Fountain City KC

<p>Something we all want and somehow know we're meant to have is joy; a deep-hearted gladness or happiness that transcends our circumstances.  And yet, so many of us find it elusive.  What dominates our cultural moment isn't joy.  Instead it's stress, anxiety, a state of despair.  As we wrap up this Advent season, we'll look again at a familiar story and learn what keeps joy from abounding: <em>fear.</em>  And we'll also learn what replaces that fear with true, lasting joy: the gospel of Jesus Christ.</p> <p>This podcast is powered by <a href="https://pinecast.com" rel="nofollow">Pinecast</a>.</p>

<h1></h1> <p>The beloved Christmas hymn, <em>O Come O Come Emmanuel,</em> expresses a universal longing of Advent in the lyric, <em>&quot;O come desire of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind; bid thou our sad divisions cease, and be thyself our King of peace.&quot;</em>  Who of us doesn't resonate with the longing for peace?  Longing for rest, security, contentment?  Longing for the end of conflicts, wars, corruption?  From a long list of names that feel very foreign to our time, God will show us that the peace we long for will be ours when we know not just who the King of Peace is, but when we make this King ours.</p> <p>This podcast is powered by <a href="https://pinecast.com" rel="nofollow">Pinecast</a>.</p>

<p>There are times in life when we find ourselves acutely aware of being in an unwanted place.  Maybe it's a sickness, a bad relationship, or financial hardship.  There are also those moments when we recognize that the place we find ourselves in is the direct result of our own faults and failures.  That's a bad place to be.  The ancient people of Judah were once in a place like that. And to them God sent a message that their hearts longed to hear.  It's a message our hearts long to hear as well.  It's a message of hope; hope that comes from knowing that when we're lost in the worst situation of our lives, God himself will come for us.</p> <p>This podcast is powered by <a href="https://pinecast.com" rel="nofollow">Pinecast</a>.</p>

<h1></h1> <p>This Sunday, we will wrap up our survey of Joshua. Through this book, we have seen that we are much like Joshua and the Israelites with him in what it means to follow God in moments of hope and doubt, celebration and mourning, and in making decisions when the path doesn’t seem clear. Now, at the final chapter of Joshua, it's an important time to ask, <em>what was this all for?</em> Why did God want the Israelites to take over Canaan? And, what significance does that have for my life?</p> <p>This podcast is powered by <a href="https://pinecast.com" rel="nofollow">Pinecast</a>.</p>

It may be a bit simplistic, maybe a little cliche, but isn't it true to say that life is messy?  Where we like things clear, neat, tidy, smooth, so much of everyday life is confusing, disorganized, missing expectations.  None of us like the mess, but we especially don't like it when it's our fault.  Is there much worse than when you do something foolish or boneheaded and make a mess of things.  Not just like you lost your car keys, but something with serious consequences – life-altering and unwanted.  From this passage, we'll explore the good news of why we can have hope in the midst of our mistakes, even the big ones: no mistake is too big for God's grace to redeem.