I Am the Vine: In this week's sermon, we conclude our series "In His Words" by exploring Jesus' powerful declaration in John 15: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener." This passage emphasizes the importance of staying connected to Jesus, the source of all spiritual nourishment and strength. Jesus explains that just as a branch cannot bear fruit unless it remains in the vine, we too cannot thrive spiritually or fulfill our purpose without abiding in Him. He encourages us to remain in His love, follow His commands, and bear the fruit of the Spirit, which includes love, joy, peace, and kindness. Through this connection, we can experience true joy and make a lasting impact on the world.

5/19/2024

I Am the Gate: The Bible teaches that there is only one way to God and that is through Jesus. Like a gate, Jesus is the way we access the grace of God and eternal life available to us. Like any entrance, however, we must receive the invitation and walk through in faith.

5/12/2024

I Am the Light of the World: We live in a world that is shrouded in darkness. This darkness causes us to stumble around, making mistake after mistake. In order to be able to see things clearly, we need to have light that exposes all of the dangers and temptations around us. In Jesus’ own words we find that he is the only true source of light that can guide us into eternal life now and forever.

5/5/2024

I Am the Bread of Life: The world has always offered its own version of fulfillment and sustenance. But in Jesus’ own words we find that he is the only true source of nourishment and life. When we find ourselves settling for counterfeit versions of fulfillment, we will always find ourselves spiritually hungry.

4/28/2024

Love Reigns Over Our Future: Curious about your future? Wondering what's in store for you? Delve into the mysteries of the Magic 8 Ball and discover what it can teach us about seeking God's will for our lives. Don't miss out on the wisdom and insight that could change the way you approach tomorrow!

4/21/2024

Love Reigns Over Our Past: God's love reigns over our past, offering a fresh start and freedom from regret. God’s love has transformative power in breaking us free from the burdens of yesterday. #LoveReigns #FreshStarts

4/7/2024

Love Reigns: Love is truly powerful. From crazy acts of devotion to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, love has a profound impact on our lives. Love truly reigns when we give our lives to God.

3/31/2024

It Is Finished: New beginnings await! In John 8, a woman caught in sin faced condemnation. But Jesus offered not judgment, but forgiveness. Her story echoes the ultimate declaration from the cross: "It is finished." Dive into the depth of what this means for us today. Explore the profound freedom found in Jesus' completed work.

3/24/2024

Thirst No More: "Small acts of kindness, like a cup of cold water, can leave a lasting impact." In two words, Jesus made a simple yet profound statement on the cross: "I thirst." As Jesus quenches our spiritual thirst, let's share His living water with a world longing to be refreshed.

3/17/2024

Hope for a Different End: Jesus speaks profound words on the cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Imagine the turmoil Martha might have felt, and consider your own moments of feeling abandoned. But in the midst of suffering, there's hope. Just as Jesus endured, we too can find solace in knowing that God is always with us. Discover the enduring hope that awaits us.

3/10/2024

Forgiven: Seven times Jesus speaks from the cross, each statement having its own meaning and importance. Experience the transformative power of forgiveness: “Father, forgive them.” Discover how forgiveness changes lives, heals wounds, and sets us free.

3/3/2024

Our Hope: Heaven is our hope. Our beliefs about the future shape how we live each and every day. John reveals breathtaking beauty and the eternal presence of God in Revelation. Are you ready?

2/25/2024

Reach Out to Them: We've journeyed through scripture, and the message is clear: Jesus is coming soon! But are we prepared? Are our families ready? Are we reaching out to those who need to know Him? We delve into 1 Peter 4, discovering how we can be earnest in prayer, show deep love, extend hospitality, and utilize our gifts for His glory. Let's live with purpose, ready for His return.

2/18/2024

Beacons of Hope: We discover the power of sharing hope in Jesus Christ, embrace the simplicity of the gospel and live out our faith. Let's be beacons of hope as we share the good news!

2/11/2024

Start Them Right: Drawing from Proverbs 22:6, parents have the responsibility of starting our children right. Sometimes, it is starting small and focusing on the little things. The narrative includes a story about a judge who, like God, extends grace to his son, illustrating the transformative power of grace in our lives. Overall, we are encouraged to build a Christ-centered home through practical steps and reflections on family values.

