Hill City RVA: Recent Episodes
Hill City RVA
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This week we continue to unpack John 3:16 by diving deep into what it means to actually believe.
We continue talking through John 3:16 this week as we focus on loving the world as God loves it.
What stops us from loving others and how do we truly live in love as Jesus?
Nicole Unice shares the next message in The Gospel of John series with the focus on one of the most well-known verses in the Bible, John 3:16.
Nicole focuses on how just 4 words from the verse, "For God So Loved" impacts our faith and how we share love.
"Love is always expansive."
We're back for part 2 of the Christianity and Politics sermon. Wags shares on our house rules as a church to love others, our city and engage in political issues as faithful followers of Jesus.
This week and next, we're taking a break from The Gospel of John series and focusing on our faith and politics as we near another election. Wags leaves us with 2 questions from this week's sermon to think on-
- Are you more concerned with "losing your country" than misrepresenting Jesus?
- Does my view of politics show that I am seeking a kingdom outside of the conservative/progressive rhetoric we're operating within?
This week we're talking through what it means to be born again from scripture in John 3 and how God has designed us to live into who we're designed to be.
Thanks for listening!
This week, we're talking through if our passions are in the right place. Wags shares from John 2 on the story of Jesus in the temple courts and left us with 2 questions-
Based on your daily routine, what are you passionate about and what sacrifices/compromises are you making to pursue it?
Would Jesus come in and flip over tables or say well done?
We celebrated 10 years together as a church on Sunday cue confetti and cheers!!!
Wags shared on looking towards the possibility of what God has in store for our lives next as we don't stay fixated on the past but keeping looking towards the future. God's not done yet!
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"
2 Corinthians 5:17
There is more to the story to the miracle that took place of Jesus turning water into wine... Wags shares from the Gospel of John about our faith as a joy and a blessing.
"If God never puts limits on us, why do we put limits on God?"
This week, Nicole Unice shares the next message in our Gospel of John series. She guides us through both the book of Genesis and the Gospel of John to compare the questions that we are asked in our faith... where are you? and what do you want?
"Jesus knows who you are AND who you are going to be AND what you need... And he wants YOU to know who you are, who you are going to be and what you need."
We're starting our new series in the Gospel of John as we go through this book of the Bible.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind." John 1:1-4
We've wrapped up our Rizzdom series before we start a new one next week! We're talking through who we are as a church and why we do what we do. Wags left us with 2 questions-
- Does this make me more like Jesus?
- Does this make me love others more?
In our last week of the Rizzdom series, we're talking through what this compelling life means in discipleship and righteous living.
"The main thing God gets out of your life is not the achievements you accomplish. It's the person you become." - Dallas Willard
We're talking through how we love our neighbor well through how we examine our words, what we tolerate and our actions.
Today we're discussing Proverbs 3:21-26 by focusing on God's provision and goodness as we process worry and anxiety.
"Unchecked worry and anxiety will make us unresponsive to the work of the Spirit."
Jackson Hicks shared our next message in the Rizzdom series focused on wonder and curiosity.
"When we embrace wonder and curiosity, we see God's vastness who is the creator of the universe and our personal God."
Corey Goss shares the next message in our Rizzdom series as we focus on what the Bible says about discipline, correction and conviction.
"Followers of Jesus can embrace discipline as proof of God's love"
This week we're talking through how do we live a life of compelling generosity.
"What should rise in us is not a Christian's standard of living, but His standard of giving"
This week we're talking through how we cultivate humility in our lives and in our faith. Thanks for being with us!
"Our depth of our faith is determined by our trust in the character of God." Wags shares about our wisdom and trust in God go hand in hand and leaves us with a few questions to think over-
Questions about trusting God-
- How often do I go to Him first?
- What is my response when I don't get what I want?
- How excited am I to seek out what God desires?
- Do I know and appreciate how much God values me?
- Is there an area of your life where there is partial obedience
Nicole Unice shares the next message in our Rizzdom series on what it means to live a wise life through our daily and lifetime decisions.
BONUS! Wags announced the 2024 Share Offering final numbers- we get to give away $268,652 to our partners! Haven't heard of the Share Offering before? Check it out here- www.hillcityrva.com/give
It's time for a new sermon series! We're kicking off our next season focusing on scripture in Proverbs 3 and God's wisdom.
If you're wondering what "rizz" is, stop any middle or high schooler to explain it to you...
