On Christmas we focus our attention on the Baby Jesus but the one who's laying in the manger is the King who has come and is coming again! In our Christmas Eve service we talk about the impact of a King that rules with truth and grace and why it's good news that God's Kingdom is both already and not yet and we we talk about a few things we can do to truly celebrate what Christmas is all about.

Renew’s focus in 2022 is “Deeper Roots.” There are plenty of things that threaten spiritual growth but Jesus’ parable of the sower holds the key element to how we establish deeper roots in our life and faith. Join us as we examine our lives, our connection to Jesus, and hear what Jesus says about how we grow deeper in Him.

One of the best things to do at Christmas is watching all “The Office” Christmas episodes. It’s incredible how there can be both joy and pain in every single scene! The office appeals so deeply to us because it shines a comedic light on what people are like and reminds you that you’re not the only one that has to function in stressful or difficult environments with challenging people.While it may seem trivial, the hope of Christmas is that Jesus brings light into the darkness, and as a person whose life is defined by Jesus, we can do the same thing at our work or whatever other exciting situations we find ourselves in.

Interestingly, the impact living next to someone can have on our lives. For some, our favorite people live next door. For others, it’s our worst nightmare as a next-door neighbor. Stranger still is that many of us have lived next door to the same person for years and still don’t know them at all. Yet, the Gospel of John tells us that in Jesus, God “made his dwelling among us,” or as Eugene Peterson said, he “moved into the neighborhood.In week two of our Christmas Party series, we discuss how Jesus saw those he lived life next to and how that could impact how we love and serve our neighbors.

One of the best things about Christmas is spending time with the family, but one of the hardest things about Christmas is extended time with our family! Every family shares its memories, traditions, history, and heartache, and somehow the holidays bring the best out of each of those categories. So as we enter into the Christmas season, we’ll talk about the hope that Jesus can bring to every family and the way Christmas might move us one step closer to the kind of family God wants us to be.

The practice of gratitude will naturally lead us to places where we see we are misusing God’s gifts. Where we have put them in a place in our hearts they do not belong, maybe where things are out of order. It’s really hard to be genuinely grateful for something and then abuse it blindly. What God does here is begin to set us free. And so the practice for us becomes one of letting go. These gifts which we have been gripping on to so tightly, we must let them go.

The practice of gratitude will naturally lead us to places where we see we are misusing God’s gifts. Where we have put them in a place in our hearts they do not belong, maybe where things are out of order. It’s really hard to be genuinely grateful for something and then abuse it blindly. What God does here is begin to set us free. And so the practice for us becomes one of letting go. These gifts which we have been gripping on to so tightly, we must let them go.

Most of us allow our income to drive our spending. If you make it, you spend it. If your spending follows your income, you feel an incredible amount of financial pressure because you allow your money to lead the way. In week 2 of our series, we work to understand how knowing God can help us better understand how to handle what has been entrusted to us in every aspect of our financial lives.

More often than not, the idols we give our hearts to are good things meant to be enjoyed and appreciated. The problem is that, because our hearts are little “idol factories,” we tend to make a “good thing” into an ultimate thing. We think that they will satisfy our souls, but in turn, leave us empty. But the good news of the gospel is that God always gives us a way out of our sin. The gospel points our hearts to the reality that choosing Jesus is always better.

More often than not, the idols we give our hearts to are good things meant to be enjoyed and appreciated. The problem is that, because our hearts are little “idol factories,” we tend to make a “good thing” into an ultimate thing. We think that they will satisfy our souls, but in turn, leave us empty. But the good news of the gospel is that God always gives us a way out of our sin. The gospel points our hearts to the reality that choosing Jesus is always better.

In week 4 of our series we explore why we are so easily taken by the god of self, the damage this god has on the world and around us and how we ought to handle our own thoughts and feelings to bring them under the authority of the one true God, His Son Jesus and in step with the Holy Spirit.

In week 3 we talk about what happens when you let politics become a god, how God fights back and how you can live faithfully for Jesus in a world consumed by Power.

In week 2 of our series we explore how progress becomes a god to us. The gospel of progress entices us to live for tomorrow and trust in the advancements we can make on our own. As Christians we believe that God holds the future in his hands and we are to come to Him, hoping not in Him but in Jesus.

In week 2 of our series we explore how progress becomes a god to us. The gospel of progress entices us to live for tomorrow and trust in the advancements we can make on our own. As Christians we believe that God holds the future in his hands and we are to come to Him, hoping not in Him but in Jesus.

In 1 Kings 18 we see the stark reality of the allegiance of God’s people being pulled in several different directions. While their social identity was being known as the People of Yahweh (the one true God) their spiritual allegiances had shift to the false gods Baal and Asherah. The one true God has no room for split allegiances and Elijah calls all of God’s people together to remind them of who they belong to and the damage aligning with another god can do.

We wrap up our Philippians sermons by taking a fresh look at the song found in Philippians 2. We pray through it with Lectio Divina together and discover with God is like and what it means to be human.

What you want makes you who you are and what you want most is what shapes you most. For most of us we don’t think about what desires are driving our life and if we’re not careful we can be enticed to want things that can cause great harm. In Philippians 3 Paul highlights how important it is to want the right thing because only one thing can make us who we were made to be.

As the threat of sickness spread throughout our world last year the one thing we were told we could do was create a bubble to keep ourselves, our families, and others safe. It’s not long before bubbles become barriers and barriers become walls meant to keep others away and to keep us safe. The problem with these walls is what you do with them after.Many of us chose to live with unnecessary walls that keep the relationships we need and the life we want out of reach which means we suffer all in the name of staying safe. It’s a mess.In our final week of this series, we’ll learn to identify which walls should stay and which walls should go and we’ll explore why a little risk can bring big reward.

Everyone agrees that our world is more divided than ever. But if you ask them why you’ll find there’s little to no agreement. Though, the one thing we can all agree on is it’s somebody else’s fault! In week 3 we explore the core element of what divides us, what role we each play in that division and the steps we can take to end the division.

When tensions are high relationships are fragile. In the last year, it has felt like so much is riding on every single moment. In moments like these, we can either inflict or receive the most pain from the people we’re closest to. Most of the time we can name the hurt, identify the culprit, analyze the circumstances and address the pain but none of that is cleaning up the mess the broken relationship has caused.On Sunday we worked through how to clean up after someone has done you wrong (or you have done someone wrong) and how forgiveness is the key.

Have you ever thought about how unique the things you care about are? Nobody has the same combination of passions that you do. What if God gave you those passions to direct your heart on mission? In week 3 of our series, we’ll talk about how your passions can point you towards the mission God has for you!

God has given you specific gifts and abilities through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit! In week 2 we’ll discuss how you’re gifted, how to identify your gift and how to begin using your gift to accomplish God’s mission in the world!

Jesus is “The Christ” which means “the anointed one.” As the Messiah Jesus was “annointed’ to fulfill God’s mission and purpose. Watch or listen as we discuss what it means for Jesus to be the Christ and how “beholding him” in this way should shape our life.

There’s a reason that the author of Hebrews tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus. It’s been said that “You become what you behold” and so how we focus on Jesus can bring significant transformation to our lives! In week 4 we’ll talk about how we can fix our eyes on Jesus and we’ll practice beholding him together.

In Philipians 3 Paul talks about a desire to know Jesus, but he talks about knowing him in a way we most often don’t think about. Paul doesn’t just want to know the resurrection power of Jesus but he wants to participate with Jesus in His suffering and death. Through the Lenten season we are reminded of the intense physical suffering that Jesus endured but what if there was a way that we could connect our suffering to the suffering Jesus experienced that could bring a closeness with Jesus that goes beyond our current circumstances.

The Christian's practice of eating the “Lord’s Supper” dates back to the night of the last supper. We were given this meal as a way to remember, or to focus our attention on, the body and blood of Jesus. In the first week of Lent, we will speak of its importance, how participating in it together can usher us into communion with Him and why beholding Jesus as He is should be so important for us as Christians.

What is celebrated gets repeated and what is glorified gets our allegiance. In our final week of Bridging the Gap, we take a look at what we're celebrating and glorifying, how it's impacting our lives, and what kind of revisions God is calling us to make so that we celebrate and glorify Him!

One of the most powerful statements that Jesus makes in the gospels is "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me." The strength of this statement is stunning for those of us living in a "post-truth" society.In week 3 of our Bridging the Gap series, we talk about how we got here, the toll a lack of truth takes on our lives, and the one revision we MUST make to live faithfully for Jesus.

In the last part of Haggai we are reminded that our obedience and our faithfulness can go viral and we have a choice to make about what we spread throughout our world.

2020 has shaken us in many ways. Normal life, whatever that means, is gone. Many things look completely different than they did in 2019. Our relationships, our jobs, our world, even our faith. We are going to take a look at the Book of Haggai to explore what it looks like to rebuild our lives when our lives and the world are in disorder.

2020 has shaken us in many ways. Normal life, whatever that means, is gone. Many things look completely different than they did in 2019. Our relationships, our jobs, our world, even our faith. We are going to take a look at the Book of Haggai to explore what it looks like to rebuild our lives when our lives and the world are in disorder.

In the beginning of Haggai we see a people finally released from exile and returning back to their homeland. For decades they have longed for the chance to return to the Temple and experience communion with God again but when they get home they turn their attention to rebuilding their own homes instead. Haggai asks them what’s more important, their own personal homes or their allegiance to God.

Christmas Eve is the day we focus on the birth of Jesus. The idea that God would put on flesh and blood and move into the neighborhood should blow our minds. He wants to move in with us? This Christmas Eve we’ll tackle all the reasons our hearts say Jesus shouldn’t want to make His home with us and we’ll talk about how His presence deals with each of those issues directly.

Let’s face it. Most of us have felt trapped by 2020. It’s not only the pandemic - it’s everything! The question is how do you get unstuck so you can live the life you were made to live free of all the things that make us feel stuck.

If you’re like me when my house is messy my heart feels messy. Sometimes I’ve made the mess but most of the time it’s someone else and we all just wait to see who will make the first move to clean things up so our house can be a comforting place to live. In week 3 of our Home for Christmas series we’ll talk about how we clean up the mess of our lives so we can feel at home in our own skin or in our families and how Jesus is the only one who can really clean things up.

Most of us have mental snapshots of a moment in our lives where we felt like we were right where we belonged. The embrace of a parent, the smile of a sibling, the laughter around the table. It’s how we know we belong. Christmas reminds us that God has invited us to join his family and he embraces us as his children. In week 2 we talk about what it means to belong to the family of God even in the midst of this crazy world.

There’s something comforting about coming home. You’re supposed to feel safe, loved, cared for, rested and happy at home. When we face the tough times and the hard days we have a longing to get back home. That longing is about more than a physical location or a heart full of memories, that longing was built into us by God and we’re longing to be at home with Him. In week 1 of our home for Christmas series we’ll talk about the longing for home that’s built into all of us and how we actually make our home with Him.

The way the world tells us to love ourselves is vastly different from the way God teaches us to love ourselves. In the final week of our “What Christians Do” series, we look at what God tells us is the greatest commandment and what it means to love ourselves.

Have you ever thought about what the core of your worry or anxiety is? We generally can identify the symptoms but often we don't dig deep enough to find the cause which is almost always that we lack the ability to control what is happening in our world. In this week's teaching we discuss what Christians do with worry and anxiety and we learn what it means to relax in Jesus.

Every four years we get the opportunity to choose who we want to lead our country. This blessing seems to have turned into a curse lately as there is more division and dissension in our nation than at any time in recent memory. In our final look at “What Christians Do” with politics we take a look at how Jesus responded when “forced to choose” politically and we’ll work to follow Him as we do the same.

These days our world is full of rumors and rumblings about all sorts of things. When we let our hearts be captured by these rumors and rumblings we can be lead into all sorts of interesting conclusions and allegiances. Our hearts are easily captured by these theories or ideas and we can find ourselves living from a place of fear, suspicion or even anger without even knowing for certain they’re true. The question is what do Christians do in a world full of rumors and rumblings and how does following Jesus offer us hope in a world full of confusion.

Part of loving God is trusting God with what God has entrusted to us. This is easier said than done. We most often live with a mindset that we need all we have and most often we need more! Whenever Jesus talked about money he works to redirect our focus from provisions to provider but it takes more than thinking about money the right way. What Christians do with their money opens the door to a greater love for God.

What makes the two words "Follow Me" so intimidating for Christians to hear? What if Christ's command to follow me is actually to stay where you are? How would that change the way you live your life and the people you interact with?

The issues we are facing in 2020 are not unique or new; the weight is just magnifying the cracks or gaps in our lives. One of the greatest temptations at times like these is to focus our attention on other people’s cracks in character and judge their actions in comparison to our intentions. As Christians Jesus instructs us not to judge but his teaching in Matthew 7 takes the focus from what we’re not supposed to do to a very clear calling on how to live as Agents of Grace.

Jesus proclaims that the kingdom of God is here! In this sermon, we explore how we can enter into and experience the kingdom, moment by moment.

We live in a time where there is no clear path forward. We are regularly wrestling through what the right decision is and what the right reason could be and more often than not we just don't know. The good news is the God of the universe cares about what's happening in your life and wants to direct your path through each decision you make in whatever direction He's leading. The key is learning to be aware of His voice.

We live in a time where there is no clear path forward. We are regularly wrestling through what the right decision is and what the right reason could be and more often than not we just don't know. The good news is the God of the universe cares about what's happening in your life and wants to direct your path through each decision you make in whatever direction He's leading. The key is learning to be aware of His voice.

Right now we live in a world where the clamoring noise of the foolish outweighs the saints because the idea of right and wrong is out of whack. When we see the text "slaves obey your master" many are asking the wrong question when we are trying to figure out who the slave is in the text. The question we should be asking is who is our master.

Right now we live in a world where the clamoring noise of the foolish outweighs the saints because the idea of right and wrong is out of whack. When we see the text "slaves obey your master" many are asking the wrong question when we are trying to figure out who the slave is in the text. The question we should be asking is who is our master.

So many people think they must go to a certain place at a certain time to encounter God but Peter tells us something entirely different about how God is truly encountered in this world. In the 3rd week of our series on 1 Peter we see how God is building a new temple and we find the role and work that God’s called us to play right where we live.

Everyone’s life is full of challenges, trials, troubles, and problems. Some are big and some are small but all of them impact the way we view our lives and the responses we think are necessary to thrive in the moment. As we kick off our first week in 1 Peter we are reminded that life is more than the moment and God has a plan for our life that’s bigger than we can imagine.

It often feels like the antidote to fear is courage or faith - something you have to muster up from within. The true antidote to fear comes to you from another source and it is available to you in every circumstance.Join us for our final week of Faith Over Fear series to learn, understand and accept the antidote for fear.

One of the strangest things about relationships is how much fear exists within them. Often we have a fear that we’ll be rejected or judged by people we care most about or need approval from. Because of this fear we often take control of whatever situation we're in and do our best to satisfy others. While it may feel like you’ve taken control the reality is fear has taken control of you.In week 3 of our series we talk about why this fear exists, the damage it does, and how we can invite Jesus in to find true acceptance.

Fear is an emotion we’d rather avoid but there are at least two ways that fear can be a gift that helps us find our hope in God. In week one of our Faith Over Fear series, we’ll talk of all the good that may come from healthy fear and how it will grow our Faith in God.

Fear is an emotion we’d rather avoid but there are at least two ways that fear can be a gift that helps us find our hope in God. In week one of our Faith Over Fear series, we’ll talk of all the good that may come from healthy fear and how it will grow our Faith in God.

We are living in a time of great despair and yet even now you can have Hope.Easter points us to that Hope – his name is Jesus. In Him, we find life in death, peace in worry, faith in doubt and salvation in suffering. This Easter we won’t just celebrate the resurrection as something that happened, but we will embrace the resurrected Jesus as the source of life, peace, faith, and salvation and learn how to take hold of Hope even now!

The direction Paul gives us is to take up “God’s armor” in order to fight the right fight. The first piece of armor we’re instructed to put on is the belt of truth. In this teaching we talk about why Truth matters so much in this fight and how to equip yourself with it.

There’s so much talk about having a war-time mentality which puts us in a mindset to fight. Paul encourages us as followers of Jesus to draw strength in the Lord and His power and reminds us that we are in a fight but it’s important that we fight the right fight and reminds us of the fights that we must avoid. This teaching will encourage and challenge you as you seek Jesus in the midst of our chaotic world.

In our final week of our Strength & Courage: Part 3 series we talk about ways to “practice the presence of God” in our everyday lives. We also talk about how to access the strength and courage he makes available to us through the Holy Spirit and we’ll spend some time practicing together through various forms of prayer and worship.

