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 fail.

From there we turn to the work of a renewed mind. Too often we carry the gifts of the Spirit like an old VCR blinking 12:00—present but unused. We explore how to learn the controls, practice new habits, and “robe” ourselves with mercy, humility, patience, and forgiveness until they feel natural. We name love as the true mark of maturity and describe how unity in Christ dismantles hierarchies built on status, nationality, education, or wealth. The measure is simple and searching: how we treat the least among us.

The stories are the heart of this conversation. A grandmother thanking God for a car she’d just locked her keys inside reframes inconvenience into safety and faith for the children watching. A home that pulls doors off their hinges to make more tables becomes a living parable of abundance: when love is the host, there’s always room. We connect those moments to practical steps—setting aside resources to give, holding thankful thoughts long enough to change the brain, and building homes and churches that welcome without fear.

If this speaks to you, share it with a friend and help us spread a grateful, generous way of life. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us where you’re making more room at your table this week.

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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

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 pattern for our yes. From there, the hard commands of Jesus stop sounding impossible and start sounding like the only sane way to live: love your enemies, pray for those who mistreat you, give without keeping score, and refuse tit for tat. We share raw stories—the phone-drop flash of anger, the zipper-merge awakening, the parent on edge with a bored child—to show how the Golden Rule becomes real in the pressure of daily life. Mercy for all isn’t naivety; it’s spiritual maturity that protects dignity and refuses to weaponize strength against the vulnerable.

Forgiveness here is not permission for abuse. We name the difference between releasing a debt and remaining in danger, and we explore how trauma lingers until we hand it to God and choose freedom. Along the way, simple graces steady us: rest, a meal, and the reminder that we’re not alone. The communion table holds that promise—there is enough, your sins are forgiven, and you can live a different story. If you’re hungry for a faith that heals, a community that includes, and a practice that actually changes people, this conversation will help you re-tune your life to love’s frequency.

If this speaks to you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help others find the hope.

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

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 practices of humility, not proof of superiority; prayer becomes communion, not performance. From there, we press into the scandal of grace. The Pharisee’s devotion is real. The tax collector’s harm is real. And yet mercy meets both, not because they’ve balanced the ledger, but because love moves first. It’s the same shock in the story of the prodigal and the older brother—offensive generosity that pulls us into a party we didn’t plan.

Forgiveness, though, is not denial. We name harm clearly, leave unsafe spaces, and get help when trauma sticks. A simple practice—letting some memories pass like white lines on the road—teaches us to stop feeding what doesn’t need to define us. When deeper wounds surface, therapy and the Holy Spirit work well together. Throughout, we return to surrender: choosing release over resentment, mercy over contempt, presence over hurry. And we ground it in action—stopping for the small needs in front of us, practicing interruptible love, and training our hearts to be ready to forgive.

If this conversation stirred something in you, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review so others can find it. Your words help us spread mercy’s good news.

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

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 better operating system: life in the Spirit. Jesus didn’t leave a rulebook; he promised his Spirit. We talk about prayer that listens as much as it asks, how silence becomes a doorway to guidance, and why hope matters when change feels slow. The persistent widow reframes perseverance, not as nagging a reluctant God but as staying focused on the only One who can help. Justice, in Jesus’s vision, looks like mercy embodied and cruelty rejected—and it arrives with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

We also wrestle with the tension between zeal and doctrine. Tithing and study matter, but not at the expense of the weightier matters: justice, mercy, and faith. A vivid story shows how stubborn love can turn outrage into connection, revealing a revolution that doesn’t wait on better leaders or systems. It starts with us, at the table and in our neighborhoods, where communion trains us to be known by love. If God is love, then our faithfulness is measured by how we love our enemies, our neighbors, and ourselves.

Listen for practical ways to forgive quickly, pray with attention, and act justly without cruelty. Share this with someone who needs hope today, and if it speaks to you, subscribe, leave a review, and pass it on so others can find their way home to love.

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

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

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 finger. From there, the breath slows and the feet find the floor—the same earth that has carried prophets, saints, and Jesus—so your own life can settle into continuity with a larger story. Justice emerges as the steady work of setting things right, mercy shows up as strength expressed in gentleness, and humility becomes a shared walk with God rather than self-shrinkage. Each image is simple enough to hold and strong enough to carry into your next conversation, task, or act of care.

Across the meditation, we turn Micah’s words into prayer, letting them repeat until they re-pattern the heart: do justice, love mercy, walk humbly. You’ll return to the room with steadier breath and a quiet courage to live what you received—mercy shaping your words, justice flowing through your hands, humility pacing your steps. If this practice helped you reset your rhythm and reimagine spiritual life as union that overflows into action, share it with a friend who needs peace today, subscribe for future meditations, and leave a review to help others find this space.

