This weekend Pastor Zach used the story of Nicodemus, the Pharisee known for visiting Jesus under cover of night, to show us that God loves difficult people – even those who are hard to teach or don’t want to risk their reputations by associating with him. After his loving encounter with Jesus, Nicodemus went from a man hiding in the shadows to living boldly for Christ, where all could see his affection for his Savior. What would your life look like if you really believed that God loves every ve...
May 10, 2020•21 min•Season 3Ep. 19
The love stories in the Bible are full of very real and raw portrayals of people. No sugar coating here—we see the good, the bad, and the ugly. This weekend, Pastor Joe showed us how the story of Peter, arguably the most powerful and prominent disciple, was no different. The good news is if someone can mess up as badly as he did, but still be loved by God, we can have hope too! May this message remind you that in your ugliest of moments where it’s hard to even love yourself, Jesus loves you at y...
May 03, 2020•17 min•Season 3Ep. 18
This weekend we continued our new message series, Famous Stories of Love, with the parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10. It's a familiar tale, but this time we looked at this story from a new perspective. There's plenty to learn from the Samaritan on how to be a good neighbor, but Pastor Zach showed us what we can learn from identifying with the man who was mugged and left for dead, with nothing to offer, and yet was still loved beyond measure.
Apr 26, 2020•25 min•Season 3Ep. 17
From cover to cover, the Bible is a story of God's love for you, but woven throughout are enchanting true tales of people who have found remarkable ways to love God and others, sometimes against all odds and always at great cost. These stories will fill your heart with gratitude for God's great love for you and inspire you to find bold ways to share his love with those around you. This weekend, Pastor Joe launched a series with the story of The Sinful Woman, found in Luke 7.
Apr 19, 2020•21 min•Season 3Ep. 16
Jesus was condemned by the religious elite, killed, and buried in a tomb. Three days later, he walked out of his grave, and as a result, the world changed forever. But that's not the end of the story. This story, the greatest love story the world has ever known, continues with you. Whether you've heard the Easter story dozens of times or never at all, we hope you were able to join us to celebrate what matters most: love.
Apr 12, 2020•28 min•Season 3Ep. 15
This week Pastor Joe took us through the final commandment: You shall not covet. So what's the harm in wanting something you don't have? Trying to keep up with the Joneses will never satisfy you. Plus, it's hard to really love your neighbor when you just want their stuff. Through this message, we learned that the secret to not coveting is to find contentment in God and his love for you. Fill up on his unending grace, and you'll realize you already have everything you could ever truly need.
Apr 05, 2020•15 min•Season 3Ep. 14
This week Pastor Zach took us through the ninth commandment: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. AKA: Don’t lie. It seems like a simple enough law to understand, but we learned how lying actually stems from our deep desires to be loved and to be cared for. So why does dishonesty matter so much to God? Because you thinking you need to lie to prove or protect yourself shows you ultimately don’t trust him with your life or your future. Next time you’re tempted to lie to earn som...
Mar 29, 2020•30 min•Season 3Ep. 13
This week Pastor Joe took us through the eighth commandment—thou shall not steal. We learned that stealing includes both wrong taking and wrong keeping. Both cause damage to not only the victim but the criminal. We know that the opposite of stealing is generosity. And how do we become generous people? We look at how Jesus become poor for us. We laugh at how the discomfort we feel pails in comparison, and we give freely. Many of you may have noticed that the seventh commandment on adultery was sk...
Mar 22, 2020•15 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Well, this weekend definitely felt a little different! While we weren't able to be with you all in person, we are so grateful that we can still worship together online. Thanks for tuning in as Pastor Joe encouraged us to respond to current events with courage and compassion while others are filled with fear. It may feel like we are facing a mighty storm, but as followers of Jesus, we know we are safe in the boat with him. We believe that as the body of Christ, this is our time to shine. We encou...
Mar 15, 2020•11 min•Season 3Ep. 11
This commandment means more than you think, and we’re guilty of it in more ways than we think. When the sixth commandment says you shall not murder, it also means you shall value life. Therefore anything that damages people or devalues their worth is an affront on God himself. The good news? There is grace. The message of our Savior is that life is so meaningful, it’s worth dying to save.
