Plot Twist
While life can be beautiful, it can also be very hard. Surprises come around every corner, bringing with them a fair share of troubles. Where do we turn when things fall apart? How do we continue? Where do we find hope when life is hard? During this series, we will explore the life of Joseph and see how God was still working in and around him even when Joseph was faced with betrayal, pain, and unfairness.
Family Happens
Why look at the life of Joseph? Because no matter where you are in life, you can probably find something in the life of Joseph to relate to. Pain? He’s got it. Trouble. Yep Success. That too. Betrayal. Happened to him too. A messed-up family – just wait. Death of a parent – sadly, yes. Jail time, rejection, unfairness, rape, temptation, slavery – all in the life of Joseph. This is the environment that Joseph came from, and it reminds us that our family’s dysfunction doesn’t disqualify us from God’s work.
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- Jun 4, 2023Family Happens
Family HappensWhy look at the life of Joseph? Because no matter where you are in life, you can probably find something in the life of Joseph to relate to. Pain? He’s got it. Trouble. Yep Success. That too. Betrayal. Happened to him too. A messed-up family – just wait. Death of a parent – sadly, yes. Jail time, rejection, unfairness, rape, temptation, slavery – all in the life of Joseph. This is the environment that Joseph came from, and it reminds us that our family’s dysfunction doesn’t disqualify us from God’s work.
The Seven Sins of Suburbia
Let’s be honest: Sometimes the culture around us has more influence on Christians than Jesus does. The values and ways of this world have a way of slipping into our lives and impacting our faith, and instead of recognizing that, Christians often ignore, justify, or even embrace those worldly values. But Jesus calls Christians to a better way to live and a better way to practice faith. In this series, we’ll explore seven ways in which culture and Christ don’t mix.
Consumer Christianity
Have you ever started something but didn’t finish it? This morning we’re going to read about how the people of God started something only to be distracted and give up. They started rebuilding the temple of the Lord but eventually gave up and gave into fear, selfishness, and consumerism. Consumerism leads us to believe that life is all about stuff. Happiness and meaning come from stuff. But here’s something to consider: The most important things in life are not things.
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- May 28, 2023Consumer Christianity
Consumer ChristianityHave you ever started something but didn’t finish it? This morning we’re going to read about how the people of God started something only to be distracted and give up. They started rebuilding the temple of the Lord but eventually gave up and gave into fear, selfishness, and consumerism. Consumerism leads us to believe that life is all about stuff. Happiness and meaning come from stuff. But here’s something to consider: The most important things in life are not things.
- May 21, 2023Conceited Christianity
Conceited ChristianityWe are constantly dealing with selfish motives into today’s culture. Selfishness leads us down a dangerous slope of destruction. It not only destroys our relationship with God, but also with one another. The scriptures tell us that we are to love like Jesus, but in order to do so, we are to daily walk in humility.
- May 14, 2023Comparative Christianity
Comparative ChristianityTeddy Roosevelt once said, "Comparison is the thief of joy." Every time we compare ourselves to someone else, we lose something - including our ability to fully focus on God. Listen as our three pastors each share about the dangers of comparison in this week's message.
- May 7, 2023Complacent Christianity
Complacent Christianity
Do you ever wrestle with complacency? Complacency has a way of leading us to neglect what is important in favor of what is easy. We neglect our relationship with God and our God-given responsibility to others. Simply put, a complacent faith settles for inaction when action is required. Complacency is ok with just being ok. When you’re complacent, you hinder your own potential. In this message, Pastor Kenneth tackles the problem of complacency and what to do about it.
- Apr 30, 2023Controlling Christianity
Controlling ChristianityThere’s a vicious cycle of control: the more you try to be in control, the more you fear losing control, so you try to be even more controlling, which leads to even more fear that you’re not in control. Do you see how the cycle doesn’t end? In our text this morning, the Bible challenges us to consider how we live our lives: in pursuit of control or submission to the Lord. And what we’ll see is this: Jesus can do much more through your surrender than you can do with your control.
- Apr 23, 2023Convenient Christianity
Convenient ChristianityGod calls us to love others and to walk a path that is seldom convenient because it forces us to rely on Him. If we choose to follow Jesus, we must be willing to relinquish the default mode of convenience because loving Jesus and loving our neighbor will constantly require us to go the extra mile, often when it is least convenient. The problem of convenience is this: a convenient faith leads to a compromised faith.
