#forparis podcast by The Paris Presbyterian Church Canada

Have you ever been pleasantly surprised by an unexpected gift? The kind that leaves you utterly amazed and creates lasting memories? Such treasures are not easily forgotten. This Christmas Eve, Joel will contemplate the profound significance of Jesus's birth as the ultimate gift—God's divine presence with us. And how in Jesus we receive an unexpected gift, one that can transform your life when received.

Throughout this series, we've delved into the profound gift of God's presence during Christmas—a gift that brings hope in moments of anticipation and peace during times of struggle. Yet, amidst the joy of receiving this precious gift, have you pondered what our responses should be to the profound reality of Jesus with us? In this week's teaching, Joel will share a response that can be a struggle, but does have the power not only to impact those around us but also to cultivate a deepening of our own faith.

Is it possible to discover peace amid life's trials? Christmas serves as a poignant reminder that "God is with us," but can this profound connection be felt in the midst of personal challenges and pain? Drawing from the prophetic words of Micah and the transformative promises of Jesus, we aim to challenge the traditional belief that peace is attainable only in the absence of difficulties. Join us as we explore the profound notion that cultivating a childlike faith is not just a first but a crucial step toward experiencing enduring peace, even in the midst of life's struggles.

Have you ever found yourself in the quiet moments, waiting on God? It's during those times when His response seems elusive, leaving you to ponder, 'God, are you there? Do you truly care?' Waiting can evoke a spectrum of emotions—worry, frustration, and perhaps even anger. However, waiting is an unavoidable part of life. But here's the twist—how can we transform waiting into a gift in disguise? How can we navigate the waiting period with grace and wisdom? Join us this week as we explore the art of waiting.

Join us this week as Joel kicks off our Advent series, 'Unwrapping Presence - Encountering God @ Christmas’. He'll delve into a significant barrier/misunderstanding that commonly hinders us from truly embracing the presence of God. He'll also share a practical approach to refocusing our attention, creating a greater awareness of God in our daily lives. We hope you will join us and that you extend an invitation to others, as together, we unwrap the profound joy of this Christmas season.

Jesus makes and fulfills many promises to us in Scripture. A big one is the promise of a place for us in his Father's house. But often, try as we might, we live as though we aren't sure how to get there. Jesus promises a place, but does he bother to give us the address or directions? Join this week as we explore how Jesus not only gives us a destination, but also promises to help us get there. John 14:1-6

This Sunday, we are going to celebrate Communion. For some, Communion is very meaningful. For others it can be confusing, a ritual at best. Join us as Joel shares how celebrating Communion by focusing on 4 words that Jesus used can provide profound insight and meaning to what Communion is and how it can impact our relationship with Jesus.

In a world that often prioritizes self-promotion and self-interest, humility is there a virtue we deeply admire but frequently find challenging to embrace. Join us this week as we explore the inspiring example set by Jesus and discover how we can integrate humility into our lives.

When discussing Jesus, some individuals believe in maintaining a sense of privacy. Perhaps you wish to express your faith more openly but are unsure how to do so. This week, we invite you to explore the reasons behind and the methods for becoming more inviting in sharing our faith."

The backdrop of this message - Jeremiah was called by God to be a prophet to the nation. Not an easy task. The people rejected everything he said and did and great personal expense. It almost cost him his life. What do you do when life seems unfair? The Bible helps by teaching us how to lament. However we don't just complain about what is happening, we learn to trust God through it all. Jeremiah stayed the course, he was faithful, yet he lamented ever telling God that he was tricked.

This Sunday we are celebrating baptism. One of the questions we ask is 'what difference does Jesus make in your life?' Join us to hear the answers. As part of it, Joel felt it only fair that he too share his response to this question. But what about you? How would you answer?

How would you define a rich life? Would it be money and stuff, health, experiences and relationships? I am sure we would say yes to ‘all of the above’. But is there a missing ingredient? An aspect of life that perhaps is too sporadic, yet, if we were more intentional would be a game changer. With this in our life, even without all the ‘other categories’ we truly would have a rich life? Enjoy the podcast.

