Liquid Church with Pastor Tim Lucas

A lot of people think God is "either... OR." He's either kind OR angry. Soft OR hard. He's either full of Judgment & Wrath... OR Mercy and Love. Problem is: when we're forced to pick, we sometimes pick up stones too. Fortunately, Jesus offered a new revelation that transcends the "tyranny of the OR." Listen in as Pastor Tim unveils the "Genius of the AND"... and how our God of Grace & Truth invites us to think different... and lay down our rocks. www.liquidchurch.com

Is God conservative or liberal? Republican or Democrat? Left wing or right wing? A lot of people like to put God in a box-- held captive to their views, personal opinions, political agendas, or lifestyle choices. It's comforting when God conforms to our agenda. But it's also tragic. Backwards. Because, like it or not, we were made in God's image-- not the other way around. What's your view of God? Is it based on divine revelation... or your own reflection? Listen in as Pastors Tim & Tom challenge us to think a new thought about God. www.LiquidChurch.com

Would you dare to test God with your money? In Malachi 3, God issues an incredible challenge: inviting us to "test Him" in this most personal area of our lives and see if He won't pour out so much blessing that we'll lack the room to contain it! There are all sorts of reasons for declining this financial challenge ("I can't afford to... I have debt... I don't trust the church..."). But then again: What if? What if... you offered God your financial firstfruits (instead of leftovers)? What if... you prioritized God's Kingdom (instead of your own)? What if... you shared your M&Ms (instead of eating them all yourself)? What might God do? If you honored Him first in your finances, could He really be trusted to lead you into a life of money margin? Listen in as Pastor Tim describes this incredible challenge and dares to ask "What if?"

Can God be trusted if we put Him first in our finances? For a lot of people, God & money don't go together. But the truth is: God owns everything. From cash in the bank to candy in our pocket. Yet, it's one thing to acknowledge God's ownership... and another to trust Him with the firstfruits of all we have. Do you offer God more than your leftovers? Listen in as Pastor Tim invites us to take God at His Word and "test Him" to see if He can be trusted with our finances. www.liquidchurch.com

Money is a touchy subject. The only thing more troubling than people knowing how much we earn... is knowing how much we owe. As Americans, we live in a voracious consumer culture that encourages us to acquire, spend, buy & consume the majority of our income. In it comes... and out it goes. The problem is that as Money Margin shrinks, our stress levels skyrocket. A "take it to the max" approach to finances is a constant source of tension & anxiety for couples, families, and even students. No one is immune. The American Dream can be a nightmare for those stretched to the max. But God has a different dream for your life. And it includes Financial Freedom. What would it be like to live with money margin-- where your needs are met... and you even have some left over? (gasp!) Listen in as Pastor Tim invites us to curb our appetite for more... and discover God's secret plan for financial freedom.

If God had a message for you, would you be able to hear Him above the noise of your daily life? In our bang-and-clatter world of iPods, email, cellphones, texting, Tivo, and more... we're constantly in contact & bombarded by noise. It's no easy task to quiet ourselves, grab some precious alone time, and listen patiently for God's voice. Yet, learning to be still is one of the disciplines of the deeper spiritual life. Learning to slow down-- to make room for Solitude & Silence in our 9-5 lives-- is essential if we're not just to survive... but to thrive spiritually. How busy & noisy is your life? What vital messages might you be missing? Listen in as Pastor Tim dives deep into the heart of margined living. www.liquidchurch.com

Everyone knows: life can wear you down. Work for 6 days in this broken world, and your spirit can be stretched, drained, depleted-- and sometimes-- broken. That's why God gave us the Sabbath... as a gift. A 24-hour period of re-creation every week to rest & be replenished. To play and pray. The Sabbath is God's "spa for the soul"-- where our Creator reaches in to restore & repair what's been broken or depleted inside of us during the week. Do you need a day at God's Spa? Listen in as Pastor Tim invites us into the life-giving rhythms of Sabbath living. www.liquidchurch.com

