Friendship is hard work. And sometimes choosing good friends means letting go of others. What if the next step in pursuing meaningful friendships means pruning the less healthy ones in the process? How can our friends help us grow spiritually? What will it take to experience truly life changing friendships?
Friendship would be much easier if our friends could just get their act together. If only they would "this" or "that," then they'd be the friends we really need. But is that the missing ingredient to having better friendships? What will it take to have the friends we've always wished our friends would be?
An African proverb suggests, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." For many of us, our fast-paced lives make it seem like the only option is to go alone, and friendships can get left in the dust of all the other things we're pursuing. So, do we really need friends? What's the benefit of living as though friendship matters?
A new year. A fresh start. A chance to set goals. A chance to dream big. A chance to resolve. But of all life's resolutions, are there some that are more significant than others? What's the most critical resolution of all? Join us for Starting Point as we kick off the year together looking at life's greatest resolution!
To add some “holy” to your holidays, join us for this morning’s service happening at 10:00am across all our locations. As this year comes to an end, what role has God played in your life? And on the cusp of a new one, what role could God play in the year to come? Gathering as a community for a time of music, reflection, story and scripture can help guide our hearts as we make this transition together.
Christmas is seen as a time of joy and wonder, sacredness and significance. But it’s easy to get tripped in the potholes of busyness, consumerism, and worst of all, fights about the “reason(s?!) for the season.” In a world as polarized as ours, one of those traps is the “Merry Christmas” versus “Happy Holidays” debate. What SHOULD we say? What CAN we say? What CAN’T we say? And most of all, how do we avoid the blow up at Christmas dinner that is anything but “merry” or “happy”? But what if we co...
In religious circles, the "faithful" seem to be those who consistently plunk themselves into the same seat, pew or auditorium chair week after week, Sunday after Sunday; sitting, singing and praying all the right words at all the right times. But is such a routine actually life-giving faith or dying ritual? How can we save our faith from the kind of faith that will never save us?
It's a common perception that only certain kinds of people can step into a church. Those who have it together. Those who've "paid their dues." Those who are ready and able to put on their "Sunday best." But what if this country club mentality is the biggest faith fail of all? What will it take to steer clear of the sin of "country club" faith?
We've all experienced it... The Facebook rant, the TV preacher, the lunch room diatribe; people who like to spew opinions into the world. And this can seem most frequent with religious people. But is that what religion is about? Saying the right words to anyone who will listen? When all is said and done, what matters most in religion: the "said" or the "done"?
Seeing differently leads to living differently, starting wherever God's placed us. So how can we embrace a lifestyle of mutual mission? How can we begin to make a mutual difference? When we learn to see, what opportunities might be right before our eyes?
As a member of the Southridge community for more than a decade, Allison Alley has recently been appointed the future President & CEO of our global partner, Compassion Canada. It's been an incredible journey of seeing and receiving more than she could have ever asked or imagined, and today we have an opportunity to be a part of the story like never before.
Raised in one of the largest and poorest slums on the African continent, Jey Mbiro has experienced the radical transformation made possible through child sponsorship. But that's not the end of his story. Because not only has Jey been on the receiving end of global mission, he now lives a life of global mission. Join us as he shares his story of hope and possibility.
The gap between the global rich and the global poor is substantial. In North America we "have" a lot, and in some parts of the world, people don't "have" nearly as much. But is this the whole picture? Or are we missing something? What if we could redefine the gap between "rich" and "poor" and realize there might be more than meets the eye?
On October 17th, consumption of marijuana will become legalized in Canada. Whatever you think of this change, we can all agree it's a smoking hot topic. So what does this mean for Jesus followers? What should we do with new found freedom? How do we navigate the variety of opinions and perspectives? And at the end of the day, who's to say whether Christians can get high?
We all want to be happy. But what does that really mean? Do we know what it looks like? Do we know what we're after? What if there's something better to pursue than mere happiness? If so, then where do we look to find it?
When life is hard, we find ourselves asking: Why? Why me? Why this? Why now? Why, God? And the pain of uncertainty only makes the hard things harder. So what can we do with that? How can we better understand God when we can't understand the "why"?
The accumulation of wealth is one of the highest goals of our society, usually out of a desire to gain safety and security for ourselves and those we love. But what do we lose in this process? Is it possible that having less enables us to have more of what really counts?
When life presents obstacles, it can be hard to know where to turn. Difficult circumstances and decisions make us wish we had all the answers laid out in front of us, that we could be absolutely sure of the best way to respond. But when life gets hard, how do you know what to do? Or where to turn? And how can we be sure?
To be happy... It's the pursuit of nearly everyone you meet. It's even built into the fabric of our societies and constitutions. But what does it really mean? How do you actually get there? And what if there is something even better than "happy"?
At all our locations we will gather for this fall kick-off service and the chance to hear from our Lead Pastor, Jeff Lockyer, as he shares our vision for this next season of faithfulness at Southridge.
Our world feels divided as ever and the greatest chasm might be the political aisle. But rather than avoiding the political discourse, what would it look like to talk politics like Jesus? How can politics become a healthy and productive dialogue rather than a rampant and destructive elephant in the room?
They say there's three things you shouldn't talk about at a party: religion, politics and money. But Jesus didn't seem scared to talk about any of them. In fact, the Bible refers to money more than any other single subject. So what do we do with this? How can we change the way we think and talk about money to get the elephant out of the room?
Over the last decade, few things have changed the world more than social media. From Facebook to Twitter to Instagram to Snapchat there's limitless possibility to posting and scrolling. But what effect has this had on our relationships? What effect has this had on our lives? If he was here today, how might Jesus navigate his online presence?
Studies show that 1/5 people experience some form of mental illness. But with such common occurrence, why is the conversation still rare? What gets in the way of talking about mental illness and anxiety that, if removed, might move us toward greater health? How can our faith help us navigate the challenges of mental health?
Human beings are creatures of habit. Structure, routine and repetition help us navigate the world. But what happens when our habits get out of control? Where can we turn when less-than-healthy habits get the best of us? What would it take for conversations about addiction to be the norm rather than the stigma, so we can all discover the freedom to grow?
Where will you be 10 seconds after you die? It's a question that can spark fear and uncertainty in an instant. And for some, this is the question of faith that drives everything. But is the invitation of Jesus a scare tactic to avoid eternal damnation? Is this what he meant by "good news"? Are we destined to live in fear until the day we die?
For some, a life of faith equals a life of failure; always feeling bad cause you're never good enough. It feels like at best, God is disappointed with us, or at worst, he's all out furious. But is God really angry? Is God trying to shame us into submission? Is feeling crappy really the "good news" of Jesus?
For many people, the gospel is supposed to make people religious. People who truly follow Jesus are devoted to attending Sunday services, volunteering at church, and most importantly, following the rules; constantly trying to prove their worth. But is this what the "good news" is all about? Did Jesus die so that we could all become more religious?
The word "gospel" means "good news." But a lot of times in faith, religion and church, it seems like it's all designed to make us feel bad? What's the deal with that? Is the "good news" not that good after all? How can we escape fake news and false gospels to discover the truth of the message of Jesus?
Not only is the church for everyone, but we believe the church needs everyone. We've said before that it takes everyone's help to help everyone. And that's especially true when it comes to raising the next generation. So what role do you play in helping kids, parents and families thrive? What would it look like for all of us to go all in?
