Episodes

Monday May 08, 2017
Surge Lunch - May 2017 - Partnering with the church
Monday May 08, 2017
Monday May 08, 2017
Partnering with the church
At this Surge lunch, we will be hearing from Anna Ho, President of Reconciled World. This lunch is intended to provoke questions and ideas for what it looks like to be pastors and leaders who are seeking the Spirit’s help to identify lies that trap us as leaders that keep us from being light in the midst of darkness and seek God’s power to embrace all areas of mission he has called us to.
Anna has spent over 20 years in ministry internationally and has sharp insights into how God’s word calls us to effectively address brokenness, walk with the vulnerable, mobilize local resources, and, above all, depend on God.
Anna speaks with deep theological insight to the capability of the local church around the world to see their communities transformed by Jesus and a biblical worldview when they are freed from lies that cripple the church. Anna desires to see the church respond to God and watch as he brings healing to brokenness and builds His church in both numbers and depth.
Speaker: Anna Ho
Anna Ho, together with her husband Nam are the co-founders of Reconciled World. Originally from New Zealand, Anna Ho has lived and worked in Asia since 1995. Anna joined Food for the Hungry in 1996, working with them until 2013. In 2004 Anna started a program, Truth-Centered Transformation to see if people could really move out of poverty as they understood and applied a Biblical Worldview. The results were beyond anything they ever imagined, with hundreds of communities moving out of poverty. In 2013, Nam and Anna followed God’s leading to launch Reconciled World–based on bringing transformation by applying Biblical truth to all areas of brokenness. Anna currently holds the position of Executive Director of Reconciled World. She is based in Asia but spends at least half the year on the road.

Monday May 08, 2017
Surge Lunch - April 2017 - Creativity vs. Consistency
Monday May 08, 2017
Monday May 08, 2017
Creativity vs. Consistency
One of the most significant tensions that leaders must manage is that balance between creativity and consistency. On one hand, we were created in the image of a creative God who invites us to engage the complex problems of the world with creativity. On the other hand, God is faithful, unchanging, and consistent. We display his character when our work is marked by a long obedience in the same direction.
For the April Surge lunch, we will explore the tension between creativity and consistency, we will address questions such as:
- When do you choose creativity? When do you choose consistency?
- How do we cultivate a creative mindset in life and leadership?
- How can we approach problem-solving with greater imagination?
- How does the Gospel sustain faithfulness in a world that esteems newness?
Join us for a free meal, time of fellowship, panel discussion and an important conversation about the tension between creativity and consistency.
Speaker: Ken Wytsma
Ken Wytsma is a leader, innovator, and social entrepreneur respected for his insight and collaborative spirit. He is the president of Kilns College, where he teaches courses on philosophy and justice. He is the founder of The Justice Conference—an annual international conference that introduces men and women to a wide range of organizations and conversations relating to biblical justice and God’s call to give our lives away.
Ken is a consultant and creative advisor to nonprofits and a sought after speaker on justice, church, and culture. A church planter and lead pastor at Antioch Church, Ken lives in Bend, Oregon, with his wife, Tamara, and their four daughters.
Ken’s is the author of, Pursuing Justice: The Call to Live and Die for Bigger Things, The Grand Paradox: The Messiness of Life, the Mystery of God and the Necessity of Faith, and Create vs. Copy: Embrace Change. Ignite Creativity. Break Through with Imagination.

Tuesday Mar 07, 2017
Surge Lunch - March 2017 - Leading in Lament with Dr. SOONG-CHAN RAH
Tuesday Mar 07, 2017
Tuesday Mar 07, 2017
When Soong-Chan Rah planted an urban church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, his first full sermon series was a six-week exposition of the book of Lamentations. Preaching on an obscure, depressing Old Testament book was probably not the easiest way to launch a church. But it shaped their community with a radically countercultural perspective. Lament is a missing, essential component of prayer that can be found throughout the Bible, but is often absent from our communities. It recognizes struggles and suffering, that the world is not as it ought to be. Lament challenges the status quo and invites us to cry out for justice. Soong-Chan Rah will help us understand the importance of lament and how we, as leaders in our communities, can create space for the church to lament the brokenness of the world.

Thursday Mar 02, 2017
Q3 Intensive - Dennae Pierre - God's heart for the vulnerable
Thursday Mar 02, 2017
Thursday Mar 02, 2017
Dennae Pierre talks about God's heart for the vulnerable and how that relates to mission

Thursday Mar 02, 2017
Q3 Intensive - Panel
Thursday Mar 02, 2017
Thursday Mar 02, 2017
Surge School Quarter 3 Intensive - Panel discussion

Thursday Mar 02, 2017
Q3 Intensive - Jim Mullins - God's Mission
Thursday Mar 02, 2017
Thursday Mar 02, 2017
Did you miss the Surge School Quarter 3 Intensive? You can listen to it all on your way to work using the the audio recordings on this page or by subscribing to our Podcast.

Friday Jan 06, 2017
Friday Jan 06, 2017
East Valley Breakfast for Church Leaders (Jan. 2017) - Zack Eswine talks about Discovering Joy in Our Limitations - Hosted by Via Church in Mesa, AZ.

Friday Jan 06, 2017
Surge Lunch - Jan. 2017 - Merely Human - Zack Eswine
Friday Jan 06, 2017
Friday Jan 06, 2017
As pastors and church leaders, we desire to “do great things for God.” This seemingly good desire can actually lead to lives that are imbalanced and affections that are grossly misplaced. Do our lives point to the fact that we are “not the Christ”? Are we comfortable when people around us see that we are merely human? If we’re honest, there is a very real temptation to portray ourselves as super-human–priding ourselves on our ability to be everywhere at once, fix every problem, and know everything.

Wednesday Dec 07, 2016
Surge Lunch - Dec. 2016 - Words of Life
Wednesday Dec 07, 2016
Wednesday Dec 07, 2016
We live in times where the Bible is undervalued and undermined both inside and outside of the church. For this December’s Surge lunch Pastor Tyler Johnson addressed Scripture as the means in which churches, communities, and individuals will experience the abundant life Christ promised. Tyler talked about tangible ways to personally, congregational, and culturally engage the Word of God.

Friday Dec 02, 2016
Surge Lunch - Nov. 2016 - Politics, Citizenship, and the Gospel Imagination
Friday Dec 02, 2016
Friday Dec 02, 2016
As the election season continues to intensify, America is facing an unprecedented wave of cynicism, discouragement, and polarization. Many people are ready to give up on politics.Some are struggling to understand how the Gospel should shape their political engagement. Other people struggle to know how to tangibly get involved with politics beyond the election in November. Our churches are filled with people who are weary, frustrated, and confused. But, what if we could imagine a different way?