Podcast
Pursuing God with Gene Appel
Hosted by Gene Appel · EN
Gene Appel is the senior pastor of Eastside Christian Church, a multi-site church based in Anaheim, California. Since 2008, Gene has led Eastside into multiple seasons of rapid growth and as a result, Eastside has been consistently named among the 100 fastest growing churches in America. Gene’s recipe for success is simple: Pursue God, Build Community, and Unleash Compassion. Eastside’s explosive growth is rooted in a deep conviction that God’s heart and God’s grace is for everyone, resulting in a radically inclusive community of God-conscious “servant leaders” who serve both locally and globally. Join Gene Monday - Friday as he walks you through practical biblical teachings that will foster a deeper connection and awareness of God’s activity and presence in your life. No matter where you are at with your walk with God, this podcast is for everyone.
72episodes
Episodes
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Episode1308: Are You Loving People in Your Language or Theirs?
Yesterday00:06:31Tap to summarizeThere's a difference between loving someone and being loving toward them. The love can be real, but if it isn't expressed in a language the other person actually hears, they can still feel unseen. The trouble is we tend to show love the way we understand it, not the way they receive it. Psalm 145 says God is rich in love and loving toward all He has made, and we become more like Him when people can actually feel the love we have for them. So try one of three things today: physical affection, a warm presence that words can't replace. Positive affirmation, especially when someone has failed. Or focused attention, your full, undistracted presence. Don't wait for the right moment. Make the moment.Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.
Transcribe →Episode 1307: How To Have That Difficult Conversation You've Been Avoiding
2d ago00:06:09Tap to summarizeIn any relationship where you have real influence, love sometimes means saying the hard thing. But there's a difference between correcting someone and punishing them. Punishing is about the past, making someone pay for what they did. Correcting is about the future, helping them grow. Psalm 145 reminds me that God upholds those who fall and lifts up those who are bowed down, and that's the heart behind doing this well. So speak truth calmly, not in anger. Say it quickly, before resentment builds. And do it sparingly, trusting you don't have to fix every single thing. The question to sit with today: when you correct the people you love, are you focused on making them hurt, or helping them grow?Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.
Transcribe →Episode 1306: Why Acceptance Is the Thing Your Closest Relationships Need Most
3d ago00:05:47Tap to summarizeThe people closest to us often get the least unconditional acceptance from us. We hold our highest expectations for the ones we love most, and pull back when they fall short. But that's not how God treats me. Psalm 145 reminds me He's gracious and compassionate, meeting us where we are. Accepting someone doesn't mean approving of everything they do. You can speak hard truth while still making it clear they belong in your life. So ask yourself today: when the people closest to you make a real mistake, do they come to you, or do they hide it?Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.
Transcribe →Episode 1305: How to Encourage the People You Love to Become Who They're Meant to Be
4d ago00:07:02Tap to summarizeIf you ask people what they most want from the people closest to them, it usually comes down to one thing: to be understood. Not fixed, not corrected, not molded into someone else's image, just truly seen for who they are. This week we're drawing from Psalm 145, one of the richest portraits of God in all of Scripture, to explore what it means to love someone well. God knows exactly how each of us is formed, and He relates to us accordingly. When we take the time to understand the people we love, watching them, asking questions, listening without rushing to fix, we free them to grow in the direction they were actually designed to go. So here's the question worth sitting with today: who in your life needs to feel understood, and what would it take for you to really see them?Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.
Transcribe →Episode 1304: The Two Ways to Write Your Next Chapter
1w ago00:06:23Tap to summarizeTomorrow you're going to write a new chapter in your story, and the only real question is what kind of pen you'll be holding. All week in Exodus 14, we watched two million people stuck between the Red Sea and an army, caught in the cycle of fear, sarcasm, and worst-case thinking. But I've decided to throw in with Moses and plant my flag with the fear-not, stand-firm, expect-God's-help crowd. When I look back at everything God has already pulled off, parting waters and raising the dead throughout history, I can't find a single reason to believe He won't show up for me now. So what's the Red Sea in front of you, and which pen are you going to pick up?Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.
Transcribe →Episode 1303: The One Step Most People Are Too Afraid to Take
1w ago00:06:30Tap to summarizeWhen my back is against the wall and I'm out of options, what I really believe about God gets exposed. The Israelites found that out fast, pinned between the Red Sea and an army with nowhere to run. But notice what God told them in Exodus 14:15: quit crying out, quit circling the problem, and move. He didn't take them around the thing they feared. He took them through it. And that's usually where the miracle is, on the other side of the one step we keep refusing to take. So what's the thing you've been too afraid to step toward, and what would it look like to expect God's help and move today?Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.
Transcribe →Episode 1302: What Fear Wants You to Forget
1w ago00:06:42Tap to summarizeWhen fear takes over, it has a way of making me forget what's actually true. The Israelites felt it the moment they were trapped between the Red Sea and an army closing in, and I've felt it myself, lying awake at night wondering if I'd misread God on the biggest decision of my life. But in Exodus 14:13, Moses laid out a better plan: fear not, and stand firm. I can let go of my fear because I have a God who will never let go of me. So, where have you been circling in fear, and what would it look like to stand firm today?Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.
Transcribe →Episode 1301: Fear, Sarcasm, and the Stories We Tell Ourselves
1w ago00:06:34Tap to summarizeBe honest: do you make better or worse decisions when you're afraid? Yesterday, we named three things that show up when our backs are against the wall: fear, sarcasm, and worst-case thinking. Today, we slow down and look at how they feed each other into a cycle that never takes us anywhere. Jesus put it plainly in Matthew 6:27, asking who of us can add a single hour to our life by worrying. So what would it look like to name the pattern the moment it starts?Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.
Transcribe →Episode 1300: When Your Back Is Against the Wall
2w ago00:06:50Tap to summarizeWhat are we gonna do now? That's the question a lot of us are asking as financial pressure and uncertainty keep piling up. This week we're looking at the Israelites trapped at the edge of the Red Sea in Exodus 14, a moment where fear, sarcasm, and worst-case thinking took over. Here's what I keep coming back to: fear and faith are both about what we can't yet see. So when the pressure hits, which one will we let lead?Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.
Transcribe →Episode 1299: The Most Tangible Way to Love the People Around You
2w ago00:06:36Tap to summarizeLoving others compassionately is the natural overflow of loving God completely and seeing yourself clearly. And one of the most tangible expressions of that love is what you do with your money. Spending wisely, saving consistently, and giving generously aren't just financial habits. They're a living sermon about what you actually believe. When the people watching your life see all three working together, they learn something no class can teach. What financial habit do you want to build, not just for your own sake, but for theirs?Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.
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