Have you ever wondered what gave the great men and women of God the strength to go and do all that God called them to do? The temptation is to think it had something to do with their abilities or giftings but if you look into the stories of these men and women you’ll find what made them strong and courageous is the time they spend in the presence of God and the connection they carried to Him as they moved forward.In week 2 of Strength & Courage, we talk about how the same thing the heroes of the faith did to enable them to follow God in strength and courage is available to us today.

Each of us has a great and important work to complete as part of God's Kingdom. The source of this strength and courage to fulfill the great and important work is found in prayer and the presence of God. In this week's teaching, we learn from Nehemiah what it takes to possess the qualities of an absolutely devoted and dependent servant of God.

All throughout the Bible you’ll find promises or guarantees about how reading, meditating and focusing on the Bible can impact your life. In week 3 of our focus on finding strength & courage in the Word of God we talk about why knowing and engaging the Bible can make you prosperous and successful and what that might look like in 2020. This is a challenging idea that should challenge you this week!

Mindfulness and meditation have become quite the trend in recent years in a way that’s capturing the imagination of our culture. This new trend is something that God has invited His people to participate in since the beginning and in Joshua 1 God tells this new leader that meditating on His Word will be a source of strength and courage.In this week's sermon, we talk about why this has such a powerful effect on our lives and how we can shift our attention from the things we’re naturally fixated on to focus our hearts and minds on Him.

God promises Joshua that by living according to His Word Joshua will find strength and courage as well as success and prospering. Even with this promise, there’s a temptation to go our own way or the way of the world and lose focus even when we think we’re doing things for God. In week 1 of our second movement of the Strength and Courage series, we discuss why we’re so easily tempted to go to the “right or the left” and how we can stay true to God’s Word by engaging it regularly.

We spend much of our life looking for a purpose. We ask questions like “What’s my mission? Why am I here? What am I supposed to do?” One of the best insights we can gain from watching the life of Joshua is that through the relationship with the God of the Promise we find the mission He has made us for. Instead of having to manufacture something meaningful to live for we receive the opportunity to partner with God in what we know he’s already doing. This partnership instills strength and courage in even the most tentative of followers because when the mission is tied to the promise of God we can easily believe that the outcome is not dependant on me but on Him.Watch or listen as we introduce our partnership with Compassion International supporting a church led child development center in Oaxaca, Mexico.

There’s this old Christian statement that still gets said from time to time, “I may not know what the future holds but I know who holds the future.” We often say this when we need reassurance that some unknown circumstance is going to work out. The truth is our God does hold the future and while we may not know exactly how things are going to work out we have countless promises that we can depend on and countless examples of how God comes through on those promises.

When we truly understand who this hope bringer is we will fall on our knees. There are two reasons for a person to take this position. One is to worship and the other is to surrender. When we realize who this Jesus is we should do both. In our final week of our Thrill of Hope series, we’ll talk about how worship and surrender go hand in hand and how much hope there is in embracing the one who holds the future in His hands.

Jesus came to bring hope to the hopeless by breaking the chains that have so enslaved us. This hope isn’t just hope for us to experience but it’s a hope we get to share because anyone who’s been enslaved can relate to those who still are. Our job is to lift high the name of Jesus so that those who are overlooked and oppressed can be set free. In week 3 we talk about the role we play in this mission and the way to embrace our brothers and sisters who are still enslaved.

When you have hope after living without it for so long it feels like the whole world is new. With Jesus comes the birth of new possibilities is in every area of our life. In week two of our series, we talk about how our eternal hope can flood our present reality every single day.

The impact of sin on the world we live in is easy to miss. You may not think so because there’s so much around us that we see that’s broken but the very nature of our brokenness often causes us to think that the places we’re in error are actually how things are supposed to be. You never know how dark things are until the light shows up. The birth of Jesus reveals to us just how desperate our world - and we - are for a Savior to come and restore what we’ve broken.

The big question we’ve been asking for the last several weeks is “How are my finances shaping my heart?” The authors of True Riches say Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” He meant that wherever we send our money, our feelings and emotions will eventually go there too. In the final week of our series, we spend time talking about how we can partner with God in the things he cares about most and the impact it can have on our lives.

The big question we’ve been asking for the last several weeks is “How are my finances shaping my heart?” The authors of True Riches say Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” He meant that wherever we send our money, our feelings and emotions will eventually go there too. In the final week of our series, we spend time talking about how we can partner with God in the things he cares about most and the impact it can have on our lives.

Do you know what is “enough for you?” What amount will make you truly happy or content? How much money is enough? How big of a house is enough? How nice of a car? How luxurious of a vacation? Or how much savings? In week 2 of our True Riches series, Matt Shetler of Lakewood Vineyard​ teaches that contentment isn't about what you have or own, it's about the posture of your heart.

Have you ever been in a crowd of people and thought “I wonder who Jesus will rescue next? I wonder who will be the next person to cry out to him for help and salvation? I wonder who will be a completely different person one year from now because of what Jesus is going to do in their lives?” Most of us aren’t thinking these things in our everyday life but I wonder what difference it would make if we were. In our final week of our NextGen series, we’ll talk about who the next Christians might be that you already know and how to invite them into God’s family today!

The future of the church is in your hands. A better way of saying this might be “you carry with you the life-changing presence of Jesus” wherever you go. That may sound spiritual - and it is! - I want you to think instead of all the places you go to daily. The gym, school, work, soccer practice, the coffee shop - if the life-changing presence of Jesus is there because you’re there how might God use your presence to change lives? In the second week of our Next Gen series, we’ll share some vision of how God may want to use your work, your house, your neighborhood as a new Kingdom outpost and we’ll give you some real tools to develop that vision in your life.

It’s so easy to look at kids and youth and think “someday.” Someday you’ll make an impact. Someday you’ll be productive. Someday you’ll make a difference. When we think of younger people in the “someday” category it’s easy to defer their importance in the church and in the world today. In the first week of our Next Gen series, we talk about the impact youth and young adults can have in the world today, the vision God gives to us for these important members of His church and the way we can all be investing in them for Kingdom impact today and in the future.

When it comes to faith it’s common to think there should be no questions or doubts about what we believe. That is such a common way of thinking that when people have questions or doubts, big or small, they start to think they may not really believe in God at all. So, how do you come back from a Spiritual meltdown, how do you process questions and doubts so they bring movement towards God instead of away from Him.

When it comes to faith it’s common to think there should be no questions or doubts about what we believe. That is such a common way of thinking that when people have questions or doubts, big or small, they start to think they may not really believe in God at all. So, how do you come back from a Spiritual meltdown, how do you process questions and doubts so they bring movement towards God instead of away from Him.

From a young age, we’re taught the value of a dollar. You know you’re supposed to save, plan, budget and pay your bills on time. You know you’re not supposed to spend money you don’t have or make risky decisions that will put your financial well-being in danger. Some of us work these plans and still face financial hardship while others intentionally dig a hole that creates major problems that last years. So how do you recover or better yet how can you avoid a financial meltdown? In week 2 of our series, we’ll talk about how your faith can help you reprioritize your approach to finances and share some ideas of how you can get things back under control?

This Sunday we spent time reflecting on our vision, who God has called us to be and how we think He wants to take us there. Listen as we announce 3 big initiatives and invite you to participate with us in seeing whole communities renewed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

As we approach the last loop of the book of Revelation we find what is known as Judgement Day. Most people sense a tension in their hearts as they think about how evil will ultimately be dealt with. We want evil to be eradicated but we get nervous about what that means for humanity. In week 11 of our Revelation series, we talk about how good God is and why we can trust Him in dealing with evil in the world and our heart both today and for eternity.

Revelation is one of the most misunderstood and even worse, one of the most misused books in the bible. In this week's Revelation teaching we look at how this poetic and creative book about the church, about politics and about trusting Jesus can help shape our vision as a church not just for the future but as a church and a people for the present.

Throughout Revelation, we often see the struggle between God and evil on display. The promise of the whole book is that ultimately God will be victorious through the work of Jesus but this book is about more than that. The real point of the book is to challenge those who say they believe to stay faithful when faced with the temptation to compromise and go along when enticed by evil. In this week’s sermon, we tackle the question of how you can tell the difference when faced with the “blind taste test” and what tangible steps we can take in our everyday life to follow John’s warning and stay faithful to Jesus?

In our series on Revelation, we've been exploring the cycles from worship to disruption. Revelation 12-13 is full of disruption. Matt Buehrle explores in this sermon how a jolting sermon can help us wake up to the grace of God in Jesus.

As we read through the different cycles of Revelation we have the opportunity to see what God is really like. What appears to be God’s horrific judgment at first glance actually shows us God’s divine mercy. In an amazing turn of events we read an account of “the end” and what we find is multiple opportunities to repent and experience the salvation of God through Jesus.If you’ve ever thought Revelation revealed one more picture of some angry God waiting to judge and condemn listen to this look at Revelation 8-11 and see who God really is and who you could be if you really knew him.

The book Revelation is not about terrifying us about the future. It's about disrupting the status quo and calling you to worship and faithfulness to Jesus. In this week's teaching, we look at Revelation 6 and 7 and how it challenges us to consider where are we going to seek peace and security. Do we go to the ways of the world or do we go to the slain lamb?

There is so much benefit to knowing and following Jesus but what we are experiencing now is only part of what has been promised to those of us who faithfully await eternal life with Him. In our final look at the Letters of Revelation, we’ll see how Jesus reminds each church of these promises and how these promises can motivate us in our faithful connection to Jesus.

Each church Jesus writes to has some area that they need to pay close attention to because they are in danger of falling away from a relationship with Jesus. Sometimes it’s because of pressure that’s coming against them, others are dealing with false teachings that have invaded their body and some are becoming comfortable and complacent. Jesus has strong words of warnings for these churches because he loves them and he’s concerned about their future. In week 2 of our Letters series, we’ll look at what kind of warnings Jesus gives to these early churches and work through what kind of warnings he might give to us.

Revelation is a complicated book that carries with it a lot of baggage based on each person's personal experience with the book. In week 1 of our 12 week series in Revelation, we take a look at what the book of Revelation actually is according to its author. As we work through the literary framework of the book we get to the main purpose John has and that’s to point Christ followers to Christ and remind them of His centrality in all things. This forces us to reflect on how we’re doing at following Jesus and responding to Him in our daily lives.

In week 2 of our series, we talk about how to see what God is doing in our world and ways we can join him in His work. Listen as we evaluate the things that God may already be doing and how you can get involved where you live, work, learn and play.

In week 1 of our series “Your Life is Your Mission”, we begin by talking through what it means to be sent like Jesus to the places we live, work, learn & play. For many of us, this can be a daunting circumstance but we are not sent out in our own power but with help from God. Listen as we take a personal look at what this might look like for your life!

The Jesus story doesn’t end with the cross or the resurrection. There’s still more to come but we’re in the midst of the waiting. It can feel a bit pointless to our lives in 2019 but the return of Jesus holds great meaning for you today and for eternity. In our final week of We Believe in Jesus we talk about where Jesus is now, what He’s doing and why it matters.

The morning of the resurrection of Jesus must have been shocking to the people who first discovered Jesus came back from the dead. It’s not what you’d expect because it’s not how the world works. In the resurrection, we see the world being made new and it’s something that can happen to you too - if you let God have access to your life.

Two things that don't mix, the divine and the human. In response to the evil in our world, God did the unthinkable. He became a man in Jesus. In the second week of our Jesus series, we unpack two massive implications: Jesus forever cements our view of who God is and also what it truly means to be human.

When most of us think of who Jesus is our mind goes directly to his 33 years on earth. This is a great place to start but before Jesus ever walked the earth He was busy being Jesus. In week one of our We Believe in Jesus series we look at the supremacy of this Jesus and why He is Lord of all.

The natural rhythm of our world is non-stop action. Everyone’s so busy and it feels like we’re only adding more to our schedules. What if that’s actually not the way God made the world to work? What if the way God made the world to work and made you and I to work were centered around a rhythm of rest and work? In week 1 of our, Just Be series we look at the damage we’re doing to our heart, soul, and mind by never stopping and the invitation from God to stop and rest in Him.

When a couple makes vows on their wedding day they are promising to be faithful to their spouse for the rest of their lives. We all know that there are things that threaten our faithfulness and in our final week of “Tighten the Knot” we dig in to see what the biggest threat to our faithfulness is - not just in marriage but in friendship and our faith.

Every relationship has its ups and its downs and when we’re down it’s easy for things to devolve into a fight. Fighting can easily be labeled as “bad” in a marriage but the truth is in order for any relationship to thrive you have to be willing to fight. The key is knowing what you’re fighting for. In week 3 of our Tighten the Knot series we discuss why we fight and how we combat the greatest threats to our marriages.

One of the number one reasons that people begin to pursue divorce is the idea that they’ve “grown apart” and “stopped having fun.” When couples try and recapture “the magic” there’s a lot of pressure on finding enjoyment and happiness in their marriage which can often make things worse.In week 2 of Tighten the Knot, we uncover the formula for fun in marriage which actually starts with finding joy and gladness with God and we give you practical tools to have fun together in your relationship.

The purpose of your marriage is to show off the nature and character of God to the world so that when people see the way you live with each other, they will see what God is like. In the first week of our relationship series, we talk about how actually following Jesus will make your marriage better and also how it will make you better at marriage.

The garden of Eden was never meant to stay just a garden. Humanity was meant to rule, develop and take care of the world. In the last week of our "Who I Am" series, we discuss why what we do shouldn't be where we find our identity. Rather how our idea of work and vocation should be drastically redefined by our identity in Christ and the original intent God had for humanity.

We live in a world driven by consumerism and materialism so it's almost impossible to not be defined by the things we have or wish we had. In week 3 of our "Who I Am" series we discuss why we are so easily defined by these things and the direction, Jesus gives us to combat this. We also look at 4 practical ways to apply truth to our circumstances that may remind us we are who God says we are. [this sermon audio/video is lower quality because it is from a Facebook Live broadcast since we had to cancel our gatherings due to snow]

We all are looking for the one thing that can define our lives and complete us. We look for it in what we do, what we have and who loves us. The search for significance in these things can be both exhausting and unpredictable. In week one of our Who I Am series, we declare that you are not what you do, what you have or who loves you-you are who God says you are! Listen as we talk about how to know and believe that in your everyday life.

The holiday season can be so hectic that many of us are ready to move on from Christmas. Christmastide, the twelve days following the 25th of December, invites us to slow down and sit with the meaning of Christmas. Listen as we learn about how the light of Christ invites us out of the lives of scarcity to live lives of abundance.

We move closer to the birth of Jesus by taking a look at the prophecy given by John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah. He declares that Jesus will bring a new order of redemption, salvation, and mercy through humility and laying down his life as opposed to King Herod’s order of self-reliance and trying to make one’s name great. Jesus’s new order is coming, it’s here, and we’re a part of it. We live in this new order by receiving Jesus as our king and loving him with our lives. In our second week of Advent, we explore how our love for God leads us to allow God to shape us through the stories we tell, the relationships we keep, and the habits we form.

There’s so much division in our world today - but it’s not just a problem we see at work in our world at large we see division in families, workplaces, relationships, and neighborhoods. That division serves as a reminder of what we’re waiting for - a day when everything will be reunited by the power of Jesus. This was the same hope that the people of Israel had as they waited for the birth of the Messiah. In week 1 we’ll embrace the pain of separation as a way to take hold of the hope of reconciliation and peace available in this Jesus.

As we’ve spent time in the book of Acts we’ve seen how the Holy Spirit has worked to prepare, call and equip God’s people for the mission He’s called them to but in the last legs of Paul’s missionary journey we see the Holy Spirit warning and informing the believers about the dangers ahead. What is most interesting is that Paul and his friends interpret the warnings they are receiving from the Holy Spirit in completely different ways. In our final week in Acts, we take a look at how Paul can look so confidently toward the future while knowing that suffering awaits him and how we can press on in hope when we face similar circumstances.

The first Christians faced opposition to the work and movement of God and so do we. In this week's sermon, we take a look at what the true opposition to the work of God is and how the primary weapon to fighting back against the opposition is a personal connection with Jesus himself.

Have you ever been so sure that God was up to something that never happened? Maybe you thought you were going to move somewhere new, get a new job, marry someone or even lead someone to faith in Jesus and then just when you were almost certain it was about to happen the door slammed shut.In this week's teaching, we watch this very thing happen to Paul as he works to share the Gospel in new places to new people and discuss how we stay the course even in the most frustrating moments of our life.

Most of us want to be used by God to make a difference in this world and often we're sure what that would look like - but what if God has something in mind we could never even conceive of? What if God's idea actually runs against what you even think you should be doing with your life?In this week's sermon, we see how God moves Peter to new people and new places that he should never have engaged with to invite them into God's family and we talk about how important sitting and listening to God speak to us can be in making us into who God's called us to be.

