Our lives are full of activities, full of busyness, full of stress, full of anxiety, but are they fulfilling? Jesus said, “I've come that you might have life, life to the full.” He didn't say, “I've come that you might have a full schedule.” He said, “I've come that you might have a life to the full. I want you to experience true fulfillment.” because passion is often the difference between fulfillment and frustration. That train is not going to get through to get the medicine in. No other train...
Feb 12, 2023•47 min
What would you do if you found out you only had 30 left to live? Would you go on a spending binge? Skydive? What would suddenly mean EVERYTHING to you, and what would suddenly mean NOTHING to you? If we look at Jesus, he KNEW when he had 30 days left to live, and we see that he did 4 things that we can put into practice today and live a life with no regrets! And the kicker, you don’t only need 30 days to do it!
Feb 05, 2023•40 min
With God’s help, David was able to experience victory over the giant in his path. His enemy was defeated. But what does it look like to respond well to victory? Who gets the glory for it? Through the conclusion of this story, we once again see David’s posture on display.
Jan 29, 2023•39 min
We know David was chosen by God, even though he was an unlikely choice. And with God’s help, he defeats Goliath in battle with only five smooth stones and a sling. There were certain things David did to make his effort successful. And, if we can understand what David did, we will be better equipped to defeat the giants in our life as well.
Jan 22, 2023•41 min
When David fought Goliath, no one thought he had a chance. It was a miracle in itself that the King allowed David to represent the entire army in one fight! What made David so special, so poised, so confident? Here’s a hint…it wasn’t his size, age, or physical traits. It was something that only God could see, and that’s why after the fight only God could get the glory for the victory!
Jan 15, 2023•25 min
When Israel and the Philistines were at war, the Philistines sent out their giant, Goliath, to fight. But before he fought, he questioned, insulted, and instilled fear amongst the people. Today we have many Goliaths and they all do the same thing. Question, demean, and cause fear. David shows us how faith in God allows us to conquer ANY challenger that stands before us today, just like he conquered Goliath.
Jan 08, 2023•40 min
This Christmas, lets take time to remember that God came to be WITH us! Emmanuel, God with us means that he came to comfort, bring peace, redemption, AND get us out of our comfort zone. This Christmas, lets remember all the reasons that Jesus came, and lets celebrate the birth of the King!
Dec 24, 2022•36 min
The last name that Isaiah says Jesus will be called is the “Prince of Peace.” And this didn’t just mean to the government, it is a peace that rules over our entire lives. But how do we reconcile with that peace amongst the turbulent world…one that is constantly changing with mandates, government, politics, and just plain and simple life? Jesus brings peace in a number of ways, and the Gospels give us great examples of how His peace can be brought into our everyday lives.
Dec 18, 2022•38 min
People view God in many different ways. Punitive, judgmental, angry, or even view Him like Santa Clause, and often that relates to how our earthly father raised us individually. Scripture calls God the GOOD father, and the EVERLASTING Father. God was, is, and will always be, and His love is that of a perfect father.
Dec 11, 2022•48 min
Isaiah says that Jesus will be called “Mighty God.” That’s a huge thing to call a newborn babe, especially in times of captivity and problems. We may not be in captivity today, but we do have some mighty big problems! Jesus showed how mighty He was in just 3 years of ministry on Earth, but His might carries through to today. How can we rely on His might to get us through our Mighty BIG problems?
Dec 04, 2022•35 min
The book of Isaiah gives many names to Jesus, one of those being “Wonderful Counselor.” In biblical times however, a counselor was extremely different than what we refer to as a counselor today. Jesus broke the mold of what a counselor is by consistently going above and beyond what any counselor would say or do in those times, and this reigns true for us today as He is STILL our “Wonderful Counselor.”
Nov 27, 2022•35 min
Have you ever wondered how God feels toward you? Join us as special guest, Pastor Kelly Armstrong from Center Church, shares with us how God''s arms are open wide no matter what mess you bring with you.
Nov 20, 2022•38 min
For some being generous is a struggle. However, for many Christ-followers, acts of generosity are second nature and, in some cases, have become commonplace & routine. This message unpacks the unseen & undiscussed issue of the potential of becoming distracted by generosity and losing sight of our primary role as Disciples of Christ… Making More Disciples.
Nov 13, 2022•45 min
Living a generous life starts with awareness, but that’s only step one. Being aware or a need doesn’t fill that need, we have to be able to take action on something. In scripture we see an amazing example of how Jesus himself walks through this process with his disciples, and we see just how we can take action and do this today!
Nov 06, 2022•37 min
Its easy to go through life and be so focused on our task at hand, that we can easily miss seeing the needs of those right in front of us. As we enter into the Thanksgiving season, it seems as if we can very easily miss the ability we have to be generous with others in various ways, because we haven’t trained ourselves to LOOK for opportunities to actually BE generous. Being aware of the people around you is an integral part of living a generous life.
