Explore every episode of the podcast Willow Creek Weekend Podcast

Worry often disguises itself as responsibility. What we call “planning” or “being realistic” is usually our attempt to control what only God can. Jesus teaches us something better—to release the burden of tomorrow and trust that our Father is already there, working all things together for our good. Jesus teaches us that when God’s Kingdom becomes our focus, anxiety loses all power. Today, seek His Kingdom. Know that the God who provides the world also provides for each of us.

What we treasure shapes who we become. Our treasures aren’t just money; they are the things we cling to for safety, identity, or joy. Whether it's success, relationships, or something else, Jesus calls us to put our hope in Him, allowing our treasure to be transformed into a tool for Kingdom living. When we put our identity in Jesus and depend on Him, we find peace in generosity rather than panic in scarcity. Pastor Shawn Williams teaches how we can loosen our grip on earthly things and cling to what truly lasts.

What should we do when God calls us to radical obedience, especially when it disrupts our comfort, plans, or public image? In this powerful message, we explore the story of Joseph and his courageous choice to trust God despite fear, uncertainty, and cultural expectations. His example challenges us to choose faith over fear and obedience over convenience, even when the cost is high. Like Joseph, we’re invited to become part of something far greater than ourselves.

We know the Easter story—Jesus lived a perfect life, suffered and died on the cross, and then rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. But what would it have been like to be one of His disciples or friends at Easter? They changed their entire lives to follow Him; then everything they thought would happen shattered when Jesus died. Their own hope died. But then Jesus was miraculously resurrected and appeared to Mary and many others. While they didn’t fully understand the depth of who He was or what had happened, they knew for certain that He was alive! And that is what gives us hope for our own lives now.

Many of us have a fear of being alone. It’s a very human trait to suffer through feeling lonely and social isolation. But with God next to us, we are never truly alone. And God understands our feelings of loneliness and sadness; Jesus suffered terrifying depression and loneliness in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46)and cried out to God in desperation. Jesus experienced the depths of despair so that we would never have to experience true isolation. As we remember Jesus’ sacrifice on Good Friday, we unpack the story of His life and journey to the cross to see how Jesus is God with us in all things.

We imagine Jesus as a very serene, calm and soft-spoken man. But, just like us, Jesus feels anger, and in John 2:13-25, He gets so angry Jesus flips tables! But have you ever noticed that anger comes from another feeling? The thing that lies underneath it causes an explosion that sometimes we struggle to contain; your disappointment, grief or sadness. But we don’t need ways to manage anger–it’s not about how to control your anger, either. God made that feeling; therefore, feeling angry is not a bad thing. However, we can express our anger in ways that do not harm ourselves or others. Pastor Megan Marshman helps us understand how.

Shame is a word and feeling we all want to avoid. Shame is often a barrier between us and God, too. Our regrets, all those actions and feelings we carry with us for years, weigh us down and make us feel less than worthy of God’s love. But that’s just not true at all.

In John 18, Peter denies Jesus three times, something he is deeply ashamed of. And then, in John 21, Peter is forgiven by and restored through Jesus.

You, too, can experience forgiveness and restoration; true healing and freedom from shame, guilt and regret. Pastor Shawn shows us how this is possible in our own lives.

Does God understand our grief? In the story of Lazarus and his death and resurrection, Jesus shows us that He lives grief just as deeply as we do. Even though Jesus knew Lazarus would be brought back from the dead, He still joined Mary and Martha, Lazarus’ sisters, in their grief and sadness. Jesus also demonstrates how, through Him, we can use our grief for a greater purpose; a deeper connection with God and with others around us. Pastor Thomas visits John 11 and the story of Lazarus in the Bible.

When Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding, it was not only His first miracle but also caused great joy. No, not because the guests got the best wine (but that did make them pretty joyful)! But because Mary, Jesus’ mother, saw Him step into His calling. 

We can sometimes wonder how we can be happy. Or curious about where others are finding joy in this life. We can ask; what do I need to find my joy? 

As we begin a new series on Big Feelings, Pastor Dave takes us to John 2:1-12 to discover how being close to God can bring out our own joy.