After Stephen’s death a great persecution breaks out and the church is literally running for their lives. Of course, this scattering is used by God to spread the Gospel to new people and places. In an amazing turn of events, Saul traveling to a new city to destroy Christians encounters Jesus in a vision and it changes everything. Paul is not just transformed he becomes a transformer as well.On Sunday we talked about how what we desire will always bring us to Jesus because he is what we truly desire. We talked about the power of transformation and asked if we truly believe the Holy Spirit can transform the “worst threat” we face.

One of the most interesting things we see in Acts is the very specific direction some of the first Christians get from the Holy Spirit. At times the rationale is clearly stated and other times it’s left to discover through their obedience. In this week's sermon, we talked about what it means to be open to the leading of the Spirit, what perspective we need to not miss the purpose of these leadings and we’ll learn some ways to listen to both individually and together.

As the book of Acts continues the first Christians are making quite an impact. People are being healed, darkness is being pushed back and many people are coming to Jesus. Along with all the good came strong moments of suffering. One of the beautiful things about the Bible is it helps us understand how to work through these moments of suffering and respond the same way these first Christians did - by rejoicing!

The most incredible aspect of the early church is who was allowed to lead. You’d, of course, think the disciples of Jesus would have key roles because they had been with Jesus - but they were seen as unschooled fishermen by the masses. How does the leadership multiply as the church expands? It includes people we’ve never heard of and we’d least expect. Persecutors, gentiles, women, youth, and slaves! With such organizational leadership, you’d expect a disaster - and yet the church moves forward! How is any of this possible? The key is the Holy Spirit - He calls and qualifies who He wants when He wants for His purposes.

In the book of Acts the church is doing incredibly well in...until a crisis hits. The first crisis to ever hit the church was that of pretending to be something on the outside that was not on the inside. While we tend to minimize the weight of pretending in our lives, Peter maximizes it and shows us what really happens when we pretend. This talk encourages us to stop pretending together so that we can build a community of trust transformed by the Holy Spirit. Only then can we be the people of God on mission together.

Jesus said that his followers were to be the light of the world. In Acts, we see exactly what that looks like as the people of God’s lives look completely different than everyone else in the world’s lives - both collectively and individually. This ideal is often exalted as the idea that all churches today are striving for but most find impossible to truly live out. The reality is this kind of living is only possible through the indwelling and unifying presence of the Holy Spirit. In week 3 of our series, we’ll look through the activities that defined the people of God, how the Holy Spirit empowers us to live this way and what it might look like for the Holy Spirit to direct our community in the same way.

In Acts 2 the Holy Spirit arrives in a powerful way and right away they have exactly what they need to do what they were called to do. These unschooled fishermen are able to connect with the people from all over the world and Peter has a newfound boldness and clarity that could only be explained as God working. As the Church, God is giving us the same help and power if we're open to it. Listen as we talk about how this might play out where you live, work, learn and play.

At the beginning of the book of Acts Jesus gives directions to his followers to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the “ends of the earth.” The assignment extends beyond just the people present with Jesus on that day all the way to us now. Often we miss the “initiating agent” at that moment and either get to work or avoid the call because we don’t know what it would even look like to do this work. Jesus says it happens through the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives and what’s incredible is that Jesus models what this kind of life looks like.

In every little moment, Jesus has truth to share with you. The question is what does Jesus have to teach you in this moment. Don’t wait for the moment. Let him teach you in this moment. In the second week of our series, Sarah Knepper teaches us that we are not simply cogs in a machine. We are the children of God and Jesus has invited us to learn from Him.

In every little moment, Jesus has truth to share with you. The question is what does Jesus have to teach you in this moment. Don’t wait for the moment. Let him teach you in this moment. In the second week of our series, Sarah Knepper teaches us that we are not simply cogs in a machine. We are the children of God and Jesus has invited us to learn from Him.

We live in a culture that often challenges our faith and even encourages us to compromise what we say we care most about. In Daniel 3 we see why resolving to follow Jesus in little things becomes so crucial as we face big moments in our lives. Listen as we talk about how to resist in redemptive ways and find life in Christ alone.

Some of us think if we’re not making meaning out of every moment then you’re missing out. If we're trying to find meaning under the sun that’s only found above the sun, how will I ever find it? In the final week of our Art of Living series, we walk through the book of Ecclesiastes and talk about what it means to be human and where we find meaning amongst all the meaninglessness.

It is breathtaking to think that there were words said hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus that pointed to His life and ministry and the impact it would have on the world. In our final week of the series around the Prophets, we’ll explore why Jesus was such a crucial figure in Old Testament prophecy, what the promise of His arrival meant to God’s people fulfilling their purpose and how we too can find hope in these prophetic promises today!

One of the constant themes of the Old Testament was the inability of God’s people to walk faithfully in relationship with Him. In these times the prophet would serve as one sent by God to challenge His people’s actions and activities. These moments were words of warning about the dangers that exist and a challenge to come back in step with the ways of their God for their good and the good of those who engaged with them. In week 2 of our series we’ll wrestle through the tendency of the human heart to wander, the challenges God puts in place to call us back to Him and how we might need to respond even now to the prophetic challenges we see in Scripture.

God had a vision for what His people could be if they would only give themselves to Him and His ways. Often as you read through the prophets you get a beautiful picture of all that could be possible if the Israelites would only live faithfully in this covenant relationship with their God. In week one of our Prophet series, we take a look at one of the most famous passages in Jeremiah and we work to understand what God’s vision for Israel might mean for our lives today!

Some of the biggest questions about the Old Testament surround the violence and death that we see taking place. Many of us wonder what this tells us about God and what we're supposed to take away from these passages. In the final sermon in our series we take a look at Israel's identity and how they "fight" their battles and we try and understand what it means for us today and how we can live "Biblically." (For more on Violence in the Old Testament google Josh Butler Violence and Genocide in the Old Testament for a lecture we shared on Sunday night May 20th).

Often people say that God appears to be too judgmental and even harsh in the Old Testament while Jesus is often seen as loving and full of acceptance. In this week's sermon, we try and understand what judgment looks like in the Old Testament and make sense of what God's true intentions are when we encounter passages of judgment in the Old Testament.

The Old Testament is stocked full of laws and commandments that God's people were meant to follow. The question for most of us is what's up with all these laws and why is God so worried about every single little thing? In week 2 of our series, we look at what the Law really is, what it tells us about God and His people and what it means for our lives today.

Much of what we face in our world is upsetting. There’s fear of the future or our past. There are threats to our way of life and our health. There’s concern when we lack control. There’s even the turmoil of our own hearts and minds. We are often desperate for peace but we have nowhere to go. Jesus is the prince of peace and his ability to provide us with peace extends into every aspect of our lives.

Shame is a strange motivator. It can cause us to run, hide or project falsehoods out of a desire to protect ourselves from letting the truth come out. We carry around shame in ways that form us and define our relationships. Jesus sets us free from shame by lavishing grace on us. The question is how do we allow grace to cover our shame and is it possible to live in a new way because of Jesus.

There’s a point for most of us where we don’t want to give in to sin any longer but we don’t know how to stop. We work on strategies and plans that may give us the power to overcome our struggle with our sin but it can be so hard to beat it. What if you could find freedom? What if Jesus could really set you free from something that you can’t beat on your own. What if that could happen not someday but today?

In the book of Revelation God gives His people a preview of what the final act of His story looks like. Too often we make the final act of His story about us and miss the whole point of how we are to live today. In week 6 of the Story of God, we try to understand the point of the final act of the Story of God and let that form us into people of the preview.

In week 5 of our Story of God series, we take a look at God's imagined future for the temple and we discover that we, the church, are the Temple. We then explore what would it look like if you let God’s imagined future shape the imagined future for your life.

In week 4 of the Story of God we start talking about redemption - and when you talk about redemption you're talking about Jesus! Jesus takes all that God has been doing in creation, the temple and Israel and opens up the opportunity for all people to engage with God whenever and wherever they are.

As the story of God continues we find that God’s desire is always about the relationship with humanity and as things continue throughout the Old Testament God builds a relationship with an entire people group - the Israelites. In week 3 we look at why God wants that relationship, what role the temple plays in that and humanities propensity to run the opposite direction of God.

As the story of God continues we find that God’s desire is always about the relationship with humanity and as things continue throughout the Old Testament God builds a relationship with an entire people group - the Israelites. In week 3 we look at why God wants that relationship, what role the temple plays in that and humanities propensity to run the opposite direction of God.

There are so many places throughout the Bible that God’s Word is described as something extraordinarily meaningful that can have a tremendous impact on our everyday life. The key is knowing what to do with the Bible so you can allow it to do it’s work on you too! In week 3 we talk about what it looks like to consume the Bible in 2018.

Some of the biggest problems we have with the Bible is our misunderstanding of what it really is. In week 2 of our "Year of the Bible" series, we’ll work to understand where the Bible came from, what it means to be both a human and divine book and why all this matters for us as we read it today.

We have a problem with the Bible. More and more followers of Jesus don’t read it, don’t know how to read it, don’t even like it, and frankly, take issue with it. So why do we follow the Bible? Because we follow Jesus. He is our authority, but he has mediated his authority through the Bible. And on its pages, we discover the map to the life that Jesus has on offer.

We have a problem with the Bible. More and more followers of Jesus don’t read it, don’t know how to read it, don’t even like it, and frankly, take issue with it. So why do we follow the Bible? Because we follow Jesus. He is our authority, but he has mediated his authority through the Bible. And on its pages, we discover the map to the life that Jesus has on offer.

We have spent the whole year looking at the life and teachings of Jesus. Our encounters with Jesus have created movement and energy in our hearts. Now, what do we do with it? Jesus leaves us with the simple, yet all-encompassing invitation to "follow me." What life will we choose, our life or his?

On Christmas Eve we took one final look at the Christmas story to understand what it means for God to be with us. King Herod is informed by the Magi a new king has been born. What’s so interesting about Herod’s appearance is that the first invitation to leave behind wicked ways is extended to the most wicked man the Jewish people would have known. In week 4 we see how God is with us - even in our sin - and offers us new life through Jesus.

In week 1 of our series, we take a look at the generations of waiting that Israel went through waiting for Jesus to arrive. We’ll try and understand how God is with us as we wait and how our hope is in the promise more than the reality of the moment that we’re experiencing.

We all deal with temptation. It’s part of what it means to be human. Since Jesus was human just like you - he too dealt with temptation. What’s amazing is Jesus was tempted and did not sin. In our final week of Human Like Jesus, we look at how Jesus dealt with temptation and discover how we can deal with temptation just like Jesus.

Throughout the Gospels Jesus is regularly seen giving thanks. The question is why? Was this just a customary activity of the day or was it rooted in something more? In week 2 of Human Like Jesus we talk about what the gratitude of Jesus shows us about his connection to God the Father and how thankfulness can increase the amount of joy we experience in our daily lives.

It’s weird to admit this but Jesus got angry. It’s safe to assume that He still does. So what kind of things made Jesus angry and what does that tell us about what kind of things in our world might make Him angry today? In week 1 of our Human Like Jesus series we dig deep into the actions and reactions of Jesus and try and understand how we can learn how to be Angry like Jesus.

Episode 1 of the Renew Q&A Podcast:1. What would have happened if only Eve ate the apple?2. Why so many white people at Renew?

Jesus' parable of The Unmerciful Servant is one of the easiest to understand but one of the hardest to actually follow through on. If we truly understood the forgiveness of sin we received then the faults of those who do wrong against us should be nothing. Watch or listen as we talk about the path to reconciliation that begins with forgiveness.

The pursuit of holiness is at the core part of what it means to be a follower of Jesus and yet there’s this weird temptation that occurs as you pursue holiness to put your trust in the activities you think make you holy. In this parable Jesus warns against trusting in our actions, how our pride can separate us from others and what God might do about it.

In week one of our Parables series we took a look at the Good Samaritan. Most often we think of this stories as one that encourages us to be kind to those we encounter but Jesus is actually pushing us to consider much more than that. Join us as we wrestle through how we love our enemies and what to do when we're forced to chose between being holy and loving our neighbor.

Our lives are full of people that are quietly (or not so quietly) struggling through their day to day life. Part of living the invitational life is taking the risk to extend the invitation. In our final week of this series we take a look at some friends who took a big risk to carry their friend to Jesus and worked through some practical ways you can do that too.

On Sunday we looked at how Jesus challenged the Mark Zuckerburg's of his day and how he calls them to realign their method of relating with others to match their mission. In doing so, Jesus challenges us to do the same. Jesus shows us how to align our method of relating to one another with the mission he has given us, in a way that accomplishes it rather than undermines it.

Have you ever thought about who God might be sending you to? Like who does God want you to invite into His family? What if it's the people you are already living your life with?In week 2 of This Invitational Life we talk about the strategy of "showing up" in the lives of your friends and neighbors and how that can be the best way to extend the invitation.

As Christians we believe that God wants to save everyone. How does that happen? Well, it starts with you and I accepting the invitation - but the way the invitation continues to be extended is through those who have already accepted that invitation. The first movement in the invitational life is simply living your life. Allowing the way Jesus has worked in your life to be seen by others so they can see how you've been invited and will maybe believe they've been invited too.In week 1 we see how this plays out in John 4 and we learn a little bit more about how to not just follow Jesus but to follow the woman at the well in living the invitational life.

As we come to the end of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus begins to offer us both an invitation and a warning. In this weeks teaching we talk about how the wrong road can feel so right and how we can walk the narrow road that leads to life.

One of the most popular phrases Jesus ever said was "Do not judge" and yet throughout the sermon on the mount Jesus points out actions and activities that were sinful. The question is what does Jesus want us to do when we see immorality in our lives and the lives of those around us and how can we both give and receive mercy.

Right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus begins to warn his followers about chasing after things that don’t last and how it impacts our lives. The most serious warning is about the way money can take control of our hearts and minds. Listen as we dig in to this famous passage and try to understand how our relationship with money impacts our lives.

Jesus has something to say about our anger, and there is good news and bad news. In week three of the sermon on the mount series, we look at anger, the brain, and a simple practice which can help connect us with God and change how we react to difficult situations.

In week 1 of our Sermon on the Mount series we focus on the beatitudes and take a look at who exactly Jesus says is blessed according to his Kingdom. The list is shocking because it seems to run the opposite direction of who we assume has been blessed in the world around us. The question is what does that mean for our lives right now and how do we respond to the people that made Jesus’ list?

The vision Jesus had for his disciples was that they would be able to do the same things he'd been doing and even greater things than that. The question we ask as his followers today is "how?" How could someone like me do the things that Jesus does? In week 4 of our Inner Circle series we look at how Jesus prepared his disciples and how he could be preparing you too.

The primary thing that keeps us from believing we could be who Jesus has called us to be is the sense of shame that comes when we don’t quite measure up or intentionally turn our backs on Jesus. In week 3 of our series we look at how Jesus responds when Peter falls short and think through what that means for how you and I follow Jesus today.

Jesus called the most unlikely people to be in his inner circle. In a world were people want more connection and less commitment, Jesus is calling the unlikely people of his church to fight for each others hearts. Maybe you don't feel called but God has chosen you to be a part of something bigger.

Have you ever felt pressure to do something for God but not really known how to actually accomplish it? Have you ever given your best effort to try and be a better person and still felt like you fell short? In week 6 of the our "I Am" series we discuss how Jesus being the vine solves these problems and helps us understand the real job he's called us to do.

Have you ever felt pressure to do something for God but not really known how to actually accomplish it? Have you ever given your best effort to try and be a better person and still felt like you fell short? In week 6 of the our "I Am" series we discuss how Jesus being the vine solves these problems and helps us understand the real job he's called us to do.

Have you ever said, "If only God would have showed up, I would have what I hoped for." In this message, we take a look at a story where Mary and Martha say the same thing to Jesus. "Lord, if you would have been here, my brother would not have died." And it's into this tension, this pain, the darkest moments of life, that Jesus speaks, “I am the resurrection and the life.” We are going to explore what that meant for Mary and Martha and what it means for us today.

Jesus says “I am the light of the world,” but what does that mean for us today. In week 2 of our series we talk about the role Jesus plays in forming us, filling us and pushing back the darkness and what responsibilities we have when when we encounter Him.

Have you ever wondered how Jesus could possibly be the answer to have a healthy marriage? Could you ever imagine your marriage being an example of what God intended marriage to be? In week 2 of our series we look at what Jesus has to say about marriage, we talk about how knowing more about who God is can help you understand what your marriage could be and we look at practical ways for you to live this out in your marriage.