As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, do you ever wonder ‘what difference it makes in your life?’ With all that you may be facing, how does Jesus rising from the dead 2000 yrs ago impact you? Join us as we look at how the remarkable transformation that occurred in the first followers of Jesus because of the resurrection can also be a reality for you.

What does it mean to be “great” in the Kingdom of God? What would it take to be highly regarded among God’s children? Join us as we look at Mark 10:35-45, and two of Jesus’ closest disciples, as Jesus gives answers to these very questions.

Money is a sensitive subject. So should we talk about it at church or just let it go? Jesus spoke about it often and more so than most topics so there must be a reason. Plan to join us this week as we look at an encounter Jesus has with a wealthy individual and what it can mean for you no matter how much or little money you may have. If you want to get a head start then begin by reading Mark 10:17-31.

When Jesus invites us to 'follow Him', what does that mean? This week we will look at three pivotal events in Jesus life that will further help us understand 'who is Jesus' and what it means to 'follow Him'. If you want to get a head start then begin by reading Mark 8:27 - 9:13.

Is going to church, reading the Bible, communion all just a bunch of rituals? Are they important? What does Jesus think? Join us as we look at what Jesus does have to say about some of these rituals. How they can be helpful but also very harmful if we have the wrong motives. As part of the message, we will also be having communion so if you are joining online you may want to have some juice and bread ready so that you can join in.

We all love the ‘quick fix’. We have a need and we want it met. Yet, too often it seems that Jesus works in a different way. Do you struggle with that? Have you ever considered why he may respond this way? This week we will look at how and why Jesus rarely offers the ‘quick fix’ and how this can be a gift if we are willing to trust in Him.

Do you struggle with the storms and difficulties in life? Does it feel like God is not paying attention and seems not even to care? Do you feel like shouting at Him? Join us this week as we look at an encounter in the Bible where all of these questions are lived out. It is a message that will help us better understand ‘why storms’ and what we can learn from them. Enjoy it!

What does Jesus want? Is it that we follow the rules and the commandments in the Bible? Or is it because of Jesus we are 'done with the rules'?

We are excited to be starting a new series that will follow the life of Jesus through the Book of Mark. This is a series that is for those that know a lot or little, or are even skeptical when it comes to Jesus. This is a great series to invite someone to come along and join you as you engage with. it.

Do you live with expectations? Do you want to be happy and experience joy? Join us as we look at the difference between the two and how 2023 can be a year where we experience even greater joy in our lives.

Tune in to this podcast for this encouraging New Year's message.

Join us as we learn how the reaction of Mary to everything that happened that first Christmas can teach us how to 'recharge' for the New Year.

You ever get fooled by the way a gift was wrapped? Join us as Joel shares his own personal story and how the best gifts often come in unexpected ways.

In this episode Joel will look at...

We all face difficulties and disappointments. It does not matter if you follow Jesus or not, no one is immune. But how do we prevent and halt bitterness from taking over? Join us as we look at a lesser known person from the Christmas story and how she used her difficulty to produce hope rather than plunge her into bitterness.

Do you ever fall into the vicious trap that starts with disappointment that quickly leads to discouragement and if we are not vigilant can land you in despair? How does it happen? How do we prevent it? I believe much of it has to do with the lies discouragement whispers in the moments of disappointment. How do we go from being disappointed to thinking we are a disappointment? How do we prevent this from happening? That is what this week’s message is all about.

Discouragement is insidious. It can show up in a moment and linger far too long. No matter how old or young, successful or not, we all battle discouragement. Join us as we talk honestly about how we overcome and defeat discouragement so that it does not own you any longer. Enjoy it!

A great way to learn is through asking questions. This also applies to when it comes to faith. Join us this week for 'q and A' with Joel. In- person Joel will be taking your questions live and for online, Joel will be answering some of the questions that have been most frequently asked. This is a week you do not want to miss. Enjoy it!

