"Stewardship Of Life: Time Traps" w/ Chris Edmiston

"Stewardship Of Life: Money Matters" w/ Chris Edmiston

During Worship For Wichita, a special event hosted by Awakening, Austin Melton shared his heart for unity among brothers & sisters of faith. Join us we listen to this message from our friend and consider the journey.

"Faith Steps: Upward & Onward Through Christ", Part 4 of 5: "God's Game (When Fools Are Winners)" w/ Chris Edmiston The idea of running the race as a metaphor works for many reasons. All of us know what a race looks like, many have run in them. Where the analogy works against us as Christians is when our faith becomes a competition. The church and …

"Faith Steps: Upward & Onward Through Christ", Part 3 of 5: "Run The Race" w/ Chris Edmiston All of us are running races. The Bible, throughout, uses racing and running imagery as analogy for our life. In Hebrews we see a call to run with endurance this race before us. There's two major aspects of track events: training and racing. So what do we ne…

"Faith Steps: Upward & Onward Through Christ", Part 2 of 5: "Wrestling For Blessings" w/ Pastor Cindy Watson In 1894, Pierre de Coubertin offered these words to be the Olympic motto, “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” This motto was not adopted until 1924 and then he wrote the ideals of the Olympics through this creed: “The most important thing in the Oly…

"Faith Steps: Upward & Onward Through Christ", Part 1 of 5: "Whose Team?" w/ Pastor Cindy Watson In 1894, Pierre de Coubertin offered these words to be the Olympic motto, “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” This motto was not adopted until 1924 and then he wrote the ideals of the Olympics through this creed: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games i…

"Cultivating Community", Part 4 of 4 - "Caring and Compassionate" The words of Luke 6 have resonated in our room and in our church a great deal over the last year. But, as much as it’s repetitive, it can’t be understated or said enough. Without those words the rest of what Jesus says doesn’t make sense. Jesus is drawing a clear differentiation from…

"Cultivating Community", Part 3 of 4 - "Courageous Christians" We find ourselves at a crossroads. This is the moment where it goes from listening to acting, from being a hearer of the Word to being a doer of the Word. We're CLAIMED and CALLED by God the Father through Jesus Christ, able to act because of the Holy Spirit. We're CONFRONTED and CHALLE…

"Cultivating Community", Part 2 of 4 - "Confronted and Challenged" Jesus, while being confronted by a man trying to justify his sins, responds to a simple question with a story. It's a story many have told over the generations, but with implications that mean something to us in a new way. It's a challenge we face that is unique in the world we live…

"United In Response," a special message from Chris Edmiston, Awakening Venue Leader at First United Methodist Church, Wichita, KS during Downtown Alive. Throughout times of tragedy it's really hard not to hear about evil. There’s an evil we see, the evil around us, even the evil perpetrated against us, and it hurts. It drives many of our thoughts, …

"Legacy Defined" Legacy is something many of us don’t think about until it’s almost too late. For some it leads to midlife crisis, self-doubt, and many times a drop in faithfulness, whether to God or to those around you. The questions we have to answer can be difficult. Who are we doing this for? What is our goal? What is our TRUE, HOPEFUL outcome?…

"Challenging Times", Part 4 of 4 - "HOPE" There are times when darkness is all around us, even inside of us, and it feels like we just can’t go on. If we’re honest we can all admit that there are seasons in our lives where the darkness is just too much. What’s the point? By the time I get through this challenge and over this hill there’s another on…

"Challenging Times", Part 3 of 4 - "Never Too Far Gone" Jeremiah knew that chaos was coming, He continued to share the message the Lord had given to the people. He had a good idea how the people would respond, and the language was harsh; it spoke strongly against the people and their leaders. Yet just a month from the date the temple was destroyed,…

"Challenging Times", Part 2 of 4 - "Cracked Cisterns" The people of Judah had turned from God to false gods; they'd moved from living water to broken jars that held nothing. It went beyond just turning away from God; it was about giving themselves over to something that was the opposite of the very character of God. How are we living in a similar w…

"Making Sense Of The Bible", Part 2 of 2 - "Listening For God" We know there are several primary ways we hear from God. He reveals Himself to us in many ways, always looking to make Himself known by us. But how can we better hear His voice? How can we respond in a way that honors Him? And what do we do when we don't hear anything? Join us as we unp…

"Making Sense Of The Bible", Part 1 of 2 - "The Hard Sayings Of Jesus" Most of the time we associate difficult Bible reading with the Old Testament or prophetic scripture like the Book of Revelation. Where it gets interesting is when we read something difficult from the New Testament, especially from the mouth of Jesus. Why did Jesus use parables s…