Thanks for listening with us!
Matt Fisher is speaking to us this week for the next message in our I Doubt It series. He leads us through the question of "why does the God of the Old Testament feel so different than the God of the New Testament? Thanks for being with us!
Our next sermon in the I Doubt It series focuses on what we know of Hell. Wags shares more about what the Bible says, things to remember and where we point our hope- Jesus.
"We are drawn to Jesus because of the life he brings not because we are scared of hell"
When it comes to times of suffering and pain, we have a choice. Will you base your connection to God on His character? Or how you think he should answer your prayers?
Nicole Unice was here this week sharing our next message in the I Doubt It series!
"Jesus is not always what we want, but he's always what we need."
We're continuing in our I Doubt It series as we talk through why Jesus had to die on the cross.
"In order to understand why Jesus had to die on the cross, we have to understand the depth of sin and see sin out of God's eyes, not our own"
Today, we're talking through the importance of the Bible and the authority of Jesus. The question to ask yourself is, "If the Bible is reliable and true, what does that mean for your life?"
We're kicking off a new series, I Doubt It and Wags left us with 3 questions to ask ourselves-
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How do people experience Jesus when they experience you?
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Does your life show that you whole heartedly bought into the message of Jesus?
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How do you get Jesus without the church?
We celebrated Easter Sunday together and Wags shared on the story of the resurrection and focused on how people are complicated, but Jesus isn't.
Thanks for listening and we'll see you back Sunday at 9 and 10:45am!
As we celebrate Holy Week, Wags talks through what Palm Sunday is and represents for us as we anticipate Easter Sunday.
Thanks for listening!
We're in a mini series leading up to Easter and today Wags is sharing a message on unity and the church.
Thanks for listening!
This week, our focus is on humility as a realistic view of ourselves in relation to God and others.
"Our perspective on sexuality is viewed through the cross, the resurrection, and that everyone is made in the image of God."
Today's sermon focuses on how our physical bodies deeply matter and there's a disconnection when we don't pay attention to it. Throughout the Bible, Jesus is the starting point to how we can see our physical bodies.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."
This week, David Bailey from Arrabon Richmond is sharing the next message in our Embody series. We're focusing on how God desires to teach us how to live into a soulful embodiment of being, belonging, and becoming.
Thanks for listening!
This week, Matt Fisher is sharing the next message in the Embody series. He talks through Attachment Theory and how God works through our emotions, relationships and scripture.
What do your words say about your heart? We're talking through our communication and how we can be encouragers, share truth and value silence.
This week, we're talking through how a community that is a blessing sees, commits and humanizes one another.
"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other." John 15:13-17
Do we think about what it means to be a blessing or are we stuck in the #blessed era? This week we're looking at Genesis and the New Testament as we talk through how to embody being a blessing and being blessed by God.
our focus for this sermon series is that "we embody whatever we worship". This week, Wags shares more on our ordered and disordered desires and how that shapes us in our faith.
In our new series, Embody, Wags talks over what it means to be human.
"We will image whatever we worship."
Wags shares this year's Christmas Eve message on our hope and foundation in Jesus. See you back to regular services Sunday, Jan 7th at 9 and 10:45am!
For our last week of the At the Table series before Christmas Eve, Corey Goss shares on the practicality of belonging and how to feel connected in your community.
Thanks for listening!
Nicole Unice continues in week 2 of our At the Table series talking through how hospitality and grace mirrors how Jesus treats us.
Thanks for listening!
We're starting our At the Table series in anticipation of Christmas Eve. Lacy kicks off this week with encouragement of being a community that invites others into our faith and life.
"Our pace is fast, but Jesus moved at a relational pace that is usually much slower."
Our last sermon in our Revelation series! Wags talks through how at the core of our being, we're called to be people of hope.
Stay grounded, the Gospel works.
What does living out our faith with courage and patient endurance look like? We're talking through this question as we study another chapter in the book of Revelation.
We're talking through the mystery of Revelation and how to not lose the plot line of the story.
We're in our next message in our Revelation series talking through how everything centers on Jesus. You'll also hear a bit about the Share Offering that is officially open! Find more details and give to the offering here- hillcityrva.com/give
We're talking through our call to follow Jesus with our whole heart as we continue in our Revelation series.
What do we allow access to in our lives? This week, we're talking through our access to the Kingdom of God.
