Port City Community Church Podcast

Latest Episodes:

"Preparing To See" - Mike Ashcraft | Created To Become, Part 4 Jan 29, 2023

Show notes

We are always becoming, always being formed. The question is what is shaping us? Are we going to fall into old habits and thought patterns that keep us repeating what we’ve always done? Or can we see something different? Can we develop a vision for who God wants us to become and remain with Him as He forms His heart in us? The steps we take determine the life we experience.

By choosing a word, we move in a direction that takes us a step further along the path to becoming. We might not know what the new year will bring or the circumstances we will encounter, but by committing to a word, we have a lens to assess our response to them and see God at work. There is no single way or perfect prescription to pick our words. The process is as unique as we are. Regardless of how we have arrived at our words, we know God will meet us there - that if we keep it before us and use it as a lens to respond to the world around us that God will shape our character and transform our heart.

We want to close this series by doing more than just revealing our individual words for the new year. We hope that collectively as a community, we will mark a moment, draw a line in the sand, and gather stones to build a monument that declares our dependence on God for all He has in store for us in 2023.

Freedom To Focus - Midweek Meditation with Carson Goslee Jan 26, 2023

Show notes

Change is possible, but focus is required. God created us to live in a way and at a pace that He established. He made a way for us to experience the life He has intended us to live and become the kind of person He's calling us to be. Rather than doing nothing about everything, My One Word invites us to do something about one thing. In today's Midweek Meditation, we sit down with our College Ministry Director, Carson Goslee, to discuss week three of our teaching series, "Created To Become," narrowing down our "One Word for the year," and how we can focus in a world of disctraction. For more information, check our portcity.church/word.

"Don't Settle" - Carson Goslee | Created To Become, Part 3 Jan 22, 2023

Show notes

We live in a constantly and chronically distracted world, leaving us in a state of partial attention. The pace of our lives seems to force us to divide our attention to get everything done. Our diverted mind takes an unintended toll on our hearts. What catches our eye will capture our hearts and garner our affection. We need to pay attention to what we pay attention to. God is always at work around us, yet, we are often too preoccupied to notice. Attention has a price; it always costs us something, but the good news is we get to choose what lays claim to our focus. Seeking the Kingdom of God first doesn't mean missing out but seeing everything else correctly.

Change is possible. Focus is required. God created us to live in a way and at a pace that He established. He has made a way for us to experience the life He has intended us to live and become the kind of person He's calling us to be. Rather than doing nothing about everything, My One Word invites us to do something about one thing. Picking a word provides a way to pay attention to God’s promise of formation. It serves as a single lens to see the connection between the various areas in our lives that can get divided.

Created In God's Image - Midweek Meditation with Laurelyn Shaw Jan 18, 2023

Show notes

Our desire to be better isn't random but by design. The push we feel to change and become is God-given because we are created in His image. But what does that really mean?In today's Midweek Meditation, we sit down with our Director of Community, Laurelyn Shaw, to discuss part two of our teaching series, "Created To Become," narrowing down our "One Word for the year," and how to pay attention to who we are becoming. For more information, check our portcity.church/word.

"The Kind of Person You Become" - Mike Ashcraft | Created to Become, Part 2 Jan 15, 2023

Show notes

Most of us measure our lives based on what we do; we determine our value by what we accomplish. Instead of making a list of everything we need to get done, we must first consider what kind of person we hope to become. As we think of the person we want to become, no one ever responds by saying they hope to be more bitter, angry, jaded, and cynical. Instead, we instinctively rattle off virtues like loving, kind, forgiving, patient, and generous. Our desire to be better isn't random but by design. Our quest to become has the fingerprints of God all over it, revealing our innate desire to bear the image God created us to display. The push we feel to change and become is God-given. Scripture opens up in Genesis 1 with the creation story, reminding us that we are image-bearers. Who we are is rooted in who God is at His core. Our quest to become has the fingerprints of God all over it, revealing our innate desire to bear the image in which we have been created. Who we become matters more than what we do. So, we resist the lure of performance by tending to the depth of our character.

Who Are You Becoming? - Midweek Meditation with Clay Everett Jan 11, 2023

Show notes

We are all becoming something. The question is, are we aware of who we are becoming? In today's Midweek Meditation, we sit down with our Wilmington Campus Pastor, Clay Everett, to discuss our new teaching series, "Created To Become," "My One Word," and how to pay attention to our spiritual formation. For more information, check our portcity.church/word.

"The Process of Becoming" - Mike Ashcraft | Created To Become, Part 1 Jan 08, 2023

Show notes

We all want to be different, but many don't know how to get there. Rather than a vision of becoming, our drive for change primarily finds its fuel in regret. In our quest for transformation, we don't need more quick-fix promises but a lens to see God's work in our lives over time. Vision-fueled action is more powerful than regret-based restraint. Unfortunately, life's normal, natural pace won't lead us to become the person God created us to be. We need something different to become different - a disruption from the routine. My One Word is a tool in our spiritual formation, a tangible way to seek God in our daily lives and abide in Him. Becoming who God uniquely created us to be is a life-long journey where transformation occurs through daily dependency over time.

Finish Lines + Fresh Starts Dec 24, 2022

Show notes

To experience fresh starts in our lives, we need to learn how to create finish lines. We need to finish things well and learn from those experiences to see what God has done so we can be prepared for what He wants to do in the future. Over the past year, God moved in and through the people and community of Port City Community Church. Mike Ashcraft, Clay Everett, Laurelyn Shaw, and Perry Green sit down and use the Personal Retreat as a lens to discuss some of what we’ve learned in 2022, and look forward to all God has in store for our church in the new year. We hope this conversation will help you to finish well, so 2023 feels like a fresh start!

Advent Meditations - "He Will Return One Day" Dec 23, 2022

Show notes

Jesus told us very clearly that there will be trouble in this world, but He follows these words with a call to hope. He will return one day to right every wrong, wipe away every tear, and usher in His Kingdom in full. We instinctively look for signs of hope amid the troubles of this world. Our hope rests in the reality that one day we will be free from what plagues us here and God's promise of redemption of everything broken. We look ahead to when all things will be made new, His promises fulfilled, and our longings satisfied.

Advent Meditations - "Abiding In Love" Dec 22, 2022

Show notes

Rest for our souls, the burden of worry lifted, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. These are some of the unfathomable and gracious promises Jesus declared over us. Yet, experiencing the depth of these promises requires us to embrace another - Christ’s abiding love. It serves as the source we draw from over and over again - knowing it never returns empty. But, what does it look like to abide in the promise of Christ’s love? This is what we want to explore during our time together.

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