What does it look like to unplug for a while? Of course, we all say we want to do that. We all desire some downtime. But how often do we try to unplug without really unplugging? How often do we rest but don’t end up feeling rested? In this message, we will look at the ancient practice of Sabbath-ing and how this old idea can help us today navigate the insanity of our world.
03.13.22 - Fast
Fasting is an ancient spiritual discipline that we often misunderstand. Are we supposed to actually go without food? For how long? How? Why? What difference will it make for me? In this message, we will look at how fasting can be a key discipline for us even today, and we will look at some ways we can incorporate this spiritual practice into our lives.
03.06.22 - Slow Down
This week we begin a new message series called "Fast & Slow". where we will discuss the number one challenge facing Christians in their daily walk with Jesus: Hurry. (Are you surprised?) When we rush from one event or activity to another, we don't leave space for God to speak to us and actually transform our hearts. In this message series, as we approach Easter, we will talk about how to eliminate hurry from our lives and how to keep pace with Jesus, walking through life at a slower pace that allows us to love people well.
02.27.22 - Illusion
How do you recognize when someone is actively deceiving you? And if the entire culture we live in teaches you one thing, can you believe something else? In this final message of the Disinformation Campaign series, we will look at Satan’s larger strategy of infecting culture with lies and look at some ways we can not let them affect us.
02.20.22 - Integrity
Who are you when no one is looking? On the one hand, it’s easy to convince ourselves that it doesn’t matter. We can be whoever we want to be when we are on our own. But on the other hand, who we are when no one is looking is a more accurate measure of who we are since we are not performing for others at that moment. In this message, we will look at the lies we hear in culture about integrity and learn a lesson from how Jesus handled an integrity challenge.
02.13.22 - Intimacy
We hear many lies in our culture - through social media, television, and friends. But not all of the lies affect us directly, and some of them are about things we don’t care about, but some lies penetrate our hearts and move us to action. In this message, we will look at matters of the heart, how these lies deceive our hearts, and what we can do to avoid that.
02.06.22 - Identity
“To thine own self be true” is the oft-quoted famous Shakespeare line. And it sounds like good advice. But how do you know your “own self”? Who are you... really? In some ways, the answer to that question is one of the most important questions you will ever face. In this week's message, we will look at how we are being lied to about our identity and look to some wisdom from the scriptures that help us undo those lies.
01.30.22 - Live (in community)
Where do I belong? Where do I fit in? In many ways, that is a quest we are on for our whole lives. And the reason we are on that quest is that we are wired for community. We are designed as humans to be social, interconnected creatures. (Yes, even you introverts!) So how can we connect well in a world that is so divided?
01.23.22 - Die (to self)
Everyone dies, but no one talks about it. In our culture, we get uncomfortable with the idea that we will die, so we don’t prepare for it. Jesus taught us that death was an essential part of life and that the process of dying is a daily thing. This message looks at how this daily-death process helps us keep perspective and keep our heads on straight in a world gone mad.
01.16.22 - Pray
If we are honest with ourselves, there are a lot of reasons not to pray. Maybe we don't think we have the time, we feel distant from God, or we don't really see the point. In this week's message, we talked about what prayer actually CAN do and how to take our prayers to the next level.
01.09.22 - Read
Has the world gone crazy? That’s probably a question we’ve all said out loud over the last year. We are all wondering about how quickly culture is changing and where we stand in the midst of it all. In this series, we will look at four ancient practices that have helped Christians keep their heads on straight while the rest of the world is losing theirs.
01.02.22 - Planting for the Future
As we enter into a new year, we are all thinking about long term plans. In these dark, winter months, what good do we want to plant to harvest later in the year? In this message, we will talk about how our God loves to watch things grow, and the exponential impact that planting churches has for the Kingdom of God.
Christmas Presence: Christmas Eve at Area 10
On Friday, December 24th, we celebrated the best gift we've ever received: a newborn king. Thanks to everyone who joined us at the Byrd Theatre at our 3:30pm or 5:00pm services. We were unable to livestream this message, but present it to you now via our podcast. Enjoy!
12.19.21 - Love All
The Christmas season is often associated with love ("Love Actually", anyone?) - Why is that? What is it about the birth of Jesus that is so loving? In this message, we will look at how the birth of Jesus challenges us to be more loving, and we will talk about practical steps to live out in love.
You can listen to this podcast version of the message on our website or on iTunes, or you can watch the full service on our YouTube page by clicking here.
12.12.21 - Give More
Christmas is a season of giving, so we buy presents and give them to friends and family to show our love. The first Christmas was also a season of giving where God gave his son to humanity, and wise men responded by giving him gifts. In this message, we will look at how we have to offer at Christmas and do so in a way that truly honors Jesus.
Click here to watch the full service >>
Listen to this week’s message here:
12.05.21 - Spend Less
Advertising this time of year kicks into high gear. We are encouraged to go out and spend big to "capture the magic" of the Christmas season. Yet the first Christmas came with no such magic (or at least, not magic that money could buy). In this message, we will look at King Herod and the culture of Israel that Jesus was born into and see how we can resist the dark parts of that culture in our modern world.
Listen to this week’s message here:
11.28.21 - Worship Fully
The holiday season is upon us, and our schedules are starting to fill up. So how do we focus on the real meaning of Christmas: Jesus coming to earth amidst all the noise? In this message, we will look at someone who sought and worshiped baby Jesus to see what we can learn as worshippers today.
11.21.21 - Prophecy
If someone said they had the gift of prophecy or they were going to bring a prophetic word, would that freak you out? The idea of prophecy often kicks up weird ideas of fortune-telling and predicting the future, but in the scripture, prophecy doesn’t necessarily function that way. In this week's message, we will look at prophecy and how God gifts us to be prophetic.
11.14.21 - Get Your Heart Right
Sometimes in life, we know all the right things, say all the right things, do all the right things, but if we are missing one essential thing... it can all count for nothing. In this week's message, we will talk about how none of our accomplishments, good deeds, or virtue signaling matters if love is not what is driving all that we do. And in a day and age where we would rather define love in our own way, Paul lays out how God defines love in 1 Corinthians 13.
11.07.21 - Teamwork
God gives spiritual gifts to his people, but what are they? How do they work? What is the purpose of these spiritual gifts? In this message, we look at how the community of faith functions best when everyone is doing their part and using their gifts.