What is the power of our giving? Can our generosity change the world? In the earliest Christian church (in Acts 2:42-47), people gave so that others in their community were looked after. Orphans were homed, the sick were cared for, and anyone with a need was helped. 

Jesus calls us to do the same in our world today! We can help in our community by giving generously–and remember, it’s not about the amount you give, but the heart behind it–we can meet the needs of others. What would the world look like if we all gave to help in our community?

What is a motivating factor in giving when you decide to give? It’s usually in response to a need; a heartstring has been pulled, and you want to help someone else. When something really hits home, we can feel like it’s worth giving sacrificially–more than we might usually, or perhaps we have to forgo something else to help meet someone else’s need.. What if we gave sacrificially toward the Kingdom of God instead of out of abundance? In 2 Samuel 24, King David says “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” How can we take a stance like that and what impact would that have on the world?

Church offerings, or the concept of “tithing,” is typically hard to talk about, hard to begin doing and often is questioned. When many doubt the church's intentions, what good comes from tithing? Tithes and offerings are all about generosity. It’s about how you give, not how much. It is an expression of worship in response to God’s goodness. And it’s not just about keeping the church lights on either. Generosity extends much further. Pastor Dave begins this series by exploring where the concept of tithes began in the Bible, in Genesis 14 and how our motivation to give means way more than the amount.

Yes, God’s will for your life is much bigger than you could imagine! God wants to use YOU to help heal, restore, and redeem the world. You can change the world in partnership with God’s work in your life. But how? We finish up the last week in our Divine Dreams series by looking at Joseph in the Bible, in Genesis 50 and Romans 8:28, and learning how he was used by God to reconcile his family and provide safety for his people. How will God use you in this world? Discover God’s will for your life and pursue your biggest dreams through Him.

What does it mean to be chosen by grace? Dr. Megan Marshman explains Mary’s encounter with the angel Gabriel—a life-changing moment that reveals the power of God’s unearned favor. Though Mary was seemingly ordinary, she was called “highly favored” and invited to experience the impossible. This teaching highlights that grace isn’t something we achieve; it’s a divine invitation to trust God beyond our limitations. Like Mary, we’re called to surrender fully, embrace our God-given identity, and step into a greater purpose through faith.

Temptation is all around us, testing our character and will. Temptation also affected Joseph in the Bible. When faced with temptations such as seduction by Potiphar’s wife, a weak work ethic, and revenge on his despicable brothers, Joseph leans into his faith and resists, choosing instead to show kindness and keep his integrity.

Pastor Dave explores the story of Joseph in the Bible through Genesis –41, where Joseph takes his setbacks and temptations and allows God to use him in ways beyond his wildest dreams.

How do you hold onto your life’s dreams and persevere through tough times when others threaten to derail them or even actively hurt you?

The story of Joseph in the Bible deals with his struggles with a highly dysfunctional family and the ways in which they harm him (Genesis 37–40) when they dislike his big dreams for life.

Joseph holds onto hope through his faith, knowing he will ultimately achieve big things in partnership with God and His purpose for Joseph’s life. How will God partner with you to fuel your big dreams and achieve immeasurably more than you could on your own?

Many of us wonder: what is my life’s purpose? We have big dreams, but do they match God’s will for our lives? And what happens when obstacles get in the way of our dreams?

Remember when you were a kid, and you wanted to be an actor, a firefighter, or a marine biologist, but life got in the way, reality hit, and your big dreams fell by the wayside? Life has a way of presenting challenges that seem impossible to overcome.

As we begin our new series, Divine Dreams, we explore the story of Joseph in the Bible in Genesis 37 and how he persevered through so much, remaining faithful throughout and achieving his big dream.

It’s a new year; we’re all thinking about what we want to do and achieve in the next 12 months. Do you want to hit the gym, read those books you’ve had on your shelf for ages, or pick up a new hobby? 

How about rest? Could resting well be a part of what you want to achieve this year? It’s different, sure! But God Himself takes a rest, and if He can, surely we should too!

God tells us to take a sabbath–a day of rest–because He knows just how important it is for us to do so. God wants you to be healthy in all ways: physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally. And He knows that not resting well will affect those things. Rest is a spiritual discipline!