We all want to make a difference. But what does that look like? What is the next step? Join us this week as we learn that amazing truth that God has given us different abilities and passions for a reason. And that when we discover we are better together, some amazing things can happen. Enjoy it!

If you were to ‘rate’ your level of generosity, what number would you give? Do you wish you were more generous? Have you ever considered what ‘fuels’ your generosity? You give when you see a need? You like how it makes you feel? Guilt? Join us as we unpack a key perspective if we want a sustained generosity. Enjoy it!

Do you wonder what Communion is all about? Why the bread and the wine? Why the different names - Communion, Lord’s Supper, Eucharist? Yes, lots of questions and potentially even confusion which is a short step away from ‘just going through the motions’ and totally missing the significance. Join us this week as we look at what Communion is and why Communion is essential and what it can mean for you. Enjoy it!

I am sure we have all felt the impact of Covid when it comes to relationships. Being isolated makes life more difficult. Have you ever considered that there is a significant reason for that? Perhaps, God has wired us in a way that requires community. Join us this week as we look at why relationships matter and some next steps to take to get back on track ‘with people’. Enjoy it!

Is serving in the church really nothing more than simply ‘doing chores for God’? Or is there something more going on? Join us as we look at ‘’ why we serve’ and ‘ how serving can have an impact on us’. Enjoy it!

Sometimes we think of life as a metaphorical journey, but have you ever wondered if your journey is on the right track? Is there a particular path we are supposed to follow? If so, what does it mean to be a good follower? Is our path different than everyone else’s? Join as we ask these questions and more. Enjoy it!

We all have various relationships in life. Sometimes, things can go very wrong and issues like envy, bitterness and jealousy arise. Join us this Sunday as we look at how God has revealed to us how we can be wise, sensitive, authentic, forgiving and transparent with one another rather than two-faced and at each other all the time. Enjoy it!

Sure, we can learn from our poor decisions, but wouldn’t we would rather get it right the first time. So how does that happen? What intentional steps can we take to make good decisions? Join us as Joel lays out a framework for making better decisions as he chats with one of our church elders as to how her faith informs her decisions in life.

We all get angry. We have all done and said things we wish we could take back that caused hurt because we were angry. No one wants to be angry. So what do we do? How do we deal with our anger? Join us this week as we get real practical with steps we can take to not allow our anger to control us.. AND AS AN ADDED BONUS, we will even look at some potential positives that come out of our anger. You don’t want to miss this. Enjoy it!

With so many abuses in the church and Christian leaders messing up, is it better just to stay quiet about my faith? I am going to say no... but how we handle these situations is crucial. Join us this week as we look at how we can avoid major mess - ups from preventing others from seeing and hearing the good news that Jesus has to offer. Enjoy it!

Words can either be helpful or hurtful. At times it is best to simply say nothing. We need to know how to formulate our responses because words can be taken the wrong way. Sometimes we ought not to speak into another person's life unless we are asked to. Many of us often try and give our advice that may not always be welcomed. Join us this week as we discuss, 'The Power of Words'. Enjoy it!

We slowly get pushed nowadays towards indifference, and we often become calloused to the wonder around, then ultimately to the great wonder and mystery of God's love and grace. Navigating life without wonder is very difficult! Join us this Sunday. Enjoy it!

Success and adversity are a part of life. And when faced with either, they can reveal a lot about us. So, how do we navigate them in such a way that we will make good choices? Join us this week as we look at how a similar posture can make sure success does not go to our head or have adversity lead to devastation. Enjoy it!

Money can be of great benefit, but also a producer of stress. No matter how much money you have, we all have to make decisions. But are you making good ones? This week we will look at how we can be wise with our wealth. In a way that will not only reduce stress but provide an opportunity to honor God with our wealth. Enjoy it!

