Luke 5:15–16: Digital Commitments

The life Jesus offers does not happen by accident. Every day, our habits and routines are forming us into a particular kind of person. The question is not whether we are being formed, but by what. In a culture and economy designed to fragment our attention and keep us constantly connected to screens, following Jesus requires more than awareness and good intentions. It requires intentional practices that create space for communion with God, presence with others, and attentiveness to what matters most.

As a church, we are asking each of us to commit to two simple but meaningful practices that help us resist the pull of distraction and cultivate a deeper life with Jesus. Practices like “Jesus Before Screens” and “My Phone Sleeps Where I Don’t” are not about guilt, restriction, or proving our holiness. They are small, research-supported1–5 acts of discipleship that reorient our hearts toward God and remind us that our devices are meant to be our servants, not our masters. As we take these steps together, supported by a committed community, we trust that God will use these ordinary practices to form in us a greater freedom, presence, and love for Him and for others.

Series Page

Mark 11:15–19: Clearing the Way for Communion With God

God created us for communion with Himself. Like the temple in Jerusalem, our lives were meant to be places where we meet with God. Yet over time, other things can quietly occupy that sacred space. In Jesus’ day, economic interests, cultural assumptions, and long-accepted religious practices had slowly crowded the temple until the place intended for prayer had become something else entirely. People had grown so accustomed to the obstruction that they no longer recognized what had been lost.

Jesus’ response was anything but indifferent. Filled with holy zeal, He overturned the tables and drove out everything that hindered people from encountering His Father, declaring, “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” His passion reveals both the value of communion with God and His willingness to confront whatever stands in its way. As we become aware of the ways our digital lives have shaped us, Jesus extends that same invitation to us—not to reject technology itself, but to courageously remove whatever crowds out His presence. The goal of every sacrifice, boundary, and countercultural choice is not simply less distraction, but more of God. As we clear away what has taken up residence in our hearts and habits, we create space to become people who more deeply enjoy His presence and help others do the same.

Series Page

Matthew 7:13–15: Being With Jesus in a Digital & Distracted Age

We live in a world that is increasingly defined by distraction. The devices we carry, the media we consume, and the rhythms we inhabit continually compete for our attention, shaping our desires and influencing who we become. Without intending to, many of us find ourselves swept along by a culture of constant connectivity, hurriedness, and digital saturation. Rather than leading to a life of peace and wholeness, this cultural current often leads to increasing anxiety and dividedness. Jesus describes such a path as the broad and easy way—a way that feels natural and effortless, yet ultimately leads away from the life we were created to enjoy and ultimately toward unraveling.

Yet Jesus does not merely warn us about the broad way; He invites us into something better. Through the narrow gate and along the hard way, He offers a life of genuine freedom, wholeness, and communion with God. Following Jesus in a digital and distracted age will require intentionality, courage, and a willingness to resist powerful cultural currents. It will cost us something. But what we gain is far greater: a life rooted in God’s presence and shaped by His love. This series is an invitation to walk that path together.

Series Page

Psalm 16

 

Christ in the Psalms is a yearly reflection on how the people of God pray, engage emotion, and offer all elements of life to the God who dwells with His people. As we learn and reflect, we wondrously find unmistakable glimpses of Christ throughout the process.

This summer will take us from Psalm 11 through Psalm 20.

Psalm 13

 

Christ in the Psalms is a yearly reflection on how the people of God pray, engage emotion, and offer all elements of life to the God who dwells with His people. As we learn and reflect, we wondrously find unmistakable glimpses of Christ throughout the process.

This summer will take us from Psalm 11 through Psalm 20.

James 3:13–18: Wisdom From Below & Wisdom From Above

We live in a cultural moment where people are longing for wisdom, yet increasingly uncertain where to find it. James’ letter speaks to this longing—not with vague spiritual sentiment, but with direct, practical wisdom for forming resilient lives of faith grounded in Jesus, the embodiment of God’s wisdom.

James 3:1–12: The Power of the Tongue

We live in a cultural moment where people are longing for wisdom, yet increasingly uncertain where to find it. James’ letter speaks to this longing—not with vague spiritual sentiment, but with direct, practical wisdom for forming resilient lives of faith grounded in Jesus, the embodiment of God’s wisdom.

James 2:14–26: Faith & Works Excursus—James & Paul

We live in a cultural moment where people are longing for wisdom, yet increasingly uncertain where to find it. James’ letter speaks to this longing—not with vague spiritual sentiment, but with direct, practical wisdom for forming resilient lives of faith grounded in Jesus, the embodiment of God’s wisdom.

James 2:1–13: Favoritism & Love

We live in a cultural moment where people are longing for wisdom, yet increasingly uncertain where to find it. James’ letter speaks to this longing&mdashnot with vague spiritual sentiment, but with direct, practical wisdom for forming resilient lives of faith grounded in Jesus, the embodiment of God’s wisdom.

Eastertide Reflections & James 1, Part II

In this second episode of our relaunched podcast, we visit realism and hope, childlike faith and adult realities, hearing and speaking, and even the Easter Bunny. Join us as Bailey T. Hurley interviews Gary McQuinn on Eastertide and the second half of James chapter one.

Welcome to the Park Church Podcast, where Sunday’s teaching doesn’t stop at the church doors. We’re here to take the big ideas of faith and walk them right into the heart of everyday discipleship. Each episode digs deeper into Scripture with clarity, engages the world we actually live in, and offers practical wisdom for following Jesus in real life: work and family, relationships and anxiety, suffering; the questions you’re already wrestling with. Think of it as the place where our sermon series keeps the conversation going, where our pastoral team engages the questions you are already asking, and where formation grows legs for the week ahead. This is the Park Church podcast, helping you walk in the way of Jesus every day.

Where to Listen

SpotifyAppleYouTube