Home
Categories
EXPLORE
True Crime
Comedy
Society & Culture
Business
Sports
TV & Film
Technology
About Us
Contact Us
Copyright
© 2024 PodJoint
00:00 / 00:00
Sign in

or

Don't have an account?
Sign up
Forgot password
https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts211/v4/ae/b6/24/aeb6244d-b03f-f746-45aa-31a7e9ccc30a/mza_2423442001584195244.jpg/600x600bb.jpg
First Love Church
Heather Drake and Dennis Drake
117 episodes
2 weeks ago
Gratitude is not a holiday mood; it’s a way of seeing that rewires what we value and how we give. We open with 2 Corinthians 9 to reframe resources as seeds, not trophies, and walk through the simple pattern that Jesus models again and again: give thanks, then act. That single move challenges the myth of scarcity and turns generosity into a predictable harvest. Along the way, we talk frankly about prayer—what it means to trust that the Father hears—and how the Spirit intercedes when words fai...
Show more...
Spirituality
Religion & Spirituality,
Christianity,
Religion
RSS
All content for First Love Church is the property of Heather Drake and Dennis Drake and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Gratitude is not a holiday mood; it’s a way of seeing that rewires what we value and how we give. We open with 2 Corinthians 9 to reframe resources as seeds, not trophies, and walk through the simple pattern that Jesus models again and again: give thanks, then act. That single move challenges the myth of scarcity and turns generosity into a predictable harvest. Along the way, we talk frankly about prayer—what it means to trust that the Father hears—and how the Spirit intercedes when words fai...
Show more...
Spirituality
Religion & Spirituality,
Christianity,
Religion
Episodes (20/117)
First Love Church
Thankfulness Shapes Our Minds, Our Money, And Our Mercy
Gratitude is not a holiday mood; it’s a way of seeing that rewires what we value and how we give. We open with 2 Corinthians 9 to reframe resources as seeds, not trophies, and walk through the simple pattern that Jesus models again and again: give thanks, then act. That single move challenges the myth of scarcity and turns generosity into a predictable harvest. Along the way, we talk frankly about prayer—what it means to trust that the Father hears—and how the Spirit intercedes when words fai...
Show more...
2 weeks ago
48 minutes

First Love Church
Love Is The Frequency
What if love isn’t just a feeling but a frequency you can choose? We dive into a Spirit-led way of living where mercy displaces judgment, forgiveness breaks cycles of harm, and courage sets wise boundaries. Grounded in 1 John’s claim that God is love and Jesus’ teaching in Luke 6, we rethink what it means to be “blessed,” moving beyond applause and accumulation toward a life that is lighter, freer, and truer. We talk about consent to the Holy Spirit as the turning point—Mary’s yes as the pat...
Show more...
2 weeks ago
46 minutes

First Love Church
Two Prayers, One Merciful God
What if the prayer God always answers is the simplest one: “Be merciful to me”? We take a fresh look at Luke 18’s Pharisee and tax collector and discover a bigger, braver reading of mercy—one that refuses the lie of spiritual scorekeeping and invites us to live free from the need to earn love. We start by slowing down. As the season turns toward longer nights, we trade the tyranny of the clock for the attentiveness of the Spirit. That shift reframes everything: fasting and tithing become pra...
Show more...
1 month ago
40 minutes

First Love Church
Guided Prayer- Your Sacred Choice
Support the show This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would like to support the ongoing work of First Love Church you can donate at https://www.firstlovechurch.org/giving In the service of LOVE, Pastors Dennis and Heather Drake
Show more...
1 month ago
9 minutes

First Love Church
What Happens When We Stop Judging And Start Forgiving
What if most of our daily conflict could be diffused by one hard choice: dropping judgment and choosing forgiveness? We open with Jesus’s words from Matthew 7 and move into the real places where accusation takes root—traffic, politics, and even the kitchen sink at home. The challenge is blunt and freeing: the measure you use will be used on you. Lay down the habit of judging, and you’ll recover the clarity to see your own blind spots and the courage to forgive. From there we lean into a bett...
Show more...
1 month ago
37 minutes