"Whatever It Takes" We know there is a cost to following Jesus. We have a corporate responsibility to Christ’s Church and in the Kingdom of God. So what is our call to the gospel? If suffering for Christ is a mark of a true follower how do we measure that? Join us on this journey at Awakening @ First Church.…

"(Not Your Normal) Easter Message" This is more of a confession than a message. We invite you on the journey as we discuss doubt and faith, life and death, pain and joy this Easter Sunday. As we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, we admit, much like the disciples, the doubt we have during the times of darkness. And in that we are thankful fo…

"24", Part 6 of 6 - "The Crucifixion" This week featured speaker Les Coates finishes our series on the final 24 hours of the life of Christ by guiding us through the crucifixion. In this painful, humiliating act, we see love as never shown before. Join us as we unpack this and more as we conclude our series, “24”. Note: The original message was giv…

"24", Part 3 of 6 - "Condemned By The Righteous" As we continue this series “24,” discussing the final 24 hours before Christ’s death, it’s important that we understand what Jesus was facing. He was facing a mob mentality, putting punishment ahead of justice and truth. But to get there, to get to the mentality of the sentence being set before the t…

"24", Part 2 of 6 - "Agony Is NOT Defeat" Throughout the life of Jesus we get glimpses into His humanity. We see it when Lazarus dies and Jesus mourns. We see it when Jesus gets frustrated with the disciples, asking them “how many times do I have to tell you, let the children come to me.” He became exhausted after a long day of preaching and healin…

"24", Part 1 of 6 - "The LOVE Feast" There’s something special about a table. It’s easy to see at holidays or maybe a special family dinner, but historically life happens around a table. We come together and eat, we talk, we see life and interactions in real ways. So Jesus, in His final hours with all of His disciples together, gathered around a sp…

"Mythbusters", Part 5 of 5 - "Love The Sinner, Hate The Sin" On it’s face, “Love The Sinner, Hate The Sin” seems like something that makes sense. I mean, we know we’re supposed to love everyone around us. We know sin is evil. So put it together and we have a nice phrase we can pull out and use whenever it seems appropriate. But this is a phrase I c…

"Mythbusters", Part 4 of 5 - "God Said It, I Believe It, That Settles It" Brothers & sisters in faith typically stand in two camps in regard to the Bible: either it's inerrant and infallible, or it's not. Whatever you believe around inerrancy and infallibility, there is a statement for us to consider: God’s character is contained in the Bible, but …

"Mythbusters", Part 2 of 5 - "God Won't Give You More Than You Can Handle" "God Won't Give You More Than You Can Handle" is another incredibly common phrase. But looking at Facebook and Twitter, when we asked whether this is true or false there wasn't much debate; across the board most people said false. In fact, the people who replied that this ph…

"Mythbusters", Part 2 of 5 - "God Helps Those Who Help Themselves" 68% of born-again Christians believe that "God Helps Those Who Help Themselves." 55% of Christians strongly agree with this statement. 75% of American teenagers believed that “God Helps Those Who Help Themselves” was the central message of the bible. But contrary to 68% of BORN AGAI…

"Mythbusters", Part 1 of 5 - "Everything Happens For A Reason" “EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON.” It’s a phrase I’m sure all of us have heard or said at some point in our life. Usually it’s said in a time of crisis, whether personal or in a community. The idea is that no matter how bad the situation, no matter what kind of pain or loss someone is g…

Mary & Joseph lost Jesus when He was 12 years old...sort of. And after 3 days of looking in the busy city of Jerusalem they found Him sitting at the temple, talking to the rabbis and others gathered. Everyone was amazed, but Mary had one question: “why would you do this to me? To your father, Joseph? To your family?” Jesus responds with a calm wisd…

"Christmas Carols", Part 4 of 4 - "Joseph's Lullaby" Fatherhood is a daunting task. It takes every ounce of manhood to raise a family, and it's not easy. How much greater was the task before a man like Joseph, charged with caring for the Son of God, the Messiah? What was his call in the light of his family? Join us as we unpack this and more in our…

"Christmas Carols", Part 3 of 4 - "We Three Kings" Traveling is a big part for many during the Christmas season. But as much as we travel, it's nothing compared to the journey of the magi as they sought out the King of the Jews. What drove them, allowed them to move on in this journey through countries and regions far from their homeland? What is o…

