Hillcrest Covenant Church DeKalb: Recent Episodes
Rev. Jen Zerby
Here is the short video that is referenced during the sermon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvZW58LQg_k&t=139s
Here is the YouTube video that was referenced during the service:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8BkzvP19v4
In a culture that constantly tells us to give up when things get uncomfortable or difficult, we have a God who created us to persevere. What does perseverance look like in this life? How do I grow a faith that perseveres?
When you say you're going to do something, do you follow through? Have you ever exaggerated a story to make yourself look better? Do you work just as hard when your boss is looking over your shoulder as when she's out of town? What does it mean to live a life of integrity and why does integrity matter to God?
Have you ever struggled with bitterness? Ever felt like God had given up on you and so you gave up on God? This morning we introduce you to Naomi--someone who allowed her bitterness to overtake her. But God didn't let bitterness win. As God often does, he brought Naomi his comfort through an incredibly loving person in her life. Listen in...
Peter was a devoted disciple of Christ, but when things got hard, he walked away. But God wasn't finished with him yet. Maybe you've wondered if God could still love you after what you've done or said? Check out Peter's story; we're praying it brings you comfort this morning!
Our country has never been more divided...and neither has the Church. Regardless of who you voted for in this week's election, we have some work to do. When we're this far apart from each other, where do we begin...?
Has anyone ever made you feel as if you're "less than," or as if you're not good enough? Maybe you struggle with your own broken record of thoughts telling you that you're not a good enough parent, sibling, spouse or friend? So many of us feel like we're not enough. It's all a lie.
If I'm being honest, when there's something about me that I don't want to change, I just say: "well, I am who I am." Did you know THAT is one of the greatest lies that we tell ourselves? Listen in to find out what I mean!
Have you ever felt left out or like you just didn't belong anywhere? Maybe you feel like you don't even fit in with your own family? If that's you, God has something to say to about it. Listen in...
How many times this year have you wanted to just throw in the towel? It's all been so much to handle and there are days when we just feel like giving up. Is God really here to help us through those days?
I know that this season of life has been incredibly difficult on all of us. We have all lost so many things and faced so much grief and for many of us, that quickly turns into anger. How do we handle all of this anger?
Have you ever felt like the awful things that have happened to you or the poor decisions you've made end up defining your life? Do you ever feel like you're being held hostage by your past? Listen up to what God has to say about the lies you've been telling yourself!
Could this year get any worse (I probably shouldn't say that)?? We are all weary from all that this year has brought. The question is: what do we do about this weariness and how can we recover our lives?
God calls us to radical unity...but is it even possible in this broken, polarized world?
As we celebrate freedom as a country, there is a greater freedom that we each long for. Where do we find it? How do we get it and how will it impact our lives?
Is perfect peace even possible? Especially in the world as we know it now? God used the prophet Isaiah to bring a message of peace that can STILL change our lives today.
Do you always need to hold the remote? Does your opinion always have to be counted? Is giving up control a struggle for you? In light of our human nature to control our environment, what does it mean to have a Sovereign God?!
Everyday we face this tension between a constantly changing world and the fact that WE don't like change. What does it mean to have a God who never changes and is that a good thing for my life? Does it matter at all?
"God is needed by all and needful of nothing." How/why is God's self-sufficiency good news to us and how do we handle our own neediness in the face of a God who needs nothing?
Join us for week one of our new series on the attributes of God that we don't spend a lot of time talking about. Today we're going to dive into the reality that while God can be known (and desires to be known), God cannot be known FULLY. What does that mean for us?? We'll use the story of Job to help us understand this concept a little better.
YOU WERE NOT MADE FOR DEATH...not even if the crisis of a pandemic tells you otherwise!
Desert experiences, difficult and painful as they may be, will not and do not last forever. We also know that desert experiences change us. BUT, we the choices we make now can impact whether they change us for the good or not. Today is a new day!
No one could have imagined the situation that we have found ourselves in this week. Now more than ever, we need to lean on God for our comfort--to choose comfort over chaos.
This topic was chosen months ago, but seems particularly fitting given what's happening in the world around us. How do we handle life and faith when we are doubting it all?
