What if play were a spiritual responsibility? In this week's message from the Summer Slowdown series, Josh Jewell-Horton makes the case that play is not a luxury for Christians but an act of deliberate rebellion against the empires of this world, and a bold anticipation of God's coming kingdom.

ncc.church

CHAPTERS

[00:00] - Welcome & Series Intro

[00:37] - Recap: Stop & Rest

[02:44] - Introducing Play

[04:29] - The Research on Play

[06:55] - Matthew 18: Who Is Greatest?

[09:34] - Two Marks of Childlikeness

[11:19] - Jesus as the Childlike One

[12:39] - Aslan's Resurrection Romp

[14:32] - Empire vs. Christ's Kingdom

[16:28] - Play as Participation in Creation

[18:14] - Play as Anticipatory Kingdom Living

[19:56] - Zechariah's Vision

[22:44] - Play Must Be Restorative

[25:04] - Morning Has Broken & Closing

REFERENCES

[03:36] - The God Who Plays — Brian Edgar[04:29] - Friedrich Schiller's Play Drive Theory — Wikipedia[05:00] - National Institute for Play[06:55] - Matthew 18:1–6 (NIV) — BibleGateway[09:34] - Unfettered — Mandy Smith[12:39] - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe — C.S. Lewis[16:28] - New Seeds of Contemplation — Thomas Merton[19:56] - Zechariah 8:4–8 (NIV) — BibleGateway[21:41] - Frederick Buechner on Playing and Religion — frederickbuechner.com[25:04] - Morning Has Broken — Eleanor Farjeon (Wikipedia)

Today, Dave Peterson explores the kind of inner rest that Jesus himself modeled: a spiritual sanctuary built within us through a living relationship with God, not by our own effort or willpower.

CHAPTERS

[00:00] - Welcome & Opening

[01:04] - Father's Day Reflection

[04:49] - California's Exhaustion Crisis

[08:17] - What Is Spiritual Rest?

[09:51] - Jesus in the Eye of the Storm

[12:13] - The Gift of Sabbath Rest

[14:22] - Christianity's Unique Anchor

[18:15] - Fear: The Enemy of Rest

[21:33] - Taking Every Thought Captive

[22:16] - Lord of the Rings Illustration

[24:52] - Suffering Builds the Sanctuary

[25:58] - A Friend's Fearless Journey

[29:43] - Closing Reflection

REFERENCES

[05:14] - National Exhaustion Index — Most Exhausted U.S. States (Juice Plus+)[05:53] - Most & Least Stressed States in 2026 — WalletHub[13:09] - Hebrews 4:9-11 — "There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God" (BibleGateway)[17:49] - Psalm 91 — "Under the shadow of your wings" (BibleGateway)[20:07] - 1 John 4:16-18 — "Perfect love drives out fear" (BibleGateway)[21:03] - 2 Timothy 1:7 — "God has not given us a spirit of fear" (BibleGateway)[21:33] - 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 — "We take captive every thought" (BibleGateway)[22:16] - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring — "You Shall Not Pass" scene (YouTube)[29:26] - Julian of Norwich — "All shall be well" from Revelations of Divine Love (Wikipedia)

In this opening message of NCC's Summer Slowdown series, Rachel takes us from David Foster Wallace's iconic "This Is Water" speech to the liberation story of Exodus, making the case that rest is an act of resistance and identity.

CHAPTERS

[00:00] - Welcome & Summer Intro

[02:08] - David Foster Wallace: "This Is Water"

[03:26] - Hurry Is The Water We Swim In

[06:09] - Introducing: Summer Slowdown Series

[07:19] - Sabbath Means "To Stop"

[08:15] - God Rested: Genesis 2

[09:24] - The French Revolution's Experiment

[12:39] - Brueggemann: God Isn't Anxious

[14:05] - The Fourth Commandment

[15:19] - Sabbath Tied to Slavery

[16:38] - The Brickmakers of Egypt

[18:30] - Sabbath as Truth-Telling

[20:25] - We Are More Than Brick Makers

[22:07] - A Personal Sabbath Story

[23:50] - Sabbath as Freedom

[25:23] - Unforced Rhythms of Grace

[26:30] - What Does Stopping Look Like?