People push themselves to the breaking point for all sorts of reasons: Some fear not keeping up. Others feel guilty for saying no. Still others suffer from "Superman Syndrome"-- believing that human limits don't apply. (This includes pastors) That's why God gave the Sabbath in the Old Testament-- literally mandating margin to break our bondage to overwork. Time to rest. To reflect. To remember who really runs the Universe. (Hint: it ain't us.) Listen in as Pastor Tim discusses how our culture rewards people who push beyond their limits... and how God counters by inviting us all into the rest & freedom only He can offer. www.LiquidChurch.com www.BigHairPreacher.com

Many of us live life in overdrive. Pedal to the metal, foot on the accelerator, Mach 5, take it to the limit, stretched to the outer edge in all areas of life. 80-hour workweeks, endless bills, emails, To-Do lists, activities, sports, classes, and commitments. Our time, our money, our relationships... all pushed to the breaking point. With no margin for error. Life in overdrive can be exhilarating... at least for awhile. Because when we live without margin-- or breathing room between our LOAD (what we take on) and our LIMITS (what we can sanely handle)-- bad things happen. To our relationships. To our finances. More importantly: to our souls. Are you pushed to the breaking point? Stressed out? Listen in as Pastor Tim discusses God's invitation to slow down, stop the insanity, and enter into the divine rhythms of rest, renewal, and life-giving margin. www.LiquidChurch.com

You have a gift. You may not feel like anything special... but each of us has a unique, God-given ability planted in us by the Creator Himself. But here's the catch: it's not just for your benefit. So you can earn a living. Rather, your gift is meant to be linked to a larger purpose than your 9-5 job. You gift is meant to be used in the context of the local church-- to glorify God and serve the world. Finding a place to serve-- a role to play in God's story-- is how the world changes... and we do too.

Life is best experienced in community-- there's nothing like a close circle of friends where "everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came." But that's a challenge in a crowd our size. We lead busy lives and connecting well with others can be a challenge. That's why we have Life Groups-- a place to find friends in your season of life & grow spiritually together. Listen in as Pastor Tim describes the Life Groups environment and explains why "The bigger we grow, the smaller we become."

Everyone has questions for God. Some of them are theological ("If you knew we'd eat the fruit, why'd you plant the tree?"). Some are personal ("What the heck am I doing in NJ?"). And some are historical ("Why 9/11?"). We all need a place to explore these questions and discover how our lives intersect with the story God's telling in the world around us. Starting Point is a perfect "first step" for those exploring the Christian faith (or re-starting their spiritual journey after some time away). Listen in as Pastor Tim shares some of our questions and describes the Starting Point environment at Liquid. www.liquidchurch.com

Got friends? God God? Genesis 2 reveals three primal impulses that were hard-wired into every man & woman at the beginning of Creation. Each of us grows best when we have core relationships and a role to play. Connected Living is the name of our strategy for helping folks grow spiritually and connect with friends at Liquid. Whether you're brand-new to our church or have been coming for years, everyone is encouraged to take 3 steps: Find God. Find a Friend. Find a Job. Listen in as Pastor Tim discusses God's primal design for Connected Living. Part 1 of the message series "Connected." www.LiquidChurch.com

"How to Save a Life" by the Fray is a powerful song about one man's failure to rescue his friend whose life was in a tailspin. If only there were a "how to" manual for reaching people in our lives who are lost or struggling. But there's not. And yet, we're invited by God to partner with Him in making a difference in the lives of family & friends. Sometimes we can be heroic... and sometimes we're focused on all the wrong things. Listen in as Pastor Tim invites us to see the life-saving opportunities in the world all around us. Part 5 of the series "Rock God: Discovering God in the Music." www.LiquidChurch.com

U2's music is a source of faith & hope for all sorts of people-- from those turned off by "organized" religion to lifelong Christians hungry to change our world for good. "Walk On" is a powerful song about the stuff of true faith-- putting one's trust in what can't be seen and walking on in the face of adversity. Listen in as Pastor Tim describes how U2's music can serve as the soundtrack for a life of living faith. Part 4 of the series "Rock God: Discovering God in the Music."