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.
108episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Episode 1314: Why Trying Harder Won't Get You There
Jul 300:06:02Tap to summarizeMost of us try to fix our lives the same way, by working harder, pushing more, and trying again. But what if the problem was never your effort? I've come to believe that real purpose was never something we could grind our way into. It shows up when we stop gripping the wheel and hand the keys of our lives over to God. That means letting Jesus not only forgive us, but fill us with His Spirit and lead us into the purpose we were made for. You don't become who you were created to be by trying harder. You become it by finally letting go. So what are you still holding onto?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 1313: If You Only Get One Thing Right in Life, Make It This
Jul 200:05:34Tap to summarizeIf you could only get one thing right in your entire life, what would it be? Solomon spent years chasing wealth, pleasure, and accomplishment before he landed on his answer, and it fit into just three words: remember your Creator. Everything else he poured himself into eventually faded, but that one truth held. Today, we're talking about why this is the foundation the rest of life gets built on. Get this one thing right, and so much of the rest falls into place. So have you settled it yet?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 1312: Why the Things You Can See Will Never Be Enough
Jul 100:05:57Tap to summarizeI've watched people build impressive lives out of everything they can see and touch, and still feel hollow at the end of the day. Solomon knew that feeling. After chasing every pleasure and possession the world had to offer, he landed on one blunt conclusion: it's all meaningless. What he finally discovered is that real purpose is never found in the things right in front of us. We keep asking the visible to give us what only the unseen can. So where are you still expecting it to be enough?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 1311: What the Richest Man Alive Couldn't Buy
Jun 3000:05:20Tap to summarizeIf you could afford anything you wanted, would you finally feel content? Solomon could, and what he discovered surprised even him. He was a king with more wealth, power, and pleasure than anyone in history, and he still walked away restless. Today, we're looking at why finding a path in life and discovering your real purpose are two very different things. The one thing all his money could never buy turned out to be the thing he needed most. So what are you hoping your next paycheck or promotion will finally fix?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 1310: The Difference Between a Busy Life and a Meaningful One
Jun 2900:04:45Tap to summarizeHave you ever stopped in the middle of a packed week and wondered if any of it actually matters? I've been there, and so was Solomon, the wisest and richest man who ever lived. He denied himself nothing this world had to offer, yet he still came up empty. This week we're learning from his search what really separates a life that's simply busy from one that's truly meaningful. A full calendar isn't the same as a full life. So which one are you building?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 1309: The Reason Trying Harder Never Fixes Your Relationships
Jun 2600:06:43Tap to summarizeAll week, we've walked through four ways to love the people in our lives the way God loves us: understanding, acceptance, discipline, and love. But here's the honest truth I want to close with. None of it can be sustained on willpower alone. You've probably already tried that and found its limits. Jesus said in John 15, "Apart from me you can do nothing," and He meant it. This kind of love isn't something you power through by trying harder. It's fruit, and fruit comes from staying connected, not striving. So if you've read through these principles and thought, "I've been getting this wrong," that's not condemnation. It's an invitation.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 →Episode1308: Are You Loving People in Your Language or Theirs?
Jun 2500:06:31Tap 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
Jun 2400:06:09Tap 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
Jun 2300:05:47Tap 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
Jun 2200:07:02Tap 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.
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