Northbridge Vestal Podcast

Asking for Directions: Road Maps

If you grew up in an age before the internet, you remember a time when maps were a thing. The map would chart out the way to get where you were going. Someone did the work to figure out how to get from A to B. But here’s the thing—the map was only as helpful and reliable as the maker of the map. The same is true in life. We ask all sorts of people for advice, but the answers you get are only as trustworthy as the people you choose to trust.
1 Kings 12
Speaker: Aaron Patton

Asking for Directions: Hindsight is 20/20

We are pretty good at getting ourselves into trouble. And once we are in trouble, it’s a little hard to change the situation. But what if we could learn to look down the path first?  Wouldn’t that be a helpful tool? 
Proverbs 27:12
Speaker: Joel Garrison 

Asking for Directions: Avoiding a Crash

Life is filled with all sorts of twists, turns, and construction zones—similar to the open road! When you get in your car, you know exactly how to navigate from point A to point B, but how do you do that in life? How do you avoid crashing? How do you make sure you end up where you want to end up without doing major damage to yourself and others? If we stop and Ask For Directions, maybe we can get there quicker and safer!
Have you ever noticed something going on in someone else’s life and thought to yourself, “That’s not going to end well!”? Just about all of us have the ability to see that in other people, but amazingly we often times can’t seem to see when we are personally heading toward a crash! What if there were a way to get some directions that would help us avoid crashing all together?
Matthew 7:24-29
Speaker: Aaron Patton

Under the Hood: Detour

Everyone knows what a car does. But what does a church do? Like cars, Christians are made to move—to follow and become more like Jesus and help others follow Him too. In Acts 8 we find that the people God calls us to go to may not be the ones we expect. 
Acts 8 
Speaker: Aaron Patton

Under the Hood: Acceleration

If you don’t expect people to give their lives to Jesus, why talk to them about Jesus? If you don’t expect God to move, why pray? Peter and John lived in expectation and courage. God is changing lives! Put your foot on the accelerator that motivated the first church – live in expectation and courage.
Acts 3-4
Speaker: Aaron Patton

Under the Hood: The Fuel

Even the most perfectly balanced engine won’t do anything without fuel.  What is the fuel of a revival?  It is the obedience of a Christian in several key areas. 
Acts 2
Speaker: Dallas Seamans

Under the Hood: The Engine

The movement of the pistons is what gives an engine its power.  The movement and secret to the power and exponential growth of the church is something the apostle Peter called “the gospel.”  What is the gospel?  It means “good news” but it starts with really bad news: the murder of the Lord Jesus.  But God raised Jesus from the dead and if you repent you can be forgiven through Him. 
Acts 2
Speaker: Aaron Patton

Under the Hood: The Spark

A church or a Christian can look impressive, but without the Holy Spirit they will never do anything except sit and rust.  The sparkplug creates the fire that starts the engine.  What is the “spark” that all of us need in our church and life?
Acts 2
Speaker: Aaron Patton