ReCreate Church’s Podcast

Dagon's Story: Don't Measure Your Savior by Your Circumstances

Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church
Scripture: 1 Samuel 5:1-12
King and Deliverer Series, Part 5

Episode Summary

In part 5 of the "King and Deliverer" series, Pastor Michael picks up the story after Israel's devastating defeat and the capture of the Ark of the Covenant. From Israel's point of view, it looked like God had lost to the Philistine god Dagon. But while Israel was staring at their circumstances, God was actively at work. This story reminds us that circumstances make terrible theologians.

Key Points

- The Philistines believed Dagon had defeated the God of Israel, and Israel's circumstances made it look that way too
- When the Ark was placed in Dagon's temple, the idol was found fallen on its face before it, twice, and the second time it was broken to pieces
- While Israel wondered where God was, He was already fighting on their behalf - they just couldn't see it
- Life is sometimes hard because of a broken world, bad decisions, or other people's choices, but our circumstances never diminish God's love or power
- The Cross looked like defeat. The empty tomb proved it was deliverance.

Main Takeaway

Don't measure your Savior by your circumstances. God doesn't promise to spare us from every trial, but He promises to never leave us, and there is no hurt He cannot redeem. The Cross tells you how much He loves you. The empty tomb tells you how powerful He is. Whatever you're facing, trust Jesus.

Memorable Quotes

- "Don't measure your Savior by your circumstances."
- "Circumstances make terrible theologians."
- "If you have to help your god stand up, you need a better god."
- "There is no hurt He cannot redeem."
- "The circumstances said defeat; The Savior said deliverance."
- "We have seen God more through the dark days than at any other time."
- "The Cross tells you how much He Loves you. The empty tomb tells you how Powerful He Is."

Reflection Question

What circumstance are you using right now to measure God's love or power? What might change if you trusted the Savior instead of what you can see?

Tune in to hear the showdown between the True God and a fish-shaped idol, an unusual experiment involving nursing milk cows, and Pastor Michael's honest and deeply personal testimony of how his family has seen God in their darkest days.

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Ichabod's Story: God Will Not Be Used

Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church
Scripture: 1 Samuel 4:1-22
King and Deliverer Series, Part 4

Episode Summary

In part 4 of the "King and Deliverer" series, Pastor Michael opens with a haunting retelling of the birth of Ichabod, a baby whose name means "The Glory has departed." Israel marched into battle with the Ark of the Covenant, convinced it was a lucky charm that would force God to give them victory. The result was disaster. This strange and sobering story reminds us that God will not be used.

Key Points

- After a first defeat, Israel asked the right question ("Why did the Lord let this happen?") but never stopped to listen for the answer
- Instead of seeking God, they tried to use Him, treating the Ark like a superweapon
- The Ark never had power. The God of the Ark had power, and He refuses to be manipulated into serving our agenda
- We can make the same mistake today by deciding what we want and then asking God to attach Himself to it
- Superstition asks how to make God give us what we want. Faith asks what God wants.

Main Takeaway

God will not be used. We don't add Jesus to our agenda; we surrender our agenda to Jesus. If our relationship with God is built around "I did this, so God owes me that," it isn't worship, it's bargaining. Ask honestly whether you want God's will, or just God's help with your will.

Memorable Quotes

- "God will not be used."
- "The Ark itself never had power. The God of the Ark had power."
- "They didn't really want the Lord. They wanted the power."
- "Superstition says, 'How can I make God give me what I want?' Faith says, 'God, what do you want?'"
- "God had not departed from the people. They departed from Him."
- "We don't add Jesus to our agenda. We surrender our agenda to Jesus."
- "Lord, if what I want isn't what You want, then change what I want."

Reflection Question

Is there a plan, a decision, or a relationship you've already settled on and then asked God to bless? What would it look like to ask Him what He wants instead?

Tune in to hear Pastor Michael's spooky-season retelling of the night Ichabod was born, plus a very questionable Indiana Jones reference, and what a John Deere mower with a flamethrower has to do with ancient Israelite warfare.