Mar 08, 2020•19 min•Season 3Ep. 10
This weekend we continued in our series by learning about the fifth commandment– to honor your father and mother. We learned about the importance of honoring our parents, but most importantly how the gospel fits in this commandment. We talked about the deep secret: That we have a heavenly father who does not die, will never leave you, and can heal the wounds from your earthly parents.
Mar 01, 2020•27 min•Season 3Ep. 9
This weekend we continued our series in The 10 Commandments by learning about the fourth commandment– the commandment to rest. We can give our work to God as a gift of love, but we should then view rest as God’s gift to us. If we try to find our worth in what we do, we will never rest and always be a slave. But if we find out wroth in Jesus and what he has done - we will know true rest, understanding that we are already loved.
Feb 23, 2020•31 min•Season 3Ep. 8
This weekend we continued our series in The 10 Commandments by learning about the third commandment– do not take the Lord’s name in vain. Pastor Zach taught us why we should not speak for God, saying, “God told me this,” especially if it can’t be found in Scripture. Rather, we can know exactly what God says by looking to Jesus and reading his word in the Bible.
Feb 16, 2020•31 min•Season 3Ep. 7
This weekend we continued our series in The 10 Commandments by learning why we shouldn't create images of God. Often times this leads us to create false ideas of who God really is. Instead, we can look to Jesus, who came to earth and revealed to us who the true God is.
Feb 09, 2020•29 min•Season 3Ep. 6
This week we started our new sermon series in The 10 Commandments. We know that might seem weird since our new theme is Love Matters Most, but we also know that the entire Bible, cover to cover, rightly understood about love. We started by learning from Exodus 20:1-3, where the Israelites are commanded to have no other gods besides the Lord. Pastor Joe taught us that when God is at the center of our lives, we are then free to love others and God.
Feb 02, 2020•30 min•Season 3Ep. 5
When Jesus tells us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and love our neighbor as ourself… that is a whole lot of love! But let’s be real, it can’t come from ourselves. It is from God through Jesus that we are filled with love beyond measure, and that love means a few things. First, we can know that the bad things that happen to us will be used for good. Second, we know that we can never lose the gift of God’s love. And third, we know that we have hope for the future because ...
Jan 26, 2020•31 min•Season 3Ep. 4
This week, Pastor Zach shared a powerful message about God’s love from Romans 5:6-9. We learned that God’s love for us is not mathematical. He does not love in the way we do, keeping track of who owes us something or who isn’t worth our time. Instead, God loves us at our worst by sending his best, Jesus Christ. Use the link below to learn more!
Jan 19, 2020•32 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Joe Coffey | This weekend we continued our series by learning about John 3:16, the most famous verse in the Bible. Whether it's through a sign at a football game or Sunday school as a kid, we've probably all heard this verse. But this weekend Pastor Joe taught us that it's more than just a comforting verse about how much God adores us. In reality, it is a rescue operation. And in reality, God's love should fill you with awe, fear, and wonder.
Jan 12, 2020•32 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Joe Coffey | This weekend we kicked off Love Matters Most— our new theme that will carry us through September. From the beginning, people were created and called to love God and love others no matter the cost. But in a culture that often feels more divisive than unified, radical love is no easy task. In 2020, we want this church to be full of people that are marked by love—love for God and love for one another. Our year together will focus on loving others in a way that makes a difference wherev...
Jan 05, 2020•31 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Join us as we celebrate the birth of Christ our King on Christmas Eve. Christmas is an excellent time to spend time with family, think about the past, and give presents that make our loved ones feel known. But as Christians, we know the most important gift of Christmas is the free gift of Jesus, the one who gave up his heavenly dwelling to live among man and make God known to us. And the best part? It is truly a free gift. Jesus paid the price through his death on a cross, for we could never ear...
Dec 24, 2019•16 min•Season 2Ep. 52
This weekend we continued our series by learning how shepherds out in a field heard of the birth of Jesus from a multitude of angels. God chose to use shepherds to spread the word of his son’s birth as they went back to their towns and told everyone what they saw. They couldn’t help but tell others of God’s magnificent glory. If like the shepherds, you’ve been radically changed by God, have you told others of the joy you now have? Go out and proclaim his glory! Or maybe this Christmas you’re sti...
