If you’ve ever gone into a theater during the middle of an unfamiliar movie, you know how hard it is to understand the movie without knowing how it begins. The same is true of our lives. Whether we realize it or not, everyone is living out of some kind of “story,” some fundamental understanding of the universe: how it came to be, where it is going, who we are, what has gone wrong, etc. Needless to say, we are living in a culture with many competing stories. In the midst of this age - as in every age - the Bible declares itself to be the True Story, and the beginning of that story is the foundation for understanding everything else.
Everyone starts somewhere. Whether learning an instrument, starting a new job, or beginning a relationship, first steps matter. They set the course for many steps to follow. That is what makes Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians, the earliest of his letters to a brand new church, so fascinating. The first shoots of faith of these early believers reveal much about following Jesus in the soil of everyday life. Come learn what it means to not just be alive, but to “Thrive.”
Christmas is a season of lights, rightfully giving this time of year a celebratory and distinctive feel. But is there more to light than we can “see”? The Christmas story is about "light" coming into a dark world- What does that mean? What difference does it make in our day-to-day lives? How can we live out the meaning of Christmas now? This Advent we are exploring how Christ lights up our lives.
We've all had them. Interactions around hot topics and sensitive issues that take a wrong turn. It's easy to get entangled or lost and come away discouraged when a relationship is negatively affected. God has wisdom for us on ways to navigate those conversations. Join us in our lead-up to Thanksgiving as we look at this timely topic.
Society is crumbling and chaos reigns- welcome to the world of the book of Judges! After hundreds of years of waiting and hoping, Israel finally enters the Promised Land... only to undergo repeated cycles of failure and spiritual indifference, where “each person did what was right in his own eyes.” How does God work in such times, not unlike our own? We will journey through Judges to see how God works redemptively, even in the worst of times.
All too often and all too easily, our focus drifts to ourselves, our friends and families, our church. It’s a kind of gravitational pull that makes us the center of the universe. But Jesus and the gospel call us to an outward focus, to reach and impact others. We need to look “Beyond” ourselves to serve and love those who don’t know Christ.
What the world wouldn't give for a little wisdom right now! We have no end of "experts" but very few "sages." Wisdom is the capacity that goes beyond formulas and equations to chart a course through the complexities of life ... so that we can live well. The classic book on wisdom in the Bible is Proverbs. We will take an in-depth look at the issues and challenges of flourishing in the Real World.
Everyone encounters them, but not everyone gets through them well. Storms can make us feel like our lives are somehow "off-course" but they may be the time of God's greatest work in our lives. We are going to look at some of the greatest storms recorded in the Bible for insights that may help us navigate those stormy times that come to us all.
A. W. Tozer once said that "what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." There is certainly nothing "higher" about which we can think than God, and it is crucial that we learn to think about him the way he really is and not just now we wish he was. How else can we trust him if we do not really understand him? We are taking a penetrating look into the mystery of the One from whom all life and blessings flow.
Christians do not just “join” a movement. They are spiritually re-born through Jesus Christ with the life of the coming new creation. With that comes certain privileges and “birthrights.” Do you know yours? Do you thank and praise God for them? Claim your inheritance by joining us for this next series of messages that will open your eyes to rich treasures that you did not even know you had.