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Young Samuel's Story: Know God for Yourself

Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church
Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:1-21
King and Deliverer Series, Part 3

Episode Summary

In part 3 of the "King and Deliverer" series, Pastor Michael tells the story of young Samuel, a boy who grew up at the Tabernacle, was trained in all the right religious routines, and still had never personally met God. Families can pass down traditions, recipes, and eye color, but a relationship with God can't be inherited. Through Samuel's midnight encounter, we discover what it means to stop, listen, and say, "Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening."

Key Points

- Samuel knew the house of God, but he didn't yet know the voice of God - religious activity is not the same as a relationship
- Eli couldn't hear God for Samuel, but he could teach Samuel how to listen - mature believers can guide, but they can't believe for someone else
- Knowing God begins with actively listening, which is hard in a world designed to prevent silence
- The number one way God speaks is through His written Word, and He will never contradict it
- Look to God's Word not just for confirmation, but for transformation

Main Takeaway

You need to know God for yourself. Parents, grandparents, and Church family can put a Bible in your hands, but they can't put faith in your heart. Some of us need to say, "Jesus, save me!" Others need to say, "Speak, Lord, I'm listening." Either way, it's time to say yes.

Memorable Quotes

- "God doesn't have grandchildren. Only children."
- "Samuel knew the house of God, but he didn't yet know the voice of God."
- "Knowledge about God is not the same as knowing God. And familiarity is not the same as faith."
- "There is no such thing as secondhand faith."
- "Don't just look to The Word of God for confirmation; look for TRANSFORMATION!"
- "If the only way God can get your attention is to knock you flat on your back, then don't be too surprised when it happens."

Reflection Question

When is the last time you turned off every distraction and honestly said, "Speak, Lord, I'm listening"? And if you've never personally asked Jesus to be your Savior, what is stopping you today?

Tune in to hear why Aunt Greta's dolls are definitely not haunted, the family game of shouting from the closet that never ends well, and Pastor Michael's honest story of what it took to get him to sit still and listen to God.

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Eli's Story: Radical Accountability

Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church
Scripture: 1 Samuel 2:11-36
King and Deliverer Series, Part 2

Episode Summary

In part 2 of the "King and Deliverer" series, Pastor Michael opens with a hilarious package delivery skit to illustrate humanity's oldest problem: accountability is always more important when it's somebody else on the hook. Through the story of Eli the High Priest and his corrupt sons, we discover that owning it isn't just taking the blame - it's taking responsibility and doing what it takes to make it right. We honor God by owning it.

Key Points

- Hophni and Phinehas were Israel's spiritual leaders, but they exploited people financially and sexually - and used their position to cover it up
- Spiritual authority increases accountability, it doesn't decrease it - leaders are held to a stricter standard
- Eli confronted his sons, but confronting is not the same as faithfully dealing with it - he kept benefitting from the corruption
- Radical ownership means not just saying "I did it" but asking "what am I doing to make it right?"
- Sinners saved by grace should be the first people in the world to own it - we don't have to protect the fiction of our perfection

Main Takeaway

Honor God by owning it. When we embrace the grace of God through Jesus, we no longer have to protect the fiction of our own perfection. We can be honest about what we need to own and make right - and we can gently hold the right people accountable in the right way, always with the goal of restoration rather than compliance.

Memorable Quotes

- "Honor God by owning it."
- "Accountability becomes much more important when it's somebody else on the hook."
- "Spiritual authority increases accountability. It doesn't decrease it."
- "Eli chose relational comfort over obedience to God."
- "When you are trusting Jesus to keep you from sinking, you are free to be honest about what you need to own."
- "Whatever God shows you is yours - honor Him by owning it."

Reflection Question

What is yours to own right now? Where have you been taking the blame without taking ownership - and what would it look like to actually make it right?

Tune in to hear the hilarious "Package Delivery" skit featuring one very creative delivery driver, alpaca snacks, and one damaged box - and discover what Eli's failure to act teaches us about the cost of choosing relational comfort over obedience to God.

