Pastor Steven G Lightfoot's Podcast

Is the congregation you belong to a congregation with convictions of steel? Pastor Steven preaches on 1 Thessalonians 1.

"Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Pastor Steven preaches on Philippians 4.

Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

"Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus ..." Pastor Steven preaches on Philippians 2.

Forgiveness is one of the most difficult Christ-like qualities for us as human beings to master. Yet, it is one that Jesus tells us we must master if we are to receive forgiveness from our Father in heaven. Pastor Steven speaks on the story of forgiveness given by Jesus in response to Peter's question, "How many times should we forgive?" A timely message for us today...

Pastor Steven discusses Paul's urgent call for us to love one another... a timely message for today.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, we take time to remember that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Countryside UMC is open for business, and we pause in our recovery efforts for just a moment to look at "Reflections in the Water."

Pastor Steven talks about faith and fear.

Jacob wrestled with God, or maybe Jacob wrestled with the angel of God, or maybe Jacob wrestled with his God-created true identity... scholar's debate, but one thing is certain, Jacob was a prodigal son. We all are prodigal sons until we finally turn around and see our Father running toward us.

In Romans 8, Paul teaches us that we are joint heirs to the kingdom of God with Christ - if we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. So just who exactly is this Christ with whom I am joined as a co-heir? Paul tells us who he is in Colossians 1 and it's pretty amazing: "...for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross." (Colossians 1:16-20, NRSV)

Pastor Steven preaches on Romans 8:1-11

As Christians we most often live a life of contradictions as we continue the life-long process of sanctification - of becoming more like Christ. We struggle with overcoming our sin-nature even though we want to do what God wants us to do. If that sounds like your struggle, you're not alone and you're in good company. The Apostle Paul struggled with the same issue, and he talks about it in Romans 7...

As we approach the celebration of American Independence, let us pause and remember that real freedom was won for us more than 2,000 years ago when Jesus went to the cross for us. Freedom is more than the birth of a nation 241 years ago... true freedom is the result of new birth in Christ and we can celebrate it whenever someone chooses to confess with their mouth and believe in their heart that Jesus Christ is Lord!

"The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." Pastor Steven speaks on Romans 6. Get The Mikveh Scrolls book series on Amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/Steven-G.-Lightfoot/e/B006S4TPYE

God is a covenant maker and a covenant keeper. Part of the covenant He makes with us through Jesus are the consequences of Justification. Consequences? I thought consequences were bad things! Well, no, not always... consequences are sometimes just the ordered progression that occurs from an action... an action like saying "yes" to Jesus. Listen as Pastor Steven discusses the consequences of God's saving grace!

What do the Holy Trinity, creation, and your salvation have to do with each other? The story is both older than time and fresh / new / dynamic. Pastor Steven preaches Trinity Sunday at Countryside.

Have you ever been promised something and then had to wait for it to come? What do we do when we are waiting for something to come to us that has been promised to us? Do we wait well? Do we wait passively? Or...Do we wait actively? Do we wait constructively? Or...Do we wait destructively? Pastor Steven preaches on Pentecost Sunday at Countryside United Methodist Church. Support this ongoing ministry: Get Pastor Steven's exciting novel series "The Mikveh Scrolls" on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Steven-G.-Lightfoot/e/B006S4TPYE/

Thursday, May 25th probably came and went for most people without any noticeable distinction that might set it apart from any other weekday. Most of us probably went about our day Thursday without any conscious thought concerning the historical and spiritual meaning of the day. But, last Thursday was in fact Ascension Day… a day of great significance in all of Christiandom and the whole world.

As I read the passage in Acts 17 where Paul addresses the Athenians in front of the Areopagus, it got me thinking two things... 1) What idols do we worship in our time, and 2) are we still worshipping an unknown god… or perhaps better stated, is the one true God still unknown to us?

Pastor Steven preaches on John 14:1-14.