2/4/2024

Show Them the Way: Parents have the responsibility of preparing their families for Jesus' return. Fathers have the role of leading spiritually. Mothers are important examples of faith. We need to be mindful of the evil days we are in and set a positive example, inviting those seeking Jesus to surrender their lives so that all are ready for Jesus’ return.

1/28/2024

Living Ready: Are we living ready for Jesus’ return? Being ready means: Living with hope - living each day with anticipation for Jesus’ return; living a sanctified life - standing out and reflecting the transformative power of faith; and, having a renewed witness - sharing the love of Jesus with all others!

1/14/2024

The Time Is Coming: There are profound truths around the end times: Jesus will return when we least expect it, so we must stay vigilant; there are signs that signal the approaching culmination of time; readiness is crucial, as those unprepared will be left out; and, despite uncertainties, we can find comfort that in the end, Jesus will triumph.

1/7/2024

A FEARLESS NEW YEAR: As we stand on the threshold of a new year, fear may grip our hearts. Drawing on the strength from the story of Jesus’ birth, we explore the power of faith over fear. May we shed our fears and embrace the promise of a courages and purpose-filled new year.

12/31/2023

Wise Men Change Their Mind: Change can be really scary. Change is also a necessary part of our lives, especially when we find ourselves going down the wrong path. We can learn from the wise men about changing our direction to follow God’s call.

12/17/2023

A Shepherd's Faith: When God calls, how do we respond? With fear and trembling? Or in excitement and with great haste? We can learn from the faithful shepherds how we should respond to the good news of Jesus!

12/10/2023

The Gift of Obedience: Obeying God is not always easy. Jesus even said that we will have trouble in this world. However, we can learn from the example of Joseph how to remain faithful to God, even when life is not easy.

12/3/2023

Life Disrupted: When life comes at us, it often disrupts the plans that we have made. But in these disruptions, God is often working and moving in our lives. We can learn from the stories of Mary and Elizabeth, and see how we can find joy in our disruptions.

11/26/2023

Giving thanks in every circumstance isn’t just a good idea, it puts you directly in the very will of God.

11/19/2023

Grateful: Living a grateful life isn’t always easy or convenient but it’s worth it in the end. There’s great healing to be found in the regular practice of gratitude.

11/5/2023

Learning How to Live a Life of Generous Friendship: Philippians 4 brings us a beautiful picture of Christians living together in the life of generous friendship. Paul teaches us how the Philippians have learned the secrets of contentment and generosity not because Paul has benefited from the gift, but because these qualities will serve the Philippians and us for generations to come.

10/29/2023

Learning How to Live a Life of Loss: As we continue to read Philippians, in chapter 3, Paul asks us to consider his life as an example of living right during hard times. Could we point to our own lives as a model for living through tough times? It is possible to demonstrate a joyful union with Jesus that is living and vibrant whether in good times or in bad.

10/22/2023

Learning to Live as a Servant: The second chapter of Philippians puts us in touch with the ancient worship of the earliest Christians, and the very heart of what it means to follow Jesus. From this chapter, we can learn how to live our lives with a servant’s heart, following the example of Jesus.

10/15/2023

Living As If God Is In Control: In Philippians 1, we learn that we need to show that God is in control by living as if God is in control. We see that our actions become the message; our lives become the Good News. Our lives show the watching world that we confidently believe God is in control.

10/8/2023

Rooted in Community: Humble living is the key to developing deep and abiding roots in community with one another. The church is a body of believers who each have a part to play in seeing God’s Kingdom come to earth. Though everyone is unique in their gifting and calling, working with one another is how the world is transformed. Love is the glue that holds the church together, and love should motivate us to contribute sacrificially with all we have and to share God’s Love with the world around us.

