Oasis Faith Community Podcast: Recent Episodes
Oasis Faith Community
Sermons from the 11:00am Oasis Service at Church of the Lakes United Methodist Church in Canton, OH.
Paul shifts from teaching about the mystery of the gospel (Ephesians 3:1–13) to praying that
believers would experience its power personally. His prayer shows us that in Christ, we
don’t just know about God’s love in our heads – we experience it in our hearts. His love
strengthens us in trials, surpasses all measurement, and fills us until it overflows into
the world.
In Christ, the dividing walls between people come crashing
down. The Church is one new humanity, built together on Christ as the
cornerstone.
Our testimony is this: we were dead in sin, but God made us alive in Christ. Salvation is not something we earn or achieve; it is God’s gift of grace from beginning to end. In Christ, we are raised to new life, seated with Him in victory, and sent out as His workmanship to walk in the good works He has prepared for us.
Paul isn’t praying that we’d get more blessing, he’s praying that our eyes would be opened to see what we already have in Christ.
In Christ, we are no longer spiritual orphans—wandering, unwanted, or unsure of who we are. God chose us before the foundation of the world, adopted us into His family, redeemed us through the blood of His Son, and sealed us with His Spirit. Our identity is not found in abandonment or uncertainty but in the unshakable reality that we belong to Him forever.
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The life of Judas Iscariot is both a warning and an invitation. We are warned to avoid disillusionment and dishonesty, and we are invited to experience restoration when we inevitably do fail.
In the biblical narrative of James the Lesser, we come to realize that God desires faithfulness over fame. God sees us and our faithfulness matters, even when our efforts are not noticeable.
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We see in Simon the Zealot’s story that Jesus calls us into one family. As we become citizens of the Kingdom of God, we purge our false saviors and walk into a new identity in Christ.
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In John 20, Thomas struggles with doubt, but we see Jesus meet him where he is. Thomas’s honest question to Jesus eventually becomes the seedbed for his courageous faith!
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When we look into the life of Thaddaeus Judas, we see that we don’t need to be famous to have Kingdom impact – we just need to be faithful.
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Christ comes to save the lost and hurting. The one person for whom Christ can do nothing is the person who thinks there is no need.
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Speaking the truth in love builds up the body of Christ and it is our task to be without deceit and full of integrity.
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The witness of Philip in John 12 is a powerful testimony of what it is like to live as an ambassador of Christ in our cultural context. When we know who Jesus is, we see clearly who we are, allowing us to become bold “bridge builders” as we lead people into the Kingdom of God.
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In the disciple John, we see a “son of thunder” transformed into an apostle of love. In order for this to happen in our own lives, we must acknowledge our own pride and anger and submit these things to Jesus for him to transform us from the inside out.
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The disciple James (the greater) is transformed from an overly ambitious and arrogant follower to a humbled servant of Jesus.
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Many things in the created world tempt us to attach our importance to their importance. Our wholeness comes when we become attached to our Creator rather than the creation. What helps us break the chains of addiction are honesty, surrender and community.
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Loneliness is part of the human condition, and not only do we feel this today, but many people in the Bible felt this as well. However, the gospel of Jesus is the antidote to loneliness. God turns to us, offers us his grace, grows closer to us, and offers us a family in which to belong!
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Many people need healing from the pain of divorce. In Matthew 19:3-9, Jesus points back to his ultimate goal – to restore us back into fellowship with God and with each other. Whether we have experienced divorce or another kind of broken relationship, we can experience hope and healing through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
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In the parable of the ten bridegrooms, we see how important it is to be prepared for the coming of Christ. By living each day in light of the gospel, engaging in the spiritual disciplines, and keeping an eternal perspective, we can “be ready” for Christ’s return.
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The parable of the fig tree causes us to stop and think about true repentance, which is necessary for producing “fruit.” God not only wants us to repent, but also is gracious enough to give us time to change.
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Fear causes us to walk past people who are in desperate need of our love and care. The way to casting out fear comes from the LORD.
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Beginning a relationship with God is like discovering a hidden treasure: new, exciting, and full of promise. As our relationship with God matures, it is like a the most valuable pearl: immeasurably priceless. However, a relationship with God will cost everything.
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The parable of the mustard seed shows us that the kingdom of God may start small, but it is spreading and offers us a hope and assurance for the future that we can take part in.
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In the story of Jacob, we see the importance of prayer as we wrestle with God. Through prayer, we gain blessings, and ultimately gain the greatest blessing of all – a relationship with Jesus.
