Bridgewater Vestal’s Podcast

Stay Out—Of My Money!

For many, money is the most private and personal area of our life. We are willing to proclaim who we voted for, what we ate last night and our favorite entertainment. But my money is my business—stay out! But is it just my business? Are you willing to let Jesus into this bolted-shut room of your life?

Proverbs 6:6-11

Speaker: Aaron Patton

Deserts & Gardens: Pursuing and Living

We have already seen how God, the shepherd, is out front leading and how He comes alongside to provide and protect. Now we get a shepherd who is following. To be in His flock is to hear footsteps behind you, but not the footsteps of disappointment, anger, or judgment. These are the footsteps of goodness and love. This sermon reveals God’s heart for His people, and His desire to give us abundant life.

Psalm 23:6

Speaker: Dan Snyder

Deserts & Gardens: Providing and Protecting

We could not possibly account or prepare for every danger we will face in our lives. Life is mysteriously unpredictable. Yet this psalm teaches us that God, our shepherd, has already gone before us and both accounted and prepared for each danger. He leads us on in safety, providing for us and protecting us even when we’re not aware that He’s doing so. This sermon confronts us with our great need for God’s provision and protection.

Psalm 23:5

Speaker: Josh Jones

Deserts & Gardens: Leading and Following

Life has a way of leaving us feeling defeated, hopeless, and unsure of where to turn. While sometimes other people are the cause, other times it is because of our own choices. And how does God respond to us when we’re down? This sermon highlights how God rescues, restores, and leads us in the right direction.

Psalm 23:3-4

Speaker: Aaron Patton

Deserts & Gardens: Shepherd and Sheep

No portion of Scripture, Old or New Testament, is so universally celebrated by those who are followers of Jesus and those who aren’t than Psalm 23. Many people who are unfamiliar with the Bible are familiar with Psalm 23. While there may be some who understand and appreciate its meaning and significance, there are likely far more who find some level of comfort in it, but fall short of understanding what it’s saying and experiencing what it offers. In this 4-week series, we’ll unpack some of the beauty and meaning of this beloved psalm and see how God cares for His people through deserts and gardens—and everywhere in between.

Metaphors can be powerful figures of speech, helping us to understand what would otherwise be unclear to us. In the opening lines of Psalm 23, the author refers to God as a shepherd and himself as a sheep. He goes on to say that because that is true, he has need of nothing. How can he say that, and how can I experience that? This sermon answers those questions.

Psalm 23:1-2

Speaker: Aaron Patton

Mother's Day: God Sees, God Hears

Motherhood is challenging. When life and motherhood aren't what you had wanted, planned, or anticipated, it’s easy to wonder where God is in all of it. From the anticipation of it through all the seasons of it, it tests every woman every step of the way. Sometimes the challenges are the result of our own choices, while at other times they result from the choices of others. There are moments so difficult we may wonder if God knows about our situation and, if He does, if He cares at all. In this sermon, we’re going to get a look into the lives of two women in the Bible whose experience of motherhood was far from ideal, and we’ll see where God is in their stories and what He has planned for them. 

Genesis 16:1-16

Speaker: Aaron Patton

Giants Must Fall: Addiction Must Fall

The capacity for addiction can be found inside all of us. In fact, the addict experience could actually be called the human experience. Why do we do the things that we don’t want to and why do we want the things that we do? These questions and more, when brought into the light and laid at the feet of God, can help us find freedom from the addictions that rule over so many of us!

John 8:31-36

Speaker: Aaron Patton

Giants Must Fall: Comfort Must Fall

There are two paths to take in this life. You can’t have both. There’s the Easy Button and there’s the Greatness Button. Guess which one Jesus pushed? This gets at a fundamental difference in our desires and God’s desires for us. My goal for my life is happiness and comfort. God’s goal for my life is greatness—to become god-like (more like Jesus).

Matthew 16:21-17

Speaker: Dan Snyder

Giants Must Fall: Rejection Must Fall

One of the greatest giants that we ever struggle with is a giant in our head! Insecurity, low self-worth, and even self-hate all show up because of rejection or feelings of rejection from the events in our lives. What if we could drop that giant? What if we could be secure in who we are and how we are valued?

1 Samuel 17

Speaker: Aaron Patton

Giants Must Fall: Fear Must Fall

Everyone experiences fear and worry and sometimes fear can leave us frozen—unable to think clearly or respond effectively. But, is that are only response? Mark 6 gives us hope for when we face fear and worry.

Mark 6:45-52

Speaker: Aaron Patton