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

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 lifts, the sky opens, and the mind’s waves settle toward glass. The language is simple on purpose: warm light loosens the shoulders, a slow exhale releases striving, and the soul remembers the child who rests in a mother’s arms. Along the way, we explore how receiving peace shifts physiology, how visualization can lower the wind across the lake of the mind, and why “being held” is not passivity but a wiser kind of responsiveness. The meditation folds scripture and sensory practice together so calm becomes more than an idea—it turns into an atmosphere you can feel.

By the end, gratitude rises, and a small flame of stillness is ready to travel with you. We name practical ways to carry it into real life—before a meeting, in a traffic jam, between messages—so serenity becomes portable and steady. If you’re longing for rest that lasts beyond the cushion, press play, breathe with us, and see how returning to presence can change the texture of your day. If this practice meets you, subscribe, share it with someone who needs a quiet moment, and leave a review to help others find their way to this gentle space.

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

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 own breath. From there, we welcome the Spirit’s guidance to awaken memory and imagination so we can look honestly at what unfolded. Gratitude anchors the practice as we ask where we received and gave love, then we retrace the day from the present backward, noticing scenes, conversations, and emotions with a tender, nonjudgmental eye. Joy points to alignment, emptiness reveals what needs care, and resistance becomes a clue for tomorrow’s courage.

As the review deepens, we linger where grace glows and hold our misses in mercy, trusting that transformation grows best in kindness. Ancient promises steady our hearts: a prepared table in the midst of pressure, anointing for the hours ahead, goodness and tender love in pursuit. We close in confidence, not because the future is simple, but because we are not alone. If this reflection brought you peace, share it with a friend, subscribe for more guided prayer, and leave a review to help others find rest and clarity today.

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

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 religious bondage into authentic relationship.

Along the way, we discover unexpected spiritual wisdom through quantum computing—how God has wired infinite possibilities for joy and transformation into the very fabric of our existence. Just as quantum computing considers all possibilities simultaneously rather than sequentially, our lives with Christ open us to profound possibilities in every moment.

The episode contrasts harmful religious practices (like "Bible fighting") with Jesus's radical approach to love and liberation. We share deeply personal stories about moving beyond legalism into grace—including a particularly moving account of a delivery person's transformation through unexpected kindness during a baptism celebration. These everyday encounters reveal how "Christ in you" manifests as healing, compassion, and liberation in practical ways.

Perhaps most importantly, we challenge the notion that Christianity is merely a "sin management program," inviting listeners into something far more revolutionary: becoming co-creators with God in bringing heaven to earth. From grocery store encounters to global injustice, we explore how small acts of kindness become sacred moments that transform both giver and receiver.

Ready to see yourself and others through God's eyes—as holy, flawless, and restored? Join us as we discover what happens when we stop trying to earn God's approval and start embracing our true purpose as carriers of divine light and love in a world desperate for both.

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

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 those who oppose us.

Jesus didn't just talk about loving enemies—he modeled it by bringing together disciples who would naturally be enemies, like a zealot and a tax collector. When he commands us to "let them bring out the best in you, not the worst," he's offering a revolutionary way to handle opposition. Instead of responding with hatred or indifference, we're called to "respond with the energies of prayer," connecting to love as our power source.

This sermon explores how everyday frustrations (like repeatedly dropping a tape measure) become opportunities to practice this love-centered approach. We can choose between anger at inconveniences or gratitude for the bigger picture. Similarly, we can focus on differences that divide us or the underlying unity that transcends them.

The teaching delves into how tenderness marks spiritual maturity, challenging cultural definitions of strength. Through the practice of communion—patiently waiting as others receive—we physically embody what it means to rejoice in others' blessings. This sacred meal reminds us we belong to God's family where there's enough love for everyone.

Ready to transform how you respond to opposition? Listen now and discover how loving your enemies might be the most powerful spiritual practice available to us today.

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

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 presence of God dwelling within us.

Through gentle rhythmic breathing paired with the prayer "Peace of Christ fill me, Peace of Christ flow through me," you'll experience how your body becomes a vessel for tranquility. But this practice extends beyond personal serenity. As the meditation deepens, you're invited to visualize this peace expanding outward—embracing family, neighbors, the forgotten, and places of conflict. The profound truth emerges: "In Christ, we are one body, one spirit, one life in God. Your peace is their peace. Their peace is your peace."

The saints and mystics have long understood that authentic peace transforms us from mere recipients into channels of divine presence. By the end of these ten minutes, you'll carry with you not just momentary calm but an enduring invitation to live as a peacemaker—anchored in God, witness to the Spirit, and a blessing for our troubled world. Join us in this sacred breathing space where every inhale becomes a prayer and every exhale becomes a seed of peace.

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