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Every year when we raise money for Guatemala, God seems to stretch Hope a little further. The goal gets bigger. The opportunity gets bigger. And every year, we watch God provide. But God has also been teaching us something: we aren’t called to just watch what God is doing—we’re called to be part of it.

In Luke 9, Jesus makes a major shift with His disciples. After spending chapter after chapter watching Jesus teach, heal, and perform miracles, the disciples are now sent out to participate in His mission. Jesus calls them, equips them, teaches them to depend on God, and sends them to go.

In this message, “Just Go!”, we discover three truths about what it means to follow Jesus:

• If He sends you, He’ll equip you. You don't have to feel qualified or have everything figured out before God can use you. Your job is to go; His job is to provide the power.
• You don't have to have all the provision yet. Jesus taught His disciples to depend on God rather than their own plans, resources, or security. Sometimes faith means going before you know exactly how God will provide.
• You can't control the response. We are responsible for being faithful and sharing what God has given us—not for controlling how people respond. We bring the witness; God brings the results.

The mission may be bigger than you, but the One who sent you is bigger than the mission.

Where is God calling you to go? What are you trying to control that you need to surrender to Him? And who has God already placed in front of you that needs to hear about Jesus?

Jesus told them to go, and they went. Maybe it’s time for us to do the same. Just go!

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Why should we care about people on the other side of the world when there are needs right in our own neighborhoods?

In this episode of Ask A Pastor, Pastor Todd Barham tackles the question, “Why should I care about foreign missions?” From Guatemala and Kenya to our own communities, we explore what the Bible says about the Church’s responsibility to reach the nations with the Gospel.

Missions isn’t simply an extracurricular activity for especially passionate Christians—it’s part of the identity of every follower of Jesus. Jesus told His disciples to be His witnesses “to the end of the earth,” and Scripture reminds us that people cannot believe in a Gospel they have never heard.

Pastor Todd discusses why missions begins in the heart of God, why local ministry and global missions should go hand in hand, and how God has entrusted ordinary people with the message of reconciliation. We’ll also look at what it means to pray, give, go, and live sent wherever God has placed us.

Whether you ever travel overseas or never leave your hometown, you are part of God’s mission.

Following Jesus isn’t just about where we’re going when we die. It’s about who we’re taking Jesus to while we’re here.

Tune in and discover why the mission of God is bigger than our church, our community, and our corner of the world—and how each of us can play a part.

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Have you ever reached a place where you’ve done everything you know to do? You’ve prayed. You’ve waited. You’ve tried to fix it. And still, nothing is changing.

In Luke 8, we meet two people who have reached that place of desperation. Jairus is a respected synagogue leader whose twelve-year-old daughter is dying. An unnamed woman has been suffering for twelve years and has exhausted every option she knows. Their stories are different, but they come to the same conclusion: “I need Jesus.”

As Jesus encounters both of them, we see His authority over sickness, suffering, and even death. Jairus is told that his daughter has died, but Jesus responds with a powerful command: “Do not fear; only believe.”

This message reminds us that faith doesn’t deny bad news—it refuses to let bad news have the final word. Faith doesn’t mean knowing exactly what Jesus will do; it means knowing who Jesus is and trusting Him even when circumstances get worse.

In this sermon, we’ll discover that:

• Desperation can drive us to Jesus.
• Faith pushes through, even when the answer seems impossible.
• Faith doesn’t quit when bad news arrives.
• When Jesus speaks, even death listens.

Jesus is Lord over every category of brokenness. Sickness, suffering, grief, and even death do not get the final word—Jesus does.

If you’ve reached the end of yourself, this message is a reminder that you’ve found the perfect place to reach for Jesus.

Do not fear. Only believe.

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We all have moments we wish we could erase—mistakes, failures, broken places, and seasons we’d rather leave in the past. But what if your mess isn’t the end of your story? What if Jesus wants to use what you’ve been through as part of your testimony?

In Luke 8, Jesus crosses the lake to meet a man everyone else had given up on. While others saw a problem, Jesus saw a person. He went where others wouldn’t go, restored what was broken, and then sent the man back to his community with a story to tell.

Jesus still does the same today. He isn’t afraid of messy people or messy places. He can restore what feels too broken, redeem what seems wasted, and take the very things we thought disqualified us and use them to point others toward Him.

Your testimony isn’t about how perfect you are—it’s about how faithful He is.

The question isn’t just, “What has Jesus brought me through?” The question is, “Who can I help because Jesus brought me through it?”

