Westside Church Podcast
By Westside Church
Westside Church PodcastMar 11, 2024
Why Is There Suffering?
From the series, "Jesus Philosophy" with guest speaker Dr. Cyril Guerette. Part 1: Why Is There Suffering? Why do innocent people have to endure suffering in this seemingly absurd life? This series on Jesus Philosophy deals with some of the perennial questions that face Christ followers, and all of humanity for that matter. Delving into Scripture we discover some interesting observations are awaiting us if we love God enough to seek.
Powerless
From the series, "Nobody's Perfect" with Dave Stimers. Part 4: Powerless. One of the fundamental indicators of Christian maturity is one that continues to be a major struggle for most of us. If we’re going to follow Jesus, it is imperative to wrestle with our relationship to power.
Why Is My Life Not Changing?
From the series, "Nobody's Perfect" with Dave Stimers. Part 3: Why Is My Life Not Changing? Maybe we can agree that no one is perfect, but what if we are continually dealing with the same challenges? How can we overcome the temptations and character flaws that seem to always follow us around?
Gifted
A special stand along message from Burlington Pastor, Mark Wall. Do you ever wonder if you’re living up to your potential? Life can sometimes be discouraging because we feel we have more to give in life than we are. We have been given life, but how do we know what to do with it? How do we know we are using our abilities and our lives in the way that God intended?
Do’s and Don’ts
From the series, "Nobody's Perfect" with Dave Stimers. Part 2: Do’s and Don’ts. Do you ever feel stuck, like you aren’t able to grow in your spiritual life? If you want to move forward, these 3 do’s and don’ts will help!
The Problem of Perfection
From the series, "Nobody's Perfect" with Dave Stimers. Perfectionism can lead to all kinds of unhealthy ways of living and many of us struggle with it. Sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves to reach unrealistic standards. Other times we might make excuses for our bad behaviour or decisions because, well, nobody’s perfect. Fortunately, Jesus shows us that there is a way out of the trap of perfectionism.
Part 1: The Problem of Perfection. Have you ever felt like you’ve always struggled with certain problems and you’ll never overcome some of the challenges? It’s easy to get discouraged, but you need to know that you aren’t stuck, even if you can’t be perfect.
Who's Got The Influence?
Bonus message from the series, "What Are We Fighting For" with John Latta. Who has the most influence in your life? Research says parents are far and away the most influential part of any child's life. As a church, we love to partner with parents in raising children to know and experience the love of Jesus.
Disputable Matters
From the series, "What Are We Fighting For" with Dave Stimers. Part 3: Disputable Matters. Even among people who agree on following Jesus, we find that there are so many other things that we disagree about. With that in mind, can we find a way to have unity when we don’t have uniformity?
Centered Set
From the series, "What Are We Fighting For" with Dave Stimers. Part 2: Centered Set. Everyone wants to feel like they belong and it seems simple enough to create a space where everyone can. And yet, when it comes to our beliefs and behaviour, a lot of the time we struggle to figure out who fits in and how. A centered set approach helps us to be inclusive without being compromising.
The Third Way
From the series, "What Are We Fighting For" with Dave Stimers. There’s always something to argue about, and when it comes to contentious issues, religion is usually part of the problem, not the solution. But what if there was a better way to live out and share our faith?
Part 1: The Third Way. When it comes to conflict or polarizing issues, one of the biggest fallacies that we tend to believe is that we need to choose between two options. Often, there is another choice, a better approach, a third way.
Happy New Year 2024!
Happy New Year Westside Church family! Join Mark and Kerala Wall for a short encouraging message as we begin 2024.
Jesus (Christmas Eve)
Christmas Eve message with Dave Stimers. From the series, "When God Speaks" Part 3: Jesus. If God spoke to us this Christmas what would He say? What would He say about our past? What would He say about our future? In one Word - Jesus.
