Pastor Ross Stackhouse, the founding pastor of HeavenEarth Church in Whiteland, Indiana, elucidates the intricate interplay between faith, community, and personal well-being in this inaugural episode of our special series, "Did You Know." He poignantly emphasizes that the essence of our church is to embrace individuals who may not conform to conventional expectations, inviting them to share their unique narratives. In this discourse, we reflect upon the transformative power of gratitude and the significance of recognizing God's presence in the lives of those around us. Moreover, Pastor Stackhouse articulates the notion that authentic community necessitates commitment and perseverance, as it is through shared challenges that genuine growth occurs. Ultimately, this episode serves as an invitation for listeners to embark on a journey of faith, resilience, and collective flourishing within the supportive embrace of our church community.

The HeavenEarth Church Podcast Exists to Amplify The Conversation Happening at HeavenEarth Church.

This conversation centers around the vision to be a church that make a lasting impact in our community by building relationships with all kinds of folks, helping people know and live like Jesus together. 

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Takeaways:

• Pastor Ross Stackhouse articulates the significance of recognizing the divine presence in our everyday lives through gratitude and reflection.
• He emphasizes the importance of cultivating a community that encourages personal growth and healing amidst life's challenges and traumas.
• The discourse highlights the necessity of commitment and accountability in fostering effective relationships within the church community.
• Pastor Stackhouse asserts that true faith often requires sacrifice and a willingness to embrace discomfort for the sake of spiritual growth.
• He encourages listeners to engage actively in their faith journey, reminding them that their stories are still unfolding with God's guidance.
• The conversation invites individuals to reflect on their experiences and consider how they can contribute to the collective narrative of the church.

Links referenced in this episode:

• heavenarthchurch.org

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Heaven Earth Church

What would it look like to start.

A community that was really, it's for.

The people like Jesus would be for.

Welcome to Heaven Earth Church.

I'm Ross Stackhouse, the founding pastor of Heaven Earth Church.

From the start, our heart has been to be a church for people who don't fit neatly into church.

We want to meet people where they are and know their stories.

Because in every story, there is God's story.

And this podcast, podcast is just about that.

It's about inviting you into the stories of the people of Heaven Earth Church.

So let's turn to the story.

This past Sunday, I was honestly just.

Worn out.

Just in a good way, in some good ways.

I, you know.

Worked the week in my pastoral, you know, job.

I had a wedding rehearsal and dinner on Friday night, and then I officiate, officiated a wedding on Saturday and then we had our Sunday gathering.

And so I was worn out.

And sometimes when I get worn out, it's.

I don't know about you, but it's easier for things like discouragement and insecurity to, to creep in.

But I felt the nudge from God to go to my basement at home for a while and just do what I invite people to do here.

And that was just to have some moments of stillness and silence.

And so I did that.

I lit a candle, I went down there and.

Like I said, I don't know about you.

Like, sometimes when I'm worn out, I'm low on energy.

I've poured a lot out of my cup that it's easier to focus on, say, the one situation that maybe is.

Making you feel uncertain.

But as I sat there, I felt God nudging me even further to Ross, I want you to think of 10 things right now where you see me at work in people and give thanks for them.

And I started to do that.

And I.

And it, it was, it was amazing how in a period of about 60 seconds, my whole, like, outlook changed.

Because I thought about the Advent reading that we had Sunday.

A person who came up and was reading about the story of Mary.

And I thought about, like, Mary's despair and her low status and like, this person's reading about how nobody, like, saw deeply into Mary's heart, her sorrow, but also all these good virtues, but God saw it.

And like.

Even my wife said, angela said, you know, I can't see anything from Sunday except that because it's so profound.

I thought about somebody who that same day, I could tell, like, gave a little bit from their wallet that they had.

And I looked at that person and said, God, seize your heart, man.

And it's a good one.

And just like, situation to situation, I just went through all these situations and I just, I could keep going.

Of how, like, I see that there's something beautiful and profound.

And fruitful growing here that is really a privilege to witness.

And Emily said long ago, Emily, our executive pastor, said before she even worked here, she said the soil is really good here.

And.

I'm really grateful that she said that.

