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Iowa City Church Podcast


Welcome to the Iowa City Church sermon and teaching page.  We know that life can be confusing, and sometime just plain hard.  We believe the best way to live life comes through following Jesus.  These lessons and sermons are designed to be a resource to help you on that journey.  We hope you find them helpful!

Apr 16, 2024

My wife Suzi loves puzzles and is a master at putting them together. Me on the other hand, when I look at a pile of jigsaw puzzle pieces, immediately thinks, "Chaos!" This is why I'm so amazed at how Suzi opens a puzzle box, and immediately employs her meticulous strategy, and within a handful of hours, has assembled a beautiful picture...with every piece in it's place!

The Bible opens with these words:

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." ~ Genesis 1:1-2

Two important truths we discover from these verses. 1) God created. There is an author, creator, architect, and designer. This is an important truth and must not be dismissed. To not be able to assign origin and design to someone or something can cause a person to feel untethered, anxious. To know where we come from and why we are here is essential in living a live of clarity and purpose. The good news of the Bible tells us that God is the Creator.

2) Chaos. The words, "formless and empty" convey the idea of chaos; just like a heaping pile of jigsaw puzzle pieces. Yet, God takes the chaos and begins to bring order, structure, meaning and purpose to all of creation. All of us have had moments in our lives where it felt like we were living in complete chaos; be it our finances, relationships, emotions, or our thinking. The good news of the Bible tells us that the Creator can bring something good from our chaos. 

To learn how these truths apply to your life, make sure and listen to part two of The Big Picture