The desire for meaning is rooted deep within humankind it’s a desire that keeps humankind alive. Therefore, we search for it all over this world but the fundamental thing we learned last week is that we won’t find it. One doesn’t find meaning “Under the sun” but in the creator of the Sun. In chapter two Solomon uses his personal testimony to demonstrate to the reader how life’s meaning cannot be found in anything that the world can offer and he begins with pleasure.
Oct 15, 2017•40 min
The thing I love about the Bible is that it provides answers to some of the toughest questions regarding life. The bible speaks to us in the midst of tragedy, in the midst of life altering events. The book that speaks directly to these life-altering questions is the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes helps us find meaning in this world. Ecclesiastes helps orient our lives to true north when we are lost in the chaotic, depraved evil mess of this world.
Oct 08, 2017•39 min
I want to share with you some more specific future growth plans our Leadership Board and Pastoral Staff have been praying through and talking through over the past many months. Pieces of this seem very clear to us... but we’re going to ask you to join us in prayer on the timing and feasibility of other pieces of it.
Oct 01, 2017•35 min
Now, there’s another tradition that the fall season brings around here at Church of the foothills: Our Fall Vision Refresh Series! Each Fall I try help us go the press-box, or review our playbook if you will, in order to help us get fresh perspective on how God’s game plan for the church is designed to work and how the position or role you play fits into that. And I hope that when you get that glimpse of the whole picture, it has the same effect on you that those films had on me.
Sep 17, 2017•39 min
Today we come of our final topic in this series; the topic of future things. What is God’s plan for humankind at the end of the age? Is Jesus coming back? If so, when? Where? What’s involved in all of that? And primarily what I want you to realize today is that our sure hope for the future is to impact our living today!!
Sep 10, 2017•43 min
Seven Truths All People have knowledge of God. All People reject God: All people, including you and me, and the man in the African bush… we have an inherently sinful nature that distorts and plagues our minds and the idolatry that plagues our hearts. All people are Guilty before God: All people regardless, of religious, cultural, or ethnic background, stand guilty before God. You can’t earn salvation: God has made a way of salvation for the lost Is there anywhere in this plan that it can break d...
Sep 03, 2017•40 min
Today I want to talk with you about sanctification. Sanctification is a natural outflow of the salvation message and the appropriate next step because it is tied directly to salvation.
Aug 27, 2017•37 min
Today we get to splash around in the refreshing truths of salvation—which is our rescue and deliverance from the nasty power and consequences of sin. PLEASE REALIZE, this week is crucial! This week sets Christianity apart from every other world religion and worldview.
Aug 20, 2017•41 min
Today folks, I have to tell you some things that are not going to be comfortable for you to hear. Some sermons are fun to share with you. This isn’t one of them. Today I need to take you into a very sober place. There are two things that people, though we all face these two things literally everyday, we really don’t like to think about or talk about. And today I have to invite you to think about both of these. Today we have to talk honestly and authentically about sin and death.
Aug 13, 2017•50 min
The writer of Psalm 8 asks God this question, “What is man that you are mindful of him?” Today I want to address that question: What is man? What are his origins, his make up, and his purpose? Here’s why it’s worth it to talk about these questions. What you believe about these things significantly influences what you think and how you feel about yourself. It impacts how you live out your life, and how you prepare for your future. How you answer these questions matters because what you think and ...
Aug 06, 2017•32 min
There are many ideas and beliefs about angels in our culture. There are questions about they’re abilities and powers, their presence or non-presence in our lives, our relationship to angels and many others. This morning, I’d like to spend some time clarifying and going over the truths that Scripture gives us in regards to these beings.
Jul 30, 2017•41 min
This morning we continue our summer series title Anchored: Twelve Truths to steady your soul. Today is actually the 6th Sunday of the series so we are almost half way through. That means Summer is practically over isn’t it? Over the last few weeks we have talked about God as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and today we are going to talk about all three of them as members of the Trinity.
Jul 23, 2017•36 min
Today I want to talk about how we can learn to increase our ability to cooperate with this transformational power at work in us. It starts with discerning when the Holy Spirit is speaking to us. Last week I invited you to take a few moments each morning and focus your mind on the reality of the presence and work of the Spirit in and around you. Before we can learn to follow the Spirit, we have to learn to listen to the Spirit and recognize his voice and promptings.
Jul 16, 2017•40 min
I am convinced that the biggest reason why many Christians are not thriving in their Christian walk is because they are underutilizing one of the greatest gifts Jesus ever gave us. That underutilized gift is the Holy Spirit.
Jul 09, 2017•40 min
Please enjoy the panel discussion from some of our fine first responders as they answer questions about their: 1. Hardest Day, 2. Biggest challenges in their jobs 3. How does their faith impacts their service? 4. How can we pray most effectively for you? You don't want to miss this!
