Bluffs Messages: Recent Episodes
Bluffs Community Church
Life here is hard and can get really frustrating but sometimes we let things take center stage when they really don't deserve the attention and time. Our pettiness and grumbling can keep us from sharing the light of Jesus in a world that needs Him more than our opinions. Tough? You bet!
We are back and returning to our Not Home Yet series. We are going through the letter to the Philippians looking for clues on how to live like Jesus here and now in a place so different from the kingdom he described. Thank you for joining us!
Mother's Day is a special opportunity to honor and celebrate our moms and the women in our lives who have given life to us and our dreams. But it can be a complicated day, too. This week, Pastor Michele taught on Grace, that special something that means you are loved. Period.
God's heart is global and salvation is both a gift of grace and an invitation to partner with Him in bringing his kingdom to earth now. We just completed our first official 30 for Freedom event and this Sunday we hosted Paul Hurckman, Executive Director of Venture. Paul challenged us to both see and be the Light in the Darkness.
After a wonderful Easter weekend we are returning to our Not home yet series where we are looking to Paul's letter to the Philippians for clues on how to live our best lives here and now while we anticipate the ever after.
Thank you for joining us!
We had a wonderful Easter weekend remembering and celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus! Jesus made some bold statements about himself and he is either right or he isn't. He said, I am the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. He wants you to know him and his great love for you. And we do, too!
We have all been through some stuff and will likely go through some stuff again, because life is hard sometimes. And there are a few different ways we can respond to that stuff. What if God wants to use those things that happen, those wounds to do good in your life or someone else's life? There's hope and grace in that thought, potential, and possibility.
It's week 3 of our "Not Home Yet" series and we're talking about God's ability to turn your suffering into something that gives life.
No matter where or when you live, life is challenging. Sometimes we get ourselves into trouble and sometimes even good times are hard work. That's life. As we continue our look at Paul's letter to the Philippians, we find Paul grateful for the faithfulness of his friends in good times and bad. They helped plant the church and they remained faithful in his darkest hours all opportunities for Jesus' grace and love to be put on display!
Ever feel like you just don't fit, like you're alone in a crowd, or a crowd when you're alone? Turns out you aren't alone, after all. We all feel a little out of place because we were made for something better. Philippians 3:20 says we are "citizens of heaven" which means heaven is our real home. But what to do now? How do we live here and now, in the in-between? That's what this new series is about-how to live until we get home.
Good morning, everyone! Thanks for joining us this morning as we talk about prayer. Prayer is a foundational part of our faith journey, but how do we pray? Today we are going to unpack what it means to pray and why we pray.
Today we are wrapping up our series with a conversation about Stewardship. Since the very beginning, God's plan and hope has been to gift us with the earth and everything in it and individual gifts so that our lives will be full and good. When we lean in to our gifts other people are free to do the same and our lives are more whole. But this isn't meant to be a burden. Stewardship and our gifts are acts of grace. Let's talk about it.
We are nearing the end of our series and this week we are taking on the challenging topic of boundaries! Life is about relationships, but sometimes they get complicated. God gave us boundaries, not to keep us from relationships, but to keep our relationships strong and whole. Join us as Pastors Michele and Jake team teach!
It's week three of our new series on relationships and we are taking a look at Matthew 18. Here, Jesus is teaching from the town that was the base of His ministry-Capernaum. When asked who was the greatest He responded in a characteristically unexpected way. Today we are talking about two things that go without saying in the Kingdom of God-humility and forgiveness.
We were made for relationship with God and with each other. Simple, right?! Today is the second week of our relationship series and Pastors Michele and Jake are team teaching about honesty and vulnerability-two simple things that aren't always so simple.
Today we begin our relationship series by focusing on how we build a strong foundation for living and loving well.
Bluffs Community Church launched two years ago with a simple vision-to be a place where people could come together, ask God honest questions, and let Him work in and through us to share His love, mercy, grace, and hope with the world around us. Today we celebrate what God has already down and look ahead to whatever he has in store!
What does it mean to do everything in the name of Jesus?
This week we are wrapping up our "New" series with a look at the temptation of Jesus and talking about living a life that, above all, honors God. Its a tall order but we are not alone!