First Love Church
Guided Prayer: Justice, Mercy, and Humility
Lay down the urge to earn your worth and breathe into a truer center. We invite you into a calm, spacious practice shaped by Micah 6:8—do justice, love mercy, walk humbly—so these ancient words move from page to pulse. This guided time blends gentle breathwork, grounding in the body, and a living reframing of justice, mercy, and humility as a daily rhythm rather than a religious burden. We begin by naming belovedness as your starting point: you are seen, loved, and known before you lift a fi...
Show more...
1 month ago
9 minutes

First Love Church
Guided Prayer - Comforting Your Soul
What if peace isn’t something you achieve but something you receive? We open a quiet door into that truth with a gentle, guided meditation rooted in Psalm 131 and shaped by breath, posture, and tender imagery. Rather than urging more effort, we lean into surrender—letting the spine rise like a tree, feeling the ground hold us without condition, and noticing how, breath by breath, the nervous system finds its way back to safety. We move from body awareness into a dawn field where cool mist li...
Show more...
1 month ago
11 minutes

First Love Church
Guided Prayer- The Examen a prayer before sleeping
What if a few quiet minutes could remake the way you remember your day? We offer a gentle, guided examen that begins with breath and stillness, invites the Holy Spirit to lead, and helps you see ordinary moments as places where love showed up. It’s a slow, spacious journey through memory that replaces self-criticism with compassion and turns small details—a kind word, warm sunlight, a shared laugh—into signs of grace. We start by settling the body and naming God’s nearness as closer than our...
Show more...
1 month ago
20 minutes

First Love Church
The Sacred Kingdom Within
Have you ever considered that the Kingdom of God might be closer than you think? Not a distant future or a faraway realm, but right within you—as accessible as your next breath? This powerful message explores the revolutionary concept that Christ's presence within us transforms everything about how we move through the world. Drawing inspiration from Colossians 1, we unpack what it truly means that Christ is "the divine portrait of the invisible God" and how this understanding frees us from r...
Show more...
1 month ago
1 hour 1 minute

First Love Church
Beyond Division: Jesus' Radical Call to Mature Love
The most radical teaching of Jesus might be the simplest: "Love your enemies." But what does this look like in practice, especially in our divided world? Through the metaphor of "God's museum," we're invited to reimagine who belongs in the divine family. Picture walking through galleries displaying Earth's wonders—stones, rain, seas—but mostly photographs of people, including those we struggle to love. This perspective shift challenges us to recognize sacred value in everyone, even tho...
Show more...
2 months ago
50 minutes

First Love Church
Guided Prayer - Seeds of PEACE
Take a slow breath in and release. Again. One more deep, steady breath. Now pause and receive these words: "Your peace is not fragile, nor is it fleeting. Your peace is anchored in the eternal." This meditation guides you through a sacred journey where breath and prayer intertwine, creating space for divine peace to dwell. Drawing from Jesus' words—who calmed storms with "Peace, be still" and promised "My peace I give to you"—we explore peace not as the absence of conflict but as the active ...
Show more...
2 months ago
10 minutes

First Love Church
Guided Prayer - Returning To Love
Take a sacred pause from the noise of everyday life and enter into a space where your breath becomes prayer. This guided Christian meditation invites you into the ancient spiritual practice that saints and mystics have treasured for centuries. With gentle guidance rooted in scripture from Philippians, we'll journey together through a series of breath prayers that transform ordinary breathing into holy communion. "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whate...
Show more...
2 months ago
8 minutes

First Love Church
God Will Leave the 99 to Find You
When Jesus sat down to eat with "notorious sinners," he wasn't just breaking rules—he was showing us what God's heart truly looks like. This powerful examination of Luke 15 reveals how radical hospitality lies at the center of Christian faith. The religious establishment of Jesus' day had created clear boundaries around who belonged and who didn't. They complained when Jesus crossed these lines, triggering him to respond with parables that completely upend our understanding of God's characte...
Show more...
2 months ago
34 minutes