Dec 22, 2019•32 min•Season 2Ep. 51
The grandness and power of God can make him feel distant in a way that we'll never really know what he's thinking. What if we had the chance to stop guessing what God is like? In Christ, we do have that chance. Christmas reminds us not only of how Christ came to live with us but also that God is fully revealed, and fully knowable through Christ if we only make the choice to consider him.
Dec 15, 2019•27 min•Season 2Ep. 50
It's easy to miss the power of Christmas because it's such a familiar, sentimental story. But we want to make sure you don't miss the white-hot core of the holiday. This weekend, Pastor Joe encouraged us to remember that Christmas means the God of the universe came in human flesh as a baby to restore and renew all things that are decaying and being destroyed now. And that is our reason to celebrate!
Dec 08, 2019•31 min•Season 2Ep. 49
Christmas time can easily become cluttered with festive music, movies, and traditions-- but what if we also looked at it as a rescue mission? This week Pastor Joe taught us that if you've ever been lost, you've probably asked yourself three things: Does anyone know I'm lost? Does anyone care that I'm lost? And, will anyone come for me? When we think of Christmas, we can think of Jesus on a rescue mission, coming as God in flesh to rescue each one of us. As you go about your normal Christmas trad...
Dec 01, 2019•30 min•Season 2Ep. 48
Pastor Zach defined obedience is trust in action. We saw that our chief issue with God isn’t our performance — it is whether or not we trust God. Trust can be hard, but we know that Jesus already earned God’s trust for us by living, dying, rising from the dead. When we look to Jesus, we can cast our doubts aside and trust that his Word is true. We can then live out that reality in our own lives, live obediently to his Word and making Jesus famous by showing others how God shows up for us.
Nov 24, 2019•32 min•Season 2Ep. 47
Joe Coffey | This week, Pastor Joe taught us how hospitality is a Surprisingly Simple Way to Make Jesus Famous. Through hospitality, we practice seeing people the way others don't, caring for them the way others won't, and sacrificing for them so they can feel known and loved. It can be as simple as playing with the little girl on the playground that others make fun of. Our acts of hospitality mirror the work Jesus did for us, and are practical ways to make his name known.
Nov 17, 2019•30 min•Season 2Ep. 46
Zach Weihrauch | This week, Pastor Zach taught us how generosity is a Surprisingly Simple Way to Make Jesus Famous. We learned that because God has shown his love for us by laying down Jesus' life for our behalf, we can trust him to take care of us. God looks out for our security and satisfaction so we don't half to. When we're able to lay those things down, we're able to truly be generous and take care of others. As we find intentional ways to care for others, we can show them God's love and ma...
Nov 10, 2019•34 min•Season 2Ep. 45
Joe Coffey | Forgiveness is in no way easy, but it’s simple because every day we are given opportunities to offer someone forgiveness. And when we realize how much Jesus has forgiven us, we can no longer hold on to the hurt that has been done to us. Our only choice is to pay the debt ourself, and move forward. Tune in as Pastor Joe teaches on why the story Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35) leads us to patience, pity, and release.
Nov 03, 2019•33 min•Season 2Ep. 44
Mike Holwerda | This week we learned about how Jesus is greater than any other trend or teaching. Pastor Mike Holwerda showed us how other popular teachings might seem fair, but in reality, they just give us a checklist that we could never keep in order to please God or obtain happiness. We need someone greater, so we look to Jesus. Jesus provided a way for us to be treated with grace, something the world cannot offer us. He checked off every box on the list and laid his life down so that we can...
Oct 27, 2019•33 min•Season 2Ep. 43
Joe Coffey | The Bible shares stories about many different heroes who had unwavering faith in God—from Abraham to Moses to Rahab and countless others. All of their stories have one thing in common. They acted out of faith because they were sure of the promise to come, the promise of a Savior. The whole Bible points to the hero we have in Jesus, the one who defeated evil and now seated on his throne. This week we learn that Jesus is greater than any hero we can imagine and we can act in faith jus...
Oct 20, 2019•27 min•Season 2Ep. 42