Raise your hand if you're a control freak?! Same. Especially in our do-it-yourself culture, learning to give up control to God is a challenging thing for many of us. Is it even possible? Let's find out...
Many of you have experienced 'desert' seasons in your life. Time when God seemed silent, you struggled, you felt lost. As we begin this new series for Lent 2020, we're taking a look at some of the things that we can GAIN from time spent in the desert. First up: Facing Temptation.
We are a people prone to wander...away from God, away from our faith, away from God's best for us. On Ash Wednesday, as we begin Lent, God calls to our wandering hearts.
Is there a difference between a nap and rest? Between rest and Sabbath? Sabbath is a commandment, but is it really THAT big of a deal?
We were created to live life in rhythms of work, rest and worship.
Why do we work hard and for whom do we work?
Hot dogs, trash cans and what we’re to do with all that Jesus did for us. A message by Sam Utterback.
It’s destructive and damaging and we all participate in it. Is it really THAT big of a deal?
Lies of omission, exaggerating, little white lies...we do it all. Is lying really that big of a deal? What about when we lie to ourselves?
Are your words powerful enough to take a life? To save a life?
How will YOU use your words this week?
Complaining comes so naturally to us, doesn't it? But how does complaining negatively impact our lives and what does it say about the condition of our hearts?
Do your family Christmas dinners have to end in chaos and arguing or is it possible to find both love AND peace with your family this Christmas?
Feeling weighed down by all that life throws at you? How do you manage the weight of all these burdens, and what reason have we to rejoice in the midst of all?
When was the last time you were surprised by hope? In who or what do you put your hope?
For those who have ever longed for a place to belong, welcome to the table where ALL are invited!
Every house has its own set of rules that dictate the feel of the home. The same is true in the Church. SO, when it comes to having a seat at God's table, what are HIS house rules?
We disagree on a LOT. So how we do we stay one community together, despite our differences? Because unity and uniformity are not the same thing!
Week 2 of our series "I Love My Church," and in this message we're taking a look at why Biblical Teaching is a non-negotiable for HCC!
Week 3 of our series "I Love My Church," and today we look at what it means to be radically generous!
Welcome to week one of our brand new series. Wondering what you'd find if you walked through the doors of Hillcrest? Tune into this series and we'll tell you!
It is Labor Day Weekend--that last final moment between Summer and Fall--and a great time to pause and check your spiritual pulse.
In our final week of the series, we're taking a look at a major issue in the life of the Church today, and in the lives of individual followers of Jesus: Hypocrisy. Jesus had some seriously strong words about hypocrisy. Listen in to see what He had to say!
Week two of our series takes a look at something else that we know Jesus would undo, because we saw him undo it in scripture: Empty Worship.
In this first week of our brand new series, we're taking a look not at what Jesus would DO, but at some of the things that Jesus would UNdo about the way we're living life these days!
In the final week of our Summer Shorts series, we are taking a look at the story of Peter/Jesus walking on water. What did it take for Peter to get out of the boat? Why did he sink? And what does this story have to tell us about our own life of faith?
This is the third week of our series where we're taking a look at stories that we typically read to children and then never look at again as adults! This week: Daniel and the Lions Den!
Week three of our summer series takes into the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (or Rack, Shack and Benny if you're a VeggieTales fan).
Remember all those stories we heard about as kids and then never talked about again? Well we're bringing them back for our Summer series. First up: The Fall of Jericho. Unfortunately you missed the VeggieTales video that preceded this message, so go home and watch that first! :)
The final week of our series on finding one's identity in Christ. We can try all of the other things that we talked about, but if we are not spending time WITH the one who created us, we'll never know our true identity.
Week three of our series Fully You as we talk about the role that forgiveness plays in understanding our true identity.
Our Easter sermon reminds us that in a world that breaks promises, we have a God who is who He says He is!
Week 5 of our Lenten series. We're chatting about the 5 covenants of the Old Testament and how they help is get ready for the greatest celebration in the world: Easter Sunday!
Week three of our Lent series Redeemed. The promise that was so absurd, it made Abraham laugh.
Week one of a five-part intentional evangelism initiative of the Evangelical Covenant Church.