This is the final chapter of an epic love story that reveals that God is always working behind the scenes and that he's able to do the extraordinary even through the seemingly ordinary tasks of life.
Back in the day they didn't have E-harmony, Match.com or Bumble to make love connections. They had to do it the old fashioned way. In this message we're learning about the love connection between Ruth and Boaz and how their relationship reflects our relationship with God.
Perhaps more than ever, we are aware of our need for self-care. In a busy, burn-out world, God’s people are called to rest, be still, and just “be” in the presence of God. But can self-care become selfish? Can a focus on ourselves go too far? Do we need to relearn the rhythms of exhausting work and actual rest?
Gas prices are still up. The stock market is still down. Job security is never really secure. And the last time I checked God stopped sending food down from heaven. So what do you do when you're not sure where your next paycheck will come from or how you'll pay next month's bills? That's what Ruth chapter 2 is going to teach us.
The hope every New Year is that the troubles and traumas of the past year will simply fade away. From past experience we all know it doesn't work like that. Fortunately, though, our God who is greater than a number on a calendar has solutions for all of our problems.
What is Christmas all about? That's the question we explore in this Christmas Eve message that will help us recenter our hearts on the true meaning of Christmas!
Rahab, the ancestor of Jesus, had an unfortunate nickname that has followed her throughout history. But, that nickname reminds us of how inclusive our God really is.
The story of Judah and Tamar reveals two powerful truths: concealing your sins can ruin your life while confessing your sins can unburden your soul and allow for God's forgiveness and peace to change you from the inside out.
You might assume that since Jesus was perfect the people in his family would have been also. But that's not the case. Abraham is one of Jesus' ancestors and though his story is known around the world, he still had his glaring flaws. Flaws you'd assume would disqualify him from being part of God's family, but they didn't. And that's good news for you and for me.
There is only one time in the Bible that God encourages us to test him and that is in the context of being generous. Discover the truth that you can never out give God.
When it comes to generosity we all have a toddler voice in our heads that cries out, "Mine!" and it keeps us from experiencing the joy of giving. This message will teach you how to let the voice of the Holy Spirit replace that selfish toddler in your heart.
Inflation, the stock market, an unstable economy, possible layoffs and forced retirements are a reality and major catalysts for anxiety and worry. BUT they don't have to be! Jesus has a word for your worries!
Political elections are always contentious and the media often adds fuel to the fire, but thankfully our King Jesus and his disciples give us a better way!
Although the Protestant Reformation took place over 500 years ago, it's still a wonderful reminder that God is continually reforming His church into His image.
Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, longed to celebrate God’s salvation with his fellow brothers and sisters in the faith. “But I had to write” and tell you to fight! Jude begins. His change-of-course is a blunt reminder that we live in a mixed up world that requires vigilance, courage, and caution. We might wish we could simply share the good news of God’s love week after week, but the real world requires more. “I had to” write so that the Church is ready to fight.
When culture preaches about a sexual revolution, it's promoting the idea that you should be able to do anything and everything you want to with your body when it comes to sex. But such an ideology ignores God's design for this amazing gift and it ignores that there are devastating physical and spiritual consequences when God's design is disregarded. In this message, we get real about what it means to be sexually pure and why it's important to live our lives within God's parameters.
Divorce is not a victimless act. Someone always gets hurt in its wake. That's why God has strong warnings for anyone who is considering it and makes it clear that the reasons for it are slim. God also reveals that divorce, though devastating, is not an unpardonable sin and those affected by it are offered complete access into God's grace through Jesus.
Marriage may seem like an archaic relic that's a thing of the past, but in this message we'll explore why to this day it's such an amazing gift from God and how husbands and wives can best live out their different roles.
If you're dating or engaged to be married, God wants to bless you by helping you seek out a God-honoring relationship.
If you're single or know someone who is, God reveals that singleness isn't a curse but a tremendous blessing.
It doesn't matter if you're extraverted, introverted or somewhere in between we all need each other. In fact, we can't truly win at life without the support of godly people. That's why God teaches us that life is better together.
It's easy to assume that God has given us our money and possessions so that we can enjoy them for ourselves. Though God wants us to enjoy what we have, he has a higher purpose for our worldly possessions and its impact has eternal consequences.
One of our seven core values is being outward focused. It's easy to say but extremely challenging to do. In this message we're taking a look at the Apostle Paul's play book on how to win souls for Jesus.
Many of the hobbies and activities we dedicate our time to will pass away and eventually be forgotten. But imagine what would happen if we dedicated our time to what really matters, EACH OTHER.