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Hannah's Story: When You Can't See God

Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church
Scripture: 1 Samuel 1:6-28; 2:18-21
King and Deliverer Series, Part 1

Episode Summary

In part 1 of the new "King and Deliverer" series, Pastor Michael introduces one of the greatest women of the Bible - Hannah. Through her years of heartache, mockery, and unanswered prayer, we discover a truth that changes everything: feeling forgotten by God and being forgotten by God are not the same thing. When you can't see God, you can trust that God sees you.

Key Points

- Hannah endured years of pain, jealousy, and unanswered prayer - yet God never rebuked her tears or her grief
- Faith isn't smiling through pain; faith means taking your pain to God
- Hannah's peace came not from receiving her answer, but from making a decision to trust - before the answer came
- "The LORD remembered Hannah" means His constant care became visible at the right time - not that He had forgotten
- Samuel became one of the most pivotal figures in Israel's history, ushering in the age of the Kings

Main Takeaway

When you can't see God, trust that God sees you. He is never absent, never forgetful, and never far. Just because you can't see what He's doing doesn't mean He has stopped. Faith isn't knowing how your story ends. Faith is knowing Who you can trust with your story.

Memorable Quotes

- "When you can't see God, trust that God sees you."
- "Grief and faith aren't opposites. You don't have to walk in here and say, 'I'm fine.'"
- "People can be a gift from God, but they can't be God for us."
- "Feeling forgotten by God and being forgotten by God are not the same thing."
- "God always remembers you because you are always on His Mind."
- "Faith isn't knowing how your story ends. Faith is knowing Who you can trust with your story."

Reflection Question

Is there something you've been praying about so long that it feels like God has forgotten you? What would it look like to trust that He sees you - even before you can see the outcome?

Tune in to hear the story of little Cora Beth waking up alone in a hospital room, why husbands have been putting their foot in their mouth since 1100 BC, and how Hannah's long-awaited son changed the entire history of Israel.

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Every Empty Seat

Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church
Scripture: Acts 2:42-47
Bigger Than The Room Series, Part 4

Episode Summary

On ReCreate Church's first Sunday at Carroll County Middle School, Pastor Michael opens with an empty chair and a question: who could be sitting in it? Through Acts 2:42-47, we discover that the first believers didn't just celebrate a big day - they devoted themselves to doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. Every empty seat in a bigger room is an opportunity, but only if we make room for people in our hearts first.

Key Points

- The early Church continued steadfastly in four things: teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer - and God wants the same for us in our new season
- As the believers shared life together, the community took notice and the Lord added to their number daily
- A bigger room must never create a smaller sense of belonging - God gave us the space, we bring the welcome
- Every empty seat is also a question to ask yourself: where in your own life could you make room for Jesus?
- The people we most need to love and make room for are sometimes already under our own roof

Main Takeaway

Every empty seat is an opportunity. Not just to fill a chair, but to give someone a seat around God's table. Jesus made room for us by giving His life - how can we not pull out a chair for someone else? Think of the person whose face comes to mind, pray for them, love them, and invite them.

Memorable Quotes

- "Every empty seat is an opportunity from God."
- "Chairs don't matter. People matter. The goal isn't a full room. The goal is that people meet Jesus."
- "We don't just want a bigger Church. We want a DEEPER Church."
- "God gave us the space; we bring the welcome."
- "We have empty seats. God has made room for people in the space. We must make room for people in our hearts."
- "Jesus made room for all of us by giving His life. How can we not pull out a chair for someone else?"

Reflection Question

If you could put anyone in the empty seat nearest you, who would it be? That chair has their name on it. Pray for them, love them, serve them - and when the time is right, invite them.

Tune in to hear the very first message from ReCreate Church's new home at Carroll County Middle School, why an unsupervised three-year-old with a Pop-Tart turns any chair into a crime scene, and what to do with the empty seat that might be inside your own heart.