During the first week of our Love, Sex & the Kingdom of God series we explored what Jesus had to say about singleness and how that teaching can impact the way we live our lives together as a church. Whether your single or married, God works to bring Kingdom impact in every season of our lives.

In every interaction we have God has given us the opportunity to make an impact on the people we intersect with. In week 5 of our Encountering Jesus series we look at how Jesus used his words and actions to empower others to be all that God made them to be and we discuss how you and I can follow Jesus in empowering others as well!

If you're a follower of Jesus you've been called to be a missionary in your everyday life. The primary way for us to do that is through loving our neighbor. Neighboring is a key part of our Renew Rhythm and in week 4 of our series we discuss how Jesus defines who our neighbor is and what it actually means for you and I to love our neighbors.

Have you ever wished you could do the things that Jesus did? Part of the beauty of the Rhythm of Renewal is that you can and the eating rhythm is the easiest way to get started! Jesus loved to eat with people. If you read through the Gospels he's always sitting around a table with people and every single meal ended up changing the life of those who were eating with Jesus. In week 3 of our series we talk about why hospitality is at the center of Christianity and how you could use meals to point people to Jesus.

Many of us start the new year with transformation in mind. We want to do, be, think or accomplish great new things. What if the transformation you were looking for is really found in an authentic encounter with Jesus Christ. Join us as we kick off a year long focus on encountering Jesus and hear what Jesus may want to do in you.

The original Christmas story is full of all sorts of appearances and promises from angels. One of the things that was promised was that Jesus was going to save people from their sin. While sin isn't something we generally talk about at Christmas part of what makes heaven and nature sing is the fact that through Jesus the curse of sin can be removed and there will be freedom! Listen as we talk about how you can find this freedom through the Christmas story!

With all the emotions surrounding the holiday season have you ever wondered what the announcement of Jesus' birth is supposed to feel like? Why do we so easily buy into false announcements during the holidays? What does it look like to truly live within the Advent announcement? In week one of our Joy to the World series we discuss these questions and how to find joy in what this season really means.

Have you ever felt like the money you make or the things you own somehow own you? Have you ever wondered why Jesus cares so much about what his followers do with with the money and the wealth they have been given? In the final week of our Be Rich series we look at what ought to motivate Christian generosity, why it can be so hard to be generous and what kind of impact our generosity can have on our own lives.

In our final week of the Rooted series we talked about how God's Kingdom taking root in us as individuals and a church creates a space for those who don't know Jesus to find radical love that welcomes them no matter what. As part of this sermon we discuss how we as Christians should live following the election of our new president and interact with those we agree and disagree with.

This Sunday we held our first worship gathering in our new facility and took a look at how God uses us to help bring Kingdom growth. If you've ever sensed God's call to do something - big or small - but wondered how He could ever work in or through you you'll hear how God calls, how God provides and what it looks like to say yes to the things God wants to do in you, others and the world around us.

This Sunday we held our first worship gathering in our new facility and took a look at how God uses us to help bring Kingdom growth. If you've ever sensed God's call to do something - big or small - but wondered how He could ever work in or through you you'll hear how God calls, how God provides and what it looks like to say yes to the things God wants to do in you, others and the world around us.

Spiritual growth can feel elusive at times because it's dependant on God's work in our life and the world around us. In week 2 of our Rooted series we discuss how we can allow God to work in our lives and the things we must do to be open to that growth in our lives.

The primary way Jesus talks about God's Kingdom coming is like that of a seed planted and slowly growing - but in order for any growth to occur the seed has to take root first. In week 1 of our Rooted series we talk about what might keep the Kingdom from taking root in our hearts and what we can do today that allows the Gospel to take deep roots in our hearts.

The bible tells us we are citizens of heaven and Jesus is our Lord. It also calls us to not only obey the governmental authority that God has placed over us but also to pray for them as they lead. In the final week of our series we think of how we can do this while still being true to our citizenship and Lord.

Christianity began as a radical movement within the Roman empire. At a time when Caesar was lord, Christians rejected his position and instead declared the lordship of Jesus. In week 4 of our series we ask what would happen if instead of looking to the president for hope and change, Christians looked to Jesus in the same way the first century Christians did.

Jesus didn't kill his enemies, he died for them. In week 3 of our "Longing For A Better Country" series we discussed the politics of nonviolence and what Jesus says separates his kingdom from the kingdoms of this world.

In week 2 of our series, Rich Trickel of The City Mission talks about why asking for help is both a sign of strength and an opportunity for others to be who God’s called them to be.

In week 2 of our series, Rich Trickel of The City Mission talks about why asking for help is both a sign of strength and an opportunity for others to be who God’s called them to be.

There are some things we need to be saying but at times our life or relationships make this difficult. In week 1 of our new series we talk about why it’s hard to publicly state that Jesus is Lord of our lives, why it’s important that we figure out how to do this and some naturally first steps you can take to say the words that you need to say.

The 23rd Psalm is arguably the most popular Psalm because it is often offered as comfort in some of our darkest days. In this weeks sermon we look at why this sermon offers more than just hope that we’ll get through the hard times but instead focuses our eyes on the one that is shepherding us through our entire lives.

The Psalms orient us to the world that we live in and the kind of people that we are suppose to be. Psalms 24 exhorts us to live in the reality that Jesus is King and shows how to act as kingdom people. In order to do this, we must open the gate to Jesus and let him remake us.

There's a lot of things in life that are constantly calling for our time. As followers of Jesus our number one priority should be seeking him. On Sunday we explored how David was someone who earnestly sought after God and how knowing he belonged to God determined his values and priorities.

The Psalms give us a framework for any season of life - including the times we find ourselves deep in the grips of sin and it's consequences. In this week's sermon we look at David's recognition of sin in his life and what confession and repentance can look like as we explore Psalm 51.

The Psalms give us a framework for almost every season and circumstance we find ourselves in - both good in bad. In week 6 of our Summer in the Psalms we look at how true thanksgiving comes out of God meeting us in difficult seasons and the powerful reminder songs and prayers of thanksgiving can be for us and the world around us.

There’s a tension that exists between what we know is true about God and the reality of life but it's only in our honesty that we can invite God and others into the tension we're experiencing. The Psalms of lament are rooted in hope and and in week 5 of our Psalms series we learn how to experience what God has created us to do and that is to cry out to him.

Fear is the single most powerful emotion you will face. The good news is God has a plan for your life, and when you are obedient to Him, fear is displaced so you can experience true peace.

The Psalms are full of worship songs and prayers. Some are very personal but others were written to be used by large groups of God's people singing together. In Week 3 of our Psalms series we talk about why music is so powerful, how worshiping together reminds us of what's most important and we dig into two Psalms to see how powerful these reminders are.

This week we look at Psalm 137 and in it we find that God welcomes our honesty even when our honesty is disturbing. We talked about what causes us to long for the past and how it impacts the relationships we have with those who have done us wrong. Join us as we look at one of the most difficult psalms in the Bible.

This week we look at Psalm 137 and in it we find that God welcomes our honesty even when our honesty is disturbing. We talked about what causes us to long for the past and how it impacts the relationships we have with those who have done us wrong. Join us as we look at one of the most difficult psalms in the Bible.

The Psalms are the prayers and songs of real people that erupt from real life. In the first week of The Psalms series we look at how we experience these moments of thanks, praise and darkness. We also had the chance to view Fuller Studio's short film on The Psalms featuring Bono and Eugene Peterson.

The Psalms are the prayers and songs of real people that erupt from real life. In the first week of The Psalms series we look at how we experience these moments of thanks, praise and darkness. We also had the chance to view Fuller Studio's short film on The Psalms featuring Bono and Eugene Peterson.

God designed us to live in the rhythm of rest and work. There is so much that keeps us from entering into God’s rest and in the final week of our series we take a look at what keeps us from God’s rest, what it looks like to enter into it and how we can help each other get there.

In week 4 of our Life Matters series we talk about how to respond to temptation and the way out God has provided to everyone who belongs to Him.

They say the only constants in life are death and taxes. The truth behind this statement is that we all are going to suffer loss and disappointment in our life on a regular basis. These experiences require a response. In week 3 we discuss how learning to grieve in a good way is important to moving forward and living well.

Every day there are risks to take. Taking those risks takes courage. Some of us love to jump at every risk while others have organized our lives to avoid all things risky. In week 2 of our series we uncover how we decide if a risk is worth taking and how we can grow in courage to take the risks we know we need to take.

Every day there are risks to take. Taking those risks takes courage. Some of us love to jump at every risk while others have organized our lives to avoid all things risky. In week 2 of our series we uncover how we decide if a risk is worth taking and how we can grow in courage to take the risks we know we need to take.

Dealing with the thoughts that plague our mind is one the most difficult things we have to do each day. Knowing what to do with our thoughts gives us the ability to work through many emotions and difficult situations. In week 1 we take a look at how Jesus can help us deal with the thoughts we have.

If we are in Christ we have all that we need; love, acceptance, renewal. What’s the difference between how you see yourself and how God sees you. In the final week of our Jesus Saves series we look at what would have to change in life so that your view of yourself mirrors God's view.

In week 4 of our Jesus Saves series we talk about what it means for Jesus to die FOR your sins, how someone or something else’s death brings life to me and why God ordered the world this way.

The world is broken as a result of sin and we feel the impact on a daily basis. When Jesus rises from the dead the impact isn’t just eternal - it begins in that moment. As we identify with Christ in His resurrection we are saved from the hopelessness of a broken world and the defeated nature that we naturally have as we slog through our daily life. Now we have the hope not just of the life to come but of that life in our world today.

On Easter we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. We know that this has eternal implications but it also has powerful implications for how we live our lives when trouble comes our way in the here and now. Listen as we discuss what it means for you and me that Jesus has overcome the world.

Jesus became at-one with us so that we might become at-one with God and at-one with each other, FOR the world. In week 1 of our new series, Jesus Saves, we talk about atonement what this means for you, the church, and the world.

The people you love are the people that sin against you the most. The question is, how do we respond to sin in the context of a healthy marriage? In week 4 of our series we talk about how showing grace is what love looks like.

The way to make a marriage last is by setting your sites on the right destination. What is the purpose of your marriage and why do you want to get there? In week 3 of our series we talked about how the aiming for the right destination is what love looks like.

Many times a marriage ends when one of the people doesn’t “feel” like they’re in love anymore. In week 2 of our series we talk about how choosing love when you’re not feeling it is what love looks like.

You can either show someone love because you feel like it or because you really care about the other person. Real love is something you do on purpose and with purpose. In the first week of What Love Looks Like we’ll talk about how intentional engagement in your relationship is what love looks like.

Jesus has called us to be His ambassadors and proclaim the Good News to the world we live in. In week 5 of "Who You’re Called to Be" we look at what it means to live as a missionary in 2016 and how important it is to tell people about Jesus and not just show them.

Because of Jesus we can approach God with confidence and if we truly understood what that meant we’d explode in response to Him. You and I are called to be worshipers. In week 4 Pastor Andy along with our worship pastors, Chris & Bethany Solyntjes, talk about how we can do that in song and in deed. We also explored the things (strongholds) that keep us from living out this calling.

Jesus has called you to be His disciple. In week 3 of Who You're Called To Be we talked about how you can live in 2016 as a follower of Jesus and what practices you can develop to fully live out this calling.

If you’re part of the family of God you’re called to be part of His story and he’s give us meaningful activities for us to participate in together. In week 2 of our series we explored the sacraments, what they mean, why they matter and how we can do what we’re called to do today.

One of the most known titles Jesus holds is the Prince of Peace. The question remains though - where’s the peace? In our Christmas Eve gathering we talked about what this title means, what this peace looks like and how you can experience that kind of peace by receiving Jesus as your King.

In week 3 of He Shall Be Called we explore the name Mighty God. What we find in this name is that  Christmas is more than a precious story about a little baby asleep on the hay - Christmas is the story of the Mighty God putting on flesh and blood and declaring war on the darkness.

Christmas is a time to reflect on the impact that Jesus’ birth had on the world. It’s easy to think of it as an event that happened long ago but this newborn King’s impact reverberates even today and can make a dramatic difference in your life. In week 1 we talk about what it means for Jesus to be the Wonderful Counselor and how you can receive Him as this King.

Living in last place can be truly difficult day in and day out because so much of how we’re built is to fight for our own well being. In week 4 of our Life in Last Place series we uncover how gratitude is the most important practice we have in taking last place.

In week 3 of our Life in Last Place series we take a look at how Jesus’ used the power that God had given him, how we use the power we have and how we can leverage our power to live our lives in last place.

Money is often the thing that clutters our soul the most. What if there was a way to simplify your life and unclutter your soul by giving away a percentage of what you make? In the final week of our Simplify series we talk about God's promise to provide and bless our opportunity to give back to him.

Millions of Americans are in deep debt - some to the point that it's crippling. In order to simplify your life you can't ignore your finances and in order to simplify your finances you must understand why your finances can get so far out of control. In week 6 of our Simplify series we diagnose where Debt comes from and work towards a treatment plan that connects you to God's vision for your life.

Often what makes life so complicated is a lack of clear direction and a heart that will latch on to just about anything to take us into the future. In week 3 of the Simplify series we talk about how God can direct our steps, the ways we can hear and understand what he’s saying to us and how his word can light our way.

There’s an old saying that “speed kills” and for many of us this is true for our lives. Speed is killing our family, our dreams, our joy and so much more. Often we can convince ourselves that the answer would be more hours in a day or more days in a week but what if the answer isn’t more but less? What if the greatest need you have is the ability to focus on who you want to become so you can determine how you’re supposed to get there. In week 1 of our Simplify series we’ll talk about how you can get focused and what a focused vision for your life will help you find the pace that can really produce the life God made you for.

In almost every letter Paul writes to different churches he thanks them for their support and Phillipians is no different - but here he shares some of what gives him the ability to carry on in the midst of adversity as he does he challenges the listeners to join him. In week 10 we learn about contentment, thanksgiving and why we should give what we have to give to God.

One of the great promises of faith in Jesus is soul peace. Paul tells us that this kind of peace will guard our hearts and our minds. As nice as all that sounds many of us aren’t really experiencing any peace but Paul gives us some things that seem to need a part of our life first in order to really experience this kind of peace. In week 9 we look at these elements of peace and why they might just be what you’re looking for as you fight for peace.

You may not realize this but following Jesus is a team sport. Sure it’s something that is deeply personal but it’s also something that we do with every other person who had placed their faith in Jesus and because of that we need to realize their are people ahead of you that you can follow and people behind you that are counting on you to keep fighting onward. In week 8 we talk about where our focus often goes, how this keeps us from growing in our faith and how crucial it is to everyone else that you both lead and follow.

So much focus in the Christian life is on sin. We focus on the sins Jesus saves us from, we focus on the sins we still struggle with. We focus a lot on sin. You might find that it’s especially difficult to feel joy when your so focused on your sin - but Paul calls us to rejoice as he begins chapter 3 and the reason he says we can rejoice is because of who you are right now in this moment and who you are becoming. In week 7 we talk about who you are, who you are becoming and why that should bring you so much joy.

We’re all in process - we’re all working things out - and the same is true for how we live as Christians in the real world. In week 6 we look at how Paul tells us to work out our salvation and what it might look like for you to do that right where you live today!

As we enter into chapter 2 Paul asks the listener to reflect on what they have because of their connection to Christ. It’s funny to think that somehow we could take the greatest sacrifice ever made and the most transforming connection we’ve ever had for granted - and yet it seems we do. In week 4 we slow down and reflect on what we have in Christ - that’s it- we’ll just recognize who we are and why as we look to the impact Jesus makes on our lives.

As you read through Philippians you get a clear understanding that Paul really loves the people in this church and prays significant prayers for them. In week 2 of our series we dig into what he’s been praying for the church of Philippi and talk about the importance of it being answered today in our church. This is a significant topic because it offers us timely insight into how we can respond to current events, personal tension and the SCOTUS recent ruling on marriage. Jump in to see how you can discern what’s best, live a pure life and do good in the world we’re called to live in now.

Many of us think of today as a final destination - that somehow the way things are right now are the way things will always be - but God has an eternal view. From the day you meet Jesus he’s working on you, on your heart on who you are and who you will be and no matter how things are going today - good or bad - he’s not finished. In week 1 we’ll kick of our summer through Philippians by asking what God’s doing, what he wants to do, where you’ve been and what might be keeping you from where you need to be.

In week 5 of our Rhythms of Life we talk about the importance of prayer in our daily lives. There's plenty that you can accomplish in your daily life on your own but prayer connects our daily activities to the power of God. We share why we should pray or learn some good methods to practice prayer and invite you pick one method to practice this week as part of our Rhythm of Renewal.

