Follow This Pattern

If we are honest, we have to admit that we are often following examples.  Whether consciously or unconsciously, we are imitating people frequently.  We begin life by imitation whoever raises us.  At school, we tend to imitate classmates we look up to.  In athletics or the arts, we are following the pattern our coach, music teacher, or dance instructor demands.  On our own we copy our heroes in those fields and in our careers, we follow our mentors. But we have to be careful, are the people we are following and copying leading us to a good place?  Are we …

What is Your Ultimate Goal?

So you are reading this post -why?  Are you thinking of watching the service?  Why? What motivates you to come to church or watch it here?  Are you looking for answers to questions?  Are you looking for Bible teaching?  Do you feel an obligation to be part of church on Sunday, one way or another?  What is bringing you here? If you are driven by guilt or obligation, or thinking that spending some time in church on Sunday’s is going to help you get to heaven, could I recommend that you first watch my last message from Philippians 3 here?  …

The Joy in Trusting in Christ Alone

Are you joyful?  What makes you that way? If you struggle with being joyful, have you identified why?  Are you looking for circumstances to give you joy?  Are you striving for goals that you think will bring you joy when accomplished? If you are joyful, do you know why?  Will it last? Today we are going to talk about God’s plan for our joy as seen in Philippians 3, and some common reasons it often alludes us.  I believe this message will be very relevant and encouraging and hope you will follow along.  

Happy Mother’s Day!

God’s blessings to all the hard-working, self-sacrificing moms out there; you are a cornerstone of our society!  I have had the blessing of not only having a godly mother who instilled so many important values into me, I have also been blessed with an amazing wife who has done the same for our children, continuing on the legacy of her mom. But not everyone has that privilege.  Some moms wish they had a good example to follow, some men have never seen up close what a godly woman is like.  In this message, my desire is to affirm the godly …

Living Out the Love of Christ for Children

Did you know that right now in the United States there are over 390,000 children in Foster care?  Sadly, 20% of them will age out of the system without a family to call their own.  As May is Foster Care Awareness Month, we will take some time today to talk about the needs of children, not just in the US, but around the world.  We will  discuss our obligation and privilege as followers of Jesus to intervene on behalf of hurting children everywhere.  We will celebrate ways we are already helping as a church and I trust, will be inspired …

The Spiritual Discipline of Giving

What is your attitude on regular giving to a church?  Is it a habit that you have?  Do you think it is important?  Do you prioritize it or reject it? It may be thought that giving is purely a practical matter, that people give to a church to help it function, to help it exist. While there is that aspect, this message will show that giving of tithes and offerings is much, much more than a practical matter.  Giving is an important spiritual discipline.  Not only is it something God tells us to do, it is also something that shapes …

Embracing Servanthood

What is the greatest position a person could hold? Is it President of the United States? Is is being a celebrated actor? Maybe you have in mind a position on your favorite pro ball team.When you look at Scripture, however, you see the people most celebrated are God’s faithful servants. Men like Moses and John the Baptist. Peter, James, and Paul. They are most celebrated for two things: faithfulness and humble servitude to Christ.In this message we will return to the book of Philippians and take a look at embracing servanthood by studying two men celebrated by the Apostle Paul: …

Finding Hope in the Resurrection

Come find the hope that this truth brings – that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and is risen from the dead!  It is not just history; it has incredible implications for your life right now.  Jesus said in John 16:33 “In this world you will have suffering” Do you know the truth of that verse?  If you yourself haven’t experienced that yet, you only need to look around you, for suffering is everywhere.  The truth of that verse, John 16:33 is pretty self-evident.  But that was only half of it; the other half says “Be courageous!  I have …

Rejoicing in the Kingship of Christ

What does it mean that Jesus is King? Two thousand years ago when Jesus rode into Jerusalem people honored Him as king, shouting Hosannah and throwing clothes and palm fronds on the ground in front of Him. A week later He was nailed to the cross with sign over His head that read “King of the Jews”. It seems that neither time the crowd really understood what it meant. Today, that title is still misunderstood or flat out ignored. I would like to spend some time today looking at the Scriptures that talk of Jesus as King and rejoice in …

Our Church Covenant

In the front of our church’s constitution booklet, you will find a page entitled “Church Covenant”.  If you do happen to take the time to start reading it, you might be tempted to quit after the first paragraph. It is written in an early 20th century style and starts out a little bit like a legal statement.  I can understand if you skip over it thinking it is irrelevant. That conclusion, however, is far from the truth.  The Church Covenant is actually a very important part of our Church Constitution and an important part of who we are as a …