Good News
From the series, "When God Speaks" with Dave Stimers. Part 2: Good News. Christmas is about good news but in the first century, the news of Jesus’ birth was actually very threatening. In some ways it still is. So what’s this good news all about and how should we celebrate it?
Immanuel
From the series, "When God Speaks" with Dave Stimers. Part 1: Immanuel. If God were to speak to us this Christmas, what do you think He would say? Our prayer is that as we take a deeper dive into the stories of Jesus’ birth, we will hear powerfully from God during this Christmas season. The Gospel of Matthew begins by portraying Jesus as King and offers us a tough challenge and a beautiful encouragement.
Through The Eyes Of A Child
A special message from Matt Collins for the start of Advent. It seems that once we slip into the latter years of high school and into our early 20’s we complicate our faith and inviting someone becomes this huge scary risk. Today we want to look at a small passage where we are challenged to look at the kingdom through the lens of a child. Why? And what will our response be this Christmas season?
Building Strength
From the series, "Resilience" with Dave Stimers. Part 2: Building Strength. Our perspective plays a big part in our ability to work through our challenges and build strength. Join the conversation as we talk about 4 ways to see our circumstances as opportunities for growth! Also, we are joined by special guest, Sue Van Egdom. She shared a HATS update regarding our Winter Care Kits as part of our Christmas Fund.
Resourcing A Rebound
From the series, "Resilience" with Dave Stimers. Part 1: Resourcing A Rebound. The news cycle is filled with bad news. It’s easy to be discouraged, anxious, and angry as we are bombarded with very real threats that our world is facing. Violence and war abroad. Rising concerns over housing, food insecurity, and inflation here at home. With all the bad news, we need some good news and to find some resources to turn things around.
An Opportunity For Excellence
This week we kick off our year-end Christmas fundraising campaign! There are many challenges that we are facing in our city and in the Church. The cost of living is causing many people hardship. Church disruption has left a lot of people wondering where to go to find faith. In the midst of all of that, we want to be a community that responds to the needs around us and turns these challenges into opportunities (westsidehamilton.com/christmasfund).
Measuring Our Hearts
From the series, "Measuring Up" with Dave Stimers. Part 4: Measuring Our Hearts. How would you know if you’re a good person? There are lots of ways that we try to evaluate whether we’re ‘good’. We often appeal to things like our beliefs, feelings, or motives as indicators of our spiritual health. Jesus teaches us how to go deeper and measure our hearts.
Measuring Others
From the series, "Measuring Up" with Mark Wall. Part 3: Measuring Others. How do you measure others? With so much information constantly in our faces, it’s hard to know who is right and who is wrong. How do we treat others in the face of all this uncertainty? And how do we approach those in our lives that we think are heading down a wrong path?
Measuring Maturity
From the series, "Measuring Up" with John Latta. Part 2: Measuring Maturity. How do you measure spiritual maturity? Jesus introduced a radically new and different way for his followers to be known in the world. In his upside-down kingdom… Love is the only answer!
Measuring Success
From the series, "Measuring Up" with Dave Stimers. How we evaluate the most important things in life plays a monumental role in how we live. It will dictate our priorities, what we focus on, and where we spend our energy. When we read the teachings of Jesus, we find some counterintuitive wisdom about how to measure what really matters.
Part 1: Measuring Success. How would you measure success? It’s an important question because how we define success will define how we live our lives. What would it take for you to know that you were succeeding?
Life is a Gift
Exciting Westside Burlington update followed by Part 5 of our series, "Mysteries of the Kingdom" with Dave Stimers. For many of us life can feel overwhelming. It is full of pressures to do more, earn more, and get more. That way of living can lead to anxiety and exhaustion, but following Jesus gives us an alternative - a way of life that is marked by contentment, peace, and joy.
Relational Investing
From the series, "Mysteries of the Kingdom" Part 4 with Dave Stimers. Recent studies have shown that one of the most consistent predictors of human flourishing is whether or not people have strong relationships. That information isn’t new and is actually one of the key secrets to following Jesus.