First Love Church
The Radical Hospitality of Jesus: Table Manners for the Kingdom
What happens when the rules we've established to maintain order become barriers to showing love? In this thought-provoking exploration of Luke 14, we witness Jesus deliberately stepping into a trap set by religious leaders only to turn their test back on them. The scene unfolds at a prominent Pharisee's home during a Sabbath meal. Everyone watches intently, hoping to catch Jesus breaking religious law. When confronted with a suffering man with swollen limbs, Jesus poses a piercing question t...
Show more...
2 months ago
42 minutes

First Love Church
Mercy Changes Everything: The Prayer God Always Answers
What if your prayers have been missing the mark all along? In this thought-provoking exploration of the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, we discover how comparison creeps into our spiritual lives, corrupting even our expressions of gratitude. "I thank you God that I'm not like..." These words reveal a mindset that separates us from others and from experiencing true divine connection. When we base our thankfulness on being "better than" others, we've already stepped away from lo...
Show more...
2 months ago
50 minutes

First Love Church
Spirit: Your Constant Guide and Companion
Have you ever felt limited by your vision of God? Perhaps you've pictured God as distant, judgmental, or similar to disappointing authority figures from your past. In this powerful exploration of John 14, we discover how the Holy Spirit invites us to transform our understanding of who God truly is. Jesus teaches us that loving Him is inseparable from loving others. "If you love me, obey my commandments," He says—and those commandments are fundamentally about love. What makes us true follower...
Show more...
3 months ago
51 minutes

First Love Church
Awakened: Finding God's Kingdom in Your Everyday Choices
How often do we forget the transformative power of love in our daily decisions? This episode invites listeners into a profound exploration of what it means to choose love over self-interest in our moment-by-moment lives. The teaching begins with wisdom from Ecclesiastes that challenges us to stay present rather than longing for "the good old days"—a timely reminder for anyone feeling nostalgic for what once was. But the heart of the message addresses something we've all experienced: those mo...
Show more...
3 months ago
52 minutes

First Love Church
Beyond Barns and Belongings: Jesus on True Wealth
Jesus confronts our deepest assumptions about wealth and security in this eye-opening exploration of Luke 12. What begins with a simple inheritance dispute quickly transforms into a profound teaching on greed, possessions, and what truly constitutes a meaningful life. Through the powerful parable of the rich fool who built bigger barns for his abundant harvest—only to die before enjoying any of it—we're invited to examine our own relationship with possessions. Count how many times this wealt...
Show more...
3 months ago
34 minutes

First Love Church
Beyond Religious Rules: Becoming the Living Scripture
Have you ever found yourself trapped in a religious system built on fear rather than love? Most of us have been taught that spiritual growth means following rules and managing sin, but what if there's a radically different way to experience God? In this transformative teaching, we explore the revolutionary concept of living in the flow of the Holy Spirit—a way of being that moves beyond religious obligation into genuine freedom. The journey begins with a fundamental shift in understanding: "...
Show more...
3 months ago
1 hour 5 minutes

First Love Church
Changing Your Mind: How the Holy Spirit Transforms Our Thoughts
The Holy Spirit wants access to your whole house—not just the tidy rooms you're comfortable sharing. Are you ready to surrender your thinking to God's transformative power? When we enter the waters of baptism, we make a powerful declaration: "I surrender my life to God." But this surrender goes far beyond a one-time ritual. As Martin Luther beautifully expressed, we're called to "live wet"—to continually remember whose family we belong to and to allow the Spirit to transform our thinking pat...
Show more...
3 months ago
51 minutes

First Love Church
Gratitude is not a holiday mood; it’s a way of seeing that rewires what we value and how we give. We open with 2 Corinthians 9 to reframe resources as seeds, not trophies, and walk through the simple pattern that Jesus models again and again: give thanks, then act. That single move challenges the myth of scarcity and turns generosity into a predictable harvest. Along the way, we talk frankly about prayer—what it means to trust that the Father hears—and how the Spirit intercedes when words fai...