"Diminishing our access to the Kingdom of God continues to be one of the biggest tragedies of the modern Christian."
Nicole Unice shared our next message in the Revelation series this week. Thanks for listening!
"The greatest threat to a faithful life is misalignment with God's reality."
This week, Wags shares more from the book of Revelation and how scripture in the Bible points to the holiness of God.
We're talking through the difference of a flexibility in our faith and assimilation to culture and were left with 2 reflection questions-
- Where are you claiming Jesus but shaped by the world?
- Do the right people and disciplines have access to your life?
We're celebrating 9 years together as a church! Thanks for being with us and we can't wait to see what's next!
"The most attractive and trustworthy thing we can do is follow Jesus with humility."
We're continuing in our series by talking through how the story we believe impacts our perspective, actions and seeing the right things during times of suffering.
"Disordered love will always corrupt our worship and our way of life."
How do we live under the authority of Jesus? We're talking through this focus and love as we continue in our Revelation series.
"When we understand the presence, we understand our place."
This week, we're talking through the constant presence of God throughout the Bible and where we see Him through "the tree of life".
We're kicking off our new series on the book of Revelation! Wags shared some of the history of the book and how we can stay grounded in the Gospel as we pursue truth from the last book of the Bible.
Thanks for listening!
We're wrapping up our Something's Happening series with a message from guest speaker, Eric Sanzone, co-pastor of Grace Bible Church in Virginia Beach.
"Standing firm is about faith in Jesus now, because our victory is secure to the end."
Thanks for listening!
We're talking about the importance of communion and our freedom in Christ. Thanks for listening!
We're talking about baptisms! Nicole Unice is here and sharing on why this is a part of a declaration of our faith.
Matthew 3:16-17
"As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son,whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
We're talking through how we figure out what's true in life and the ways we compromise around the truth of Jesus.
"Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:31-32
"The simplicity of singing creates the opportunity to experience the wonder and mystery of God."
This week, we're talking through how worship and praise connects us with God and others as we experience his Spirit and movement in our lives.
We're talking about unity in the church today! Corey Goss shares with us 3 points on what brings unity.
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The primacy of God's grace
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The priority of relationships over rituals
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The practice of unity
Care Pastor, Matt Fisher shares about discipline and discipleship in this week's sermon.
"Discipline is about graduating from doing into being. Because discipleship is more about being than doing."
This week, Wags shares on the goodness of God and what a life lived out of His goodness does and does not look like.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23
Have we lost our ability to imagine what God can do? We're talking through the wonders of God in our Something's Happening series. Thanks for listening!
This week, we're talking about who has the authority in our life - God or Culture?
"we have settled for a version of Christianity that Jesus didn't offer."
Thanks for listening!
We're in our last week of the Something's Happened series - Wags shares on the strength and resilience of Mary Magdalene and how we can follow her lead in prioritizing being in the presence of Jesus.
Nicole Unice joined us this week to wrap up our Something Happened series! She speaks to truly knowing God involves both foundation and feeling, head and heart.
"Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Luke 24:31-32
Wags shares how having a healthy skepticism within our faith and doubts, can lead us to more depth with Jesus.
"Doubt doesn't mean you don't have faith, it probably means you are trying to add depth to it"
Thanks for listening!
Last week, we started our Something Happened series and now, we're back for week 2. High School Pastor, Shak Taylor is with us sharing how the disciples responded to the resurrection of Jesus and how our obedience and praise in unknown seasons, can build our faith. Thanks for listening!
This was our last week in our series, "In 3 Days..." where we go through the 4th chapter in the Book of Jonah. We're seeing more of the big picture of God's story and how we should see each other in our good and bad moments.
"The litmus test of our faith is how we as Christians, are relentlessly loving and gracious towards our enemies."
Thanks for being with us!
We're going through the 3rd chapter from the Book of Jonah as Wags talks through what seeking repentance looks like and knowing we are turning towards grace, mercy and life.
In week 2 of our sermon series, Wags shared from the 2nd chapter of the Book of Jonah, on maintaining our imagination and being hopeful in what God might do.
Thanks for listening with us!
This Sunday, we started a new series on the Book of Jonah. Whether the story of Jonah and the big fish is real or just a fable, this book in the Bible teaches us more about the human condition- to run to or from God.
Tune in with us the next 4 weeks to hear more of how God teaches us about our relationship with him through the book of Jonah.
This week, our friend Gavin Adams was with us talking through sharing our faith boldly.
