Athens Church Podcast

College students are coming back to town next week and it is time for us to hunker down. In this message, Sean Seay reminds us that Athens Church is not just a service to attend but it is a mission to join.

Is the church still relevant today? In this message, Andy makes the case that Christianity, unlike any other religion or civilization, offers not just a different way of living, but a better way of living.

Controversies arise in churches for many reasons. Some important. Some seemingly trivial. One tension that arose in the early days of the Church and that continues to surface over and over is the issue of grace and truth. Namely, how good does a person have to be in order to be part of the church?

The message of Christianity comes in all shapes and sizes. Some people emphasize our brokenness. Others emphasize God's goodness...the need for repentance or forgiveness...having faith...walking in obedience. While all of these aspects are part of the Christian gospel, what was the essential message that ignited a movement that continues today?

Chances are, if God answered all the prayers you have prayed this past year, the only difference it would have made is in your life and your family. And while that may be great for you and your family, could your prayers be bigger? Bolder?

When we think of church, why is a building the first thing that comes to mind? Is church a place full of robes and pews? Bands and banners? Or is church meant to refer to something different?

When it comes to family, actions speak louder than words - they echo into the next generation. Your children and grandchildren may forget what you say, but they will never forget what you do.

Raising children is one of the biggest challenges in life. It requires all of our strengths and talents. It makes us keenly aware of our weaknesses. In this message, Andy and Sandra Stanley tell you everything they know about parenting. This is not everything there is to know, just what they know.

All children-that's you and me-long for the approval of their parents...especially their fathers. It's a longing that never goes away. It gets buried or transferred to other relationships, but it's there. And we underestimate its power. Every parent wants to be approved by his or her child-to be a hero, to hear, "when I grow up I want to be just like you." As that desire grows, so does a parent's insecurity. Buried beneath the hurt, disappointment, distance, or silence is a desire to be connected to our children and our fathers. It lasts a lifetime.

When it comes to family, the only thing we all have in common is conflict. Family conflict is like no other because when you win an argument in your family, you do not really win anything. The conflict is never fully resolved. What if there was a way to resolve family conflict by dealing with it at its source?

In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul drew from Jesus' use of power what is perhaps the most powerful relational teaching of all--an instruction that changes everything in family. It all comes down to asking a simple question: What can I do to help?

Those who resist Christianity often do so because they have many unanswered questions. But when considering Christianity there is one question that trumps all the others. It doesn't answer the others, but it does put them into perspective. In this session we'll discuss how an influential man was transformed by this very question.

The fact that a batter can hit a ninety-five mile an hour fastball is unexplainable. If you break down the amount of time that it should take him to locate the pitch, decide whether or not to swing, and move the bat into position, he simply shouldn't have enough time before the ball crosses the plate. But we've all seen it happen. So what do you do with a feat like this? And more importantly, what do you do with Christianity when it seems to be both unexplainable and undeniable at the same time?

Four thousand years ago people followed their superstitions hoping that a god or gods would bless their crops and preserve their tribes. Into this confusion stepped God. And the first move he made was not to hand down a bunch of laws or to answer all of humanity's theological objections. No, the first move he made was something different, and it tells us a lot about who God is and what it means to follow him.

Christianity can seem like a big puzzle. There are parts of it that we have put together, but for the most part it is a collection of pieces that we are still trying to figure out. And in our attempt to piece it together we sometimes get so focused on how one particular piece fits, that we lose sight of the big picture. In this session we'll discuss some of the pieces that don't seem to fit and how to deal with them.