Last Sunday, April 17, we began a 2 part series finale -- that looks at the theme of suffering. This week we looked at the "way things are". Next week we will look at the way things will be...
NOTE: We use LIVE events to post our notes, Scripture reading(s), and additional resources that you might find helpful. Click here for this week's LIVE event.
What makes a man or woman truly free? Is it education? Money? The esteem of others? Their faith? Last Sunday, April 3, Could it be that freedom is actually founded upon the decision of another on our behalf? This is the testimony of Scripture when it speaks of God's decision to adopt us as his very own son or daughter. If this is true, how do we know this and what are the implications for our lives? Have a listen!.
NOTE: We use LIVE events to post our notes, Scripture reading(s), and additional resources that you might find helpful. Click here for this week's LIVE event.
Last Sunday, April 3, we looked at the how life finds a way... that "Life Wins!" even when life is not going so well on the outside. Since we know that faith does not allow the faithful to escape the sadness, challenges, and disappointments of life, what promise does God give us that we can know and experience His life when ours is broken by circumstances-- whether they are beyond our control or caused buy our own choices?
NOTE: We use LIVE events to post our notes, Scripture reading(s), and additional resources that you might find helpful. Click here for this week's LIVE event.
Last Sunday, March 27, we celebrated God's Easter promises by looking at an incredible picture of dry bones in a desolate and hopeless valley. Can God give life to dry bones that feel hopeless and cut off from people and from God? Have a listen...
NOTE: We use LIVE events to post our notes, Scripture reading(s), and additional resources that you might find helpful. Click here for this week's LIVE event.
Last Sunday, March 20, Rose Males spoke on Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on what is traditionally called, "Palm Sunday". As we witness the events of that day we learn that Jesus presents Himself as King but not the King we expect.
NOTE: We use LIVE events to post our notes, Scripture reading(s), and additional resources that you might find helpful. Click here for this week's LIVE event.
Last Sunday, March 13, we reflected on Paul's promise that a Christian community is a richly endowed and gifted community. But what makes the gifting of a Christian community unique? How are we to understand the spiritual gifts God gives us? Are gifts circumstantial or continual? Natural or supernatural? Are some more important than others? So many questions but Paul is adamant that he does not want us to be uninformed about spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12.1). When we can a basic understanding than we can beware of the pitfalls that will undermine the variety, unity, and vitality that God's gifts offer us personally and as a community.
NOTE: We use LIVE events to post our notes, Scripture reading(s), and additional resources that you might find helpful. Click here for this week's LIVE event.
Last Sunday, March 6: True worship that is pleasing to God radiates throughout a person's entire life (A W Tozer). Worship is more, much more, than showing up for a service on Sundays. Worship will influence and shape every aspect of our lives -- especially our understanding or worth, significance, success. True worship will release us to to be passionate advocates for justice, mercy, and compassion on behalf of the poor, the dispossessed, and the overlooked. Join us as we reflect on worship!
NOTE: We use LIVE events to post our notes, Scripture reading(s), and additional resources that you might find helpful. Click here for this week's LIVE event.
Last Sunday, February 28: "Winston Churchill observed: We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." Jesus has a lot to say about living generously. In the story of the 2 Rich Men and Lazarus (Luke 16.19-31) we eavesdrop in on a fictional conversation between 2 rich men -- an unknown rich man and Abraham, the founding father of the Jewish people. This is a springboard from which we leap to discuss living generously.
NOTE 2 THINGS: First, we had some recording issues this week so the first third of the message is missing. Two, we use LIVE events to post our notes, Scripture reading(s), and additional resources that you might find helpful. Click here for this week's LIVE event.
Last Sunday, February 21: The Bible is the most outrageous book ever written and it is essential to the vitality of any Christian community. This week we reflect on the example of Ezra so that we might be encouraged to allow Scriptures to engage us amidst their wisdom, insight, revelation, ambiguity, mystery, and outrageousness.
NOTE: We use LIVE events to post our notes, Scripture reading(s), and additional resources that you might find helpful. Click here for this week's LIVE event.
Last Sunday, February 14: Essential to any Christian community is the commitment to share our faith trusting that there is no one beyond God's love... Ryan Pfeiffer, Regional Director for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship shares encourages us to share our faith as we recognize Jesus' vision, Jesus' vision for our friends, and Jesus' vision for our role. Along the way we are reminded that there is no one who is beyond God's reach -- especially those who we know too well, cause us to be intimidated, and cause us to give up hope. Listen and be encouraged!
NOTE: We use LIVE events to post our notes, Scripture reading(s), and additional resources that you might find helpful. Click here for this week's LIVE event.
Last Sunday, February 7: Essential to any Christian community looking to be alive in Jesus, relevant to our world, and compassionate towards others must be the Cross of Jesus. Simply put we must be people of His Cross. Jesus points us to His Cross on the night He was betrayed and in doing so he celebrates His relationships, reminds us of the grace He gives us, and invites us to remember and celebrate the full and wondrous expanse of His life. As we do so we find our view of God is shaped in the image of Jesus and our lives discover fresh purpose. Jesus gave His life so we might give ours to others...
