
messages on God's natureOctober 25 & 26, 2014Isaiah 54:10
It seems like everything is changing these days. No matter where
you turn, change is inescapable. Nothing seems to remain the same. Technology,
morality, the economy, our health, our relationships - is anything still solid?
What can we rely on? My title points us to God. The one thing that is certain
is his character.
     
This weekend we will begin a series of messages on God’s attributes. Our first
installment will focus on God’s unchanging nature. The fact that he is now and
forever will be as he has always been is the only basis for security in life
and in death. Our key verse, Isaiah 54:10, calls us to trust in God despite all
the terrifying turmoil surrounding us. Come worship with us this weekend and we
will explore the meaning and importance of God’s unchanging nature.

Upside Down Leadership: Taking on the Attitude of Christ (Philippians 2:5)

Attitude changes everything!  I recently crossed paths with
an electrician who exemplified this perfectly.  I don’t know his name, but
he and I exchanged common greetings on the job site every day for a few weeks,
saying things like, “Good morning” and “Have a good day”.  I noticed how
different his attitude was from the rest of the crew.  He always gave an
uplifting reply to my common “Have a good day” greeting.  While his
co-workers were complaining about the work of the day or a boss’s decision they
disliked, he was cheerful as he interacted with them.  
 
One morning when we exchanged our usual greetings, I added, “You seem like the
kind of guy who always has a good day”.  His reply was simply.  With
a smile, he looked me in the eye and said, “It’s a choice.”  He continued,
“Not long ago I realized I have a choice in how my day goes, regardless of my
circumstances. I choose to have a good day and let circumstances be just
circumstances.  It’s a choice I make.  You have a good day.”
He’s right! We choose our attitude, and attitude is everything.  The
attitude, or mindset, we choose sets the tone for everything we encounter. 
In Philippians 2:5 Paul’s instruction is “Your
attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…” In
leadership, attitude is everything.  The attitude and character of Christ
are the heart of
leadership.
This weekend we will look at Upside Down Leadership and see how taking on the
attitude of Christ can change everything in our own leadership (or
influence).  When we take on the mindset and character of Christ, we will
see that what our current culture would call Upside Down Leadership is really
Right Side Up Leadership!
Looking forward to seeing you this weekend!  - Kap Otten

Upside Down Leadership (Mark 10:45)

As a young man I remember thirsting for the influence of men and
women of God in my life to walk with me as I learned to walk with the Lord.
Over the years I’ve been blessed to grow as a leader and as a follower of
Christ due to the influence of countless men and women of God who have spoken
into my life.
 
Scripture is filled with accounts of incredible men and women of
God who help to shape what it truly means to be a leader for the kingdom of
God. Often this model of leadership seems to be upside down and
counter-intuitive from the leadership we often see in our world today.
Join us this weekend as we look together at the life of one of Israel’s two
greatest kings. As a community we will look at the life of King Josiah in 2
Kings 22-23:3 and learn from a leader fully committed to serving the Lord.
Regardless of whether you identify yourself as a leader or not, we are all
people of influence for the kingdom of God and we each have something we can
learn from this great king.
Josiah is known as the great reformer in part because his leadership helped
draw the people of Israel back into the arms of the Lord. He redefined
leadership from a posture of repentance and humility. Join us this weekend as
we once again come before the Lord with open hands and proclaim loudly
together, “Lord, I need you.”