Every Christian is a missionary sent to carry the Hope we’ve found back to the places we live, work & play. We do this by actively loving our neighbors – those we are living next to – through intentional blessing and sharing with them the hope we have found in Christ. On Sunday we were joined by Mark Stockeland of Haiti Bible Mission to talk about practical ways to show the love of Christ to people we live, work and play with.

God has made us with an innate desire for connection because we are made in His image. What if connecting with others is the answer to the biggest challenges we face as individuals? What if there was a way to not just connect but offer healing and acceptance. In week 2 of our Rhythms of Life series we talk about the "EAT" aspect of our rhythm and the power of the open table.

God has made us with an innate desire for connection because we are made in His image. What if connecting with others is the answer to the biggest challenges we face as individuals? What if there was a way to not just connect but offer healing and acceptance. In week 2 of our Rhythms of Life series we talk about the "EAT" aspect of our rhythm and the power of the open table.

There will be times in all of our lives when we see the gap between who we are and who we wish we could be. That gap is most prominent when we see it in how we live within our family. In our final week of the Wholehearted Family we look at what God says about who we are and how living with the Gospel at the forefront of our heart and mind and how it might shape how we live as a family.

There’s so much vying for your time and attention as a family. You’ve got your job, your kids schooling and sports, the relationships in the neighborhood and of course the opinions of the neighbors. Just like an individual whatever your families life is organized around becomes it’s god – and unfortunately for many that god isn’t really God. In week 3 of our family series we talk about what your family is worshiping, what it looks like to organize your family around the true God and what it might mean to your families legacy.

There's nothing more important or difficult than trying to help those God has entrusted to us realize their wholehearted potential. As parents this is exactly the job description and how we engage or don't engage with our kids is crucial in this process. In week 2 of our Wholehearted Family series we talk about why we don't engage, where to find good examples to follow and how we engage wholeheartedly with those God has entrusted to us.

Most of us don’t give much thought to why our families exist. For many it’s because at one point a man and a woman fell in love and the rest just happened. What if there’s more to it than that? What if there’s a specific mission for you and your family and what if that mission could shape everything you do and everything you care about. In week 1 of our family series we’ll look at uncovering your families mission and setting some values in place that could shape the next several generations of your family.

So much of our life is spent thinking through days gone by or hoping for a time when things get better but Easter tells us that what God really cares about is what's happening right here, right now. This Easter find out how Jesus' resurrection can give us what we wish and hope for.

So much of our life is spent thinking through days gone by or hoping for a time when things get better but Easter tells us that what God really cares about is what's happening right here, right now. This Easter find out how Jesus' resurrection can give us what we wish and hope for.

In the garden of Gethsemane we get a glimpse of Jesus' humanity. He is days away from being crucified. Jesus overwhelmed and wants to pull out. Yet in the heat of this moment, Jesus does something that changes what it means to be human. Check this sermon out to see what he did and find out what it takes to live a cruciform life.

In the garden of Gethsemane we get a glimpse of Jesus' humanity. He is days away from being crucified. Jesus overwhelmed and wants to pull out. Yet in the heat of this moment, Jesus does something that changes what it means to be human. Check this sermon out to see what he did and find out what it takes to live a cruciform life.

In week 1 of our Last Days of Jesus series we take a look at the Triumphal Entry of Jesus and the celebratory response of the crowds when they think that Jesus wants the same things they want. We see that Jesus isn’t always interested in the same things we are but instead wants to show us what God’s really like and invite us to be part of His Kingdom.

Jesus prayed for the church to be completely unified, but we have strayed far from his intent. Our spiritual family has handed us down a legacy of division, and it is our job to figure out how to leave that baggage in the past. The world needs a church that moves and acts as one, and in this sermon we begin the conversation.Here is the link for the sermon referenced, about power, pride, and humility: http://renewcommunities.com/2014/07/28/the-result-of-pride

One of the primary reasons God doesn’t work through us is because our hearts aren’t fully devoted to him. Sometimes this is a product of busy lives and great demands on our hearts and others it’s because we easily stray from the most important things to things that just seem important. In week 4 we talked about what consecration is, how you can say yes to Jesus and die to yourself and the way it impacts the people you engage with every day of your life.

If you believe in Jesus God has given each of us the gift of the Holy Spirit which means you have one-third of the trinity living inside of you. What’s even more incredible is that each of us has been gifted in supernatural ways through this Holy Spirit and we have been sent to accomplish supernatural work where ever we live. In week 3 we talk about these giftings, how we uncover the things that God’s gifted us in and what the world might be missing if you don’t use the gift God’s given you.

One of the most important aspects of supernatural ministry in the world around us is the power of faith. If you don’t believe that God can do amazing there’s a pretty good chance that you won’t ever see him do anything amazing. The reality is your faith is important and this week we talk about how our faith can grow and why it’s so important for the people around you that your faith keep increasing.

If you know Jesus then you’ve been given a mission straight from Him. He’s sent you to make disciples. This is more than doing good, it’s more than making random proclamations about who God is or what kind of sin is running rampant. Making disciples means we connect to an individual and teach them how to obey all that Jesus has called us to do. What if this year you were sold out to the mission of Jesus? Who would meet him for the first time? Who would you connect with and how would you make an impact that lasts for eternity?

The Church is more than an organization or institution – it’s the family of God. You ought to feel at home with others who know Jesus and we should work tirelessly to create an environment where those who don’t know Him are welcomed, loved, embraced and adopted. What does it look like to be wholeheartedly committed to this family and to constantly extend an invitation that’s hard to turn down.

Joshua was called to lead God’s people into the promised land. He was their first leader after the death of Moses which meant he had some pretty big shoes to fill. Joshua was always certain that God was with his people and would provide what he promised but in this new season of leadership, God reminds Joshua that he’ll need both strength and courage to see the mission through. As we introduce our 2020 theme we’ll talk about what the strength and courage God is calling Joshua to have is, why it’s so important and how we too can be strong and courageous.

Renew’s focus in 2022 is “Deeper Roots.” There are plenty of things that threaten spiritual growth but Jesus’ parable of the sower holds the key element to how we establish deeper roots in our life and faith. Join us as we examine our lives, our connection to Jesus, and hear what Jesus says about how we grow deeper in Him.

One of the best things to do at Christmas is watching all “The Office” Christmas episodes. It’s incredible how there can be both joy and pain in every single scene! The office appeals so deeply to us because it shines a comedic light on what people are like and reminds you that you’re not the only one that has to function in stressful or difficult environments with challenging people.While it may seem trivial, the hope of Christmas is that Jesus brings light into the darkness, and as a person whose life is defined by Jesus, we can do the same thing at our work or whatever other exciting situations we find ourselves in.

Interestingly, the impact living next to someone can have on our lives. For some, our favorite people live next door. For others, it’s our worst nightmare as a next-door neighbor. Stranger still is that many of us have lived next door to the same person for years and still don’t know them at all. Yet, the Gospel of John tells us that in Jesus, God “made his dwelling among us,” or as Eugene Peterson said, he “moved into the neighborhood.In week two of our Christmas Party series, we discuss how Jesus saw those he lived life next to and how that could impact how we love and serve our neighbors.

One of the best things about Christmas is spending time with the family, but one of the hardest things about Christmas is extended time with our family! Every family shares its memories, traditions, history, and heartache, and somehow the holidays bring the best out of each of those categories. So as we enter into the Christmas season, we’ll talk about the hope that Jesus can bring to every family and the way Christmas might move us one step closer to the kind of family God wants us to be.

Most of us allow our income to drive our spending. If you make it, you spend it. If your spending follows your income, you feel an incredible amount of financial pressure because you allow your money to lead the way. In week 2 of our series, we work to understand how knowing God can help us better understand how to handle what has been entrusted to us in every aspect of our financial lives.

In week 4 of our series we explore why we are so easily taken by the god of self, the damage this god has on the world and around us and how we ought to handle our own thoughts and feelings to bring them under the authority of the one true God, His Son Jesus and in step with the Holy Spirit.

In week 3 we talk about what happens when you let politics become a god, how God fights back and how you can live faithfully for Jesus in a world consumed by Power.

In 1 Kings 18 we see the stark reality of the allegiance of God’s people being pulled in several different directions. While their social identity was being known as the People of Yahweh (the one true God) their spiritual allegiances had shift to the false gods Baal and Asherah. The one true God has no room for split allegiances and Elijah calls all of God’s people together to remind them of who they belong to and the damage aligning with another god can do.

We wrap up our Philippians sermons by taking a fresh look at the song found in Philippians 2. We pray through it with Lectio Divina together and discover with God is like and what it means to be human.

What you want makes you who you are and what you want most is what shapes you most. For most of us we don’t think about what desires are driving our life and if we’re not careful we can be enticed to want things that can cause great harm. In Philippians 3 Paul highlights how important it is to want the right thing because only one thing can make us who we were made to be.

As the threat of sickness spread throughout our world last year the one thing we were told we could do was create a bubble to keep ourselves, our families, and others safe. It’s not long before bubbles become barriers and barriers become walls meant to keep others away and to keep us safe. The problem with these walls is what you do with them after.Many of us chose to live with unnecessary walls that keep the relationships we need and the life we want out of reach which means we suffer all in the name of staying safe. It’s a mess.In our final week of this series, we’ll learn to identify which walls should stay and which walls should go and we’ll explore why a little risk can bring big reward.

Everyone agrees that our world is more divided than ever. But if you ask them why you’ll find there’s little to no agreement. Though, the one thing we can all agree on is it’s somebody else’s fault! In week 3 we explore the core element of what divides us, what role we each play in that division and the steps we can take to end the division.

You don’t go through challenging times without picking up some baggage. The circumstances you fight through, the losses you suffer, the relationships that come to an end, the opportunities missed - all of these are bags we carry through from our last mess to the next one. In week 3 we work through how to appropriately unpack the baggage we’ve been hauling around what happens when we don’t.

You don’t go through challenging times without picking up some baggage. The circumstances you fight through, the losses you suffer, the relationships that come to an end, the opportunities missed - all of these are bags we carry through from our last mess to the next one. In week 3 we work through how to appropriately unpack the baggage we’ve been hauling around what happens when we don’t.

When tensions are high relationships are fragile. In the last year, it has felt like so much is riding on every single moment. In moments like these, we can either inflict or receive the most pain from the people we’re closest to. Most of the time we can name the hurt, identify the culprit, analyze the circumstances and address the pain but none of that is cleaning up the mess the broken relationship has caused.On Sunday we worked through how to clean up after someone has done you wrong (or you have done someone wrong) and how forgiveness is the key.

Your story is uniquely yours! Just because it’s your story doesn’t mean it’s only meant for you. God wants to use your story to help others with similar stories understand how they fit in God’s big story. In the final week of our series Finding Your Place, we talk about what it looks like to tell your story in a way that introduces others to God!

Your story is uniquely yours! Just because it’s your story doesn’t mean it’s only meant for you. God wants to use your story to help others with similar stories understand how they fit in God’s big story. In the final week of our series Finding Your Place, we talk about what it looks like to tell your story in a way that introduces others to God!

Have you ever thought about how unique the things you care about are? Nobody has the same combination of passions that you do. What if God gave you those passions to direct your heart on mission? In week 3 of our series, we’ll talk about how your passions can point you towards the mission God has for you!

God has given you specific gifts and abilities through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit! In week 2 we’ll discuss how you’re gifted, how to identify your gift and how to begin using your gift to accomplish God’s mission in the world!

Our God’s on a mission. He is working to restore all that was lost at the fall. Paul tells us that if you are in Christ you’ve been made new but he also says that Jesus has give the ministry of reconciliation to us. We have been given the charge to join God on His mission! The mission of Jesus is more than just service projects and good deeds, it’s the opportunity to introduce our friends and neighbors to the one who is making all things new.

Our God’s on a mission. He is working to restore all that was lost at the fall. Paul tells us that if you are in Christ you’ve been made new but he also says that Jesus has give the ministry of reconciliation to us. We have been given the charge to join God on His mission! The mission of Jesus is more than just service projects and good deeds, it’s the opportunity to introduce our friends and neighbors to the one who is making all things new.

Jesus is “The Christ” which means “the anointed one.” As the Messiah Jesus was “annointed’ to fulfill God’s mission and purpose. Watch or listen as we discuss what it means for Jesus to be the Christ and how “beholding him” in this way should shape our life.

There’s a reason that the author of Hebrews tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus. It’s been said that “You become what you behold” and so how we focus on Jesus can bring significant transformation to our lives! In week 4 we’ll talk about how we can fix our eyes on Jesus and we’ll practice beholding him together.

There's an obvious spiritual impact that comes from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ but it goes far beyond the personal implications that we often focus on. There has been a spiritual battle raging throughout human history but Jesus’ resurrection results in the ultimate victory. In week 3 of our series we talk through this cosmic battle and what the victory of God means for us in our everyday lives.

There's an obvious spiritual impact that comes from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ but it goes far beyond the personal implications that we often focus on. There has been a spiritual battle raging throughout human history but Jesus’ resurrection results in the ultimate victory. In week 3 of our series we talk through this cosmic battle and what the victory of God means for us in our everyday lives.

In Philipians 3 Paul talks about a desire to know Jesus, but he talks about knowing him in a way we most often don’t think about. Paul doesn’t just want to know the resurrection power of Jesus but he wants to participate with Jesus in His suffering and death. Through the Lenten season we are reminded of the intense physical suffering that Jesus endured but what if there was a way that we could connect our suffering to the suffering Jesus experienced that could bring a closeness with Jesus that goes beyond our current circumstances.

The Christian's practice of eating the “Lord’s Supper” dates back to the night of the last supper. We were given this meal as a way to remember, or to focus our attention on, the body and blood of Jesus. In the first week of Lent, we will speak of its importance, how participating in it together can usher us into communion with Him and why beholding Jesus as He is should be so important for us as Christians.

What is celebrated gets repeated and what is glorified gets our allegiance. In our final week of Bridging the Gap, we take a look at what we're celebrating and glorifying, how it's impacting our lives, and what kind of revisions God is calling us to make so that we celebrate and glorify Him!

One of the most powerful statements that Jesus makes in the gospels is "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me." The strength of this statement is stunning for those of us living in a "post-truth" society.In week 3 of our Bridging the Gap series, we talk about how we got here, the toll a lack of truth takes on our lives, and the one revision we MUST make to live faithfully for Jesus.

When we live with the end in mind it makes us think through every decision we make along the way. Peter is inviting us to live our daily lives with a focus on eternity because he believes it will transform the way we live our lives and encourage us to invite others into God’s family. In week 2 of our Bridging the Gap series, we take a look at how this can bring personal revision and how an awareness of God’s presence in our lives is the key to our relationship with Him.

When we live with the end in mind it makes us think through every decision we make along the way. Peter is inviting us to live our daily lives with a focus on eternity because he believes it will transform the way we live our lives and encourage us to invite others into God’s family. In week 2 of our Bridging the Gap series, we take a look at how this can bring personal revision and how an awareness of God’s presence in our lives is the key to our relationship with Him.

Far too often we miss the point and purpose of life. The good news is that your purpose in life is connected to God’s purpose in this world and when we can see where we fit it helps us see how we should live our lives. Peter tells us that Jesus is coming back but before He does God wants to save as many people as possible! In week one of our Bridge the Gap series, we’ll look at how God’s long-term plans should impact our everyday living and how those daily decisions can be used by God to accomplish his purpose in and through your life.

Far too often we miss the point and purpose of life. The good news is that your purpose in life is connected to God’s purpose in this world and when we can see where we fit it helps us see how we should live our lives. Peter tells us that Jesus is coming back but before He does God wants to save as many people as possible! In week one of our Bridge the Gap series, we’ll look at how God’s long-term plans should impact our everyday living and how those daily decisions can be used by God to accomplish his purpose in and through your life.

In the last part of Haggai we are reminded that our obedience and our faithfulness can go viral and we have a choice to make about what we spread throughout our world.

In the beginning of Haggai we see a people finally released from exile and returning back to their homeland. For decades they have longed for the chance to return to the Temple and experience communion with God again but when they get home they turn their attention to rebuilding their own homes instead. Haggai asks them what’s more important, their own personal homes or their allegiance to God.

Christmas Eve is the day we focus on the birth of Jesus. The idea that God would put on flesh and blood and move into the neighborhood should blow our minds. He wants to move in with us? This Christmas Eve we’ll tackle all the reasons our hearts say Jesus shouldn’t want to make His home with us and we’ll talk about how His presence deals with each of those issues directly.

Let’s face it. Most of us have felt trapped by 2020. It’s not only the pandemic - it’s everything! The question is how do you get unstuck so you can live the life you were made to live free of all the things that make us feel stuck.