Relationships are messy because we're dealing with imperfect people. And every time we get hurt we have a choice, to either cancel the person who's hurt us or to cancel their debt by forgiving them. And when it comes to forgiveness we always need Jesus' help.
The Bible is the most important and most powerful book you'll ever read and yet it can also be intimidating. Together we'll learn some simple methods to read the Bible to deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ.
We're revisiting our 7 Core Values as a church community and our first value isn't a what. It's a who. And you'll learn why we value Jesus Christ above everything else.
“Didn’t Jesus say you shouldn’t judge?” Many people who know very little about the Bible know this much, namely, that Jesus had issues with people judging. Is that true? If so, wouldn’t it be wrong to judge another person for their judgmental attitude? Or to confront someone for abusing a child? Or to look down on anyone for their racist views? These questions force us to think twice about what Jesus has to say about judging so that we can judge in Jesus’ way.
You are wonderfully and uniquely designed by the God who has never once made a mistake. Therefore, you should be true to yourself. Be authentically you. Don’t hide yourself or fit into the mold made by those who don’t know your heart. Few messages are more often heard in our day than “Be you.” What should followers of Jesus make of this? Does our Father call us to be ourselves? Or is he offering us something much harder (and much better)?
Times are tough and we need practical and spiritual ways to deal with them. To help us do that, King David is going to teach us a powerful way to speak to God through prayer in Psalm 12.
Jesus has declared that YOU are the light of the world and that YOU can make a difference in the world.
God in his love has given us an amazing gift called the Lord's Supper to continually remind us that our sins truly are forgiven!
You may have noticed that words matter. One comment has the power to build you up or tear you down. The things you say to others have the power to bring life or death. Words matter and God our Father calls us to use them wisely.
It may be hard to admit but you have a dysfunctional family life? Everybody does! That's why we all need Jesus to teach and empower us to be loving children, parents, husbands and wives.
Some of the most intense spiritual battles you'll ever face will take place in your own mind. This message from God's word will teach you how to take control of your thoughts which will then directly affect how you speak and act towards others.
Often we make worship all about us and our preferences when it should always and forever be about Jesus!
Baptism is an amazing gift from God. If you've already received this gift, this message will remind you why it's still just as important to you as it was when you first received it. And if you haven't received this gift yet, you're invited to experience what God has in store for you!
Being a Christian isn't easy. At times it entails suffering and persecution but thankfully we have a secret weapon. It's Christ in us!
Far too often we let someone or something take the place of Jesus in our hearts. In this message we'll learn how to put Jesus back on his throne and worship and honor him above all else.
The devil is always looking for ways to divide us, whereas God's desire is to unite us. One way to keep the unity is to intentionally thank God for each other through prayer asking that the Holy Spirit fill us with his good gifts.
In order to be successful in any realm of life you need to be grounded in the fundamentals. The area this is most imperative is in the spiritual realm. You may have heard the fundamental story of Easter before but you can never hear it enough.
The world we live in seems pretty dark right now and the more we focus on the darkness the darker it gets. This message is all about reframing our mindset and focusing on the darkness Jesus endured in order to bring light into our lives.
Jesus shows us how to navigate being mislabeled by family and colleagues in this interesting account that delves into the unforgivable sin.
Jesus upended lots of traditions and cultural norms when he spoke and lived out the truth of God's word. The reality is we all need some upending to keep us on the path of love instead of legalism.
Based on our experiences and upbringing it would be easy to think that Jesus is for some people but not all. Jesus' encounter with a tax collector will reveal that Jesus is in fact for everyone.
Guilt is a powerful emotion that can't be fixed by over the counter medication, rehab, meditation or any good intentions on our part. Guilt can only be fixed by forgiveness and Jesus Christ has the power to forgive your sins and remove your guilt forever!
Have you ever wondered if God's too busy to hear your prayers or when he does hear them that He's not interested in helping? In this week's message about an encounter with a leper, Jesus will demonstrate that He is more than willing to help.
Jesus demonstrates for us that prayer is an essential part of developing and maintaining a strong and vibrant relationship with our Heavenly Father. And the benefits of having a direct line to God the Father are seemingly endless.
There are a lot of opinions swirling around about who Jesus Christ really is. In this message we skip the guessing game and go right to the source to learn that he is powerfully compassionate.
In the beginning there was one spoken language, but today there are over 7,000. The Bible tells us why God allowed this to happen and what this means for us today.
Noah and his Ark have always captured our imagination but what many don't realize is that without him and his family none of us would be here today.
There is no such thing as a perfect family and every family deals with some degree of dysfunction. The question this message explores is how do you deal with that dysfunction in a God-pleasing way.