Listen as we discover how Jesus can turn your mess into a message.

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Some storms you can see coming. Others arrive without warning—a phone call, a diagnosis, a financial burden, or a difficult conversation—and suddenly everything changes.

In Luke 8, the disciples discover that being exactly where Jesus told them to be didn’t keep them from encountering a storm. Jesus told them to cross the lake, and yet the wind and waves came. Their story reminds us that following Jesus does not make us storm-proof, but it does mean we never face the storm alone.

In this message, we explore what it looks like to keep our faith when life feels out of control:

• Obedience doesn’t guarantee calm waters. A storm doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve missed God.
• Faith knows where to run when fear hits. We don’t have to pretend we aren’t afraid—we can bring our fear directly to Jesus.
• The storm can reveal and strengthen our faith. Sometimes God uses the storm not only to change our circumstances, but to show us more clearly who Jesus is.

The storm may be bigger than you, but it is never bigger than Jesus. Your boat may be shaking, but your Savior isn’t.

Peace isn’t found in knowing what happens next; peace is found in knowing who is with you next.

Maybe today you don’t need Jesus to explain the storm. Maybe you simply need to trust the One who is in the boat with you.

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Divorce is one of those topics that’s easy to talk about—until it becomes personal. Behind the word are real marriages, families, children, betrayal, disappointment, abuse, regret, and pain. So what does the Bible actually say about divorce?

In this episode of Ask A Pastor, we take an honest and compassionate look at what Scripture teaches about marriage, divorce, sexual immorality, abandonment, abuse, and remarriage. We explore God’s design for marriage as a lifelong covenant, why Scripture acknowledges divorce in a broken world, and the biblical grounds for divorce that Christians have historically recognized.

We also tackle some of the harder questions: What about abuse? Does having biblical grounds for divorce mean you should get divorced? Can trust be rebuilt after betrayal? What if you’re already divorced or remarried? And how should the church walk alongside people whose marriages have experienced deep brokenness?

This conversation is about holding truth and grace together. We don’t want to lower God’s standard for marriage, but we also don’t want to use Scripture as a weapon against people who have experienced painful circumstances. Marriage matters. Covenant matters. Obedience matters. And grace matters too.

Whether you’re married, struggling, separated, divorced, or remarried, the gospel still applies to you. Wherever your story has taken you, Jesus is still able to redeem what’s broken and lead you forward.

Don’t just ask what culture says. Don’t just ask what you feel. Ask what Scripture says—and then have the courage to follow Jesus.

Have a question about faith, the Bible, Christianity, relationships, or something you’ve always wondered but never knew who to ask? Send it in for a future episode of Ask A Pastor.

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Have you ever heard what someone said but completely missed the point because you weren’t ready to respond? Jesus reminds us in Luke 8 that the real question isn’t simply whether we hear God’s Word—it’s how we hear it and what we do with it.

God’s Word was never meant to stay hidden. It exposes what’s happening inside us, reveals what needs to change, and calls us to respond with obedience. Sometimes we don’t need a new word from God—we need to obey the last one He already gave us.

In this message, we’ll discover four truths from Luke 8: God’s Word is meant to shine through our lives, God’s light reveals what needs transformation, the way we hear determines the way we grow, and hearing God’s Word without doing God’s Word isn’t discipleship.

So the question is simple: Are you really listening?

What has God already spoken to you that you’ve been negotiating instead of simply saying, “Yes, Lord”? And what needs to change in your life because of what you’ve heard?

Join us for this powerful message from Luke 8 and discover what it means to not just hear the Word of God, but to hear it, receive it, and live it out.

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Can I love someone without agreeing with their beliefs?

Absolutely. In fact, Jesus calls us to love our neighbors even when they don’t share our faith, convictions, or worldview.

In Episode 20 of Ask A Pastor, we talk about what it looks like for Christians to love people of other religions and beliefs without compromising biblical truth. From the Good Samaritan to Jesus’ command to love our enemies, Scripture shows us that conviction and compassion don’t have to be opposites.

We’ll explore how to listen before we assume, respect without pretending to agree, serve without treating people like projects, and share the Gospel with both truth and gentleness. Because our commitment to Jesus should make us better neighbors—not more combative ones.

Love them. Listen to them. Respect them. Serve them. Tell the truth. Share Jesus. Trust the Holy Spirit.

You don’t have to compromise your convictions to love your neighbor, and you don’t have to stop loving your neighbor in order to hold onto your convictions.

The stronger our commitment to Jesus becomes, the better neighbors we ought to become.

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