If you’re like me when my house is messy my heart feels messy. Sometimes I’ve made the mess but most of the time it’s someone else and we all just wait to see who will make the first move to clean things up so our house can be a comforting place to live. In week 3 of our Home for Christmas series we’ll talk about how we clean up the mess of our lives so we can feel at home in our own skin or in our families and how Jesus is the only one who can really clean things up.

Most of us have mental snapshots of a moment in our lives where we felt like we were right where we belonged. The embrace of a parent, the smile of a sibling, the laughter around the table. It’s how we know we belong. Christmas reminds us that God has invited us to join his family and he embraces us as his children. In week 2 we talk about what it means to belong to the family of God even in the midst of this crazy world.

There’s something comforting about coming home. You’re supposed to feel safe, loved, cared for, rested and happy at home. When we face the tough times and the hard days we have a longing to get back home. That longing is about more than a physical location or a heart full of memories, that longing was built into us by God and we’re longing to be at home with Him. In week 1 of our home for Christmas series we’ll talk about the longing for home that’s built into all of us and how we actually make our home with Him.

The way the world tells us to love ourselves is vastly different from the way God teaches us to love ourselves. In the final week of our “What Christians Do” series, we look at what God tells us is the greatest commandment and what it means to love ourselves.

We live in complex times which creates a need to find answers to complex questions. There is no shortage of people who are willing to direct our steps but the question is what do Christians do when we have big questions in our life? In this weeks teaching we discuss how seeking and knowing Jesus can help us filter things through his heart and teaching.

We live in complex times which creates a need to find answers to complex questions. There is no shortage of people who are willing to direct our steps but the question is what do Christians do when we have big questions in our life? In this weeks teaching we discuss how seeking and knowing Jesus can help us filter things through his heart and teaching.

Have you ever thought about what the core of your worry or anxiety is? We generally can identify the symptoms but often we don't dig deep enough to find the cause which is almost always that we lack the ability to control what is happening in our world. In this week's teaching we discuss what Christians do with worry and anxiety and we learn what it means to relax in Jesus.

Every four years we get the opportunity to choose who we want to lead our country. This blessing seems to have turned into a curse lately as there is more division and dissension in our nation than at any time in recent memory. In our final look at “What Christians Do” with politics we take a look at how Jesus responded when “forced to choose” politically and we’ll work to follow Him as we do the same.

These days our world is full of rumors and rumblings about all sorts of things. When we let our hearts be captured by these rumors and rumblings we can be lead into all sorts of interesting conclusions and allegiances. Our hearts are easily captured by these theories or ideas and we can find ourselves living from a place of fear, suspicion or even anger without even knowing for certain they’re true. The question is what do Christians do in a world full of rumors and rumblings and how does following Jesus offer us hope in a world full of confusion.

Jesus lived in politically polarized times just like we did. He has a very direct warning for his followers about how they should engage and what they should do. In this week’s sermon we talk about how to be on guard and what happens if we don’t.

Jesus lived in politically polarized times just like we did. He has a very direct warning for his followers about how they should engage and what they should do. In this week’s sermon we talk about how to be on guard and what happens if we don’t.

Part of loving God is trusting God with what God has entrusted to us. This is easier said than done. We most often live with a mindset that we need all we have and most often we need more! Whenever Jesus talked about money he works to redirect our focus from provisions to provider but it takes more than thinking about money the right way. What Christians do with their money opens the door to a greater love for God.

What makes the two words "Follow Me" so intimidating for Christians to hear? What if Christ's command to follow me is actually to stay where you are? How would that change the way you live your life and the people you interact with?

The issues we are facing in 2020 are not unique or new; the weight is just magnifying the cracks or gaps in our lives. One of the greatest temptations at times like these is to focus our attention on other people’s cracks in character and judge their actions in comparison to our intentions. As Christians Jesus instructs us not to judge but his teaching in Matthew 7 takes the focus from what we’re not supposed to do to a very clear calling on how to live as Agents of Grace.

Jesus proclaims that the kingdom of God is here! In this sermon, we explore how we can enter into and experience the kingdom, moment by moment.

So many people think they must go to a certain place at a certain time to encounter God but Peter tells us something entirely different about how God is truly encountered in this world. In the 3rd week of our series on 1 Peter we see how God is building a new temple and we find the role and work that God’s called us to play right where we live.

Everyone’s life is full of challenges, trials, troubles, and problems. Some are big and some are small but all of them impact the way we view our lives and the responses we think are necessary to thrive in the moment. As we kick off our first week in 1 Peter we are reminded that life is more than the moment and God has a plan for our life that’s bigger than we can imagine.

It often feels like the antidote to fear is courage or faith - something you have to muster up from within. The true antidote to fear comes to you from another source and it is available to you in every circumstance.Join us for our final week of Faith Over Fear series to learn, understand and accept the antidote for fear.

One of the strangest things about relationships is how much fear exists within them. Often we have a fear that we’ll be rejected or judged by people we care most about or need approval from. Because of this fear we often take control of whatever situation we're in and do our best to satisfy others. While it may feel like you’ve taken control the reality is fear has taken control of you.In week 3 of our series we talk about why this fear exists, the damage it does, and how we can invite Jesus in to find true acceptance.

When we face real, perceived, or even imagined threats for many of us our first impulse is to figure out what to do. Often our “best-laid plans” are just fear masquerading as wisdom and the results are even more devastating.In week 2 of our Faith over Fear series, we talk about how to identify those circumstances and learn how to look to God’s wisdom instead of our own.

When we face real, perceived, or even imagined threats for many of us our first impulse is to figure out what to do. Often our “best-laid plans” are just fear masquerading as wisdom and the results are even more devastating.In week 2 of our Faith over Fear series, we talk about how to identify those circumstances and learn how to look to God’s wisdom instead of our own.

We are living in a time of great despair and yet even now you can have Hope.Easter points us to that Hope – his name is Jesus. In Him, we find life in death, peace in worry, faith in doubt and salvation in suffering. This Easter we won’t just celebrate the resurrection as something that happened, but we will embrace the resurrected Jesus as the source of life, peace, faith, and salvation and learn how to take hold of Hope even now!

The direction Paul gives us is to take up “God’s armor” in order to fight the right fight. The first piece of armor we’re instructed to put on is the belt of truth. In this teaching we talk about why Truth matters so much in this fight and how to equip yourself with it.

There’s so much talk about having a war-time mentality which puts us in a mindset to fight. Paul encourages us as followers of Jesus to draw strength in the Lord and His power and reminds us that we are in a fight but it’s important that we fight the right fight and reminds us of the fights that we must avoid. This teaching will encourage and challenge you as you seek Jesus in the midst of our chaotic world.

In our first-ever online gathering we look In Joshua 1 where God has impressed upon Joshua that he needs to lead the people in strength and courage and so he approaches some of the men who will be making a way for Israel to move into the promised land.All RenewFM resources for kids are available at renewcommunities.com/news

In our first-ever online gathering we look In Joshua 1 where God has impressed upon Joshua that he needs to lead the people in strength and courage and so he approaches some of the men who will be making a way for Israel to move into the promised land.All RenewFM resources for kids are available at renewcommunities.com/news

In our final week of our Strength & Courage: Part 3 series we talk about ways to “practice the presence of God” in our everyday lives. We also talk about how to access the strength and courage he makes available to us through the Holy Spirit and we’ll spend some time practicing together through various forms of prayer and worship.

Have you ever wondered what gave the great men and women of God the strength to go and do all that God called them to do? The temptation is to think it had something to do with their abilities or giftings but if you look into the stories of these men and women you’ll find what made them strong and courageous is the time they spend in the presence of God and the connection they carried to Him as they moved forward.In week 2 of Strength & Courage, we talk about how the same thing the heroes of the faith did to enable them to follow God in strength and courage is available to us today.

Each of us has a great and important work to complete as part of God's Kingdom. The source of this strength and courage to fulfill the great and important work is found in prayer and the presence of God. In this week's teaching, we learn from Nehemiah what it takes to possess the qualities of an absolutely devoted and dependent servant of God.

All throughout the Bible you’ll find promises or guarantees about how reading, meditating and focusing on the Bible can impact your life. In week 3 of our focus on finding strength & courage in the Word of God we talk about why knowing and engaging the Bible can make you prosperous and successful and what that might look like in 2020. This is a challenging idea that should challenge you this week!

Mindfulness and meditation have become quite the trend in recent years in a way that’s capturing the imagination of our culture. This new trend is something that God has invited His people to participate in since the beginning and in Joshua 1 God tells this new leader that meditating on His Word will be a source of strength and courage.In this week's sermon, we talk about why this has such a powerful effect on our lives and how we can shift our attention from the things we’re naturally fixated on to focus our hearts and minds on Him.

God promises Joshua that by living according to His Word Joshua will find strength and courage as well as success and prospering. Even with this promise, there’s a temptation to go our own way or the way of the world and lose focus even when we think we’re doing things for God. In week 1 of our second movement of the Strength and Courage series, we discuss why we’re so easily tempted to go to the “right or the left” and how we can stay true to God’s Word by engaging it regularly.

In our final week focusing on the way the promises of God give us strength and courage we ask the question “how can we draw strength and courage by waiting on God?” Many of us are waiting for the fulfillment of a promise and in the waiting, we can be tempted to give up or give in. God himself is in the waiting with us, working on our heart and empowering us through it all. If you’re waiting on God for something this teaching will encourage you to not give up and let God work!

In our final week focusing on the way the promises of God give us strength and courage we ask the question “how can we draw strength and courage by waiting on God?” Many of us are waiting for the fulfillment of a promise and in the waiting, we can be tempted to give up or give in. God himself is in the waiting with us, working on our heart and empowering us through it all. If you’re waiting on God for something this teaching will encourage you to not give up and let God work!

We spend much of our life looking for a purpose. We ask questions like “What’s my mission? Why am I here? What am I supposed to do?” One of the best insights we can gain from watching the life of Joshua is that through the relationship with the God of the Promise we find the mission He has made us for. Instead of having to manufacture something meaningful to live for we receive the opportunity to partner with God in what we know he’s already doing. This partnership instills strength and courage in even the most tentative of followers because when the mission is tied to the promise of God we can easily believe that the outcome is not dependant on me but on Him.Watch or listen as we introduce our partnership with Compassion International supporting a church led child development center in Oaxaca, Mexico.

There’s this old Christian statement that still gets said from time to time, “I may not know what the future holds but I know who holds the future.” We often say this when we need reassurance that some unknown circumstance is going to work out. The truth is our God does hold the future and while we may not know exactly how things are going to work out we have countless promises that we can depend on and countless examples of how God comes through on those promises.

When we truly understand who this hope bringer is we will fall on our knees. There are two reasons for a person to take this position. One is to worship and the other is to surrender. When we realize who this Jesus is we should do both. In our final week of our Thrill of Hope series, we’ll talk about how worship and surrender go hand in hand and how much hope there is in embracing the one who holds the future in His hands.

Jesus came to bring hope to the hopeless by breaking the chains that have so enslaved us. This hope isn’t just hope for us to experience but it’s a hope we get to share because anyone who’s been enslaved can relate to those who still are. Our job is to lift high the name of Jesus so that those who are overlooked and oppressed can be set free. In week 3 we talk about the role we play in this mission and the way to embrace our brothers and sisters who are still enslaved.

When you have hope after living without it for so long it feels like the whole world is new. With Jesus comes the birth of new possibilities is in every area of our life. In week two of our series, we talk about how our eternal hope can flood our present reality every single day.

The impact of sin on the world we live in is easy to miss. You may not think so because there’s so much around us that we see that’s broken but the very nature of our brokenness often causes us to think that the places we’re in error are actually how things are supposed to be. You never know how dark things are until the light shows up. The birth of Jesus reveals to us just how desperate our world - and we - are for a Savior to come and restore what we’ve broken.

Most of our financial decisions are made out of fear of what might happen if we don’t have what we need. When we’re anxious about our financial future the only way we can view our finances is from a survival perspective but God has called us to see our finances as a way to make a difference in the world around us.

Most of our financial decisions are made out of fear of what might happen if we don’t have what we need. When we’re anxious about our financial future the only way we can view our finances is from a survival perspective but God has called us to see our finances as a way to make a difference in the world around us.

Do you know what is “enough for you?” What amount will make you truly happy or content? How much money is enough? How big of a house is enough? How nice of a car? How luxurious of a vacation? Or how much savings? In week 2 of our True Riches series, Matt Shetler of Lakewood Vineyard​ teaches that contentment isn't about what you have or own, it's about the posture of your heart.

It’s easy to find our identity in what we have or wish we had. This way of thinking creates a prideful posture in our hearts because we become convinced that we have what we have because of our hard work or it causes us to believe we deserve what we don’t have and somehow the life we’re living isn’t fair. In week 1 of our series, we talk about moving from pride to gratitude when it comes to what God has provided for us.

It’s easy to find our identity in what we have or wish we had. This way of thinking creates a prideful posture in our hearts because we become convinced that we have what we have because of our hard work or it causes us to believe we deserve what we don’t have and somehow the life we’re living isn’t fair. In week 1 of our series, we talk about moving from pride to gratitude when it comes to what God has provided for us.

Have you ever been in a crowd of people and thought “I wonder who Jesus will rescue next? I wonder who will be the next person to cry out to him for help and salvation? I wonder who will be a completely different person one year from now because of what Jesus is going to do in their lives?” Most of us aren’t thinking these things in our everyday life but I wonder what difference it would make if we were. In our final week of our NextGen series, we’ll talk about who the next Christians might be that you already know and how to invite them into God’s family today!

The future of the church is in your hands. A better way of saying this might be “you carry with you the life-changing presence of Jesus” wherever you go. That may sound spiritual - and it is! - I want you to think instead of all the places you go to daily. The gym, school, work, soccer practice, the coffee shop - if the life-changing presence of Jesus is there because you’re there how might God use your presence to change lives? In the second week of our Next Gen series, we’ll share some vision of how God may want to use your work, your house, your neighborhood as a new Kingdom outpost and we’ll give you some real tools to develop that vision in your life.

It’s so easy to look at kids and youth and think “someday.” Someday you’ll make an impact. Someday you’ll be productive. Someday you’ll make a difference. When we think of younger people in the “someday” category it’s easy to defer their importance in the church and in the world today. In the first week of our Next Gen series, we talk about the impact youth and young adults can have in the world today, the vision God gives to us for these important members of His church and the way we can all be investing in them for Kingdom impact today and in the future.

Relationships are tricky. At any given time you probably have someone you’re mad at or someone who’s mad at you. What’s funny is most of the time we don’t even express the tension until the whole thing falls apart. In week 4 of our series, we talk about why we’re so prone to relational breakdowns, how to restore what is broken and how to avoid creating painful tension in the important relationships in your life.

Relationships are tricky. At any given time you probably have someone you’re mad at or someone who’s mad at you. What’s funny is most of the time we don’t even express the tension until the whole thing falls apart. In week 4 of our series, we talk about why we’re so prone to relational breakdowns, how to restore what is broken and how to avoid creating painful tension in the important relationships in your life.

So much of how we see and experience the world is dictated by how we’re feeling emotionally. Many of us base our actions and reactions off of what we’re feeling in the moment and a large majority of us are feeling anxious or depressed a lot of the time. We’ve all experienced an emotional meltdown - some have ruined a day and some have been so catastrophic they’ve ruined entire years. So, how do you come back from an emotional meltdown and how can our life with Christ help us avoid these meltdowns in the future.

So much of how we see and experience the world is dictated by how we’re feeling emotionally. Many of us base our actions and reactions off of what we’re feeling in the moment and a large majority of us are feeling anxious or depressed a lot of the time. We’ve all experienced an emotional meltdown - some have ruined a day and some have been so catastrophic they’ve ruined entire years. So, how do you come back from an emotional meltdown and how can our life with Christ help us avoid these meltdowns in the future.

From a young age, we’re taught the value of a dollar. You know you’re supposed to save, plan, budget and pay your bills on time. You know you’re not supposed to spend money you don’t have or make risky decisions that will put your financial well-being in danger. Some of us work these plans and still face financial hardship while others intentionally dig a hole that creates major problems that last years. So how do you recover or better yet how can you avoid a financial meltdown? In week 2 of our series, we’ll talk about how your faith can help you reprioritize your approach to finances and share some ideas of how you can get things back under control?

This Sunday we spent time reflecting on our vision, who God has called us to be and how we think He wants to take us there. Listen as we announce 3 big initiatives and invite you to participate with us in seeing whole communities renewed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

The story of the world doesn’t end when Jesus returns, it’s just getting started. There will more to do, more to build, more to create, more to write, more to live for. In our last teaching in Revelation, we uncover the reality of heaven and eternity and how God is inviting us to partner in building this garden city.