"Our bold responsibility is to steward the message of Gods love in our generation."
In our last week of the Voice of the Heart series, we're talking through the gift and impairment of Gladness and Joy.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Romans 15:13
This week, we're talking through our emotion of Guilt that leads us to the gift off freedom + humility or the impairment of toxic shame + pride.
Psalm 51:1-4
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight;so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.
Shame is our 6th emotion in the Voice of the Heart series that leads us towards contempt or humility. Wags talks through how shame is affected by what we put our identity in.
"Define yourself radically as one loved by God. Every other identity is an illusion." - Brennan Manning
Nicole Unice is with us talking through our emotion of fear that leads us towards anxiety or wisdom.
"Naming our anxiety allows you to bring it to the Lord because you are no longer telling yourself the lie that you can handle it on your own."
How do we deal with our anger? This week we're talking through how we respond to our anger and what God desires for us through this human emotion.
Godly anger has a passion for patience, for what is just and for fullness of life.
In the 3rd week of our Voice of the Heart series, we're talking through our core emotion of sadness, that brings us to acceptance or self pity. Wags talked through how sadness is not weakness, but rather grief and hope can go hand-in-hand.
John 11:35 "Jesus wept".
Thanks for listening with us!
It's week 2 of our series, Voice of the Heart. This week, we're talking through our human emotion of loneliness that either leads us to intimacy or apathy.
"God gave us loneliness so we would seek out relationship. Loneliness is a feeling that speaks to our deep hunger to belong and be known."
We're kicking off a new series called Voice of the Heart based on the book by Chip Dodd. Wags will be talking us through the 8 core emotions and what this means for us as emotionally healthy individuals and a healthy relationship with God.
This first week is focused on the emotion of hurt.
"If you don't understand the impairment of hurt, you won't experience true joy"
Middle School Pastor, Lex Mcghee kicks off the new year with a sermon on resolutions or habits that you can invest in to bring you closer to your relationship with God.
Happy listening!
What does meditating on the word of God mean for our relationship with prayer? Wags talks through how stillness and silence are integral to our prayer life.
"If we can't learn to be silent, we will never fully encounter the presence of God."
Lacy Wagler leads us through our next message on prayer in the Just Ask series. This week, we're talking through how our prayer rhythms and desire to connect with Jesus, reflect the orientation of our hearts.
What do we do with a God who is supposedly powerful, yet at times seems to operate with deafening silence? We're talking through unanswered prayers as we look to scripture and our expectations of our relationship with God. Thanks for tuning in!
We're back post holiday week and continuing in our Just Ask series. Today, Wags is talking through how prayer helps us find our way and have a heart for those trying do the same.
Do our prayers move us to have a heart for justice? Wags is talking through this question and Matthew 21 as we continue in our Just Ask series. Thanks for listening!
Do we pray against fear or with it?
This week, we're talking through how our fear can either lead us towards wisdom in pursuing God or stuck in anxiety. Wags uses the story of Elijah from 1 Kings as a great example of the ways God can teach us how to pray through fear.
Thanks for listening with us!
Want to watch the video on Foster Care referenced in the sermon? Watch on Youtube @hillcityrva or email info@hillcityrva.com for more info on getting involved.
Our High School Pastor, Shak Taylor is talking through what the Lord's Prayer teaches us about our prayer life as we continue our Just Ask series. Thanks for listening!
We're kicking off a new series on prayer called Just Ask. This week, we're talking through what prayer is through what scripture teaches us.
Thanks for listening with us!
Our own Care Pastor, Matt Fisher, is with us this week to talk through how we are created for relationships with God, others and ourselves.
We're excited to have a special guest, Cliff Roth from Crosspoint Ministry, with us this week! He's teaching on how our quality of life depends upon the quality of our relationships.
"God reminds us of His story through ours. He understands our reality. He is not an out of touch God. He lived our pain, so he could remember us."
There's a longing in our heart to be devoted to something.
Wags wraps up the last message in our Devoted series about how we can engage our faith in Jesus in deeper ways.
There's always a promise that is fulfilled in His presence. This week, Wags is focusing on knowing and pursuing the presence of God.
**Note: The first few seconds of Wag's greeting in this sermon were cut off so you'll hear that he picks up mid-sentence. So don't worry it's not your ears tricking you, it's us!
One of our key values at Hill City is irrational generosity. Wags talks through how being generous, angles our hearts towards God.