Growing Up
From the series, "Mysteries of the Kingdom" Part 3 with Dave Stimers. We’re old getting older. Ageing is automatic. But that doesn’t mean we’re still growing. Growing up isn’t guaranteed. As we get older and think about the legacy we want to leave for our kids and grandkids, it's so important to figure out what a mature faith is and how we can pursue it!
Lost and Found
From the series, "Mysteries of the Kingdom" Part 2 with Dave Stimers. One of the secrets to living the best possible life is embracing repentance. And that just might not look the way you think it does.
Who Is My Neighbour?
From the series, "Mysteries of the Kingdom" with Dave Stimers. Jesus loved to teach in stories, stories that make people think and debate and ask questions. His teachings were sometimes mysterious, for those who really wanted to learn more. Do you want to know how to get the most out of life? You need to be ready to lean in!
Part 1: Who Is My Neighbour? Jesus taught that loving our neighbour is an essential part of our religious life. If that’s true, we better figure out who our neighbours are and decide what kind of neighbour we’re going to be.
Embracing the Sacred Threshold
This week on the podcast, we have a stand-alone Sunday message with Dave Stimers. For many of us, September is a month of transitions. We’re starting school, going back to work, or setting new rhythms. All that change can be stressful and intimidating but in the middle of all the transition, there is an opportunity for transformation!
The Struggle of Surrender
From our summer series, "Here's What I'm Thinking" with Charmaine Kofler. This week we are excited to have guest speaker, Charmaine Kofler share with us. Charmaine has been in ministry for over 17 years. She is an associate Pastor of Oakville Church of the Nazarene, and is currently doing her masters in leadership and change.
Gore Park Outreach & HATS
From our series, "A City Connected" with John Latta. We had a great conversation with a special guest panel on Sunday with Jeffery Ng and Ted Van Egdom about the impact Gore Park Outreach and Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters (HATS) have on Hamilton.
Some Things Never Change
This week on the podcast, we have a stand-alone Sunday message with Dave Stimers. The world has changed a lot over the last few years, and along with so many other things, many people have been rethinking their relationship with church and faith. That can be scary, but maybe there’s an opportunity for reconstructing what is good. In light of everything that’s different, what should stay the same?
A Life Of Love
From our summer series, "Here's What I'm Thinking" with Melanie Wigg. This week we’re excited to have guest speaker, Melanie Wigg share with us. Melanie is the Director of Next Generation Engagement and Special Projects with Be In Christ Church of Canada.
Making Moments Famous – Celebrating!
From the series, "Making Moments Famous" with Dave Stimers. Part 3: Celebrating! Celebration is close to God’s heart, He loves a good party. Why? Because when we celebrate, we are reminded of the most important things in life.
Making Moments Famous – Drinking
From the series, "Making Moments Famous" with Dave Stimers. Part 2: Drinking. Many people talk about going through ‘dry’ periods in their faith. Maybe you can relate to that. You start to feel aimless or joyless and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of vitality to your spiritual life. For those who are thirsty, Jesus has an invitation to come and drink.
When in Doubt...
From our summer series, "Here's What I'm Thinking" with John Latta. Some Christians struggle with the concept of doubt when it comes to their faith journey. Is doubting a sin? Do doubt and faith mix? How does God handle our doubts? Too many of us find ‘doubting’ debilitating to our faith. We are going to discuss a few Bible passages to be challenged in our preconceived views, and look at doubt in ways that actually might help us grow closer to God.
Making Moments Famous – Eating
From the series, "Making Moments Famous" with Dave Stimers. Our celebrations help us to remember the most important things in life. So much of our lives can seem mundane or dull. But the kind of life that Jesus offered to people was anything but boring. And that’s why, if we’re going to follow Jesus, every once in a while, we need to stop and throw a party!