Forgiveness is important, we get that. But it is not easy. How do we get past the hurt? The anger? And not allow bitterness to damage our soul? Join us this week as we learn not only why forgiveness is important, but one step that we can take to begin the journey towards forgiveness.' Enjoy it!

We agree that having self control is important. No one wants to eat too many chips or get angry all the time. But is there an even bigger reason? A spiritual reason? Join us this week as we look at why Self Control is so important and some practical steps to take.

There are difficult and dark seasons in life. Moments when we may question God and wonder if He is truly with us. If He can be trusted. This week, I interview Gary who has gone through a very difficult year. Join us as we hear how his faith in Jesus has helped him respond and how his trust in God has been impacted. The choice he made to Navigate Life. Enjoy it!

Do you ever struggle with trusting God? Not sure if His way is the best way? Or maybe you do but it seems too hard. Join us as we look at ‘why trusting God is so hard’ and how we can refocus to trust and follow him. Enjoy it!

We all make decisions in life. Big and small ones. Thoughtful decisions and sometimes on the spot. Good ones and bad ones. So how do you make them? Do you have a process? Do you just wing it? Go with your 'gut'? Is there a better way? Join us as we begin a new series based on the Book of Proverbs as we look at how in the midst of navigating all of life, we can make good decisions. Enjoy!

This week, David speaks on hope. Everyone goes through difficult times. In the midst of it do you ever wonder 'where is God' or 'why do things not work out the way I would desire?' This week we want to focus on Hope? Where it is found and how we live with Hope. Enjoy it!

This week, Joel returns from Malawi to share an update on his work in the prisons. It is a true testimony on how God values partnering with us. But it often begins with a subtle nudge. Join to not only hear the impact the prison ministry is having but how God can use you to make a difference right where you are.

Have you ever felt like you could use a little more peace in your life? Certainly our world could use some peace. How about personal peace with your Creator? Is the world just too complicated and disruptive to allow a peaceful life? Join us as Jonathan helps us uncover our source of peace in every circumstance. Enjoy it!

This week, Joel speaks with Katrina, a young mom in our church. Katrina shares her amazing journey with God through some very difficult places and how her faith played a role. This is a conversation you do not want to miss. Enjoy it!

Have you ever been ‘written off’ by someone? Or have you ever ‘written off’ someone yourself? Ya, not a great situation. What about God? Does he ‘write people off”? This is important to understand as it has implications on our ‘view of God’ and our ‘posture towards others’. Enjoy it!

Guilt is a powerful emotion. One that is born out of our mistakes. An emotion that can get us off balance and cause significant harm. But have you considered that guilt does not have to take us down the path of destruction but can lead us towards transformation? Join us so as we discover that our mistakes in the past need not define our future or further damage our present. Enjoy it!

When it comes to faith in Jesus, do you view doubt as being bad? But is it? Or can doubt be a positive? Today, we are filled with happiness at Easter. But was that always the case? Join us as we look back at the very first Easter and how critical a role doubt played in actually transforming people's lives for the good. Don’t you want that? Sure you do... So join us. Enjoy it!

Are you confused about Jesus? Is he God? Or why He allows difficult things to happen in the world and in my life. Many don’t embrace confusion, but perhaps we should as an opportunity to have greater clarity and open us up to deeper faith. This week we learn at how confusion and faith are necessary and how how Confusion was at the centre of The Greatest movement in history. Enjoy!

These past 2 years we have intentionally been keeping a safe distance from others. But have we been unintentionally keeping distant from God? Perhaps without even realizing? Join us as we look at the most necessary step we have to take if we truly want to Encounter the goodness of God. Enjoy it!

Is #forparis just a slogan? A marketing ploy? What does it mean? Why do we always talk about it? Join us as we unpack how #forparis is crucial to who we are as a church and how we are to live as followers of Jesus. Enjoy it!

Do you ever play that game? Wondering 'how good is good enough?' Is there a measure? Is God keeping score? We might not think much about it, but too often we sure act like it. Failing to see that God has a completely different plan. Join us as we look at some 'bad news for good people' and some 'good news for bad people' (psst.. are you trying to figure out which one describes you?). Enjoy the podcast!