NOTE: We use LIVE events to post our notes, Scripture reading(s), and additional resources that you might find helpful. Click here for this week's LIVE event.
Last Sunday, January 31: The New Testament refers to the Church as light in the darkness, salt, strangers, aliens, and exiles. While we live as temporary residents of an earthly colony, Scripture says we get our orders and follow the laws of an eternal Kingdom. This begs the question: how shall we live? To reflect on this question, Mark looked at 2 passages from the Bible: Hebrews 11.13-16 and Jeremiah 29.4-14. The points of reflection might surprise you!
NOTE: We use LIVE events to post our notes, Scripture reading(s), and additional resources that you might find helpful. Click here for this week's LIVE event.
Last Sunday, January 24, Gary Barnes, Director of World Changers International, spoke on the essential theme of expressing the love of Jesus and sharing the our faith in Jesus. This message is a challenge for a faith that wants to be insulated and aloof from a world that doesn't share our faith... Yet as Gary points out: we don't really have a choice because of what Jesus says, "As the Father Has sent me, so I send you." In case you are wondering, that "you" is "us". Have a listen...
NOTE: We use LIVE events to post our notes, Scripture reading(s), and additional resources that you might find helpful. Click here for this week's LIVE event.
Last Sunday, January 17, Mark looked at Jesus' declaration: "I will build my Church". This means the Church is not an afterthought, a surprise, or a divine whim. Jesus intends the Church to be adynamic, living, and united people movement gathered around God. She is birthed by His redeeming work, held together by His merciful love, and commissioned to express and extend God’s righteous and redemptive Kingdom presence in our world. When Jesus announces His intention to “build my church”, He makes a specific promise. Do you think Jesus is keeping His word?
NOTE: We use LIVE events to post our notes, Scripture reading(s), and additional resources that you might find helpful. Click here for this week's LIVE event.
Last Sunday, January 10, Mark looked again at one new year's resolution that might well become a revolution for you... Every new year may of us face a a challenge: how do we focus on the future when we have a past that threatens to defeat us before we even begin. We look to the Apostle Paul for insight as we see how he articulates and applies Jesus' "one resolution."
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NOTE: We use LIVE events to post our notes, Scripture reading(s), and additional resources that you might find helpful. Click here for this week's LIVE event.
Essentials are those things that are absolutely necessary and central. Life essentials simplify our life because they help us navigate life's demands, complexities, challenges, distractions, and opportunities. As we begin this new year we are going to visit about "Essentials". First, we will take a few weeks to consider the ONE essential Jesus said will ground us and inspire us. Then we will look at the essentials of being a community that reflects God's presence and redemptive compassion. We believe as we consider and celebrate these essentials we will discover God's presence, God's promises, God's power, and God's purposes for our lives...
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Last Sunday, January 3, Mark looked one new year's resolution that might well become a revolution for you... what is it? Have a listen!
NOTE: We use LIVE events to post our notes, Scripture reading(s), and additional resources that you might find helpful. Click here for this week's LIVE event.
Last Sunday, December 27, Ryan Silvia, our Director of Youth Ministries, talked on "epiphany". What is an "epiphany"? Have a listen and find out! and you will be encouraged to learn about God's desire to give you one!
Last Sunday, December 20, Scott Sabin, Executive Director for Plant With Purpose, talked on why we can expect, express, and empower Más Hope this Christmas. Extreme poverty and the environment are not two separate issues. A healthy environment is vital to a community’s ability to fight poverty. Listen, be inspired, and engage! Click here for examples of how Plant With Purpose moves whole communities from despair to hope
Last Sunday, December 13, Mark talked on why we can expect más this Christmas. We looked at a Christmas passage embedded in Jesus' exchange with Pilate in John 18.37-38:
For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth.
Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” 38 Pilate *said to Him, “What is truth?”
From this passage we learn that (1) Christmas means there is truth; (2) Christmas means that Jesus is the "Key"; and (3) Christmas means that Pilate was wrong!
Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties we have no recording for this week... Therefore, there is no sermon recording for this week. However we are leaving up the recording from November 29 when we launched our new series: Expect MAS this Christmas. But check out the resources we are providing that are at the end of this LIVE EVENT link.
To listen to the message on November 29-- Click here
The Advent/Christmas season is all about God's faithfulness to dwell with people amidst their darkness, disappointments, and dread. Advent/Christmas is God's defiant initiative, on our behalf, to free us from the limitations life imposes upon us by engaging us with hope, peace, joy, and love. These four encourage us to expect more because God always promises to bless us with more than life can give. His presence is His abiding promise inspire us to expect more. Expectancy may be a risk for many because with risk comes the possibility of disappointment. But we need not fear because God "... rewards those who sincerely seek him." (Hebrews 11.6) This Advent/Christmas season dare to "expect mas".
This past Sunday (29 November) we launched this new series during a week when our community experienced the sudden death of a member of our staff team – Calvin Nolan who died on Monday, 23 November. This week's recording contains a remembrance time for Calvin as well as the kickoff of this new series by Pastor Vince. Advent/Christmas announces that God is present in our grief and triumphs in our sadness.
