Port City Community Church Podcast

Latest Episodes:

"A Mind to Trust" - Mike Ashcraft | Change is Possible, Part 3 Jan 23, 2025

Show notes

Our minds are wired to trust God, yet we often get tangled up in our struggles and doubts. The beautiful truth is that real change starts the moment we choose to believe. It's not about just getting God's attention – it's about embracing the deep love He already offers. When we let His forgiveness work in our hearts, we find ourselves drawing closer to Him naturally. After all, Christ has set us free to trust completely, to rest in His faithfulness, and to experience the peace that comes from a heart fully surrendered to God. It's that simple: we're made for this kind of trust.

"Seeing the Shape of Your Heart" - Mike Ashcraft | Change is Possible, Part 2 Jan 14, 2025

Show notes

In our rush through life, it's easy to miss what matters most. Our hearts aren't deceitful because they're bad – they simply respond to whatever we trust. That's why guarding our hearts is so crucial, not by building walls, but by creating space for God to work in us. Sure, we often struggle between what we do and what we really want to do, but there's always hope. When we learn to trust God instead of listening to voices of condemnation, we slowly become more of who He created us to be.

"A Vision For Formation" - Mike Ashcraft | Change Is Possible, Part 1 Jan 07, 2025

Show notes

Deep within us lies an innate understanding that we were created by and for God, designed for a greater purpose than our daily routines suggest. While regret often feels like an easier path to change, it only offers temporary relief rather than true transformation. Real change requires disrupting our normal patterns. The concept of My One Word isn't about making promises to improve—it's about adopting a perspective that helps us see God's active work in our lives, giving us a lens through which we can discover our authentic purpose and relationship with Him.

"Wait For" - Mike Ashcraft | Anticipating Immanuel, Part 3 Dec 17, 2024

Show notes

Waiting is hard in a world that craves instant results. We're challenged to see something worth pausing for, to let God reshape our desires and expectations. It's not about calculating potential outcomes but about trusting that the journey itself matters. The One we're waiting for is worthy of our patience, even when the waiting feels uncomfortable. Our trust transforms the waiting from a frustrating delay into a meaningful experience of growth and anticipation.

"See Until" - Mike Ashcraft | Anticipating Immanuel, Part 2 Dec 10, 2024

Show notes

We're constantly bombarded by pressures that dictate our rhythm, often causing us to react without truly seeing. We chase deadlines, notifications, and expectations, losing sight of what genuinely matters. But there's a profound invitation to pause, to look deeper, and allow our experiences to stir our hearts. By paying attention to what we encounter and developing a mindful lens, we can break free from restless patterns and discover a more intentional way of living—one where we're not merely responding to external demands, but actively engaging with our inner landscape and the world around us.

"Be Still" - Mike Ashcraft | Anticipating Immanuel, Part 1 Dec 03, 2024

Show notes

In the hustle of daily life, Advent offers a gentle reminder to pause and breathe. It's an invitation to find stillness amidst chaos, to quiet our restless minds and stop the constant pressure to produce. Like a deep breath in a crowded room, this season encourages us to simply be—to open ourselves to grace, to anticipate hope, and to remember that our worth isn't measured by our productivity. In these moments of stillness, we reconnect with something greater than ourselves, experiencing the profound peace of Immanuel, "God with us," who meets us exactly where we are.

"A Holy King" - Mike Ashcraft | A King Like Jesus, Part 4 Nov 25, 2024

Show notes

In our daily struggles, holiness isn't about achieving perfection, but about cultivating a heart of devotion and surrender. It's recognizing that we are already forgiven and loved, and choosing to make ourselves available to God's purpose in each moment. Through trust and abiding, we bear His image – not by flawless behavior, but by embracing redemption and experiencing the freedom to offer our true selves, imperfections and all.

"A Just King" - Mike Ashcraft | A King Like Jesus, Part 3 Nov 19, 2024

Show notes

Imagine justice not as a harsh punishment, but as a healing journey of restoration. At its heart, justice is about rebuilding relationships—first with God, and then with each other. Forgiveness is the key that unlocks this transformative process. When we embrace forgiveness, we begin to understand a deeper kind of justice that isn't about retribution, but about rebuilding trust and creating wholeness. Through Christ, we are offered a remarkable gift: the freedom to live fully, not weighed down by past mistakes, but lifted up by grace and the possibility of true reconciliation.

"A Humble King" - Mike Ashcraft | A King Like Jesus, Part 2 Nov 12, 2024

Show notes

At the heart of Christianity stands a remarkable paradox: Jesus, who shapes the world through gentleness and humility rather than force or power. His way offers us a fresh path to live as God intended, restoring broken relationships and bringing genuine peace. While this path often puts us at odds with society's usual ways of doing things, it transforms us in beautiful ways – turning our fierce passions into deep compassion for others. This isn't just about feeling sorry for people from a distance. Real compassion gets up close, crosses barriers, and actively works to remove walls between people. Unlike rigid rules that simply make demands, Jesus offers grace that reaches out to us first. This gentle approach helps us navigate between extremes – neither raging at the world nor giving up on it. In the end, following Jesus means learning to care deeply for others, just as He did. It's that simple, and that challenging.

"The Problem, the Tension, and the King" - Mike Ashcraft | A King Like Jesus, Part 1 Nov 06, 2024

Show notes

In these divisive times, it can be easy to get swept up in the toxicity of political rhetoric and the false promise that our vote alone can bring about the change we so desperately desire. But the way of Jesus calls us to a radically different path. The Kingdom of God is here and available to us now if only we dare to embrace it. Christ did not come to accommodate our cherished assumptions, but to usher in a new and revolutionary way of being. Instead of seeking salvation through the ballot box, we must turn our gaze inward and allow the transformative power of God's love to reorient our priorities and heal the divisions in our society. This is the way forward - not through partisan politics, but through the subversive, steadfast witness of those who choose to follow in the footsteps of the one who upended the status quo.

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