Finding Strength - Ty Lemke
With Pastor Chris on sabbatical this July, we've invited several notable guest speakers to preach at Woodside Troy. On Sunday, we welcomed Pastor Ty Lemke from Grace Bible Church in Ann Arbor to the stage.

With Pastor Chris on sabbatical this July, we've invited several notable guest speakers to preach at Woodside Troy. On Sunday, we welcomed Pastor Ty Lemke from Grace Bible Church in Ann Arbor to the stage.
With Pastor Chris on sabbatical this July, we've invited several notable guest speakers to preach at Woodside Troy. On Sunday, we welcomed Dr. Drew Flamm (President of Grace Theological Seminary) to the stage.
What if church equipped us to go out and make a difference, not just sit and listen? In the final part of our Reach series, Pastor Chris Brooks takes us to Acts 13 and helps us rethink what it means to be a body of believers. It’s not just about showing up on Sundays; it’s about being sent out to share the Gospel. The Church in Antioch didn’t stay comfortable or play it safe. They fasted, prayed, listened to the Holy Spirit, and sent everyone to spread the Good News of Jesus. This message remind...
What happens when following Jesus becomes difficult? Living out your faith can feel like a tough obstacle course filled with criticism and pressure coming from all sides. But as we see in Acts 12, the harder the world tries to suppress our faith, the more it spreads. Tune in as we dive into how the Gospel overcame the major challenges faced by the early Church. Remember: you were made to follow Jesus through every obstacle because God’s purpose always advances.
We're all searching for purpose: what if Jesus has the answer? In this powerful message from Acts 11, Pastor [NAME] reminds us that the mission of the Church is to help people belong to Christ, grow in Christ, and reach the world for Christ. This passage challenges us to move past self-preservation and step into Gospel-centered living. We’ll look at how early believers made a difference by boldly sharing their faith, equipping everyday people for leadership, and living out the mission of Jesus w...
What if every Christian prioritized sharing the Gospel? The Gospel didn’t stop in Jerusalem, and it’s not meant to stop with us. In Acts 11, the Apostle Peter describes how God broke down cultural barriers to reach new people through vision, obedience, and the power of the Holy Spirit. If God’s heart is to reach all people, then sharing the Gospel isn’t optional for us—it’s essential. As believers, we're called to advance the Gospel together in a world that desperately needs Jesus....
Can God work through you to share the Gospel? In this special message celebrating Woodside’s 70th anniversary, Senior Pastor Chris Brooks illustrates the evangelism of the early church through the lens of Acts 10:34-43. Pastor Chris reminds us that God can use anyone while encouraging us to live in boldness for Christ, right where we are. Listen in to discover why sharing the Gospel isn't just for pastors or missionaries, but for every believer, everywhere.
God often works through women to accomplish extraordinary things. In Acts 9, the story of Tabitha offers a powerful reminder that faithfulness and strong character are tools that God uses to advance His Kingdom. Tabitha's life shows us what it looks like to serve and influence others with grace. Her legacy reminds us that when we live faithfully, God can work through us in ways we might never expect. Tune in as we explore how this godly woman left a lasting impact for the Gospel—and how we can l...
Scripture makes it abundantly clear that Christ will return. As His followers, how can we wait well? Jesus gave us a clear commission: to proclaim His Gospel to the ends of the Earth. At the same time, Christ cautions us against trying to predict His return—only the Father knows the time. Instead, He calls us to live with steadfast hope, pursuing holiness, godliness, and joyful obedience. Tune in to discover how you can live a hope-filled life in light of Jesus’ promised return....
The message of Easter tells us that Jesus defeated death, rose from the grave, and ascended into Heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of God. This is a powerful story, but if we’re honest, the thought of Christ’s ascension can be a confusing idea. So, what does His ascension really mean? Listen in as we talk about how God's plan for our Savior resulted in Jesus ruling over us with intention, interceding for us with love, and commissioning us for a special mission.