Pastor Dave starts us off right with a message on why we should rest well.

Once you make a decision to follow Jesus, you’re told to go out and evangelize to everyone you know; and all those you don’t know too. Ooof, that sounds scary, right?

What does evangelism really mean? We’ve all seen the guy standing on the street corner yelling at everyone to repent. But that’s not what the Bible tells us about evangelism.

Is evangelism a value we should be embracing? Yes! 

Pastor Betsy uses learnings from the first century church to demonstrate what God is really calling us to do as evangelists.

The biblical Christmas story is one of peace and hope, but only if you see Jesus for who He really is. 

When Jesus, the King of Kings,  was born, King Herod felt intimidated and tried to eliminate the threat to his kingdom. What’s your response to Jesus? You can ignore Him, feel threatened by Him, or choose to follow and experience the wholeness He has to offer.

This Christmas, experience a relationship with the King of Kings, the one born to save the world!

If you ever felt like you didn’t fit into church or God wasn’t for you, you aren’t alone. The shepherds in the Bible were the first to hear the news of the birth of Jesus. The “lowly” shepherds, as they’re sometimes referred to, were not important, high-powered people.

Had Jesus been born in a castle or fortress, He would only be accessible to a select few. Instead, He was born in a stable, so even the outcast and powerless could approach Him. What would change if you saw that Jesus truly was available to us all? Pastors Megan Marshman and Shawn Williams take us through Luke 2 and the Christmas story of the Shepherds in the Bible.

In week 2 of our Christmas series, we look at how we can focus on the goodness of God in the busyness of the season or the chaos of our lives. 

Jesus’ birth came at a most inconvenient time—or so Mary thought. Right before the birth of Jesus, His parents, Mary and Joseph, had to journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and by the time they arrived, there was no place for them to stay. Instead, a perfect God made His appearance in an imperfect setting.

How can we keep our focus on God when we face detours and distractions? Pastor Shawn uses Luke 2 to help demonstrate how and why keeping God at the center of our lives is so important, especially during busy seasons.

 Christmas is an exciting time of year, filled with food, lights, traditions, connection, and gifts. But in the midst of the holiday season, we can forget that Jesus is God’s gift to us, and He offers us many gifts, too: peace, strength, companionship and direction. It’s easy to become fixated on the gifts, forgetting about the Giver. 

What happens when we desire Jesus’ gifts more than Jesus Himself? Pastor Dave explores this question by looking at the historical setting of Jesus’ birth as we begin our Christmas series, What If It’s True.

Here comes the fruit of the spirit some of us really don’t want to talk about: ‘self-control’. 

Why is self-control sometimes so hard? And what benefits can we draw from this fruit of the spirit to help our own lives and those of others? The Holy Spirit can help empower us to be masters over our own desires and destructive impulsivity. Pastor Dave concludes our series on the fruit of the spirit!

Waiting can feel never-ending—whether you're longing for healing, a new job, a child, or the fulfillment of a dream. Pastor Shawn Williams reflects on the biblical story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, who carried unanswered prayers for decades. Just when hope seemed lost, God responded at the perfect time—showing that His silence doesn't mean He's absent, but that He's preparing something greater. If you're in a season of waiting, this message will strengthen your faith and remind you that God hears every prayer.

The Holy Spirit, using the fruit of the spirit called ‘faithfulness’  equips and empowers us to become trustworthy users of our thoughts, time, energy, and resources. By being faithful, we can most effectively use all of those things at our disposal to reflect the love of God in our embattled world.

Gentleness is a fruit of the spirit that we think we get, right? But how exactly can our being gentle, or using gentleness, bring us closer to living our lives like Jesus? And doesn’t that just make us weak?

Through the Holy Spirit, we’re empowered to live lives of humility, using our power, strength, and influence to benefit others. Does that sound like gentleness? Pastor Dave explains.

Which fruit of the spirit is probably the hardest to understand or define? Could it be ‘goodness’? We know what it means to be a good kid, or a generally good person, but ‘goodness’ feels a little more intangible. And it’s not just about doing a good deed, or being good natured.

