Look Up | Up! - Week 4 | May 3, 2026

Unexpected Response | Plot Twist - Week 2 | May 24, 2026

It was a cold, rainy morning - hovering in the 50s and coming down steady. Not befitting the desired feel of a Memorial Day weekend when most of West Michigan packs up and heads to their lakeside cottages to kick off the summer beach season. Instead of a sun-drenched pier, the pavement was slick under a sheet of grey fog. I sat back in the dim light, cracked my knuckles, and sipped on a cold Peppermint Lime Espresso Tonic from Daybreak Coffee Company - the signature drink of the Plot Twist series - while the tape rolled on Case File No. 2, an encounter that subverts every predictable script in the book. In this case file, Ethan Lintemuth interrogates one of the most culturally jarring standoffs in the Gospels: Jesus’ meeting with a desperate Canaanite mother in Matthew 15. On the surface, it looks like a cold shoulder from the Teacher, a stone-cold refusal packed with a bizarre metaphor about children’s bread and dogs that would make any modern cynic close the ledger for good. But if you look past the neon fog and dig beneath the historical layers, you realize Jesus wasn't slamming the door in the rain; He was setting a calculated trap to expose, test, and ultimately expand the faith of everyone watching from the shadows. --------------------------------------------- Daybreak | May 24, 2026 Plot Twist | Week 2 Unexpected Response | Ethan Lintemuth ------------------------------------------------ Scripture Referenced: Matthew 15.21-28 Genesis 12 Ezekiel 34.11-12 Isaiah 49.5-6 ------------------------------------------------ #DaybreakChurch #EthanLintemuth #PlotTwist #Jesus #Matthew15

Unexpected Instruction | Plot Twist - Week 1 | May 17, 2026

The city was quiet, but the air was thick with the kind of suspense that rolls in slow with bad choices and cold coffee. That’s when the operation began. Pastor Rachel Reigard laid out the cold, hard facts in Case File No. 1 of our new sermon series, Plot Twist. Performing a meticulous, in-depth investigation into Mark 1.40-45, Pastor Rachel cracks open the tragic truth of ancient leprosy - a social death sentence that left men untouchable. Turns out, this man Jesus didn't play by the rules of the pavement. He crossed lines to touch the contagious and completely flipped the script on the religious big shots who thought they had Him cornered.  ------------------------------------------------ Scripture Referenced: Mark 1.40-45 John 15.18-19 Psalm 145.8-9 Proverbs 18.21 Revelation 3.16 ------------------------------------------------ #DaybreakChurch #RachelReigard #PlotTwist

Pray Up | Up! - Week 5 | May 10, 2026

Danielle Freed closes out the UP! series by exploring the transformative necessity of prayer. Coinciding with Mother’s Day and following the National Day of Prayer, this message challenges us to move beyond "polite" requests into a lifestyle of bold, expectant "umbrella faith." --------------------------------------------- Daybreak | May 10, 2026 UP! | Week 5 Pray Up | Danielle Freed ----------------------------------------------- 0:00 Celebrating Mother’s Day & National Day of Prayer 1:40 Introduction of Danielle Freed 5:17 Series Wrap-Up: Why Prayer is the Foundation 8:49 The 1877 Minnesota Miracle 13:06 Instruction: Praying for Yourself (James 5.13) 15:05 Instruction: Praying for the Sick (James 5.14) 19:11 The Power of Confession and Community 23:03 Elijah: A Human Just Like Us 26:59 The Standoff on Mount Carmel 30:31 When the Fire Falls: Proving God’s Power 34:53 Closing: Developing "Umbrella Faith" ------------------------------------------------ Scripture Referenced: James 5.13 James 5.14 James 5.16 James 5.17 1 Kings 17.1 1 Kings 18.1-16 1 Kings 18.17-39 John 15.5 ------------------------------------------------ #DaybreakChurch #DanielleFreed #James #PrayUp #MothersDay

Look Up | Up! - Week 4 | May 3, 2026

This week in UP! Pastor Geoff takes a closer look at walking in humility. It’s not about what you do but what you become. By choosing friendship with God over the world and balancing our walk with both humility and authority, we can rise above our circumstances and live the fulfilled life God designed for us. --------------------------------------------- Daybreak | May 3, 2026 UP! | Week 4 Look Up | Geoff Eckart ----------------------------------------------- 0:00 – The Incredible Story of Lawn Chair Larry 4:24 – Living Up vs. Looking Down 5:06 – Mission Update: Clean Water in Liberia 8:30 – Mother’s Day and Navigating Grief in Community 12:24 – James 4: The Battle of Desires and Motives 15:36 – Understanding Coveting and God’s Boundaries 22:08 – Friendship with God vs. Friendship with the World 24:50 – Navigating the "Friendship Recession" 29:13 – Why God Opposes the Proud 33:40 – Walking on Two Feet: Humility and Authority 36:58 – Closing Prayer and National Day of Prayer Invite ------------------------------------------------ Scripture Referenced: James 4.1-10 Hebrews 13.5 Genesis 3.8 John 3.3 Numbers 12.3 ------------------------------------------------ #DaybreakChurch #GeoffEckart #James #LookUp

Speak Up | Up! - Week 3 | April 26, 2026

In this week’s installment of our UP! series, we welcome special guest Dr. Wayne Lewis, President of Houghton University, to explore the incredible power of our words. Grounded in James 3.1-12, Dr. Lewis examines how the smallest part of our body can steer the entire course of our lives, much like a bit in a horse's mouth or a rudder on a massive ship. Discover how to move from a cycle of inconsistency to a life that naturally produces the fruit of the Spirit, using your voice to edify, encourage, and proclaim the goodness of the Gospel. --------------------------------------------- Daybreak | April 26, 2026 UP! | Week 3 Speak Up | Dr. Wayne Lewis ----------------------------------------------- 0:00 | Introduction and Houghton University Connection 5:31 | Scripture Reading: James 3.1-12 8:46 | Lessons from 23 Years in Education 14:17 | The Life and Leadership of James 17:05 | The Weighty Responsibility of Teachers 20:03 | Illustrations of Power: Horse Bits and Ship Rudders 23:07 | The Destructive Spark vs. Edifying Words 25:26 | Inconsistency: Fresh Water and Salt Springs 28:07 | A New Creation: Submitting to the Holy Spirit 31:30 | Closing Prayer and Benediction ------------------------------------------------ Scripture Referenced: James 3.1-12 2 Corinthians 5.17 ------------------------------------------------ #DaybreakChurch #WayneLewis #James #SpeakUp