We have spoken a lot over the past year or so about Jesus. This week we are going to take a deeper look at His life, how He interacted with His family and friends and how He identify's with us today in so many ways because of His humanity! Enjoy the podcast!

Do you ever struggle with ‘the why?’

I am sure you have been told that ‘prayer is important’. You get that. But do you ever wonder ‘why we pray?’ Like what is the point? Is it to ask for stuff? Is it to confess the wrong we have done? But doesn’t God already know everything? So why do we pray? Good question! Join us as we ask this very question. Enjoy the podcast!

Ever read the Bible and your initial response is ‘Ya right!’ ‘Ya right it happened… or Ya right, like I could be like that’. And as a result you step a bit further from God. Yes there are some challenging passages in the Bible. Ones that make us go ‘ya right’. But let's push into that so that regardless of our initial response we can take a step closer to God. How does this happen?

Denial, come on, we all do it. And deep down we know that denial never helps. Not only does it not stop the inevitable but it blinds us from an incredible gift. So why do we do it? And what is the gift it blinds us from? Join us this week as we look at the ‘Danger of Denial’ and a step we can take to overcome it. Enjoy the podcast!

Courage is ….’the strength and ability to persevere in the midst of difficulty’. There are many moments in life when courage is required, but have you ever considered that it takes courage to trust in God? Often we think God is the one who gives courage, which is true, but it can also be said that it takes courage to trust and follow Him. Join us this week as we begin to explore this question.

Do you ever lose sleep over the troubles you are facing in life? Wondering how you will persevere, where you will find hope? As we continue in our series ‘STAND’, we will look at a message from God given over 2500 yrs ago that still speaks into our lives today. A message of HOPE in the midst of challenging times. Enjoy the podcast!

In this podcast we are going to look closely at how we can live our lives with quiet confidence and authenticity. Not because we have got everything figured out but because we are moving to a higher vantage point where we have better sightlines and can see a bigger picture. Enjoy!

We know and have experienced the damage of Covid. The damage physically, emotionally, mentally, and financially. There have been loud voices on many sides arguing their position as how we should or shouldn’t respond - and not all agree. In the midst of it all, have we considered the significant damage that has occurred not because of Covid or even our positions towards it but because of our posture in the midst of it towards those with whom we disagree? Enjoy the podcast!

In the midst of difficult circumstances how do you persevere? What does it look like to remain faithful? As we start the new year together join us as we learn how perseverance although hard can be such a key in life. Enjoy the podcast!

In the midst of difficult circumstances how do you persevere? What does it look like to remain faithful? As we start the new year together join us as we learn how perseverance although hard can be such a key in life. Enjoy the podcast!

What do we do with all these gifts? No, no, not the ones left under the tree. The ones that God has given to us. Have you ever considered all the amazing gifts that God has given to you? And wondered what you should do with all these gifts? Join us Sunday online as we look at what we do with all these gifts from God. Enjoy the podcast!

What is Hope? Mere wishful thinking? An emotion that comes and goes? We believe it is something more... something better. A reality that can sustain you in all of life. Yes, even those moments of disappointment, frustration, mess ups and when we have to wait. Join us as we look at 5 words of Hope and what they can mean for you. Enjoy the podcast!

Life can be stressful. Soured relationships, conflict, difficulties, finances and oh ya Covid. So how do you respond? Try to fix it? Attempt to ignore it? Self medicate it? Become enslaved to it? None of these seem ideal. This week, we will look at ‘how we can silence stress’ and not let it become the boss of you. Enjoy it!

Not all love is equal. Have you ever considered the various ‘levels of love?’ Think video games, but insert love. In gaming no one wants to stay on level one, yet is that what we are doing when it comes to love? Join us as we unpack these various levels of love and begin to see how our love can go to the next level. Enjoy it!