- Apr 16, 2023Comfortable Christianity
Comfortable ChristianityWe love comfort, and we can fall into the trap of thinking that God wants us to be comfortable. But Jesus Christ didn’t die a horrendous death on the cross so that you could be comfortable. He wants to stretch, challenge, and grow you so that you’ll make a difference with your life in His Kingdom. We can’t do that if comfort is our goal. In this message, Pastor Kenneth will challenge the notion of comfortable Christianity.
Hold On, Jesus …
Jesus calls His followers to radical discipleship, but – far too often – instead of following, Christians throw up a hand and say, “Hold on, Jesus. You want me to do what?!?!” Instead of being all in, all the time, we often make excuses for why we are going our own way and doing our own thing. During this series, we will explore what it means to say yes to God when we want to say no.
Hold On, Death
On the first Easter morning, the followers of Jesus were not celebrating and they weren’t doing a victory dance; they were hiding and mourning His death. Why? Because it looked like they lost. It looked Rome had won. It looked like the religious leaders had won. It looked like Satan had won. It looked like death had won. But sometimes, what looks true isn’t. It looked like Jesus had lost, but then there was a resurrection, and resurrection means the worst thing is never the last thing.
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- Apr 9, 2023Hold On, Death
Hold On, DeathOn the first Easter morning, the followers of Jesus were not celebrating and they weren’t doing a victory dance; they were hiding and mourning His death. Why? Because it looked like they lost. It looked Rome had won. It looked like the religious leaders had won. It looked like Satan had won. It looked like death had won. But sometimes, what looks true isn’t. It looked like Jesus had lost, but then there was a resurrection, and resurrection means the worst thing is never the last thing.
- Apr 2, 2023A “Roof-Crashing, Mat Carrying, Whatever It Takes” Faith
A “Roof-Crashing, Mat Carrying, Whatever It Takes” FaithDo you have a "whatever it takes" faith? A "whatever it takes" faith doesn't stop when there's a crowd. A "whatever it takes" faith doesn't back down when things are hard. A "whatever it takes" faith doesn't retreat when there's an obstacle or a bunch of obstacles. Who do you love so much that you would push through the crowd for? Who do you love so much that you would break through the roof for? Who do you love so much that you would interrupt Jesus for?
- Mar 27, 2023When Jesus Disappoints
When Jesus Disappoints
What do you do when Jesus doesn't do what you want Him to do? This question, or some form of it, gets asked a lot, especially when we expect things to go a certain way and they don't. John the Baptist had to wrestle with this question when he asked Jesus, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?" (Matthew 11:2) John discovered that he could trust God in whatever He says and submit to His will in whatever He sends.
- Mar 19, 2023Following Jesus – Wherever, Whenever, Whatever
Following Jesus – Wherever, Whenever, WhateverJesus calls us to follow Him wherever. Many of us don't want to go "wherever" because there are things in our lives we want to hold onto. But here's the problem: The one thing we are most reluctant to give up is the one thing that has the most potential to become a substitute for God in our lives. The call of Jesus is wherever, whenever, in whatever He asks.
- Mar 12, 2023Full Surrender
Full SurrenderThere's a reason that the story of the rich young ruler pops up in 3 out of the 4 gospels - Jesus knows we've got a "stuff" problem - be it good or bad: material possessions, wealth, family or friends, an addiction, an unhealthy relationship, an insatiable desire for power or popularity. We can learn from the rich young ruler's unwillingness to fully surrender his stuff about what it looks like for us to really say yes to Jesus.
- Mar 5, 2023Saying Yes When You Want to Say No
Saying Yes When You Want to Say NoJesus calls His followers to radical discipleship, but – far too often – instead of following, Christians throw up a hand and say, “Hold on, Jesus. You want me to do what?!?!” Instead of being all in, all the time, we often make excuses for why we are going our own way and doing our own thing. During this series, we will explore what it means to say yes to God when we want to say no.
T-Shirt Theology
Have you ever noticed how we can make the Bible say whatever we want? It’s easy to read our own wants, desires, and experiences into the scriptures. The good news is the Bible does actually speak to those things – but not always in the way we think. Join us as we explore some of the most quoted, yet most misunderstood, verses in the Bible and listen to what God is truly saying.
For Whose Good?
T-Shirt Theology is dangerous because it can lead us to believe in promises to may not have made. They sound good, but the problem is they may not be true. The promise of Romans 8:28 is not that things will go our way but that things will go God’s way. In other words, all things may not be good, but God can use all things for good.