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Memorial Stones

Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church
Scripture: Joshua 4:1-9
Bigger Than The Room Series, Part 3

Episode Summary

In the final message from The Lord's Corner, Pastor Michael leads ReCreate Church through its last Sunday in the building it has called home for seven years. Through the story of Israel's crossing of the Jordan River and the memorial stones they carried to the other side, we discover that remembering God's faithfulness behind us is the key to trusting His faithfulness ahead of us.

Key Points

- Just as Israel stood at the Jordan River between wilderness and promise, ReCreate stands at its own Jordan moment
- God told His people to stop and build a memorial before moving forward, so future generations would ask "what are these stones about?"
- The memorial stones pointed to the story of everything God had done - they were not magical, but meaningful
- ReCreate's seven years at The Lord's Corner are filled with memorial stones: souls saved, kids discipled, lives healed, a congregation becoming a family
- This room didn't make ReCreate a Church. ReCreate made this room feel like a holy place.

Main Takeaway

Remembering God's faithfulness behind us helps us trust His faithfulness ahead of us. The same God who carried us through this season is going forward with us into the next. Wherever we go, we must ask: "Lord, what are You going to do here?"

Memorable Quotes

- "Remembering God's faithfulness behind us helps us trust His faithfulness ahead of us."
- "Crossing the Jordan doesn't mean transitioning to an easy life. It means a new season and a new reason to trust."
- "This room didn't make ReCreate a Church. ReCreate made this room feel like a holy place."
- "Everywhere we go, we must ask, 'Lord, what are You going to do here?'"
- "If You have been so good to us here, give us faith that Your Grace will be with us as we go forward."
- "We can't lose that feeling of home and family."

Reflection Question

What memorial stones are you carrying from this season of your life? And what do those stones tell you about how much God can be trusted with what comes next?

Tune in to hear the final service at The Lord's Corner - including Pastor Michael's reflections on seven years of sacred moments in a building that started as a restaurant, became a rental shop, and ended as a holy place.

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Make Room

Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church
Scripture: Acts 2:14-41
Bigger Than The Room Series, Part 2

Episode Summary

In part 2 of the "Bigger Than The Room" series, Pastor Michael picks up where Peter stood up in front of thousands in Jerusalem and explained what the miracle of Pentecost was really about. The answer wasn't wind, fire, or supernatural languages - it was Jesus. As ReCreate Church steps into a new season with more space, the message is clear: we make room so more people can meet Jesus.

Key Points

- Peter's sermon at Pentecost pointed directly to Jesus - His life, death, resurrection, and reign - as the fulfillment of centuries of prophecy
- The Holy Spirit's empowerment at Pentecost wasn't for a special few - it was for sons and daughters, young and old, servants and free
- ReCreate Church refuses to be a "Country Club Church" focused on insider comfort - the mission is to make room for people who haven't met Jesus yet
- Biblical repentance means a changed mind and a changed direction, turning away from self and toward Jesus
- The movement grew from 120 to 3000 in one day - not a statistic, but 3000 people with families, wounds, and needs who now have Christ

Main Takeaway

We make room so more people can meet Jesus. God is giving us a bigger space, but the real work is making room in our hearts. Somebody has to show up early, set up chairs, and greet nervous first-timers. Souls are worth it.

Memorable Quotes

- "We make room so more people can meet Jesus."
- "Jesus Lived. Jesus Died. Jesus Rose. Jesus Reigns. And greatest of all - Jesus Saves!"
- "God is making room for people in our meeting space; we must make room for people in our hearts."
- "Our purpose is never to fill seats. It's to help people connect with Jesus."
- "No matter your story, you are WELCOME, you are WANTED, and you are LOVED."
- "Souls are worth it."

Reflection Question

Is there someone in your life who is far from Jesus - someone with a messy story or a broken past - that you could make room for in your heart this week?

Tune in to hear Pastor Michael make a case that the best preparation for the end of the world is calling on Jesus, why country club membership has nothing to do with Church, and how 120 people changed history because they refused to stay in the room.

