Parker Ford Church's Podcast

Let's unpack a life-transforming paradox in Jesus’ teaching (Matt. 7:13-14). Jesus says that the spacious life (life that is full of peace, satisfaction, joy and more) is found by actually squeezing through the narrow gate and following Jesus on this narrow path by putting His teachings into practice. The path is difficult, uncomfortable, and even feels constricting but it’s the path that actually leads to a spacious life with God here and now. Who’s up for a hike?

Prayer is rooted in a relationship with a loving, generous Father… not a transaction with a distant force. Jesus invites us to ask, seek, and knock with trust, humility, and persistence, knowing that God gives not just what we want, but what we truly need. When we remove ourselves from Jesus’ throne and pray from a place of dependence, not judgment, we are transformed and drawn deeper into God’s kingdom and character. 

To be the judge is to carry the weight of being right—and being just. The throne of authority is no casual seat; it demands power, wisdom, and responsibility, especially when decisions impact others. Yet how often do we climb into that seat ourselves, assuming the role of judge, condemning others? But who is equal to the task? Who is wise enough, just enough, righteous enough to sit on the judgment seat? Is anyone worthy? Praise be to Christ Jesus, the Lamb who is worthy! This week, we will explore the King's words about our judgment, justice, and our tendency to claim a throne that we were never meant to sit on. 

This Sunday at PFC, we’re grateful to have Bryan Hoke with us. Bryan serves with the Brethren in Christ and provides support for pastors and churches in this region. He’ll be sharing a message about the gift of rest and Jesus’ invitation to trust Him in all areas of life. 

"Do not be anxious about your life." What a crazy thing for Jesus to say! How can I not be anxious about my life, my marriage, my kids, my job, my retirement, my car, my house...? For many people anxiety is an almost constant companion. What is Jesus talking about? When we look at the context of where this passage lands in the whole sermon, we can see that these words are actually a beautiful invitation from Christ to live life with God. 

In this next part of Jesus' sermon, He addresses our stuff – our money and possessions. Yep, He goes there. This gets super challenging, especially for us as Americans who have so much! Jesus is going to challenge what we truly value, where our focus lies, and who or what we serving with our life? So, turn on the location settings of your treasure … and let’s go find it. Chances are we’ll find something else there too. See you this Sunday! 

Jesus teaches that fasting should be done in secret, not for show, as a way to humbly seek God and grow in dependence on Him. Historically, fasting was tied to repentance, seeking God’s help, and spiritual renewal—not performance or ritual. True fasting draws us closer to God through discipline, dependence, and devotion, clearing distractions so we can realign our hearts with His presence and purposes. 

Recently PFC welcomed Dave Wiedis to share some insights from his new book The Spiritually Healthy Leader. In his teaching Dave Wiedis talked about the idea of "ruling passions". Every person has a ruling passion. This is part of God's good design. But our ruling passions can become idols when they are not focused on Christ. Using this framework, we will explore the power of the Lord's Prayer to recenter us on Jesus and his glory. 

Jesus is taking us on a journey to understand and practice what it looks like to live in His upside-down Kingdom. This week we will be looking at both generosity and prayer. How was the culture of the time engaging these and how should we be doing so now?

Perhaps this is a silly question … but do you know some people that don’t like you? That have even hurt you, taken advantage of you, or humiliated you? We all have “enemies”. And this Sunday, Jesus is going to show us a better way to respond to these people. Instead of responding in kind to evil and escalating the situation, we respond - not passively or as doormats but as people who are ingenious in offering creative goodness and sacrificial love in action. We’ll end our time by praying for our enemies. 

We're so excited to have David Wiedis with us at PFC today. Dave will be sharing insights from his brand new book, "The Spiritually Healthy Leader." Dave is the Founder and Executive Director of Serving Leaders Ministries, with decades of ministry experience and leadership. 

This week, we’ll be exploring a third case study of inward-based righteousness: the power of our words.  We’ll look at the historical significance of oaths and how Jesus takes the law one step deeper. 

The resurrection of Jesus gives us the hope and promise that the new creation is coming! Things won’t always be this way. Jesus physically died and physically came back to life and what God did 2,000 years ago, He will do for the whole world! Easter is a true taste of what’s to come! 

The "Triumphal Entry" was the public declaration that Jesus viewed himself as the Messiah, and the promised King of kings. He rode into Jerusalem accepting the title of "Son of David" and the shouts of praise, "Hosanna!" He then entered the temple and called it "My house." Jesus was forcing the people to either crown him or crucify him (and he knew which the religious leaders would choose). With Jesus, there is nothing in between. We must know him as King or do our best to get rid of him.

In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tackles two uncomfortable topics. He addresses lust and divorce. In every culture, in every place, throughout all human history men have dehumanized women through lust and misuse of power. The example and teachings of Jesus draw us back to the Garden of Eden, back to God's creative design - male and female God created us in his own likeness and image. When we learn to see and treat one another as God's image, children of the same Father, and kingdom siblings, we live out the ethical vision of Jesus' upside down kingdom.

This week we are continuing to look at Jesus’ teaching in Mathew 5. As Pastor Dave shared last week, over the next few weeks we are going to be looking at examples of inward-based righteousness. The first example is anger. Anger is a valid emotion when something we care about isn’t the way it should be.  But there are proper and improper ways to express anger. Learning to express anger appropriately is critical to becoming more like Jesus. 

Get ready! Jesus is raising the bar for those who follow Him. But the good news is that He has done all the heavy lifting! What the first half of the Bible points forward to and the momentum it created, Jesus comes and fulfills. But He is calling us into deeper ways of right living that is marked by inside-out obedience. This Sunday we’ll dive into the very beginning of the main part of Jesus’ sermon on the mount as He sets the stage for 6 case studies to follow. 

Did you know that God has flavors and colors that he wants to bring into this world through you? Join us this Sunday as we unpack what Jesus meant by these metaphors of salt and light as we continue learning about the ‘Upside Down Kingdom.’ 

Jesus wraps up the 9 Beatitudes with two corresponding blessings given to those who are persecuted, insulted, and spoken of poorly because of righteousness. Throughout church history God has used persecution to strengthen the Church and spread the gospel around the world. The Lord is doing the same today.