Hurt, heartache, disappointment, and death: Bad things happen to everyone, regardless of whether or not you follow Jesus. But what we do with that anger and disappointment is what defines our faith. How do we keep from growing bitter when the world keeps throwing us curve balls, and it feels like God is nowhere to be found? This week, we looked at how suffering can actually shape us into grateful, hopeful, and fulfilled people of God as we continue the PILLARS series with a message called "Reconciled."
03.03.24 - Included
Have you ever felt left out? Or as if everyone was invited to the party, except for you? In this message, we will look at how God invites us to be part of his family and how he makes way to include us, no matter who we are or where we come from.
02.25.24 - Justified
Are you a good person? How would you know? How do you make that call? In this message from Romans chapter 3, we will look at what it means to be truly good and the lengths God goes to help us actually be good.
02.18.24 - Judged
Is being considered judgmental the worst thing you could be in America? It sometimes seems like it is. So, what does it mean when we think that God judges us? Is that worse? How do we handle this? In this message, we will look at a world where we all fall short and face God’s judgment.
02.11.24 - Trapped
Now and then, we find ourselves going down a bad road in life. And if we don't course-correct quickly enough, we can feel trapped, with nowhere to turn. In this message from Romans 1, we will talk about what it looks like to go down that bad road as a culture and as individuals and see some ways God has given us to escape the trap.
02.04.24 - Invited
The pillars of a building are the foundational structures that help hold it up. In the same way, our faith has pillars. This series will examine some of these pillars in the Book of Romans. In this message, we will look at the idea that we have been invited to be a part of God’s family.
01.28.24 - Sabotaged
Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve talked about what it looks like to be both self-differentiated AND emotionally connected. But whenever you stand up for what you believe and attempt to remain connected to the people you love, others won’t always like what you do and say. They may even try to sabotage the good you are trying to create.
01.21.24 - Connected
Standing up for who we are and what we believe can help us be less anxious but also burn some relationships with others. The key is to remain emotionally connected to others even when we self-differentiate. In this message, we will examine how Jesus masterfully did this and how we can emulate him in our relationships.
01.14.24 - Differentiated
Sometimes, we have to stand up for ourselves. How do we do that well? It’s easy to do it and just be a jerk. You see examples of that everywhere. But what does it look like to make a healthy emotional stand for ourselves when people around us are pressuring us to act a certain way? In this message, we will look at how Jesus stays non-anxious by standing up for who he is and what he believes in, and we will see some strategies for how we can do the same.
01.07.24 - You Must Chill
All the data out there shows that we are becoming more and more anxious. We are seeing a massive spike in anxiety in our society, particularly among younger people. What is driving that anxiety, and how can we be non-anxious? In this message, we will look at some of what the scripture says about anxiety and see how Jesus models peace amid stressful situations.
In this message, Chris talks about how our phones are often just a "machine for feeling bad" and mentioned that he is going to change his lock screen to remind him of that every time he picks it up. If you'd like to do the same, here are a couple of graphics you can save to your phone as a lock screen and background.
12.17.23 - Jesus for the Roman Empire
How often do YOU think about the Roman Empire? When Jesus was born, he stepped into the world of the mighty Roman Empire. And most people in that day were not good people or bad people. They were just like us: Regular people trying to get by. What did Jesus have for them? In this message, we will look at what the birth of Jesus meant for the rest of us.
12.10.23 - Jesus for the Outcasts
Have you ever felt like you don’t entirely belong? Like everyone else is somehow in on the secret to success, popularity, or fame - But you somehow didn’t get the memo? At some point or another, we have all felt like the odd one out, but there is good news for you: Jesus came to earth not just to save the good/wealthy/perfect people but to rescue the poor, the imprisoned, the sick, the marginalized, the weirdos, and the outcasts.
12.03.23 - Jesus for Jerusalem
When Jesus came to earth he spent a lot of time ministering in and around Jerusalem. This famous city was full of some of the best religious people of that day. Jesus challenged them to rethink what it meant to be truly good. This Sunday, December 3rd, we will look at what it means to be truly good and see ways we can align our lives with God’s heart.
11.26.23 - Psalm 111: When We're Thankful
It is the season of gratitude! It’s a great time of year to give thanks. But what would happen if we got into a habit of giving thanks and showing gratitude all year round? And how would that actually change us? In this message, we will look at a Psalm of gratitude from King David and talk about some ways to build more gratitude into our daily lives.
11.19.23 - Psalm 73: When We Doubt
It doesn’t take much: a betrayal, a war, disappointments, lack of sleep. Any of it will make us have our doubts about ourselves or God. In this message, we will look at the role of doubt in our lives and strategies for using doubt to drive us into deeper faith.
11.12.23 - Psalm 139: When It's Time to Move Forward
Have you ever felt deeply in your soul that it's time to move forward? Whether it be moving forward from something that is not good for us, toward a better life, into a different career, or with a new life purpose... Sometimes where we are just is not working, and we need to figure out how to move forward.
11.05.23 - Psalm 23: When We Feel Lost
Sometimes we lose our way. It could be in life, a career, or a relationship; We just get off track. We aren’t where we need to be. This week we will look at what is probably the most famous psalm of all, Psalm 23, and see how it guides us like a shepherd guides his sheep when they are lost.
10.29.23 - Psalm 19: When We Can't Hear God
Loads of people talk about hearing from God. Do you ever wonder what they are on about? Can we even hear from God... really? How does that work? In this message, we will look in an unlikely place - Psalm 19 - to see how God communicates to us.
10.22.23 - Psalm 91: When We're in Trouble
Sometimes, we find ourselves in a pretty hard spot. The economy has taken a downturn. We’ve messed up. We’ve lost a relationship. Things look pretty grim. Where can we go in times of trouble? In this message, we will look at three things God has given us as places of refuge when things go south.
10.15.23 - Psalm 32: When We've Blown It
Glancing at your social media will remind you that things are a little crazy. Sometimes, it seems like little sanity remains in the world. Where do we go when it feels this way? In this message, we will look at a Psalm that helps us recenter when things go off the rails.