As Pastor Shawn explains this week, the Holy Spirit empowers us to live lives of goodness by living lives of integrity.

Let’s look at the fruit of the spirit known as kindness. Why is kindness important as a fruit of the spirit? Because the kindness of God is an incredibly powerful force against injustice and cruelty. And when our world feels so full of injustice, we can work to restore the brokenness with our kindness.

As we continue to explore the fruit of the spirit, in this week’s teaching we learn about peace. 

There are plenty of Bible verses about peace, but it's not just about having our own peace of mind; it’s about enjoying the peace of God that allows us to live fully at peace in a broken world.

This week, Pastor Megan Marshman takes a look at the happiest-sounding fruit of the spirit: joy!

Why is joy a trait of Jesus that we should be using regularly? Because the joy of God in our lives is strength against darkness. Ever hear the phrase “the joy of the Lord is my strength”? That’s what we’re talking about! Learn how to leverage God’s strength in your life everyday through the fruit of the spirit, joy.

Week 2 of our series and this week, Pastor Dave explores the fruit of the spirit “patience”.

Patience, or forbearance as it’s sometimes referred to in the Bible, is something we could all do with in our daily, incredibly busy lives. When impatience threatens to destabilize our mental and emotional health, the Holy Spirit can help guide us in healthy ways to respond, through the fruit of the spirit; using patience.

In this series about the 9 fruits of the spirit in the Bible, we will be exploring what it means to live like Jesus, with the Holy Spirit as our guide. 

We’ve been given 9 traits of Jesus that, when applied to our lives through the Holy Spirit, can help us live more like Him. Why? Because that’s what we’re called to do.

The 9 “fruits of the spirit” reflect all the qualities we need to be more like Jesus in this world. 

We start with the fruit of the spirit ‘love’, and Pastor Shawn kicks us off with a teaching about God’s love and how we can reflect that onto others.

Revelation 7 talks of every tribe and tongue worshiping God together in heaven. If Jesus prayed, “your Kingdom come on Earth as it is in heaven,” we better get moving on that type of unity NOW!

This week we enjoy a multi-lingual Spanish/English teaching from pastors Fabian and Dave about mode

This week Pastor Megan Marshman paints a picture of what heaven looks like both “up there” and down here, on earth. Where is heaven? Is heaven real? What is heaven like? The Bible reveals a lot about heaven; including what we can expect in heaven, and what we can do here to engage in heaven on earth.

Many people believe forgiveness must lead to reconciliation, but those who hurt us can’t always heal us. Colossians 3:12–14 urges us to forgive as the Lord forgave us, making forgiveness a necessary path to healing—not optional. Forgiveness is an ongoing act of obedience that sets us free, while reconciliation requires both parties to rebuild trust and repair the relationship. Scripture shows this distinction: Esau forgave Jacob but did not reconcile closely, while Joseph fully restored his relationship with his brothers. Megan Marshman walks through the stages of forgiveness, how to discern when to seek reconciliation, and the difference between the two.

We’re beginning an exciting new series on heaven with Pastor Megan Marshman, who takes us through passages referencing heaven in the Bible, Revelation 21 and John 4, to discover answers to a big question; What is heaven like?

What does the Bible say about heaven? Quite a bit, it turns out! It can be nerve-wracking not knowing everything about what awaits us in the afterlife, but what the Bible says about heaven is that heaven is a great place–an awe-inspiring place–and, perhaps, closer than we think.

We wrap up our series around the story of the Prodigal Son in the Bible, from Luke chapter 15. Learn how transformation, the ability to change your life, comes through the power of God. 

What happens after we begin a relationship with God? It’s important to develop that relationship through regular rhythms of discipleship. Such as prayer, Bible study and worship. That leads us to real life transformation.

Does God love me? YES! He does! The most significant, life-transforming truth we can learn to receive, accept, and live in, is the truth that God loves us. He really loves us with an unending, unbreakable, unwavering love.

Pastor Shawn takes us through Luke chapter 15, verse 21, and the story of the Prodigal Son that gives us insight into how much love for us God has!

It’s week 3 in our series, Finding You Way Back To God, and we’re talking about how to satisfy our soul-wrenching desires through relationship with God, looking at the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.