"Christmas Carols", Part 2 of 4 - "O Little Town Of Bethlehem" I want us to imagine what it was like in this little town of Bethlehem for this young couple, Mary and Joseph, as they entered during a crazy time. Mary is pregnant, ready to have her baby boy. I can’t imagine the pressure they felt going door to door, being rejected over and over again…

"Christmas Carols", Part 1 of 4 - "Go Tell It On The Mountain" It's great to begin this season of advent here, with the story of shepherds in their fields. It shows us a lot about the character of God and who He calls to Him, who He shares good news with. It's not a coincidence who God chose to deliver this news to. God has always had a thing for t…

"Love, Period.", Part 6 of 6 - "Love Moves Forward" Six weeks ago we proposed to answer three big questions. What might happen if you and I took the words of the love chapter literally and began to apply them every day to our lives? What might happen is we embraced the principles of 1 Corinthians 13 and used the as a pattern for all of our personal…

"Love, Period.", Part 5 of 6 - "Love Creates Community" This week First United Methodist Church & Saint Mark United Methodist Church joined together in an historic pulpit swap. We are so blessed to have Pastor Junius Dotson from Saint Mark United Methodist Church join us and lead us in the charge that "Love Creates Community." As we follow the word…

"Love, Period.", Part 4 of 6 - "Love Overcomes Evil" We hear about evil all the time, we think about the evil we see, the evil around us, even the evil perpetrated against us, and it hurts. It drives many of our thoughts, our emotions, our actions. So how can we love the way 1 Corinthians says, love our enemies the way Christ says, and still stand …

"Love, Period.", Part 3 of 6 - "Love Never Quits" Many of us never had someone chase them, not because of all the good they do, but in spite of it. You've never truly believed it when someone said "I love you." How could they? Don't they know who you are, all you've done? THAT is our typical deciding factor in who and how we love. It's how we gauge…

"Love, Period.", Part 2 of 6 - "Love Is Diverse" It starts with a simple question: "who is my neighbor?" That was the response to the law of love. It's easy to love those like us. But Jesus expands our minds and perspectives, always welcoming anyone into the fold, increasing diversity. And He did it in a way that showed more than just who our neigh…

"Love, Period.", Part 1 of 6 - "Love Revolution" If we are calling ourselves Christians, acting as the Body of Christ, then shouldn’t we be expected to live the way He did? To love, the way He loved? God desires us to love others in this world the same way that is described in 1 Corinthians 13. But the truth is that most of us love with conditions.…

"I Love My Church", Part 4 of 5 - "I Love Giving" The early church had a special, completely sold-out way of loving each other. They loved personally, relationally, and with everything they had. They even went so far as to sell everything they owned for the betterment of the whole. So what is it that keeps us from living in a similar way? Why do th…

"I Love My Church", Part 3 of 5 - "I Love Serving" Is having the ability to fly what makes Superman a hero? Technically, no, having the ability alone doesn’t make him a superhero. What makes Superman a superhero is that he has the abilities he has, and that he uses them to protect Metropolis. Scripture tells us throughout that, as a follower of Jes…

"I Love My Church", Part 2 of 5 - "I Love My Community" Loving your church means intentionally loving beyond your building and your programming, but loving the people, loving as a community. So what gets in the way of those relationships? What can we do to remove barriers between us and encourage others to love and good works? Join us as we unpack …

“I Love My Church”, Part 1 of 5 – “I Love My Church” If people were writing Yelp reviews on our church, what would they say? Would they sound like visits to the DMV or the doctor’s office? Would it sound like a place people “have” to go to, or would there be more than that? What was and is God’s intent for this community of believers? Join us as we…

Special guest speaker Gracia Burnham joins us during our Sunday School hour and shares the story of her and her husband, Martin, and the struggles they faced while being held hostage in the Philippines, keeping their faith when tragedy struck. Garcia continues to speak for churches, conferences, and schools, and if you ask Gracia about life these d…

“Intersections of Life”, Part 3 of 3 – “@ Work” Work and life interest more often than just about every other intersection we face. How do we focus on the work we are called to do and further the Kingdom of God at the same time? What hinders us along the way? Join us as we do our best to unpack this topic.…

“Intersections of Life”, Part 2 of 3 – “(Re)Born To Be Wild)” What do we do when it seems like life isn’t what we thought it would be? Where do we turn when we say “wasn’t I made for more than this?” And how do we, as followers of Christ, live the life we’re called to compared to the life we were delivered from? Join us as we unpack this and more.…