The bible says God made the heavens, the earth, and everything in it, but He didn't stop there. He made it with a purpose in mind and He is faithful to help us get back on track when we get distracted from what is best.
But sometimes we are scared-what if we don't do it right or what if we don't know what to do?
Don't worry about it! Jesus can calm that storm.
God creates and recreates, He makes and remakes. That means life can be different! Today we are talking about Jesus and how we can learn to live more like Him.
Happy New Year! This is a time to reflect on the past and dream about what is possible. Yes, we can make jokes about all the failed resolutions but what if that didn't have to be the case? What if some part of ourselves could be different a year from now?
The Bible tells the story of a Creator God who doesn't stop recreating-making things better. He makes "all things new" and that can be you, too.
Advent is a time of reflection and preparation for the birth of Jesus. The gives many names and descriptions for Jesus and one of them is Prince of Peace and where he reigns, there is peace!
Tis the season! Advent is a time of preparation and reflection on the birth of Jesus and today we are talking about Joy-something all of us could use a little more of.
Advent is a season of anticipation-Jesus is coming! But what did that do? While we are scrambling for that perfect gift, Jesus is bringing Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace! Today we are reflecting on His love for each and every one of us.
Tis' the season to be thankful and there is a lot to be thankful for and the bible tells to be thankful in all seasons. But it also tells us to be honest, and if we're honest, sometimes it is hard to be both. Today we are talking about how God turns difficult, painful parts of our story into opportunities for healing.
Tis the season to give thanks! This time of year we take time to remember the good times, the people we love, and give thanks. But sometimes it isn't so easy. Today we'll be talking about being thankful even when its difficult.
When we talk about leaders we typically talk about famous people, powerful people. But for most of us, the most influential people in our lives are not famous and they get little credit for the things they do. The bible is full of stories of people like you and me doing amazing things. Today we're going to talk about some of them.
Ever feel like something needs to change but you don't know what to do about it? You're not alone! Today we are wrapping up our look at the story of Nehemiah and what he did to lead his people and complete one of the greatest stories in the bible for clues of what we can do.
God's heart is for the whole world and He wants to include us in His redemptive and restorative work. Paul Hurckman, Executive Director of Venture, is with us this morning and will sharing about the work Venture does and how we can do tough things to help people in tough places.
Today we are in week 4 of our journey through the book of Nehemiah. Its one of the great stories of restoration and we are looking for ideas of how we might rebuild the broken parts of our lives and our world. Thank you for joining us!
Doing the right thing with the right people isn't always easy but its better than the alternatives!
Life can be great and not so great. We'll never give you three easy steps to success but today we are beginning our Nehemiah series to get some ideas about how to rebuild the broken parts of our lives.
Ever feel like the church is the last place you can ask tough questions?
Today is part two of our "Unlikely" series and we are talking about Doubting Thomas and the doubt/faith space we often live in.
If we're being honest missions can sound scary and intimidating, but maybe it doesn't have to be so today we spent some time hearing about different ways we can obey Jesus' call to go into all the world!
Bluffs own Youth Director Esther Kindle shared this morning and building on the series themes she challenged us to accept that "because we have been freed to love we are now free to serve and serve well."
It's week 4 of our "Freedom" series and this week we took a look at the story of the Good Samaritan and are the freedom to love we have in Jesus.
We love missions at Bluffs Community Church! Today we shared an update from our first Go Trip! The team is just back from Utah and had great stories to tell. We also heard from our friends at Adult and Teen Challenge of Western Wisconsin.
We are in week three of our Freedom series and today we talked about Shame. Shame is insidious and it strangles the life and joy out of so much. But it wasn't and isn't part of the plan for us.
Being free is central to the American identity. It is how we see ourselves in the world. This week we began our Freedom series and we are taking a look at what the Bible says about freedom. Today we talked about freedom from a slavery identity and the new identity Christ calls us into.
Happy 4th of July! Today we are doing Church from the Porch so you can enjoy a Sunday morning with friends and family!
Romans 8:28 is often misused and misunderstood. While on the first reading it sounds like one thing, the reality is much better. Today Pastor Howard Young led us through a powerful and graceful discussion of what God is saying to us through this great verse and passage.