Paired with generosity, the Share Offering is officially open! Each year, we ask each person to consider giving a days wage to the Share Offering so we can give every cent of it away to organizations doing great work in our city. We love seeing how God has multiplied this offering in the past and can’t wait to see what He does with it this year!
One of our key values at Hill City is irrational generosity. Wags talks through how being generous, angles our hearts towards God.
Paired with generosity, the Share Offering is officially open! Each year, we ask each person to consider giving a days wage to the Share Offering so we can give every cent of it away to organizations doing great work in our city. We love seeing how God has multiplied this offering in the past and can’t wait to see what He does with it this year!
We celebrated our 8th (!!!) birthday this Sunday - we're grateful for all that God's done the past few years.
Today, Wags continued in our Devoted series addressing how we can't be ready for a new thing God is to do, unless we know how to hear his voice.
We celebrated our 8th (!!!) birthday this Sunday - we're grateful for all that God's done the past few years.
Today, Wags continued in our Devoted series addressing how we can't be ready for a new thing God is to do, unless we know how to hear his voice.
What does it mean to be devoted to the process of discovering truth? We’re talking through the truth of who we are and what Jesus desires for us.
What does it mean to be devoted to the process of discovering truth? We’re talking through the truth of who we are and what Jesus desires for us.
Follow last week's sermon, Wags talks through part 2 of God's vision and expectation of The Church.
Follow last week's sermon, Wags talks through part 2 of God's vision and expectation of The Church.
What does God want for the church vs. what do we want? How do we make it the same? This week, we're exploring these questions through scripture.
Follow along with: 1 Phillipians 1:27-30, Ephesians 4:29-5:2, James 1:26-27, Hebrews 10:23-25 and Colossians 3:12-17
What does God want for the church vs. what do we want? How do we make it the same? This week, we're exploring these questions through scripture.
Follow along with: 1 Phillipians 1:27-30, Ephesians 4:29-5:2, James 1:26-27, Hebrews 10:23-25 and Colossians 3:12-17
Last week we talked about what it looks like to have a healthy fear in God and this week, we’ll be focusing on the motives of our heart determines whether or not we receive Godly wisdom.
We're kicking off a new series, Devoted, for the next few weeks. Throughout the series we'll be focusing on the things we're devoted to, capture our hearts. Today, Wags talks through how having a healthy fear of God strengthens our faith with wisdom, curiosity and sacredness.
Thanks for listening!
Part two in our God 101 series, Nicole Unice shares on how we understand God's true nature. As compassionate, redeeming, faithful, good and powerful.
If you've ever had questions about who God is and what are his promises, this sermon is for you. Nicole Unice talks us through Scripture and our curiosity, obedience and honesty towards knowing who God is.
Pastor Rivers Taylor from Life Church RVA teaches from Luke 15:8-10 on the parable of the Lost Coin touching focusing on how God seeks after those who are not only far from him, but those that are close and feeling lost.
We're in week 8 of our series, Stories Jesus Told. This week, Nicole Unice will be sharing with us for part 2 of The Prodigal Son parable.
If you want to listen to the song Natalie Tyer wrote for this sermon, head over to our Instagram or Facebook.
Nicole Unice kicks off the Stories Jesus Told series by focusing on the parable of the sower and the global or specific seasons that our hearts can be in that may prevent us from having ears to hear.
We are half-way through this study of Ephesians! Today, John is back we are identifying the "routes" that lead us to a "life worthy of the calling".
Today, Nicole Unice is back and we are identifying how we pray, verses how the bible teaches us to pray.
Join us for week 2 of our Ephesians study! We are jumping right into chapter 2 of Ephesians to talk about the devil, the world, and the flesh.
Join us as we kick off this new series, "First Love", a 10-week study of the book of Ephesians. This week we are talking about revelation and reconciliation.
In the midst of pain, suffering, political chaos, persecution and one of the worst pandemics the world has ever seen, the church not only began but thrived and brought light into darkness. Two thousand years later is the church still essential? Will it survive? Is it built to last? Join us as we jump into week 2 of our new sermon series, "Built to Last"!
In the midst of pain, suffering, political chaos, persecution and one of the worst pandemics the world has ever seen, the church not only began but thrived and brought light into darkness. Two thousand years later is the church still essential? Will it survive? Is it built to last? Join us as we kick off our new sermon series, "Built to Last"!