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- Feb 27, 2023For Whose Good?
For Whose Good?T-Shirt Theology is dangerous because it can lead us to believe in promises to may not have made. They sound good, but the problem is they may not be true. The promise of Romans 8:28 is not that things will go our way but that things will go God’s way. In other words, all things may not be good, but God can use all things for good.
- Feb 19, 2023More Than You Can Handle?
More Than You Can Handle?Today, we’re going to tackle another popular saying many Christians quote as if it’s in the Bible. The problem is, it’s not. And it goes like this: God won’t give me more than I can handle. Have you ever heard that before? Do you believe that? That sounds good, fair, and like something God would do, but the problem is, it’s not actually in the Bible. And I’ve got more bad news for you. The opposite is often true. God will give you more than you can handle, so you’ll learn to trust and rely on Him. Here's the big idea: God doesn’t give us what we can handle; God helps us handle what we are given.
- Feb 12, 202370 years, ah man!
70 years, ah man!Jeremiah 29:11 is a beautiful verse Christians love to quote, but many don’t know who God is speaking to or why He’s saying this. Instead, Christians grab this verse and claim it for their own lives to cover any problem or issue they may have. When things don’t turn out the way they want, they wonder what happened to the plans and the hopeful future. This is why T-Shirt Theology is dangerous: It leads us to believe in promises that God may not have made.
- Feb 5, 2023Content in Christ
Content in ChristThere are a few favorite verses we like to quote and often misinterpret (most of the time without even knowing it), and that’s what we’re going to tackle in this sermon. Why? Because incorrect interpretation leads to incorrect understanding, which leads to incorrect application. In other words, taking a Bible verse out of context can lead you to believe that the Bible says or promises something it doesn’t.
New Year, New Start
Certain spiritual habits can lead to life transformation. These habits aid our spiritual growth as disciples of Christ and deepen our relationship with God. They are like training exercises for the soul and provide space for the Holy Spirit to grow spiritual fruit. Engaging in these habits leads to spiritual vitality and health, while neglecting them leads to spiritual anemia. Join us as we begin a New Year with small habits.
Worship – More Than a Song
Worship requires everything within us. Worship is more than just singing a song. It’s at the core of who we are and is revealed in everything that we do. Our worship reveals our hearts in it’s truest and most authentic form because what has our heart has our worship.
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- Jan 22, 2023Worship – More Than a Song
Worship – More Than a SongWorship requires everything within us. Worship is more than just singing a song. It’s at the core of who we are and is revealed in everything that we do. Our worship reveals our hearts in it’s truest and most authentic form because what has our heart has our worship.
- Jan 15, 2023More Than a Book
More Than a Book
Scripture is God-breathed, God-inspired, God-empowered, and God-activated. In His great wisdom, God used people to communicate His message to His creation. That’s one of the reasons you can read the same passage of scripture 50 times, and then out of the blue, you see something that you never saw before. God speaks through His word. But the goal isn’t just to read the Bible and check off a list but to get the Bible into us: into our decisions, into our thoughts, into our actions, and our lives.
- Jan 8, 2023Prayer – More Than a Request
Prayer – More Than a RequestIn its most basic sense, prayer is a connection and a conversation with God. From Matthew 6:5-8, we see a few things: • Pray Regularly (Matthew 6:5-7) • Pray Sincerely (Matthew 6:5) • Pray Secretly (Matthew 6:6) • Pray Specifically (Matthew 6:7-8)
One Year From Now
This is a new year with new potential, possibilities, and opportunities to do things differently and honor Jesus in deeper ways. But talking about change is not enough; change requires intentionality and follow-through. So this year, let’s begin with the end in mind. How do you want to end 2023? Who do you want to be? What do you want to accomplish? Once you know that, work backward to the beginning and figure out the steps you need to take that will bring you to your goal.
One Year From Now
The New Year is one of those times when we often make New Years resolutions, but let’s be honest; we don’t usually keep many of them. As we begin this New Year, let’s think about how we can honor Jesus in every area of life. Join us as we explore Colossians 3:17.
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- Jan 1, 2023One Year From Now
One Year From NowThe New Year is one of those times when we often make New Years resolutions, but let’s be honest; we don’t usually keep many of them. As we begin this New Year, let’s think about how we can honor Jesus in every area of life. Join us as we explore Colossians 3:17.