Just like the prodigal son’s father, God is full of compassion for you and actively wants to welcome you back into relation with Him when you’re needing help the most, no matter where you have been, or what you have done.

This week in our series on the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, we’re looking at what happens when our desires lead us to make choices we regret, or try to find our satisfaction in misleading places. 

When we try to find quick fixes for our desires, they can lead us down a path of bad decisions and addictions to things that exacerbate our poor choices. How to change? How to get back to God and experience a renewed life? Let Him know you want help: “God please help me!”, and seek His wisdom. 

Where do you need to find a new direction in your life?

What do you want for your life? Not just health, wealth, and love, but what do you want your purpose to be? Dive into the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15 to discover where genuine satisfaction comes from.

In our final week of the series, looking at short books of the Bible, we finish with Obadiah! Pastor Megan Marshman shows us how the book of Obadiah, in the Old Testament, provides a great lesson about shifting our focus from serving ourselves, to serving God and loving others, and how that shift can make life infinitely more rich. If you’ve ever wondered about what we can learn from the Old Testament prophets and Obadiah, this is a must-see video!

Have you ever held a grudge, been unable to let something go, or even felt at odds with yourself? God’s heart is to restore all people to Himself and restore communities, relationships, and even our internal worlds. Learn from the book of Philemon about how you can experience a new level of reconciliation and restoration. 

We’re diving into a new series focussed on short books of the Bible, and we kick it off with Jude!

The Book of Jude is a one-chapter, short book of the Bible that’s really not a book at all, but a letter written by Jude, a half-brother of Jesus. But while the Book of Jude is short, it is packed with spiritual nutrition to strengthen our faith. He talks about fake teachers and leaders; to be wary of them leading people astray, and encourages Christ-followers to stand firm in their faith.

Pastor Dave takes us through the small but mighty Book of Jude and how we can apply it’s teachings to our lives now.

Sometimes it’s hard to know how to pray. Whether you’re just starting to learn, need a refresher on how prayer works, or just a boost in your prayer life, we can all turn to Jesus for guidance.

Because Jesus gave us the best prayer template: The Lord’s Prayer. Otherwise known as the “Our Father Prayer”, the Lord’s Prayer, from Matthew 6, tells us exactly how to pray, straight from Jesus’ own lips! This week, Pastor Dave leads us through the Lord’s Prayer and why our own prayers can–and should be–a simple conversation between us and God.

Forgiving small offenses like being cut off in traffic or a missed birthday can be tough, but what happens when the offense is much bigger? This weekend, we welcome Chris Baker, a tattoo artist from Oswego, Illinois, who founded INK 180, a nonprofit offering free tattoo work to former gang members and victims of human trafficking as a second chance. Chris grew up around gangs in Los Angeles and experienced deep loss, including holding his best friend as he died from a shooting. Years later, God brought Chris back to Los Angeles with an incredible opportunity to walk the path of true forgiveness. His story will show us just how powerful and supernatural forgiveness can be.

We’re continuing to explore the red letters in the Bible; the things Jesus actually said, with a couple of His most famous, and perhaps most misunderstood, quotes: “Love thy neighbor” and “love your enemies”. Pastor Thomas dives into Matthew 5 43-48 to discover why Jesus gave us this important task and what it means to reflect the radical love of God onto those we may find it hard to love.

So, you’ve heard of the infamous “unforgivable sin” and want to know exactly what that is and if you’ve done it. We all do! There is a lot of forgiveness in the Bible but perhaps you are wondering if there really are sins God will not forgive. 

Pastor Megan Marshman fills us in on what the unforgivable sin could be and if we need to get doused in holy water immediately. We joke, of course, but there is a way to walk confidently in Christ by understanding this ‘unforgivable sin’. Looking at Matthew 12 30-32.

Who am I? How do I find my worth? How can I feel valued?—Do you ever ask yourself these questions? We can find our identity in work, or our value in money, but how sustainable are these?

This week in our series exploring the things that Jesus actually said, the red letters in the Bible; Pastor Shawn looks at Matthew 16, verses 24-25, and shows how we can know our true value and worth in something that will never go away.