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We should view our work not as a way to get ahead, find significance, or “make a killing,” but as an act of worship as we use our skills to bring good to others and glorify God.
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Our Lord blesses Jacob through a vision of awe inspiring proportions. Jacob’s revelation is an appropriate reaction, to fall in humble worship of an amazing God.
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We have two paths in life when faced with the consequences of sin: to run away from our God or, to return to his loving arms full of abounding love, grace, and mercy.
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We are called by our Lord through Joel to return to God. For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing if we honestly and earnestly repent.
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Common misconceptions about grace make us think it’s a magic pill or elixir that we can use while in the depths of sin to be saved. However, getting right with God isn’t solely dependent on us… but it does require the powerful and transformative grace of God in our lives.
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As we live in the “in-between time” in our current circumstances, we can look to Abraham and the covenant God made with Him to offer us encouragement and hope.
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Getting right with God first involves an understanding of our own battle with sin. 1 John tells us not to “love the world,” and we can look to the example of Jesus as we choose to love God and hate sin. We must remember that God’s kingdom is forever and this world is temporary.
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Jesus creates the greatest commandment by combining two passages of scripture, Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19. This commandment encourages us to love God, love our neighbors, and love ourselves – without all three of these things overflowing out of an abundance of God’s love for us, we will not keep our lives in proper order.
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By His authority, Jesus has given us an assignment, to make disciples. This assignment should be at the central core of what we do and we can rest assured that Jesus will be with us each step of the way.
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There is a spiritual battle all around us, whether we take it seriously or not. In order to experience victory in this battle, we must saturate ourselves with the gospel, putting on the “full armor of God” that Paul speaks about in Ephesians 6.
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Holiness, we see through the biblical text, is not something we do on our own strength, but it is something that comes when we experience the presence of God and His proclamation over our lives. We are declared holy and can therefore live into that holiness.
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In order to understand our true identity, we must first understand the relational nature of God, and realize that we were made for Godly community. The question of “Who am I?” can only be answered when we know who we are in Christ, rather than answered by interest groups or radical individualism.
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By looking at our lives through the lens of God’s Word, we see that the Word brings order out of chaos, and the Word will one day redeem what sin has destroyed.
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Racism is a form of partiality, which is a sin and directly goes against the character of God. As Christians, we must not show partiality, but rather, consider others better than ourselves.
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Many people want to know “God’s will” for their lives. By looking at 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 and by having an appropriate understanding of God’s providential and moral will, we will be able to live personally fulfilling lives. churchofthelakes.org
Christian grit is a key element to leadership as it allows a leader to persevere in the face of apathy. We can accrue more grit in life by finding internal motivation from the examples of the Christian Hall of Fame and from our Lord, Jesus Christ. churchofthelakes.org
As we see in Mark’s “go-gospel,” Jesus spent much of his ministry as a servant leader, waiting on others rather than asking them to wait on him. We must throw off entitlement and revenge, and instead realize that true greatness is found in service and sacrifice. churchofthelakes.org
Good leaders value mentorship, and in the church, this happens when we intentionally make disciples of Jesus Christ through relying on the strength of grace, developing others intentionally, and enduring faithfully. churchofthelakes.org
One of the most important qualities of a good leader is humility. We can find dozens of places in Scripture that point to the importance of humility, and we should cultivate this characteristic in our own lives. churchofthelakes.org
For a long time, people have wondered what heaven will be like. John’s words in the book of Revelation shows us that in heaven, we will be renewed, reunited, and released. These truths about our future reality make a difference in the way we live our lives now. churchofthelakes.org
Unity is crucial for the church, and the spiritual gifts that we have been given are meant to benefit the Body of Christ, drawing others into a relationship with God. churchofthelakes.org
In Paul’s letter to Timothy, we see Paul’s insistence on the importance of Scripture. When we make the Holy Scriptures our plumb line in life, we not only know how to live, but we also receive the comfort of God’s promises. churchofthelakes.org
Baptism is an outward sign of inward grace and a common sacrament among Christians. As we understand the concept of substitution and admit our total helplessness to save ourselves, we respond to the work Christ has done on our behalf through baptism. churchofthelakes.org
In John 4, when Jesus speaks with the Samaritan woman at the well, wesee a conversation that centers around true worship. True worship is done inSpirit and Truth; it honors God in our hearts, praises God with our lips, and serves other people. churchofthelakes.org
Communion is an opportunity for us to remember our salvation and also to be strengthened for the journey ahead as we remain “alive in Christ.” While it may, at times, seem like we are commemorating a defeat, in fact, we are celebrating a victory over sin, death, and all that holds us in bondage.