10/1/2023

Rooted in Prayer and Study: Deep spiritual roots are achieved through passionate prayer and intentional Bible study. This is how we know and trust the heart of God. The more we spend time reading and praying, the more our lives are transformed by the power of God, and the deeper our roots grow. The church is a place for everyone to gather and hear the life-giving truth of God’s Word—a place to unite our hearts in prayer and to allow God to move powerfully in our lives and around the world.

9/24/2023

Rooted in Faith: Historically, God has used people who are deeply rooted in their faith to make a difference in the world. The church is a blessing to the world when it is devoted to the truth of God’s Word and dedicated to living it out. The fruit of our lives can be directly correlated to the roots of our lives. On what do we build our lives? A life built on Jesus overflows with purpose and meaning. The Bible compares this kind of connection to a vine with many branches. The vine provides the nourishment and power for the branches to produce wonderful things. The same is true with us. When we are connected to the vine (Christ), we experience the full life offered in the Gospel.

9/17/2023

Rooted in Sharing: The Good News of Jesus is not meant to be kept to ourselves. The final instruction Jesus gave His disciples was to go into the world and invite others to a saving relationship with God. This happens in our homes, neighborhoods, and around the world as we demonstrate God’s love, grace, and mercy to those who are far from Him. Sharing our faith is not an option, it is an expectation. We are ambassadors on behalf of the Kingdom of God and our message is simple—respond to God’s love and be reconciled to Him.

9/10/2023

This Labor Day weekend, we take a moment to celebrate and rest from our work. It is a good opportunity to remember that our jobs, whether paid employment or what we do after retirement, are all ways to serve God. Each day consider how we can honor God in our labor.

9/3/2023

It's Good to be Home: If you’ve ever been traveling for a long time, one of the first things we say when we get home is “it’s good to be home!” The same is true about our spiritual home on earth, the church. By studying the story of the lost boy, we can see why “it’s good to be home!”

8/27/2023

Our Response to Victory: With God’s help, David was able to experience victory over the giant in his path. His enemy was defeated. What does it look like to respond well to victory? Who gets the glory for it? Through the conclusion of this story, we see what it means to be victorious over our giants.

8/20/2023

All That You Need: We know David was chosen by God, even though he was an unlikely choice. And with God’s help, he defeats Goliath in battle with only five smooth stones and a sling. There were certain things David did to make his effort successful. And, if we can understand what David did, we will be better equipped to defeat the giants in our life as well.

8/13/2023

God Gets the Glory: David was an unlikely hero, chosen by God for this moment. We look at what made David special and unique, discovering along the way that God often chooses those who are physically weak or inexperienced to prove His strength and faithfulness.

8/6/2023

The Challenger: The story of David and Goliath is one of the most well known in the Bible. It’s a story of God’s ability to deliver His people, even through an unlikely hero. In the first part of the story, we learn about the challenger to the Israelite army, Goliath. Through the narrative, we learn about the enemy before us and ultimately, that our God is bigger.

7/23/2023

As followers of Jesus, like Paul, we are sent with a purpose by Jesus to share the good news of the gospel with our broken and hurting world. We are His ambassadors, sent by His authority, to the very ends of the earth.

7/9/2023

Journey to Rome: Paul’s final journey begins with his arrest in Jerusalem, defending himself and God to his accusers, and a rough voyage across tumultuous seas to Rome. Paul never gave up hope or stopped sharing his message of God’s grace and love.

7/2/2023

Third Journey: Paul’s second journey had barely concluded when he set out again to strengthen and encourage the churches. In his third journey, we find a few interesting stories from which we can learn about how we ought to live as Christians today.

6/18/2023

Second Journey: After preaching to Jews and Gentiles on his first trip, Paul takes off again, hoping to encourage the new believers. His plans, though, change when God has other ideas about where he should go. Acts shares with us what God had in mind for Paul on his second journey.

6/11/2023

First Journey: Paul was handpicked by God to be His messenger of the Gospel to the Jewish and Gentile world. Along the way, Paul preached and built relationships with many people. As we look at some of the events on his first missionary journey, we can learn from the people he met and the lessons he taught.