The story of the world doesn’t end when Jesus returns, it’s just getting started. There will more to do, more to build, more to create, more to write, more to live for. In our last teaching in Revelation, we uncover the reality of heaven and eternity and how God is inviting us to partner in building this garden city.

As we approach the last loop of the book of Revelation we find what is known as Judgement Day. Most people sense a tension in their hearts as they think about how evil will ultimately be dealt with. We want evil to be eradicated but we get nervous about what that means for humanity. In week 11 of our Revelation series, we talk about how good God is and why we can trust Him in dealing with evil in the world and our heart both today and for eternity.

Revelation is one of the most misunderstood and even worse, one of the most misused books in the bible. In this week's Revelation teaching we look at how this poetic and creative book about the church, about politics and about trusting Jesus can help shape our vision as a church not just for the future but as a church and a people for the present.

Throughout Revelation, we often see the struggle between God and evil on display. The promise of the whole book is that ultimately God will be victorious through the work of Jesus but this book is about more than that. The real point of the book is to challenge those who say they believe to stay faithful when faced with the temptation to compromise and go along when enticed by evil. In this week’s sermon, we tackle the question of how you can tell the difference when faced with the “blind taste test” and what tangible steps we can take in our everyday life to follow John’s warning and stay faithful to Jesus?

In our series on Revelation, we've been exploring the cycles from worship to disruption. Revelation 12-13 is full of disruption. Matt Buehrle explores in this sermon how a jolting sermon can help us wake up to the grace of God in Jesus.

As we read through the different cycles of Revelation we have the opportunity to see what God is really like. What appears to be God’s horrific judgment at first glance actually shows us God’s divine mercy. In an amazing turn of events we read an account of “the end” and what we find is multiple opportunities to repent and experience the salvation of God through Jesus.If you’ve ever thought Revelation revealed one more picture of some angry God waiting to judge and condemn listen to this look at Revelation 8-11 and see who God really is and who you could be if you really knew him.

The book Revelation is not about terrifying us about the future. It's about disrupting the status quo and calling you to worship and faithfulness to Jesus. In this week's teaching, we look at Revelation 6 and 7 and how it challenges us to consider where are we going to seek peace and security. Do we go to the ways of the world or do we go to the slain lamb?

There is so much benefit to knowing and following Jesus but what we are experiencing now is only part of what has been promised to those of us who faithfully await eternal life with Him. In our final look at the Letters of Revelation, we’ll see how Jesus reminds each church of these promises and how these promises can motivate us in our faithful connection to Jesus.

Each church Jesus writes to has some area that they need to pay close attention to because they are in danger of falling away from a relationship with Jesus. Sometimes it’s because of pressure that’s coming against them, others are dealing with false teachings that have invaded their body and some are becoming comfortable and complacent. Jesus has strong words of warnings for these churches because he loves them and he’s concerned about their future. In week 2 of our Letters series, we’ll look at what kind of warnings Jesus gives to these early churches and work through what kind of warnings he might give to us.

Each church that Jesus writes to are in unique situations but we see that there are both external pressures and internal temptations facing all of them. In week one of the Letters of Revelation, we will look at the kind of things that Jesus affirms in the midst of these pressures and temptation and what kind of things Jesus might affirm in our church too.

Each church that Jesus writes to are in unique situations but we see that there are both external pressures and internal temptations facing all of them. In week one of the Letters of Revelation, we will look at the kind of things that Jesus affirms in the midst of these pressures and temptation and what kind of things Jesus might affirm in our church too.

Revelation is a complicated book that carries with it a lot of baggage based on each person's personal experience with the book. In week 1 of our 12 week series in Revelation, we take a look at what the book of Revelation actually is according to its author. As we work through the literary framework of the book we get to the main purpose John has and that’s to point Christ followers to Christ and remind them of His centrality in all things. This forces us to reflect on how we’re doing at following Jesus and responding to Him in our daily lives.

The primary goal of the mission Jesus in sending his followers on is that other people may know the life-changing love of God through Jesus. This isn’t a job for someone else - it’s a job for you and he’s sending you to share with the people your life intersects with. In this sermon, you’ll hear 4 reasons you should feel confident in going and you’ll be challenged to look for the opportunities wherever you live your life.

The primary goal of the mission Jesus in sending his followers on is that other people may know the life-changing love of God through Jesus. This isn’t a job for someone else - it’s a job for you and he’s sending you to share with the people your life intersects with. In this sermon, you’ll hear 4 reasons you should feel confident in going and you’ll be challenged to look for the opportunities wherever you live your life.

In week 2 of our series, we talk about how to see what God is doing in our world and ways we can join him in His work. Listen as we evaluate the things that God may already be doing and how you can get involved where you live, work, learn and play.

In week 1 of our series “Your Life is Your Mission”, we begin by talking through what it means to be sent like Jesus to the places we live, work, learn & play. For many of us, this can be a daunting circumstance but we are not sent out in our own power but with help from God. Listen as we take a personal look at what this might look like for your life!

The Jesus story doesn’t end with the cross or the resurrection. There’s still more to come but we’re in the midst of the waiting. It can feel a bit pointless to our lives in 2019 but the return of Jesus holds great meaning for you today and for eternity. In our final week of We Believe in Jesus we talk about where Jesus is now, what He’s doing and why it matters.

The morning of the resurrection of Jesus must have been shocking to the people who first discovered Jesus came back from the dead. It’s not what you’d expect because it’s not how the world works. In the resurrection, we see the world being made new and it’s something that can happen to you too - if you let God have access to your life.

Two things that don't mix, the divine and the human. In response to the evil in our world, God did the unthinkable. He became a man in Jesus. In the second week of our Jesus series, we unpack two massive implications: Jesus forever cements our view of who God is and also what it truly means to be human.

When most of us think of who Jesus is our mind goes directly to his 33 years on earth. This is a great place to start but before Jesus ever walked the earth He was busy being Jesus. In week one of our We Believe in Jesus series we look at the supremacy of this Jesus and why He is Lord of all.

For most of us, our agenda comes first. We all have lists of things that need to get done. But for many, time with Jesus is optional. When it comes to being with Jesus, some of us come for a “snack” on Sunday morning but the rest of the week binge on junk food. In the final week of our "Just Be" series we talk about why sitting and being with Jesus isn't just important, it's necessary.

For most of us, our agenda comes first. We all have lists of things that need to get done. But for many, time with Jesus is optional. When it comes to being with Jesus, some of us come for a “snack” on Sunday morning but the rest of the week binge on junk food. In the final week of our "Just Be" series we talk about why sitting and being with Jesus isn't just important, it's necessary.

Is it possible that you’re addicted to doing, producing, achieving and accomplishing? Have you ever wondered why you can’t put down your computer or your cell phone? Have you ever had a day off but before you know it you have an intense need to get something done? In week three of our Just Be series, we talk about why so many of us are addicted to doing and what Jesus is calling us to when he says “come to me and I will give you rest for your soul.”

Is it possible that you’re addicted to doing, producing, achieving and accomplishing? Have you ever wondered why you can’t put down your computer or your cell phone? Have you ever had a day off but before you know it you have an intense need to get something done? In week three of our Just Be series, we talk about why so many of us are addicted to doing and what Jesus is calling us to when he says “come to me and I will give you rest for your soul.”

Often the reason we give for not stopping to rest is that we don’t think we can afford to stop. There is actually great value in stopping and in week 2 of our Just Be series we share a framework for discovering who you are, where you’ve been and where you're going that just isn’t possible if you don’t stop.

Often the reason we give for not stopping to rest is that we don’t think we can afford to stop. There is actually great value in stopping and in week 2 of our Just Be series we share a framework for discovering who you are, where you’ve been and where you're going that just isn’t possible if you don’t stop.

The natural rhythm of our world is non-stop action. Everyone’s so busy and it feels like we’re only adding more to our schedules. What if that’s actually not the way God made the world to work? What if the way God made the world to work and made you and I to work were centered around a rhythm of rest and work? In week 1 of our, Just Be series we look at the damage we’re doing to our heart, soul, and mind by never stopping and the invitation from God to stop and rest in Him.

When a couple makes vows on their wedding day they are promising to be faithful to their spouse for the rest of their lives. We all know that there are things that threaten our faithfulness and in our final week of “Tighten the Knot” we dig in to see what the biggest threat to our faithfulness is - not just in marriage but in friendship and our faith.

Every relationship has its ups and its downs and when we’re down it’s easy for things to devolve into a fight. Fighting can easily be labeled as “bad” in a marriage but the truth is in order for any relationship to thrive you have to be willing to fight. The key is knowing what you’re fighting for. In week 3 of our Tighten the Knot series we discuss why we fight and how we combat the greatest threats to our marriages.

One of the number one reasons that people begin to pursue divorce is the idea that they’ve “grown apart” and “stopped having fun.” When couples try and recapture “the magic” there’s a lot of pressure on finding enjoyment and happiness in their marriage which can often make things worse.In week 2 of Tighten the Knot, we uncover the formula for fun in marriage which actually starts with finding joy and gladness with God and we give you practical tools to have fun together in your relationship.

The purpose of your marriage is to show off the nature and character of God to the world so that when people see the way you live with each other, they will see what God is like. In the first week of our relationship series, we talk about how actually following Jesus will make your marriage better and also how it will make you better at marriage.

The garden of Eden was never meant to stay just a garden. Humanity was meant to rule, develop and take care of the world. In the last week of our "Who I Am" series, we discuss why what we do shouldn't be where we find our identity. Rather how our idea of work and vocation should be drastically redefined by our identity in Christ and the original intent God had for humanity.

We live in a world driven by consumerism and materialism so it's almost impossible to not be defined by the things we have or wish we had. In week 3 of our "Who I Am" series we discuss why we are so easily defined by these things and the direction, Jesus gives us to combat this. We also look at 4 practical ways to apply truth to our circumstances that may remind us we are who God says we are. [this sermon audio/video is lower quality because it is from a Facebook Live broadcast since we had to cancel our gatherings due to snow]

Relationships are one of the most important aspects of life. We have friends, family, and work relationships that have a tremendous impact on our lives but for so many of us, our relationships define who we are and how we see ourselves. In week 2 of our "Who I Am" series we discuss how defining ourselves by these relationships can do damage to our souls and what it looks like to be defined by our relationship with God.

Relationships are one of the most important aspects of life. We have friends, family, and work relationships that have a tremendous impact on our lives but for so many of us, our relationships define who we are and how we see ourselves. In week 2 of our "Who I Am" series we discuss how defining ourselves by these relationships can do damage to our souls and what it looks like to be defined by our relationship with God.

We all are looking for the one thing that can define our lives and complete us. We look for it in what we do, what we have and who loves us. The search for significance in these things can be both exhausting and unpredictable. In week one of our Who I Am series, we declare that you are not what you do, what you have or who loves you-you are who God says you are! Listen as we talk about how to know and believe that in your everyday life.

The holiday season can be so hectic that many of us are ready to move on from Christmas. Christmastide, the twelve days following the 25th of December, invites us to slow down and sit with the meaning of Christmas. Listen as we learn about how the light of Christ invites us out of the lives of scarcity to live lives of abundance.

One of my favorite parts of the Christmas story is how quickly the Shepherds respond to the good news of Jesus’ birth. Luke tells us they hurried off to see this newborn baby as soon as the angels left them. Why? When something you’ve been waiting for finally arrives you don’t wait any longer - you hurry off to participate in it as quick as you can. This Christmas we talk about why the birth of Jesus makes what you’ve always hoped for a reality in the here and now.

One of my favorite parts of the Christmas story is how quickly the Shepherds respond to the good news of Jesus’ birth. Luke tells us they hurried off to see this newborn baby as soon as the angels left them. Why? When something you’ve been waiting for finally arrives you don’t wait any longer - you hurry off to participate in it as quick as you can. This Christmas we talk about why the birth of Jesus makes what you’ve always hoped for a reality in the here and now.

There’s always tension in waiting. There’s a very specific tension that comes in our awaiting the arrival of Jesus - but it’s often not what you think. Part of what creates such a deep longing for the coming of Jesus is what a mess the world has become. The tension comes when we recognize that we’ve helped make the mess. It’s like Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt says “Anyone whose attention is fixed on the coming reign of God… will become more and more aware that there exists a universal wrongness that is pulled over us like a choking, suffocating blanket.” This is why part of “preparing the way of the Lord” is repentance. In week 3 we looked at the part we’ve played in creating the mess and the hope we could have in this savior’s arrival.

There’s always tension in waiting. There’s a very specific tension that comes in our awaiting the arrival of Jesus - but it’s often not what you think. Part of what creates such a deep longing for the coming of Jesus is what a mess the world has become. The tension comes when we recognize that we’ve helped make the mess. It’s like Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt says “Anyone whose attention is fixed on the coming reign of God… will become more and more aware that there exists a universal wrongness that is pulled over us like a choking, suffocating blanket.” This is why part of “preparing the way of the Lord” is repentance. In week 3 we looked at the part we’ve played in creating the mess and the hope we could have in this savior’s arrival.

We move closer to the birth of Jesus by taking a look at the prophecy given by John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah. He declares that Jesus will bring a new order of redemption, salvation, and mercy through humility and laying down his life as opposed to King Herod’s order of self-reliance and trying to make one’s name great. Jesus’s new order is coming, it’s here, and we’re a part of it. We live in this new order by receiving Jesus as our king and loving him with our lives. In our second week of Advent, we explore how our love for God leads us to allow God to shape us through the stories we tell, the relationships we keep, and the habits we form.

There’s so much division in our world today - but it’s not just a problem we see at work in our world at large we see division in families, workplaces, relationships, and neighborhoods. That division serves as a reminder of what we’re waiting for - a day when everything will be reunited by the power of Jesus. This was the same hope that the people of Israel had as they waited for the birth of the Messiah. In week 1 we’ll embrace the pain of separation as a way to take hold of the hope of reconciliation and peace available in this Jesus.

As we’ve spent time in the book of Acts we’ve seen how the Holy Spirit has worked to prepare, call and equip God’s people for the mission He’s called them to but in the last legs of Paul’s missionary journey we see the Holy Spirit warning and informing the believers about the dangers ahead. What is most interesting is that Paul and his friends interpret the warnings they are receiving from the Holy Spirit in completely different ways. In our final week in Acts, we take a look at how Paul can look so confidently toward the future while knowing that suffering awaits him and how we can press on in hope when we face similar circumstances.

The first Christians faced opposition to the work and movement of God and so do we. In this week's sermon, we take a look at what the true opposition to the work of God is and how the primary weapon to fighting back against the opposition is a personal connection with Jesus himself.

Have you ever been so sure that God was up to something that never happened? Maybe you thought you were going to move somewhere new, get a new job, marry someone or even lead someone to faith in Jesus and then just when you were almost certain it was about to happen the door slammed shut.In this week's teaching, we watch this very thing happen to Paul as he works to share the Gospel in new places to new people and discuss how we stay the course even in the most frustrating moments of our life.

Most of us want to be used by God to make a difference in this world and often we're sure what that would look like - but what if God has something in mind we could never even conceive of? What if God's idea actually runs against what you even think you should be doing with your life?In this week's sermon, we see how God moves Peter to new people and new places that he should never have engaged with to invite them into God's family and we talk about how important sitting and listening to God speak to us can be in making us into who God's called us to be.

After Stephen’s death a great persecution breaks out and the church is literally running for their lives. Of course, this scattering is used by God to spread the Gospel to new people and places. In an amazing turn of events, Saul traveling to a new city to destroy Christians encounters Jesus in a vision and it changes everything. Paul is not just transformed he becomes a transformer as well.On Sunday we talked about how what we desire will always bring us to Jesus because he is what we truly desire. We talked about the power of transformation and asked if we truly believe the Holy Spirit can transform the “worst threat” we face.

Jesus said to His followers that they’d do even greater things than He had done after the Holy Spirit came and we see some of that on display in the book of Acts. The primary reason that healing takes place in and through the first Christians is so that those who don’t know God can see His love on display and encounter the saving grace of Jesus. In this week’s teaching, we talk about why healing takes place when it does and we discuss what that might mean for the church and world today.

Jesus said to His followers that they’d do even greater things than He had done after the Holy Spirit came and we see some of that on display in the book of Acts. The primary reason that healing takes place in and through the first Christians is so that those who don’t know God can see His love on display and encounter the saving grace of Jesus. In this week’s teaching, we talk about why healing takes place when it does and we discuss what that might mean for the church and world today.

One of the most interesting things we see in Acts is the very specific direction some of the first Christians get from the Holy Spirit. At times the rationale is clearly stated and other times it’s left to discover through their obedience. In this week's sermon, we talked about what it means to be open to the leading of the Spirit, what perspective we need to not miss the purpose of these leadings and we’ll learn some ways to listen to both individually and together.

