Songs are powerful things. The combine melody and harmony. They express both truth and emotion. They can fill us with joy and hope or with lament and sorrow. Through the beauty of song we worship, we celebrate, and we mourn. In the Psalms, the worship songs of the...
Whenever we head into a new normal, there is usually an old normal we have to contend with first. We transition into a new normal when an old normal no longer works or the new normal is significantly better. This week, we'll discuss a new command Jesus gives his...
There is a powerful connection between how we think and how we live. We’re not always aware of those connections, but what we think about and how we think about it directs our actions and responses. The Bible draws a direct connection between spiritual transformation...
Family involves many times and seasons of life. Our roles within our family change, but each role and each season is part of God's plan for family. If we're fortunate, one day we'll find ourselves in the last season - Old Age. While this is a season some of us would...
As the family goes, so goes the culture. The idea of family is deeply rooted in our lives. We were born for family; it’s in our blood. And the idea of family is rooted in the heart of God. It’s more than an illustration. Family is a reality for anyone related to God....
ASL Interpretation - Message OnlyThe last week of Jesus’ life began with a parade of celebration and hope. He would be dead by the end of that week. What happened? Even in darkness, God is at work; it just doesn’t feel like it sometimes. And even though there is no...
ASL InterpretationHow do we build for the future when the future seems so uncertain? This week, we'll turn to Acts 2 to see how the early church began as a model for how we can continue to build the future of the Church together. As we follow their lead, we not only...
How would you end your last words to someone? As Paul ends his second letter to Timothy, he works through a list that feels out of place at first. Honestly, it’s part of the letter that we tend to skip when we read it. But what if God has something significant to...
The moment we believe in Jesus for the salvation of our sins, we are ushered into eternal life. Through no effort of our own, Jesus gives us new life we receive by faith. This life has the opportunity for growth and development. So how do we develop this new life...
Approval is something we all long for, especially from the people who matter most to us. There is something deep inside of us that craves knowing that others are pleased with what we do and who we are. Approval gives us a sense of meaning and significance in the...
Life is full of extraordinary challenges: wars, injustice, and politics just to name a few. When faced with these extraordinary challenges, we can look for a miracle that is just as extraordinary. But life also has its ordinary challenges: stressful emails or losing...
Around this time of year, it may be easier for us to have thankfulness on our minds. But do we regularly give thanks throughout the year? What about when things don’t go our way? It seems like we wait to really give thanks until certain things happen the way we want...
Following Jesus calls us out of the bleachers and into the game. But being in the game means we have to get out of our comfort zones and get our hands dirty. This willingness to lay aside ourselves is at the heart of volunteering. In this message, we’ll see how Jesus...
If there is a god most near and dear to the heart of our culture it is the god of success. The god of success promises us the control, allowing us to make our own way; the approval of others who recognize what we've done; and the access to whatever pleasures we may...
It’s not unusual to have certain expectations about how life should work and what God is obligated to do for us. This formulaic view of life makes perfect sense until the formula no longer works in our favor. We instinctively work to avoid pain at any cost. But what...
We’ve all failed. From minor mistakes to persistent sins, failure has marked our lives. The best place to turn in times of failure is to God. But sometimes turning to God about our sins just seems to magnify our moral crisis. Thus, we’d prefer to keep our distance...
If you think about it, we make a lot of choices and decisions based on assumptions. We assume we know what someone meant; that we have all the information; that we know the outcome. The problem is that our assumptions often turn out to be completely wrong and this can...
We live in a selfie-centered culture. We seem to be people increasingly concerned with “likes” and “follows.” But the energy required for image management can take its toll. What if it’s not about you? What if your life is to be all about God and His desires for you?...
We each have ideas about who God is and how He works. We even believe that God operates by a set of certain rules. If I behave myself and do good things, good things will come to me, many confidently affirm. This arrangement of blessings for obedience is actually...
In all likelihood, you’ve made excuses. Maybe lots of them. Some excuses are elaborate and convincing while others seem absurd and laughable. There’s a good chance you’ve even thrown a few excuses toward God. But like any shrewd parent, God isn’t duped by the excuses...
Some people imagine God as someone He is not—a stodgy and vindictive overseer who wants nothing to do with them. If God is like that you might want to hide or withdraw or pretend He is not even there. You might even feel passed over by God, insignificant or ashamed....