Who is Jesus? If you asked people who Jesus is, you’d get a variety of answers: “Teacher,” “Prophet,” “Savior,” or “Lord.” But what about “King of the Jews?” That title might not come to mind first, yet it’s exactly what Pilate asked Jesus and what was inscribed on the cross at His crucifixion. Why does this title matter? Because understanding Jesus as King reveals the profound purpose behind His life, death, and resurrection—far more than we often realize. In our new series, Crowned , we’ll jou...
What if the resurrection wasn’t just a moment in history—but the turning point of your life? The death and resurrection of Jesus isn’t just an annual reflection—it’s the event that changed everything. In the Gospel of Mark, we meet four witnesses who reveal who Jesus is: a Roman soldier who calls Him the Son of God, a religious leader who buries Him as King, women who proclaim Him risen, and a young man in white who points to our hope of new life. Jesus conquered the grave, breaks our sin cycles...
What does Palm Sunday reveal about Jesus? In Mark chapter 11, Jesus enters Jerusalem at the beginning of Holy Week, where He reveals Himself as the Messiah to the multitudes who had traveled there to celebrate the Passover. Now, thousands of years later, His identity remains the same: our righteous deliverer and promised king. Jesus is the solution to our sin, emptiness, and restlessness — so how will you respond to His arrival? We have the choice to either accept and celebrate His offer of salv...
What does it mean when believers take Communion? As followers of Christ, Communion calls us to unity, personal reflection, and the public declaration of our faith. The act of taking Communion impacts both our walk with Jesus and our relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ. Join us as we take a deeper look at God’s design through the lens of the Lord’s Supper.
We can’t escape God's call. That might sound unsettling, but the truth is God is sovereign—He reigns over the world and over our lives. When God calls us, there’s no running away from Him, even if we try. That's because the Creator of the universe loves us deeply. He wants a personal relationship with us, no matter where we are in life. Listen in as we explore what it means to be called by God and why His invitation is inescapable.
Are you willing to let Jesus open your eyes? Without Christ, we live in spiritual blindness—searching or longing for something we may not fully understand. Yet, when Jesus meets us in our brokenness, He meets us exactly where we are and offers His transformative power. The key is our willingness to acknowledge our need for Him. Only then can we receive His gift of sight and salvation. Join us as we reflect on the story of the blind man in John 9, exploring how Jesus opens our eyes—both spiritual...
Have you ever put Jesus in a box? It’s easy for us to shape Christ into the Person we have in our minds, but in doing so, we'll fail to see Him for who He truly is—the great I AM. Jesus is not someone we can mold to our liking; He is the living Savior who deserves our full reverence and trust. By His grace, let's open our hearts to the true Jesus, allowing His nature to shape us—not the other way around. Join us as we discover how God’s people can rightly know Jesus.
What are your motives for following Jesus? Not everyone follows Him for the right reasons, but eventually our true motives will reveal themselves. As we walk with Jesus, it's important to do a heart check and ask ourselves if we're aligned with His purpose. Listen in as we walk through John 6 and consider these three questions: 1. Are you following because of who you want Jesus to be? 2. Are you following because of what you can get? 3. Are you following because of who Jesus is?...
How does Jesus demonstrate His divine authority? In the Gospels, we see Jesus healing the sick, drawing people to repentance, and working on the Sabbath. These countercultural acts revealed His ultimate authority as the Son of God. Jesus is the sovereign Lord who commands us to live in the fullness of His grace, repent of our sins, and join in His ongoing work of renewal in the world. Listen in as we walk through John 5:1-18
Have you ever asked God for a sign? Pleading that He would show you that He is trustworthy and reliable. When we find ourselves in these situations, we are likely fearing the unknown. We wallow in fear, feel stuck, fall behind, and wonder where to turn. In these moments, we may turn to other means to find a solution to mend and give us some temporary hope. But if we would simply turn to Christ, we would discover that we don’t need a sign. Listen in as we dive into Jesus’ second sign and ask thes...