[28:48] - Closing Prayer

REFERENCES

[02:08] - David Foster Wallace — "This Is Water," 2005 Kenyon College Commencement Address[12:39] - Walter Brueggemann — Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now[16:38] - The BEMA Podcast — Marty Solomon & Brent Billings[25:23] - The Message — Bible translation by Eugene Peterson[25:23] - John Mark Comer — The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

This week, all four NCC pastors sat together on stage for an unscripted conversation about what it's been like to spend five months inside the Gospels. From the Transfiguration to Zacchaeus to the bleeding woman, each pastor shared the story that has personally moved them. They also wrestle with what makes Jesus so compelling, and why his parables still feel electric thousands of years after they were first told out loud.

CHAPTERS

[00:00] - Welcome & Improv Format

[01:26] - Gospels Series Recap

[02:50] - Josh: The Transfiguration

[06:05] - Dave: Zacchaeus

[09:07] - Pat: The Good Samaritan

[12:15] - Rachel: The Bleeding Woman

[16:36] - What Compels You About Jesus?

[20:19] - Josh: "Slippery" Jesus

[21:53] - Rachel: God Who Sees

[24:30] - Dave: Jesus Brings Belonging

[25:59] - Six-Month Series Takeaways

[27:39] - Pat's Takeaway

[28:44] - Dave's Closing Prayer

In this final message of the Sent Out series, Josh walks through Paul's dramatic journey from Jerusalem to Malta, showing how the full arc of Paul's story maps onto the community engagement pathway NCC has been walking this spring: listen, discern, envision, collaborate, and celebrate. On a special Student Sunday, testimonies from NCC's high schoolers make the case that celebration is more than a break from the work, it's the spiritual practice of noticing what God has actually been doing all along.

CHAPTERS

[00:00] - Welcome & Student Sunday

[03:35] - Blessing for the Graduate

[04:56] - Scripture: Paul on Malta

[06:17] - Why Celebration Feels Hard

[09:35] - God Commands Us to Celebrate

[10:32] - Sukkot & Biblical Celebration

[12:35] - Celebration Is About Story

[13:51] - Step 1: Listen (Acts 21)

[17:20] - Step 2: Discern

[18:40] - The Storm at Sea (Acts 27)

[20:45] - Step 3: Envision

[22:13] - Envisioning in Student Ministry

[23:07] - Step 4: Collaborate on Malta

[26:31] - Step 5: Celebrate

[27:42] - Student Testimonies

[32:12] - Closing & Communion

REFERENCES

[03:35] - Kate Bowler — "A Blessing for the Graduate" (https://katebowler.com/blessings/a-blessing-for-the-graduate/)

[12:35] - Fred Rogers — "Appreciation is a holy thing" (Commencement Address, Middlebury College, 2001) (https://relevantmagazine.com/culture/10-mr-rogers-quotes-you-need-read/)

[22:42] - Young Life — Christian youth organization; Joanna Bartel referenced as regional director (https://www.younglife.org/)

[27:01] - Annie Dillard — "Make connections; let rip; and dance where you can" from Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/215657-make-connections-let-rip-and-dance-where-you-can)

On this Pentecost Sunday, Dave explores how resurrection opens both our minds and our hearts, freeing us from fear and self-sufficiency, and releasing us into a new kind of community engagement.