Oct 30, 2022•37 min
When life comes at you, without a strong foundation you can “sink” into your problems. Wave after wave of life can come your way, and it takes a lot to float to the top and STAY on top. Paul urges us to become “Living Sacrifices” in our journey through the world, and doing so means says yes to some things and NO to others. Saying no to ourselves and yes to Jesus allows us to not drown in the world, and instead float to the top and see what He has in store.
Oct 23, 2022•40 min
Ever been the last kid picked for a game at recess? Sometimes we can feel like we live in a world where we aren’t wanted or aren’t chosen to be a part of fun or important things. Romans talks about how when we understand what God has done for us through Jesus, we can begin to understand that before we even knew who God was, we were already CHOSEN by Him!
Oct 16, 2022•34 min
The more we talk about the big sin problem and how we were rescued from it brings the question…What happens next? Once we have been forgive, do we just sit back and live life waiting to eventually meet Jesus, or is there more? How do we walk towards God and pursue the life He called us to when we are still engulfed in a world filled with sin? What does it mean when it says we are “dead to sin,” yet we still live in a flesh and sin filled world? We have an amazing resource at our disposal, sent b...
Oct 09, 2022•34 min
Jesus wants us to know we are so much more than our mess. When we're going through struggles we need to hear, pursue, think about, and ultimately touch Jesus in order for our situation to change.
Oct 02, 2022•36 min
Paul says in Romans that we all have this big SIN problem, and that needed a big PERFECT solution. When God sent Jesus, it was for all people and for all time, even though we are unworthy of such a gift. Today we unpack just how perfect this gift was, and how God’s timing is everything, AND perfect!
Sep 25, 2022•37 min
We have a special treat today, as Pastor Ryan from Elim church joins us to bring us a special word from the book of Ecclesiastes. Pastor Ryan and Pastor Dustin both met in college in California and now have the privilege of pastoring churches just a few blocks from each other. Welcome him today as he shares and leads us this morning!
Sep 18, 2022•38 min
All to often we can take for granted the forgiveness that God offers and make a compromising decision. Then we may even say something like, “well, its not that big of a deal…” or maybe, “its nothing compared to ______...” Maybe we have even blamed politics, the laws of the land, or someone else for something we have done and we haven’t addressed the REAL issue behind the action. The root of so many problems is laws, people, or politics…it’s a sin problem. We all have a sin problem, and we all ha...
Sep 11, 2022•42 min
This Sunday we have another special treat, as we get to welcome our very own Chris Hansler to share with us about how God can handle anything.
Sep 04, 2022•41 min
This Sunday we have a special treat, as we get to welcome our very own Tammy Swailes to share with us about her adventures as a missionary! Join us as we hear from her, and support her as she lives to spread the word of God in Ukraine.
Aug 28, 2022•37 min
Patience reveals a LOT of human nature. Are we self centered? Others Centered? God centered? How do we get it without going crazy when we have to practice it…do we really want it in the first place? James concludes his letter with a passage on patience, what we should do AND what we shouldn’t do with it! Now…the real question is, “Who REALLY wants it?
Aug 21, 2022•43 min
James chapter 4 hits heavy on the world, and the heart. God says that He wants our whole heart, and we live in a world that is constantly competing with our heart. If our hearts aren’t focused on Him, then it can cause pride, which leads to conflict, which ultimately leads to a life that is self centered and not Jesus centered. James talks about how to set the eyes of your heart on Godly things, and how to keep the main thing the main thing!
Aug 14, 2022•49 min
The Tongue can be an amazing thing for praise, worship, affirmation, and power…but it also can be poison, hurtful, poison, destructive… James outlines the power of the tongue and how as followers of Jesus we have an INCREDIBLE tool at our disposal, so let's learn how to use it the way God intended.
Aug 07, 2022•49 min
Faith without works is dead… That’s a VERY bold statement that James makes in James 2, but what does he mean? Is he saying that if you don’t do “works,” then you have no faith? Is he saying that you have to do something in order to be saved? Theologians have argued about this for years…why do we act on faith, and what does it mean if we profess to have faith but do nothing about it??? Today we will unpack what James is talking about in chapter 2 of his letter.
Jul 24, 2022•35 min
“Are you listening? Did you hear me?” At some point we have either said or heard this, and it is usually asked because an instruction was given…and then not followed through on. James addressed this type of behavior in scripture, and calls for people to be both “Listeners and Doers” of the Word. It’s one thing to read about scripture and hear from God, but are we ready to actually DO everything he tells us to…or what just feels comfortable to do?
Jul 17, 2022•44 min
The testing of our faith through trials, adversity, suffering, etc… produces in us a steadfast spirit and perseverance. And perseverance is an invaluable characteristic of those who follow Christ.
Jul 10, 2022•40 min