6/4/2023

Remembering: We are a forgetful people. Sometimes we forget because we are busy. Sometimes we forget as we age. In America, holidays like Memorial Day help us remember the men and women who gave their lives in service to protect, defend, and save our country. Mordecai instructed that God’s people celebrate an annual festival to remember how God had saved them. God also gave us ways to remember today.

5/28/2023

The God of Great Turnarounds: The story of Esther and Mordecai is full of plot twists, unexpected outcomes, and surprise endings, all reminding us that we serve a God of great turnarounds. Do we have “Hamans” in our lives? From the story of Esther and Mordecai we can draw encouragement for our lives today.

5/21/2023

Heaven Set in Motion: In the story of Esther and Mordecai, the events seem to perfectly fit together at just the right times for things to happen. Coincidence? Not likely. Though God is not mentioned by name in Esther, God was working in their lives and continues to work in ours today.

5/14/2023

A Moment of Decision: Mordecai and Esther’s coziness became challenged when Haman ordered the eradication of the Jews. The time had come for them to stand up and speak out for God. Are we willing to stand up and speak out for what is right? Maybe we have been put where we are for such a time as this!

5/7/2023

Cosy in the Culture: The story of Esther is an amazing story of how God can use His people to accomplish His will. But Mordecai and Esther were not always the heroes. Much like our world today, Esther and Mordecai were cosy in their culture. As Christians, we need to be different from the world.

4/30/2023

On Resurrection Sunday, Jesus appears to two disciples who were not part of the twelve. They did not know that it was Jesus. Not until they communed together. What if Jesus were walking with us? Would we know Him?

4/23/2023

Sunday Means Life: In the gloom and darkness of Good Friday, there was hope to be found on Sunday — for the resurrection meant abundant and everlasting life.

4/16/2023

Thank God for Sunday Morning!: It appeared that on Friday night, everything good had come to an end. Jesus was dead. But it wasn’t long until the Son had risen with the rising of the sun. It was Sunday morning! The empty tomb was empty! As it gave hope to the disciples that morning, we too can find hope for our lives today in that empty tomb.

4/9/2023

Set Free from Shame: The story of the Samaritan woman perfectly illustrates how God sent Jesus not to condemn the world but to save the world through him. Jesus humbles himself, engages the woman in conversation, and sets her free from shame and guilt. She arrives at the well as a sinner, but leaves as a saint. Encounters with God will do that to someone, even YOU!

3/26/2023

Rewired by Christ: Three times Jesus was tempted by the devil and three times Jesus came out on top. Overcoming temptation and hardships is possible in our lives because Jesus rewires our core and makes us new. Our lives can become distinctive and intriguing as we overcome common hardships and temptations in a way that gives hope to others.

3/19/2023

Love Our Elders: For the love of family, we cannot forget about members of our family who are getting older. Scripture teaches us that those who do not care for their relatives have denied the faith. We need to learn what it means to love our elders.

3/5/2023

Love Our Spouses: For the love of family, we must love our spouses. But what does it mean to love our spouses? Scripture teaches us that the marriage of a man and woman is a picture of Jesus and His bride, the church. We need to learn to love our spouses as Jesus loves the church.

2/26/2023

Love The Children: For the love of family, the children in our lives need our unconditional, steadfast love. We need to learn some Biblical ways to show that love each day.

2/19/2023

Love Our Family: Our families may be the furthest thing from perfect, but God ordained the family in the beginning in the garden of Eden. And, since the beginning of time, Satan has been attacking the family. With God at the center, we need to do our best to protect, cherish, and love our families with which God has blessed us.

2/5/2023

Love the Family of God: For the love of family. The family of God, the church, the bride of Christ should be a place where love is felt most, expressed as help, care, and support. Unfortunately that is not always the case. We need to learn from Scripture what it means to love the family of God.

1/29/2023

Conceal vs. Confess: One of the keys to a vibrant Christian faith is confession. We all need to soberly assess ourselves and be open and honest about what needs to be forgiven in our lives.  Rather than concealing our mistakes, let's surrender them privately to God or publicly with someone we trust. This is an act that can be awkward at first, but can become a regular practice as time goes on. A habit of confession keeps us humble and guards us from falling into sin that can hold us back.