CHAPTERS

[00:00] - Welcome & Siobhan Introduction

[01:18] - Scripture Reading: The Advocate

[05:38] - Pentecost Sunday Overview

[07:57] - Pentecost & The 50 Nations

[10:33] - Series Recap: Listen, Discern, Envision

[14:00] - Today's Practice: Collaborate

[16:06] - Pitfalls to Avoid

[18:50] - Stories of Collaboration

[22:19] - A Personal Confession

[24:22] - The Disciples & The Locked Room

[28:47] - Closing: Resurrection Is Openness

REFERENCES

[00:45] - Evergreen Association of American Baptists (https://ea-abc.org/)

[19:08] - Excell Network – Bay Area Prison Reentry Organization (https://excellnetwork.org/)

[20:13] - Levantar – Serving Immigrant Families in North Fair Oaks, Redwood City (https://wearelevantar.org/)

[24:22] - Diana Butler Bass – A Beautiful Year: 52 Meditations on Faith, Wisdom, and Perseverance (2025) (https://dianabutlerbass.com/books/a-beautiful-year/)

What does it mean to dream with God? In this message, Rachel Palmbush explores how God has always spoken to his people through dreams and visions–from Jacob's stairway to heaven, to the two dramatically different visions in Acts 9 that bound strangers Saul and Ananias into a shared destiny.

CHAPTERS

[00:00] - Introduction: Dreaming With God

[02:37] - How Does God Speak?

[03:29] - Envisioning in the Sent Out Series

[06:46] - Dreams Across Scripture

[09:12] - New Testament: Visions & Pentecost

[11:51] - Acts 9: Two Very Different Visions

[13:27] - Ananias: The Quiet, Steady Vision

[15:00] - God-Sized Dreams in Everyday Life

[19:13] - A Practice: Speak to Me in My Dreams

[21:26] - Buechner: God Speaks Into the Ordinary

[22:30] - Kevin Bolen: Dreaming Through Business

[25:32] - God Has Direct Access to Your Heart

[26:15] - What You Need to Dream With God

[28:05] - Katharine Sherwin's Story

[34:29] - Two Practices: Rest & Walk

[38:17] - Closing Prayer

REFERENCES

[03:00] - Dallas Willard — Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God[11:51] - Willie James Jennings — Acts: A Theological Commentary on the Bible (Belief Series)[19:13] - Tyler Staton — Lead Pastor of Bridgetown Church; author of Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools[21:26] - Frederick Buechner — The Sacred Journey (memoir)[22:30] - Saint Frank Coffee, Menlo Park — Founded by Kevin Bolen[25:32] - John Mark Comer — Author and founder of Practicing the Way[27:27] - Teresa of Avila — "Christ Has No Body" (prayer/poem)[29:35] - Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity (IM4HI) — Training churches to accompany immigrants, Oakland

What if God is planting seeds in your heart right now for a calling that won't fully bloom for years? In this week's message, Pastor Dave Peterson explores what it means to discern God's invitation, drawing from the story of Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10 and his own unexpected journey from a career in investment banking to pastoral ministry.

CHAPTERS

[00:00] - Welcome & Mother's Day

[03:51] - Introducing the "Sent Out" Series

[05:55] - Recap: Last Week's Sermon

[08:05] - Peter & Cornelius Story

[10:39] - What Is Discernment?

[11:33] - Keep an Ear Open

[13:24] - God Knows You Better

[15:06] - The Next Right Thing

[16:39] - From Banking to Ministry

[18:56] - Desiring God's Will

[20:52] - Three Principles for Discernment

[25:03] - Closing Reflection & Hospitality

[27:41] - Thomas Merton's Prayer

REFERENCES

[11:10] - Foster the City — Church-based foster care movement

[10:04] - Willie James Jennings — Acts: A Theological Commentary on the Bible

[18:56] - David G. Benner — Desiring God's Will: Aligning Our Hearts with the Heart of God

[23:48] - Michael Frost & Christiana Rice — To Alter Your World: Partnering with God to Rebirth Our Communities

[27:41] - Thomas Merton — "Thoughts in Solitude" (The Merton Prayer)