We're so glad you are online with us! Can you believe we only have a few more weeks in the book of Mark together? Today we've got a real treat as Nicole dives into Mark 9.
Thanks for joining us! This week, Nicole Unice is talking about the authority of Jesus outlined in Mark 8.
Continuing our look at the book of Mark today with this main idea: if we see Jesus as a quick fix, we'll lack stability, resilience and a depth in our faith.
Today, we continue our look at the book of Mark and talk about temptation, repentance, and how the message of Jesus is transformative, not transactional.
We're kicking off our summer series in the book of Mark by talking about how the story of Jesus is personal, cosmic, economic, political and relational.
In our final week of Stronger, Nicole uses the relationship between Jesus and Peter to illustrate the power of redemptional love.
This week we're continuing with our reframe on the conversation around sexuality. How do we view it holistically? And where has the Church gotten it wrong? Let's talk.
Churches often have a narrow view of this conversation- polarizing and hurting people in the process. This week, John wants us to start over in the way we talk about sexuality so we can truly be stronger.
We're continuing our conversation from last week around doubt and deconstruction, but reframing it today by talking about the idea of renewal.
This week, we're talking about the makings of a faith in crisis and a faith that gets stronger.
Our annual Stronger series on relationships is back (and so are seasonal allergies), and this week Nicole is kicking it off by talking about how we grow stronger by living into the reality of resurrection life.
Just like Pilate and the crowds had a choice between Jesus Barabbas and Jesus the Messiah, will we choose a manmade Jesus or Jesus the Christ?
We're continuing our conversation on suffering- last week we started out talking about God's character and why we can have hope in it, and this week we're zooming out and taking a look at suffering as a whole: what is the cause? Why is there so much of it? What role do humans have to play in all of it?
To experience suffering in some way is to be human. So how do we suffer well, remembering the character of God and holding on hope to the resurrection? Let's talk about it.
Nicole takes a look at the passages about Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, all the ways that our identity can be stolen and how we can try and find it in places that God never intended. And as always, Jesus models how to beautifully resist.
One of the most influential, trust building tools that everyone has access to is hospitality. How can we show the same kind of hospitality that Jesus models for us...even to those we perceive as "enemies"? It's hard, but it's important. Let's talk about it.
Are we viewing consumption through the lens of our faith? Or viewing our faith through the lens of our consumption?
Skipping it might help you get ahead at work, but it's a biblical command for a reason: Sabbath. How do we view it, how do we practice it, how do we prioritize it? Let's talk about it.
Single, dating, married....are we defined by our relational status? Let's talk about it.
Purity. It's a loaded word in and outside of the church. But what does it really mean to be "pure in heart"?
This week, we're going back to how we got our name, back to the Sermon on the Mount, and back to the "saltiness" that we can have when we reorient our values.
We continue our look back in order to go forward this week by talking about how to be Caleb's by living wholeheartedly.
It's a new year and a new season for our church. We're going back to go forward: taking on the mindset of replanting our church and starting from the beginning. And what's the first step? Centering in on Jesus.
How are you going into 2021? Are you bracing for impact- or are you in a ready stance to receive what God is doing?
Today Nicole Unice talks to us about making the choice to let the peace of Christ rule in our lives. How does that change our hearts, minds, and vision for the world?
Relationships can be tumultuous, but we can look to scripture to see how to pursue peace within them- and it might look different than you'd think. Let's talk about it.
In the first week of our new series, Peace With Us, we're talking about the keys to peace that transcends circumstances.
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord…”
You may have heard this verse referenced everywhere, seen it in social media bios, on coffee mugs, t-shirts, etc….
But what is the context of it? How can we look at the bigger picture of this story and find an example of how to have hope in the midst of hard places? And what does the game of spades have to do with it?
Our good friend Tick Williams wants to talk about it.
What's the big deal about being generous? Why does it matter what we do with our resources, and what does Jesus have to say about it?
The Bible tells me so...
You've probably heard that phrase at some point in your life- but how do we actually approach the Bible? What kind of a voice does it have in our lives?
When we become followers of Jesus, we become other things, too. But what are those things? First up: we are people of witness.
It's not a secret: we're more divided than we've ever been as a nation. But, what about as a church? What can we do to model unity that may seem crazy to the outside world?
No, it's not the age of 🤘rage🤘, but the age of 😡rage😡 So how do we approach anger as followers of Jesus? Y'all know we're about to talk about it.