1/22/2023

Worry vs. Worship: We live in a world that offers us plenty about which to be worried and worked up. It is easy to develop habits that keep us from putting God first. We need to learn to crave time with God, finding peace in His presence and embracing His incredible grace.

1/15/2023

Stuff vs. Simplicity: We tend to be so over-stimulated with social media and material things that we become addicted to them. There is health in stepping away and finding contentment as a habit. Developing a habit of gratitude and thankfulness makes our hearts healthy and strong.

1/8/2023

Poison or Promises?: Habits are a three-step process: cue, response, and outcome. In order to change a bad habit, we must replace it with a better routine. Whether it is improving our diet or beginning to exercise, we need to stay consistent to see progress. Many of us are in the habit of listening to negative input from friends, family, social media, or culture. To reorient ourselves, we should rely on spiritual truths instead. The Bible offers truth that can help our lives. Making the study of scripture a steady habit can help us identify the poisonous lies that we tell ourselves. It’s our choice to listen.

1/1/2023

Candlelight Service - Jesus: The Christmas season is only possible to fully embrace when we come to know that the heart of this holiday is found in the incarnation of God. God so loved his creation that he went to great lengths to rescue it by sending his son in the flesh to suffer and die. The story of God’s love begins in a cradle, but it ends on a cross.

12/18/2022

Love: At just the right time, Jesus came into the world. He came to free us from the crushing weight of the law. We could never be good enough to earn salvation, so Jesus lived a perfect life on our behalf. Why? Because of love. God wanted us to be a part of his family. Out of love, he adopted us through the work of Christ. We are now the sons and daughters of God. Jesus is our brother and we can rest in the love of the Father.

12/18/2022

Joy: The circumstances of life have a way of robbing us of joy. Disappointment, frustration, and loss can suck the very life from us; however, Jesus’s birth reminds us that, no matter how hard life is, we don’t have to go through it alone. God has come to us full of grace and truth, and that should bring us joy. We can trust that Jesus’s presence with us will reveal the truth about our lives and at the same time offer us the grace to see things change.

12/11/2022

Peace: The announcement of Jesus’s birth was delivered to shepherds who lived on the fringe of society, in the fields, watching their sheep by night, the last ones we would expect to know about it. Yet, the angels told them that peace was coming to the earth for those on whom God’s favor rested. What a shocking message! God’s favor was even on the shepherds. They were being offered peace; and if it could be given to them, we can rest assured it is offered to us as well.

12/4/2022

Hope: The prophet Isaiah writes one of the most classic of all Old Testament prophecies about the coming birth of Christ. The passage he writes is born of gloom and darkness. The world had felt the full weight of sin, and it had wreaked havoc on all of creation. What Isaiah offered in chapter nine was something the Jewish people needed more than anything—hope. Hope that one day someone would come to make all things right and restore what had been broken. The birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of that hope and this fact offers us hope in our lives today.

11/27/2022

(Community Thanksgiving Service) Look Up in Gratitude: It’s hard to live all day, every day in gratitude when our circumstances are hard. But even in the hard times, we can find reasons for gratitude in who God is in our circumstances. We need to learn how to look up in gratitude in hard times.

11/20/2022

All Day, Every Day Gratitude: Getting up with gratitude is a great start to our days, but that attitude of gratitude needs to stay with us all day, every day. We need to learn how to have all day, every day gratitude.

11/20/2022

Get Up with Gratitude: We often start our days grumbling and complaining. Yet, when we begin each day with an attitude of gratitude, it can change not only our day, but transform our hearts and minds. We need to learn to get up with gratitude each day.

11/13/2022

Wisdom of a Silly Old Bear #4

2/23/2020

Wisdom of a Silly Old Bear #3

2/16/2020

Wisdom of a Silly Old Bear #2: Being Selfless

2/9/2020

Wisdom of a Silly Old Bear #1: Being a Friend

2/2/2020

New Beginnings

1/19/2020

New Beginnings #1

1/5/2020

Sing a Little Christmas pt.1

12/8/2019

Sing a Little Christmas pt.2

12/8/2019