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Made Better By The Bible

Speaker: Duncan Crook, Elder at ReCreate Church
Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 119:11-12; Psalm 1:2

Episode Summary

Filling in for Pastor Shockley on he and Katie's 25th anniversary trip, Elder Duncan Crook delivers a practical and convicting message about the discipline of reading God's Word. Using the analogy of airplane mode, multivitamins, and a well-steeped cup of tea, Duncan answers two essential questions: Why should I intake God's Word on a regular basis? And how do I actually do it?

Key Points

- Scripture is God's personal, profitable, and perfecting instruction - it's how God reveals Himself to us
- Reading the Bible regularly is less like a cortisone shot and more like a multivitamin - the benefits build slowly and invisibly until a crisis reveals how strong you've become
- Intaking Scripture should be done patiently, substantively, thoughtfully, and in community
- Biblical meditation means letting truth steep in your mind like tea - not emptying your mind, but filling it with God
- You cannot grow in Jesus effectively alone - the New Testament was written to communities, not just individuals

Main Takeaway

Discipline builds habits, habits create lifestyles, and lifestyles change your life. The Bible is not God's personal love letter to you - it is God's full revelation of Himself to His people. The sooner we stop making it about us and start encountering who He is, the deeper our relationship with Jesus becomes.

Memorable Quotes

- "Either sin will keep you from the Bible, or the Bible will keep you from sin." (D.L. Moody)
- "Discipline is kind of like the friend you always hate to see coming, but after they leave, you're glad they came."
- "The status of God's word is not dependent on how you feel. Its power is the same no matter how you feel."
- "Scripture's not about the destination. It's about the journey. It's about walking with God."
- "Scripture before screens. Don't go to Facebook before you go to God's Word in the morning and then wonder why you're tied up in knots."
- "You will encounter the living God through its pages."

Reflection Question

What would it look like to build a daily habit of Scripture intake - even imperfectly - starting this week? What is getting in the way, and is that thing worth more to you than knowing God better?

Tune in to hear Duncan's honest confession about being a Type A control enthusiast, why airplane mode is a spiritual metaphor, and the difference between dipping a tea bag for two seconds versus letting it steep.

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Bigger than the Room

Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church
Scripture: Acts 1:12-15; 2:1-13
Bigger Than The Room Series, Part 1

Episode Summary

In part 1 of the new "Bigger Than The Room" series, Pastor Michael shares the story of ReCreate Church stepping into a new season - moving to a larger meeting space at the local middle school. Through the opening chapters of Acts, we discover that 120 people in a room in Jerusalem changed the world. Not because of the room, but because they refused to stay in it. God is doing something bigger than this room - and always has been.

Key Points

- The 120 disciples gathered in one room with one accord - united in purpose, prayer, and passion for Jesus
- The Holy Spirit came to empower them for witness, not just for a personal experience in the room
- When the Spirit moved, the room couldn't hold them - the message spilled out into the streets
- God was doing something bigger than their expectations - not restoring an earthly kingdom, but building an eternal one
- The size of the room matters less than the faith of the people in it

Main Takeaway

God is doing something bigger than this room. The Church was never meant to be a building - it is a community of life and love that cannot truly be contained. There are thousands of people in our community who need to hear that Jesus loves them and laid down His life for them. God is giving us a bigger room. Let's go reach the people who aren't in it yet.

Memorable Quotes

- "God is doing something bigger than this room."
- "The gathering in the room was important - it's where they prayed, connected, and prepared for the mission. But the message inside the room didn't stay inside the room."
- "I was trying to use my experience to understand the truth, when what I needed was to use the truth to understand my experience."
- "Sometimes God can be doing something extraordinary right in front of us, and because it doesn't look like what we expect, we might not recognize it for what it is."
- "Their expectations had boundaries; God's did not."
- "The faith of the people in the room matters far more than the size of the room."

Reflection Question

Is there a "room" in your life - a painful season, a failed plan, or an unanswered prayer - where God might be doing something bigger than what you can currently see?

Tune in to hear Pastor Michael's vulnerable story of being let go from a job he prayed for, what a prayer journal revealed about the year that followed, and how an email in December changed everything.

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Learn more about ReCreate Church at www.recreatechurch.org
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