And also, to be honest, like, we work really hard on that.

We work extremely hard to cultivate good soil here where people can come here and put down roots.

And grow, grow through the hard stuff, like sorrow, trauma, bitterness, resentment, loss, doubt, cynicism.

If you're actually going to grow through that stuff, grow deep and bear fruit, it's going to take time, it's going to be hard.

And it's going to be frustrating.

But I get to see it.

And I.

And I saw it again this past Sunday.

And so if you're listening to this, I hope you know how grateful I am to get to watch what God is doing in you and through you.

I get to watch, like, the soil we're cultivating together, the fruit that we're growing together.

I am no different than you.

I have my days just like this past Sunday, where like Stephen Covey says, the way we see the problem is the problem.

And so I wasn't seeing things right, but gratitude right sized me.

It drew the rich things out of my heart.

And most of those rich things are things I've seen about you and what God is doing in you.

And so basically here, right before 15 days before Christmas and five days before my birthday, that's the first thing that I just want to pause together and think about.

Is something special is happening here.

It isn't the center of the universe.

We're not the main characters in the story, but boy, we are a critically important part of the story.

And so, like, the story's already been really good, really good.

But.

But what might be next?

What might be next for.

For you?

What might be next for us?

We just read this scripture from, from Sunday, where Mary, just the mother of Jesus, cannot believe based on the way that she has lived in life the way she is a nobody.

We talked about how other people's lineages get named in the story.

There's none for her.

She is a nobody of nobodies from a despised town.

She's of the lowest of low status.

And God says, rejoice, favored one.

And she just can't Believe it.

And the angel's response is like, hey, anything is possible with God.

So.

Like, what's next?

And like, do we really believe that anything is possible?

I've shared with you that I'm a skeptic.

I am.

And God has grace upon me.

I don't think that's going to change anytime soon.

I'm a skeptic at heart.

If I were one of the apostles, if I had the privilege to be so, I would certainly be doubting Thomas.

And God has been gracious to me.

But even I'm asking myself, like, man, do you believe that?

Do you believe that, like, there are mighty things that the mighty One will do in our midst, yet.

I do believe it because I've already seen it.

I just saw it Sunday.

And God is one thing God is graciously doing for me, friends, is like, I'm seeing more clearly.

Things that I probably wouldn't have seen five years ago, because God's teaching me to notice the small things, the lowly things, the lowly things that are becoming those grand and mighty things.

And so I just invite you into the next part of the journey with us.

Honestly, I invite you to the next part of the journey with you.

Because whatever mighty thing might be next for you.

You'Re going to have to fully show up for it.

You're going to have to have both feet in the door, not one foot in and one foot out, or to go to Jesus own words.

He says, I am the vine and you are the branches.

Those who abide in me, the Father prunes, so that they bear more fruit.

I got taught long ago and I have to relearn it sometimes.

I can't have one foot in and one foot out of the vine.

Doesn't work that way.

I just shared the quote with somebody that John Ortberg says, and John Mark Comer quotes it in his book.

I'm paraphrasing.

But basically the greatest danger for most of us is not that we'll renounce our faith, it's that we'll accept a mediocre version of it and so we'll skim the surface of life rather than living it.

So, like, I think God has mighty things in store for you, mighty mightier than you've ever dreamed of.

I might be a skeptic, but I still believe it because I see it that God is in the business of miracles.

I can't explain why some team seem to show up more clearly in one case, and they don't over here, but they are happening nonetheless.

As my Friend John Luby says, don't quit before the miracle.

There are mighty things ahead for us.

But perhaps the last thing that I want to say is that one thing that is consistent across Jesus's message to people in his inner circle and into crowds is that this thing has a cost.

It's going to cost us something.

He talks about, like, you know, builders estimate the cost before they.

They go into their labor.

You know, there's that classic verse where person says, hey, Jesus, I want to come follow you.

And he says, hey, great.

Birds have nests, foxes have dens, but the Son of man doesn't have place to lay his head.

You want to come.

To the rich young man who says, like, I keep all the commands, Jesus.

Like, what do I need to do to experience this eternal kind of life?

Jesus is like, great man, sell everything you have, Give it to the poor and follow me.