Jul 02, 2017•41 min
Today on this Father’s Day, it is timely that we talk about our next anchor for our soul…our beliefs about God—primarily God the Father, the first person of the Trinity— Who is he? What is he like? And what is our relationship to him? Over the next few sessions we’ll be focusing on each person of the Godhead—God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit and then we’ll be spending an additional week on the Trinity together.
Jun 18, 2017•40 min
Welcome to our Annual Ministry/Budget Celebration. If you’re new with us today, you picked an exciting day to come. Today we celebrate what God has been doing in us and through us since last June.
Jun 11, 2017•51 min
We’re starting a new, 12-part series today called Anchored: Twelve Truths for Your Soul. It is our desire, whether you’ve walked with Jesus for 65 years or only a few days, that this summer-long series will draw you into a deeper relationship with Jesus, help you cultivate a greater understanding of what it means to be a child of God and free you to live fully in Him.
Jun 04, 2017•42 min
God promised Israel, that after all the consequences are carried out against them, when they turn their hearts back to the Lord, he will restore them. God also promised to perform heart surgery on them so that they can love the Lord with all their heart and all their soul and live. Isn’t that amazing?
May 28, 2017•38 min
Last week, Brian did a great job explaining why God obsesses about obedience and it has nothing to do with control and everything to do with wanting to be connected with you! Today we’re going to look at the other side of the story and the tragic consequences that come from misplaced trust.
May 21, 2017•45 min
Today I want to talk about why God obsesses about obedience. God’s repeated calls for obedience and his emphasis on obedience for us in our lives with him is not simply about obedience. Obedience is actually a means to an end. Turn in your Bibles to Jeremiah 35 and let’s see what message God has for us today
May 14, 2017•42 min
Throughout our series God has been trying to wake Israel up to their lifestyle of ignoring God…drifting from him…turning their backs on him…and ultimately giving themselves to chasing after every other experience in life they believe will satisfy their deepest longings. Folks, I don’t think we should consider ourselves any less at risk of this kind of distraction from God and dilution of worship. Our culture pushes and advocates for all sorts of “things,” “ambitions,” and “priorities” that const...
May 07, 2017•39 min
Zedekiah is now the king of Judah and the text tells us that the Babylonians are about to invade Jerusalem again. Though he’s not been tracking with God at all… Zedekiah sends a couple of guys to go and inquire of Jeremiah to appeal to God for a miracle that will cause the Babylonians to leave him and the city of Jerusalem alone. Have you ever found yourself in Zedekiah’s shoes? I actually know a lot of people like Zedekiah. People who will ignore God in how they live… in the choices they make b...
Apr 30, 2017•50 min
Jesus was the teacher, teaching as he had done for three years. But now he was transformed by the glory and the power of the resurrection. The curriculum was the Kingdom of God, and that’s no surprise because from the time that John the Baptist introduced us to Jesus saying, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”, the kingdom was the subject of what Jesus did and taught. That’s the language he used…kingdom language. Kingdom language basically describes the “rule and reign”...
Apr 23, 2017•40 min
Easter, as many of you are aware already, celebrates the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth from the dead. A lot of people say, "I believe in the resurrection; I just don't understand it." So, here’s what I want to do in my time with you today. I want to ask two questions: Easter—what does it mean, and why does it matter?
Apr 15, 2017•41 min
Today, I thought it would be good for us to revisit the events of the day when Palm Sunday originally occurred. And perhaps more importantly revisit the question, “How do the events of Palm Sunday impact you today?” Many of you could turn to your neighbor right now and in once sentence tell them what happened on Palm Sunday. Add another sentence and you could tell them why it has come to be called, “Palm Sunday.” But, perhaps it would be a bit more difficult for you to explain why the events of ...
Apr 09, 2017•42 min
Jeremiah was doing exactly what God told him to do, and as a result he was soundly beaten and left all night in the stocks. This would have been very painful and humiliating for Jeremiah. It should come as no surprise to us that sometimes, the direct result of obeying God is personal difficulty and discomfort. It was true for the prophets, it was true for the disciples and early church, and it is still true today.
Apr 02, 2017•36 min
Today, God takes Jeremiah on a field trip and gives him an object lesson for the people. And the lessons we can draw from this field trip remind us what it takes to experience God’s best desires and intentions for us. Let’s load the bus and head out with Jeremiah on this field trip.
Mar 26, 2017•37 min
Are we just as much at risk in our day of subtly transferring and gradually misplacing our trust onto things, ideas, or people other than God? In what ways are we at risk of pursuing things other than God that we deeply believe will make life work for us.
Mar 19, 2017•35 min
We acknowledged last week that discouragement descends on each of us at one time or another. And, as you all know…once discouragement descends on us, it can take some time to recover from it. And that was true for Jeremiah. Our message today is a kind of sequel to last week. As we hear more from Jeremiah’s discouraged heart, and hear God’s response we get the opportunity to learn some additional strategies that can help dissolve discouragement when it descends on us.
Mar 12, 2017•43 min