We are continuing in our message series, Signs of the King , looking at the Gospel of John to discover who Jesus is. In life, we are constantly searching for direction. We desire guidance, even if we are getting it from the wrong places. As a result of our misguided searches, we are left even further from our hope. The Bible makes it clear for us, that in every circumstance, we can lean on Jesus. What does it mean to lean on Jesus? We must come to Jesus, fully obey Him, and receive the gift of C...
We are beginning a new sermon series titled, Signs of the King , where we will dive into the first eleven books of John while looking at the signs and wonders Jesus performed. As we walk through each of these chapters, we will consider openly who Jesus is and what that means for us. So, what will you find if you investigate Jesus? When we’re in Christ, we discover that He answers honest skepticism, honors sincere inquiry, and calls for sustained attention. We are offered an invitation to investi...
Today, we are concluding our series, Why Pray? where we've been studying through John 17. In this passage we see a glimpse of Jesus' prayer life, we see what He was truly concerned about and what was on His heart before His crucifixion. We see in this final section of scripture, what Jesus desires for those who would believe in Him. Jesus desires that we experience God's unity, God's glory, and God's love. Jesus' desire for us is that we would fully bask in His abounding love, joy, and freedom. ...
We have been studying John 17 throughout our series, Why Pray? In this passage, we read a prayer that Jesus prayed just hours before His crucifixion. At the Last Supper, we see Him praying to His Father over His disciples and His purpose. Within Christ’s prayer, we can find the purpose that He longs for us, His children, to have. Because we're set apart as followers of Christ, our purpose is found in Jesus and built on Him alone. It's all about Jesus. Join us for our latest sermon, How Do We Kno...
Today, as we continue in our series, Why Pray? We will continue to see how through prayer we can come to know Christ deeper. Can we be confident when we pray for God’s protection? Yes, we can! But to solidify this truth we will see examples from scripture. We can be confident in God’s protection because God keeps us in salvation, in His joy, and from the evil one. Why should we pray? To seek God’s protection. We don’t have to live in fear because we have a Father who is more than able to protect...
Have you ever wondered if God is generous? Maybe you have trouble fully understanding what God has given us or if He’s given us anything. But we see in scripture that He is generous, giving more than we could ever imagine. As we continue in our series, Why Pray? We will look at how the Lord has been generous towards us. The more time we spend in the Word, the more we will learn God's character. Jesus’ heart is for His children and those who will follow Him. He is trustworthy and His Word is true...
This new year we are beginning a new series, Why Pray , looking at the High Priestly prayer Jesus prayed to examine why and how we should pray. So, why should we pray? To glorify God. When we pray, we are entering into a conversation with God, the Holiest of all. He loves to hear from His children and through our time spent in prayer, we get to know who He is and grow in intimacy with our Father. When we acknowledge God as Father, Jesus as Son, and the glory of Christ we are glorifying God throu...
Happy Sunday, church family! We hope you are enjoying this Christmas season and have had moments to reflect on what this time of year means for us. As we enter into a new year, we are praying for you and that you would experience God’s blessings. Join us this Sunday as we hear from Abe Phillip as he talks about Living with Confidence. We hope this week's sermon blessed you and that it challenged you in your faith.
We are continuing in our Advent series, Radiant , looking at the birth of Jesus and the importance it had then and what it means for us now. Jesus frees us from our captivity of sin and shame. Through His gift of relationship with Him, Christ frees us from the burden of sin, He crushes the pain of Satan’s accusations and defeats the tyrant of death. We are a people in desperate need of deliverance, to find liberty in Christs gift of salvation. We need His hope to change our lives and free us fro...
Last week we kicked off our Advent series, Radiant , diving into the hope that Christ holds and the gift that is found in Jesus’ birth. The light that the coming of Jesus brings us is eternal, He offers us hope and joy. In Him, we can experience forever joy—that never dissipates, even in the difficult parts of life. Jesus fills us with joy by growing our family, bringing us to a table of celebration, and giving us forever joy. Life throws us a lot of different joys, many bring us happiness, but ...