Cost is a theme from wire to wire in this, and Jesus makes it clear it's the worthiest cost you'll ever pay.

He says, there's a.

The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.

Upon finding one of great value, he sold everything.

He got rid of everything so he could buy that one.

Or it's like a treasure hidden in a field.

Like a guy dug it up, he found the treasure, he sold everything he could and bought the field.

It is worth it.

And again, I witness that in you.

When I see what.

When I'm not so stupid to realize, like, what is actually happening in our midst, I see how great of a value it is to be.

To be open to the.

In breaking of the kingdom of the heavens in our midst.

It's actually happening.

But it has a cost.

Community has a cost.

My wife Angela saw a quote.

I don't know who it.

Who it was.

I'm sorry for not giving the right attribution, but she read the quote that says, the cost of community is inconvenience.

We're trying to have, like, deep, real hard, healing community here.

And so that means that all of us will have to show up with a growth mindset rather than a fixed one.

Like, we.

We kind of have to show up ready to heal, but also ready to work.

And so, like, we hope this is a safe space where, like, you can rest and heal.

You can experience the presence of the One who said, like, come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens.

Like, take my yoke upon me on you and learn from me, for my yoke is easy, my burden is light.

Like, I hope we hope you experience that here.

A lot of people are carrying so many heavy burdens from trauma, from church hurt, church trauma.

We want to help you heal from that and meet Jesus on his own terms.

But, man, if we're going to be an actual community together, we're going to have to, like, sign up for doing hard things to actually have community.

So many of us has experienced church that didn't have community in it.

So maybe you grew up in that.

Like, you experienced that traditional.

Church background.

You walked in, everybody wore suits, and, you know, you sang the hymns and you did the Lord's Prayer and you did the call and response and you showed up and you did church, but you didn't experience community.

Or maybe you came from the background, like, more the megachurch side, where it was like, big and loud and produced and there were big feelings and there was a big high when you.

When you got to sort of the apex of the service.

But there too, you didn't have community.

I'm not saying that we are unique.

I'm not saying, again, we're not the center of the universe.

We're not the main characters in the story, but we are trying to have community here.

Guy by the name of Alan Hirsch talks about communitas.

It's like when you, like, devote yourself to this shared mission and it costs you something that you pay together.

And so, like, if we want that here, that means, like, when.

When our feelings get hurt, we have the grit and the courage to go talk to the person one on one, who maybe did that.

And we're.

We're willing to seek reconciliation.

We don't just, like, come here hoping that our individual preferences get met, but together we're trying to create a community where together we.

We experience healing, we experience restoration, and we grow up together into the fullness of Christ's love.

That takes work.

Again, it's a growth mindset, like believing and taking seriously.

Like, I haven't arrived yet.

There are things that, like, I have to learn yet, and I can't do it on my own.

I need people around me to do that.

They need me.

I need them.

I need accountability.

I need commitment.

We need to pay attention to our fruit together.

These are all the things that community costs.

It's inconvenient.

Who wants to do conflict?

Basically nobody.

But what helps us grow better.

Than healthy, constructive conflict and conversation?

Community, where we actually know each other.

We've been through some battles together, we experience pruning together, but we also get to taste the sweetest fruit that exists from the kingdom of the heavens, that fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control.

Nothing has changed since the day Jesus started talking in his ministry.

He is speaking to us and inviting us to the richest and highest thing of the kingdom of the heavens.

And so I just want to thank you that we're starting to unearth that together.

We want to go farther.

We want to go deeper.

Not just for us, not for some brand.

We have no interest in a brand.

We have no interest in a megachurch.

We want to be apprentices of the Lord of the Universe and we want to bring the kingdom of the heavens here to this earth.

For us, for our neighbors, for the whole world.

Thank you for being a part of it.

We want to thank you for spending.

Time with us today.

My name is Ross Stackhouse, the pastor to Heaven Earth Church.

And you may think out there that your story is over, but in fact, your faith story may just be beginning.

If you want more information about our church or you're interested in the next step, you can go to heavenarthchurch.org Otherwise, we look forward to being with you next time at the Heaven Earth Church podcast.