Part 1: Eating. Food is an essential part of being human, we depend on it for our health, mood and to give us energy. Not only that, but most of us enjoy really good food. In fact, every good party needs good food. It brings people together. What Jesus wants to offer us is a feast for our souls.
Youth Sunday
Investing in the next generation at Westside is so important to us. We want our youth to know they can always use what they have to serve God and serve others. This week on the podcast, we have 2 sets of interviews with our youth. The first one focuses on our Monday Night Youth program and the second focuses on our Sunday Morning Transit program. Then we have a short bible reflection on John 15 with our Ministry Director, Zac Boot. The final 15min includes a church update from our Lead Pastor, Dave Stimers.
Father's Day 2023
This week on the podcast, we have an interview with 3 Westside Dads about their faith and fatherhood, as well as a special Father's Day reflection with John Latta. The final 7min includes a church financial update from our Treasurer, Todd Hoare.
Who Do You Think You Are?
From the series, "Judge Not" Part 4 with Dave Stimers. Who are we to judge? Well that depends. Actually, the relationships that we have with one another are key to understanding who and how we should judge.
You Be The Judge
From the series, "Judge Not" Part 3 with Dave Stimers. In our quest to become less judgmental and more compassionate, inevitably there will be times when we have to make decisions about what is right and wrong. We’ll have times of conflict and need to struggle with what to do. When that happens, we might ask ourselves, how can we make good judgments without being judgmental? The final 10min includes a church update from John Latta about church governance and what it looks like to be a Ministry Partner at Westside.
Here Comes The Judge
From the series, "Judge Not" Part 2 with Dave Stimers. One of the reasons that Jesus taught his followers not to judge is because religion is so often packed full of judgment. How did Jesus deal with it when he encountered it? What can we do to avoid it?
Who Am I To Judge
From the series, "Judge Not" Part 1 with Dave Stimers. Jesus taught his followers not to judge, and yet Christians don’t exactly have a great reputation for being non-judgmental. Why is that so? Why is it so hard to change? And are there times when it is appropriate to judge? We’ll explore those questions as we try to follow Jesus and Judge Not.
Mother's Day 2023
This week on the podcast, we have an interview with Cherylene Stimers about her life and faith, as well as a special Mother’s Day reflection with Christie Latta.
Conquering The Darkness
From the series, "Now What?" Part 4 with guest speaker, Steve Cox. Being a Christian is not just a matter of ‘getting saved and going to heaven’. It is partnering with Jesus in the power of the Spirit to advance the Kingdom now, bringing heaven’s reality to earth in terms of forgiveness, justice, holiness, and healing.
Conquering The Great Commission
From the series, "Now What?" Part 3 with guest speaker, Matt Collins. When we say the great commission many panic. The thought of getting up and sharing the gospel is terrifying. Today we want to look at several approaches that make it more attainable and removes the fear from making disciples.
Conquering Failure
From the series, "Now What?" Part 2 with Dave Stimers. We all have failures in our past. That’s just part of being human, but there is a real danger that our past failures could hold us back from the future that God is calling us to. Don't let your failure steal your future!
Conquering Fear
From the series, "Now What?" Part 1 with Dave Stimers. This 2-week series will focus on the events following the resurrection of Jesus. Religion can get scary. It can be misused to spark fear that shrinks people’s faith, rather than grows it. But in the days following his resurrection, Jesus offered a new way, a better way.
Risen from the Grave
Easter Sunday message with Dave Stimers. On Easter Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and remind ourselves that what God has done for Jesus, He is going in all of creation.
Nailed to the Cross
Good Friday message with Dave Stimers. On Good Friday we remember the cross of Jesus Christ and reflect on the power of God that is greater than our greatest struggles.
Power vs. Humility
From the series, "Tried and True: Real Faith for Real Life" Part 3 with Dave Stimers. Jesus calls us to be a people of love. That’s a beautiful thing but it isn’t easy. And when we struggle to see the power of love, one of the greatest temptations is to try to control.