How do we even begin to have grace for one another during this election season? It's tough, but necessary. Let's talk about it.
We're kicking off our Jesus For President series looking at how we as Christians can faithfully engage in civics and politics. There's no bashing here- we're learning together.
Today we've got our bud, Pastor Vernon Gordon, talking to us on the importance of REST and how pace, priorities and pruning are the ingredients to God's rhythm for our lives.
Little things that go ignored can lead to biiiig issues. Welcome to week 2 of Rerouting.
Violence, natural disasters, a global pandemic- how do we stay on the route we need to stay on? We've all taken a few wrong turns this year, so we're starting our new series Rerouting by talking about why the Church matters.
This week we finish out our series on Colossians with a word from fan favorite Nicole Unice on how Paul wants us to make our beliefs into habits and habits into actions.
"I can't believe in the Bible because it condones slavery."
Wags provides some historical context surrounding slavery in the Bible and pushes us to recognize our place in the fight against the exploitation of people.
This week, we talk about family codes in the Bible and how Christianity offers a counter-narrative as we continue our look through the book of Colossians.
What are the characteristics of an "old self" vs. a "new creation"? And what exactly is this "Cosmic Story" you speak of? We continue a look at the book of Colossians.
Philosophies...conspiracies...idolatries...oh my. We continue our look at the book of Colossians.
Identity...confidence...maturity...hope...how do they all fit together? We continue our look at the book of Colossians.
In the second week of Don't Bury the Lede, we continue our look through the book of Colossians and consider some of Paul's harsh words in his letter to the church at Colossae.
Are we keeping Jesus as the lede in our lives, or is he getting buried by distracting information? We start our study on the book of Colossians this week to figure it out.
Today our good friend David Bennett visits (virtually) from across the pond to talk to us about our identities in Christ.
In this week of Stronger, we sit down with our friend Allan Chipman to talk about Richmond history and viewing white supremacy, systemic oppression and injustice from a biblical lens. Buckle in...there's a lot to learn!
For week 4 of Stronger we get the gift of having a conversation with our friend Rasheeda on allyship, her experience as a black woman in the corporate world and in a predominantly white church, and where our identities in Jesus intersect with our identities everywhere else.
This week in Stronger, we're talking about how we care for our souls. How can we adopt Jesus' lifestyle to better care for them?
Nicole Unice takes us through the story of Ruth to illustrate what kinds of love we might be living out. But what does a higher love look like?
We started this year's Stronger series with a necessary and impromptu message from Wags amidst the nationwide protest against police brutality and systemic racism. If your heart isn't breaking for the things that break God's heart, then your heart has been hardened in some way. You can make this a left or a right thing, but we're going to make it a Jesus thing.
It's our last week of TA DA! and we're talking about how what you produce is determined by what source you're connected to.
This week we're talking about living into the truth that God won (spoiler alert) and how we can live like champions because He is one.
It's week 5 of TA DA! and today we're talking about power, authority, and "living our truth". How do you see God's power active in your life?
As Christians, we should be the most hopeful people. So why does it feel like sometimes we're just...not? What is it we're getting wrong?
What is the role of wisdom in our lives? How could we possibly use it in the wrong ways? We take a look at what it means to have Godly wisdom in this week of Ta Da!
In week 2 of Ta Da, we're talking about how to build an awareness of the presence of God in every area of our lives.
We're kicking off a new series this week in the midst of this crazy time in the world. But what does all of this mean for the Church? Could God be preparing us for His big reveal? And are we going to be ready to be a part of it?
Jesus sees our fear but Easter reminds us of the promise. We just have to keep making sure our vision is clear.
Join us for week 6 of "The Art of the Story", where our good friend Nicole Unice is challenging our version of forgiveness.
In our third week of The Art of Story, Tick Williams talks to us through the wonderful world of the internet in the midst of COVID-19 cancellations. He talks through the parable of the sower: what are we sowing, and what should success look like for us?
In week 2 of The Art of Story, we're talking about the famous prodigal son story. How do you mend broken relationships? Who are you in this story?
It's the first week of The Art of Story and we're diving into the parables of Jesus, starting with the Good Samaritan. Throughout this series, we're keeping this in mind: parables will expose the things within us that we want to keep hidden.
In our final week of Exiles, our friend Darrin Patrick examines how if we are to become missionaries where we are, God must first expose us.