As the book of Acts continues the first Christians are making quite an impact. People are being healed, darkness is being pushed back and many people are coming to Jesus. Along with all the good came strong moments of suffering. One of the beautiful things about the Bible is it helps us understand how to work through these moments of suffering and respond the same way these first Christians did - by rejoicing!

The most incredible aspect of the early church is who was allowed to lead. You’d, of course, think the disciples of Jesus would have key roles because they had been with Jesus - but they were seen as unschooled fishermen by the masses. How does the leadership multiply as the church expands? It includes people we’ve never heard of and we’d least expect. Persecutors, gentiles, women, youth, and slaves! With such organizational leadership, you’d expect a disaster - and yet the church moves forward! How is any of this possible? The key is the Holy Spirit - He calls and qualifies who He wants when He wants for His purposes.

In the book of Acts the church is doing incredibly well in...until a crisis hits. The first crisis to ever hit the church was that of pretending to be something on the outside that was not on the inside. While we tend to minimize the weight of pretending in our lives, Peter maximizes it and shows us what really happens when we pretend. This talk encourages us to stop pretending together so that we can build a community of trust transformed by the Holy Spirit. Only then can we be the people of God on mission together.

Jesus said that his followers were to be the light of the world. In Acts, we see exactly what that looks like as the people of God’s lives look completely different than everyone else in the world’s lives - both collectively and individually. This ideal is often exalted as the idea that all churches today are striving for but most find impossible to truly live out. The reality is this kind of living is only possible through the indwelling and unifying presence of the Holy Spirit. In week 3 of our series, we’ll look through the activities that defined the people of God, how the Holy Spirit empowers us to live this way and what it might look like for the Holy Spirit to direct our community in the same way.

In Acts 2 the Holy Spirit arrives in a powerful way and right away they have exactly what they need to do what they were called to do. These unschooled fishermen are able to connect with the people from all over the world and Peter has a newfound boldness and clarity that could only be explained as God working. As the Church, God is giving us the same help and power if we're open to it. Listen as we talk about how this might play out where you live, work, learn and play.

At the beginning of the book of Acts Jesus gives directions to his followers to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the “ends of the earth.” The assignment extends beyond just the people present with Jesus on that day all the way to us now. Often we miss the “initiating agent” at that moment and either get to work or avoid the call because we don’t know what it would even look like to do this work. Jesus says it happens through the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives and what’s incredible is that Jesus models what this kind of life looks like.

In 1 John 3 John tells us that Jesus came to destroy the work of the Devil. In week 3 of Jesus is the Point we understand that the Devil's primary strategy is to convince you and I that we are just fine without God. Jesus came to destroy that lie and its impact on our lives and He does it through the cross - but with Jesus, it's always personal - which means it takes a personal response. Listen as we talk about how to respond and what trusting Jesus may do in your life.

In 1 John 3 John tells us that Jesus came to destroy the work of the Devil. In week 3 of Jesus is the Point we understand that the Devil's primary strategy is to convince you and I that we are just fine without God. Jesus came to destroy that lie and its impact on our lives and He does it through the cross - but with Jesus, it's always personal - which means it takes a personal response. Listen as we talk about how to respond and what trusting Jesus may do in your life.

The Bible is a book that is confusing in many ways. Have you ever wondered as you were reading the Bible: What's the point? On Sunday we looked at how Jesus is the point of the Bible and how He Jesus can be the point of your life.

The Bible is a book that is confusing in many ways. Have you ever wondered as you were reading the Bible: What's the point? On Sunday we looked at how Jesus is the point of the Bible and how He Jesus can be the point of your life.

One of the most difficult aspects of following Jesus in our culture is fully understanding God's heart for our world because we often assume that God responds to the world's problems the same way we would but instead what we find is God wants to use us to bring about His purposes even in the midst of our broken world. In our final week in Daniel, we look at what God wants for our world and how He wants to use you to accomplish his purposes.

One of the most difficult aspects of following Jesus in our culture is fully understanding God's heart for our world because we often assume that God responds to the world's problems the same way we would but instead what we find is God wants to use us to bring about His purposes even in the midst of our broken world. In our final week in Daniel, we look at what God wants for our world and how He wants to use you to accomplish his purposes.

Daniel and his friends don't just resist evil while living in exile - they also actively participate in every aspect of their culture. The question their story answers for us is how can we engage in redemptive ways and not forfeit our souls. In week 3 of our Daniel series, we learn about the regular disciplines that grounded Daniel in God and talk about how we can do that too.

Daniel and his friends don't just resist evil while living in exile - they also actively participate in every aspect of their culture. The question their story answers for us is how can we engage in redemptive ways and not forfeit our souls. In week 3 of our Daniel series, we learn about the regular disciplines that grounded Daniel in God and talk about how we can do that too.

We live in a culture that often challenges our faith and even encourages us to compromise what we say we care most about. In Daniel 3 we see why resolving to follow Jesus in little things becomes so crucial as we face big moments in our lives. Listen as we talk about how to resist in redemptive ways and find life in Christ alone.

It may be surprising to learn just how relevant the book of Daniel is for us in 2018. In week one we see how Daniel is invited to become immersed in a new culture and give up his identity as part of God's people and we see how he resolves to stay faithful to God. We also look at the ways we're invited to give up our identity in Christ to bled in or fit in and what it looks like to resolve and resist so we can continue to be who God's called us to be.

It may be surprising to learn just how relevant the book of Daniel is for us in 2018. In week one we see how Daniel is invited to become immersed in a new culture and give up his identity as part of God's people and we see how he resolves to stay faithful to God. We also look at the ways we're invited to give up our identity in Christ to bled in or fit in and what it looks like to resolve and resist so we can continue to be who God's called us to be.

Some of us think if we’re not making meaning out of every moment then you’re missing out. If we're trying to find meaning under the sun that’s only found above the sun, how will I ever find it? In the final week of our Art of Living series, we walk through the book of Ecclesiastes and talk about what it means to be human and where we find meaning amongst all the meaninglessness.

Our world is full of self-help strategies that claim their the path to the good life but often we find they're a bridge to nowhere. The book of Proverbs is full of insight for living the life God made you for but from the beginning, we learn that it starts first with God. In week 2 of our Art of Living series, we talk about how to make conscious decisions to trust God instead of trusting in yourself.

Our world is full of self-help strategies that claim their the path to the good life but often we find they're a bridge to nowhere. The book of Proverbs is full of insight for living the life God made you for but from the beginning, we learn that it starts first with God. In week 2 of our Art of Living series, we talk about how to make conscious decisions to trust God instead of trusting in yourself.

In week 1 of our Art of Living series we take a look at the oldest book of the Bible and try and understand what God wants to do with and in the suffering, we're bound to face at some point in our lives. Listen as we talk about what most of us think about where suffering comes from, what God wants us to do in our suffering and where hope can be found in the midst of it.

In week 1 of our Art of Living series we take a look at the oldest book of the Bible and try and understand what God wants to do with and in the suffering, we're bound to face at some point in our lives. Listen as we talk about what most of us think about where suffering comes from, what God wants us to do in our suffering and where hope can be found in the midst of it.

It is breathtaking to think that there were words said hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus that pointed to His life and ministry and the impact it would have on the world. In our final week of the series around the Prophets, we’ll explore why Jesus was such a crucial figure in Old Testament prophecy, what the promise of His arrival meant to God’s people fulfilling their purpose and how we too can find hope in these prophetic promises today!

One of the constant themes of the Old Testament was the inability of God’s people to walk faithfully in relationship with Him. In these times the prophet would serve as one sent by God to challenge His people’s actions and activities. These moments were words of warning about the dangers that exist and a challenge to come back in step with the ways of their God for their good and the good of those who engaged with them. In week 2 of our series we’ll wrestle through the tendency of the human heart to wander, the challenges God puts in place to call us back to Him and how we might need to respond even now to the prophetic challenges we see in Scripture.

God had a vision for what His people could be if they would only give themselves to Him and His ways. Often as you read through the prophets you get a beautiful picture of all that could be possible if the Israelites would only live faithfully in this covenant relationship with their God. In week one of our Prophet series, we take a look at one of the most famous passages in Jeremiah and we work to understand what God’s vision for Israel might mean for our lives today!

Some of the biggest questions about the Old Testament surround the violence and death that we see taking place. Many of us wonder what this tells us about God and what we're supposed to take away from these passages. In the final sermon in our series we take a look at Israel's identity and how they "fight" their battles and we try and understand what it means for us today and how we can live "Biblically." (For more on Violence in the Old Testament google Josh Butler Violence and Genocide in the Old Testament for a lecture we shared on Sunday night May 20th).

Often people say that God appears to be too judgmental and even harsh in the Old Testament while Jesus is often seen as loving and full of acceptance. In this week's sermon, we try and understand what judgment looks like in the Old Testament and make sense of what God's true intentions are when we encounter passages of judgment in the Old Testament.

One of the biggest questions people ask when they read the Bible is where does evil come from? There are some who blame God and wonder why He would allow evil to exist at all. In week 4 of our series, Sarah Knepper helps us understand the evil we see in the Old Testament and how God responds.

One of the biggest questions people ask when they read the Bible is where does evil come from? There are some who blame God and wonder why He would allow evil to exist at all. In week 4 of our series, Sarah Knepper helps us understand the evil we see in the Old Testament and how God responds.

One of the craziest things about reading the Old Testament in 2018 is how different the culture is in relation to love, sex, and marriage. As we read we should have all sorts of questions about what is going on and how God views these things. As always as we work to understand what God is up to in the people in these stories we begin to understand what he may be up to in our lives.

One of the craziest things about reading the Old Testament in 2018 is how different the culture is in relation to love, sex, and marriage. As we read we should have all sorts of questions about what is going on and how God views these things. As always as we work to understand what God is up to in the people in these stories we begin to understand what he may be up to in our lives.

The Old Testament is stocked full of laws and commandments that God's people were meant to follow. The question for most of us is what's up with all these laws and why is God so worried about every single little thing? In week 2 of our series, we look at what the Law really is, what it tells us about God and His people and what it means for our lives today.

When we read the Old Testament, it can get confusing because it feels like we are reading about life on another planet. It can be difficult, to be honest about how we really feel when we are reading it, but in order to understand it, we need to be honest. The Old Testament invites us to wrestle with its stories and meaning because that’s what Jesus did. It’s only when we wrestle with the Old Testament and are honest about our questions and feelings that we see the God we know in Jesus.

When we read the Old Testament, it can get confusing because it feels like we are reading about life on another planet. It can be difficult, to be honest about how we really feel when we are reading it, but in order to understand it, we need to be honest. The Old Testament invites us to wrestle with its stories and meaning because that’s what Jesus did. It’s only when we wrestle with the Old Testament and are honest about our questions and feelings that we see the God we know in Jesus.

Through his resurrection, Jesus has given us victory over everything that threatens our identity, relationship, and future. The problem is most of us are not experiencing that kind of victory in our life. We either don’t know Jesus, we don’t believe he holds this kind of power or we have not given him authority in our lives in a way that we can share in His victory. This Easter we talk about how His victory can be ours right here and right now.

Through his resurrection, Jesus has given us victory over everything that threatens our identity, relationship, and future. The problem is most of us are not experiencing that kind of victory in our life. We either don’t know Jesus, we don’t believe he holds this kind of power or we have not given him authority in our lives in a way that we can share in His victory. This Easter we talk about how His victory can be ours right here and right now.

Much of what we face in our world is upsetting. There’s fear of the future or our past. There are threats to our way of life and our health. There’s concern when we lack control. There’s even the turmoil of our own hearts and minds. We are often desperate for peace but we have nowhere to go. Jesus is the prince of peace and his ability to provide us with peace extends into every aspect of our lives.

Shame is a strange motivator. It can cause us to run, hide or project falsehoods out of a desire to protect ourselves from letting the truth come out. We carry around shame in ways that form us and define our relationships. Jesus sets us free from shame by lavishing grace on us. The question is how do we allow grace to cover our shame and is it possible to live in a new way because of Jesus.

There’s a point for most of us where we don’t want to give in to sin any longer but we don’t know how to stop. We work on strategies and plans that may give us the power to overcome our struggle with our sin but it can be so hard to beat it. What if you could find freedom? What if Jesus could really set you free from something that you can’t beat on your own. What if that could happen not someday but today?

In the book of Revelation God gives His people a preview of what the final act of His story looks like. Too often we make the final act of His story about us and miss the whole point of how we are to live today. In week 6 of the Story of God, we try to understand the point of the final act of the Story of God and let that form us into people of the preview.

In week 5 of our Story of God series, we take a look at God's imagined future for the temple and we discover that we, the church, are the Temple. We then explore what would it look like if you let God’s imagined future shape the imagined future for your life.

In week 4 of the Story of God we start talking about redemption - and when you talk about redemption you're talking about Jesus! Jesus takes all that God has been doing in creation, the temple and Israel and opens up the opportunity for all people to engage with God whenever and wherever they are.

If you look around the world you there's plenty that takes place that we know "isn't how it's supposed to be." The idea that there's something better that was meant to be, points us to a story bigger than ourselves and a standard that we all long for. In the second part of the Story of God, we take a close look at the impact that sin has had on our lives, creation and the connection we have with God.

If you look around the world you there's plenty that takes place that we know "isn't how it's supposed to be." The idea that there's something better that was meant to be, points us to a story bigger than ourselves and a standard that we all long for. In the second part of the Story of God, we take a close look at the impact that sin has had on our lives, creation and the connection we have with God.

The creation story is about God building his temple, the place where heaven and earth connect. God creates humans to take the raw potential of creation and use it in ways that bring glory to God in order to expand God’s temple presence and potential throughout all creation. The creation/temple account tells us what project we were created for and what project we should be apart of right now!

The creation story is about God building his temple, the place where heaven and earth connect. God creates humans to take the raw potential of creation and use it in ways that bring glory to God in order to expand God’s temple presence and potential throughout all creation. The creation/temple account tells us what project we were created for and what project we should be apart of right now!

There are so many places throughout the Bible that God’s Word is described as something extraordinarily meaningful that can have a tremendous impact on our everyday life. The key is knowing what to do with the Bible so you can allow it to do it’s work on you too! In week 3 we talk about what it looks like to consume the Bible in 2018.

Some of the biggest problems we have with the Bible is our misunderstanding of what it really is. In week 2 of our "Year of the Bible" series, we’ll work to understand where the Bible came from, what it means to be both a human and divine book and why all this matters for us as we read it today.

We have spent the whole year looking at the life and teachings of Jesus. Our encounters with Jesus have created movement and energy in our hearts. Now, what do we do with it? Jesus leaves us with the simple, yet all-encompassing invitation to "follow me." What life will we choose, our life or his?

On Christmas Eve we took one final look at the Christmas story to understand what it means for God to be with us. King Herod is informed by the Magi a new king has been born. What’s so interesting about Herod’s appearance is that the first invitation to leave behind wicked ways is extended to the most wicked man the Jewish people would have known. In week 4 we see how God is with us - even in our sin - and offers us new life through Jesus.

Joseph experiences the most shocking thing he could ever have thought possible when he finds out his wife is pregnant. There are so many thoughts and emotions that had to be running through his heart and mind from fear, to doubt to shame… maybe even anger. Even in the midst of all those thoughts and emotions, God is with Joseph. In week 3 of our God With Us series, we talk about how God is with us when we’re in the midst of the mess and we’ll think through how we can turn to Him in those moments.

Joseph experiences the most shocking thing he could ever have thought possible when he finds out his wife is pregnant. There are so many thoughts and emotions that had to be running through his heart and mind from fear, to doubt to shame… maybe even anger. Even in the midst of all those thoughts and emotions, God is with Joseph. In week 3 of our God With Us series, we talk about how God is with us when we’re in the midst of the mess and we’ll think through how we can turn to Him in those moments.

In week 1 of our series, we take a look at the generations of waiting that Israel went through waiting for Jesus to arrive. We’ll try and understand how God is with us as we wait and how our hope is in the promise more than the reality of the moment that we’re experiencing.

We all deal with temptation. It’s part of what it means to be human. Since Jesus was human just like you - he too dealt with temptation. What’s amazing is Jesus was tempted and did not sin. In our final week of Human Like Jesus, we look at how Jesus dealt with temptation and discover how we can deal with temptation just like Jesus.

Throughout the Gospels Jesus is regularly seen giving thanks. The question is why? Was this just a customary activity of the day or was it rooted in something more? In week 2 of Human Like Jesus we talk about what the gratitude of Jesus shows us about his connection to God the Father and how thankfulness can increase the amount of joy we experience in our daily lives.