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When it comes to church, the power of the Holy Spirit is of utmost importance. We see the birth of the church through the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, and all throughout the scriptures we are able to see how the Holy Spirit works both in us and through us in order to transform the world for Christ.
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The “one job” of Christians is to proclaim the gospel wherever we go. With this being the case, we must follow The Golden Rule (not the Silver Rule!) by living out Jesus’ call to sacrificially serve others.
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According to the Scriptures, we find that generosity is a characteristic of God’s people and “the good life” has nothing to do with possessions or the pursuit of pleasure. Instead, through gratitude, purpose, and generosity, we find that our hearts follow suit when we “invest” in the things of God.
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In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that he did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. We must not relax God’s Law to meet our own preferences – in fact, Jesus asks for perfection! When we see how far from perfect we really are, we move our hope off of ourselves and onto Jesus, who died to save us.
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In the Beatitudes, Jesus tells his followers how to be happy. This type of happiness might seem impossible, but when we find our happiness in a right relationship with Jesus rather than in our circumstances, we learn what true happiness can be. Christians don’t do these things to earn salvation, but because they have been saved.
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In the book of Acts, we see the church is more than just a place people went to, but it was a movement of people centered around the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. When Jesus ascended into heaven, the church formed out of the empowering of the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we can experience the power, purpose, and plan of the Holy Spirit.
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The first eye-witnesses of the resurrection were confused and afraid. They thought they had experienced an “end,” but realized that they had to experience death before they could experience life. We each have our own “resurrection story” to tell the world. What is holding you back?
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Focus: As Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, he requires us to not just admirer his grand entrance… but to join in the parade.
Memory Verse: 2 Samuel 7:12 – When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
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In Matthew 16, we see that our confession of who Jesus is allows the power of God to flow in our lives, advancing the Kingdom of God to the whole world. We might suffer, but Jesus will redeem our pain for our good and his glory.
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King David, an ordinary man, was made extraordinary because of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, anointed by the Holy Spirit, chose to life an ordinary and pain-filled life in order to ultimately reign victorious. We, as followers of Jesus, should not seek to be extraordinary people, but allow God to use our ordinary lives in order to showcase his extraordinary power through the Holy Spirit.
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Shepherd is the primary metaphor for God as our Leader. His example of caring for the flock is
the example to be followed by those who follow the Good Shepherd.
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Many times, we put Jesus in a box, as did the religious leaders in Jesus’ day. However, in Psalms 110 and the book of Matthew, we see a truer picture of who Jesus is. Jesus is not just a good man, but he is the Messiah, and on this truth his church has been built.
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In John 1, we learn that Jesus is the Word, the Light, and Life. We also learn that Jesus lived among us, “glory en-fleshed.” This truth about Jesus compels us to believe in him and to live our lives in response to who he is.
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We are all familiar with worry, but scripture shows us that when we worry, we think too little of God and we minimize how much God thinks of us. When we listen to worry, we are listening to a false prophet. Instead, we should put our trust in the One who has saved us, delivered us, and will always provide for us.
January 15th, 2023 – Your Best You – Wisdom
Wisdom is the divine order to creation – how God’s world works. Wisdom involves much more than knowledge, it involves our understanding, and choice to live by God’s order. Reverence of God is the starting point for wisdom.
January 8th, 2023 – Your Best You – Freedom
In Romans 7, Paul writes about the bondage to sin that we all can relate to. However, in Romans 8, he writes about the freedom that can be found in Christ as we come to understand the gospel message. As Christians, we are set free from sin, shame, and guilt as we move into the freedom that is found in God’s grace.
January 1st, 2023 – Your Best You – Radical Change
Humans have the ability to be transformed from brokenness, fear and disappointment to become people of love, forgiveness and wholeness. Our hope for transformation comesfrom cooperating with the gift that God wants to give. That entails training in spiritual disciplines.
December 18th, 2022 – The Heart that Grew Three Sizes – When Joy is Our Song
In the midst of uncertainty and fear, God opens up a kingdom that surpasses our wildest expectations. Joy is not grounded in what we can accomplish but what God has already done.
December 4th, 2022 – The Heart that Grew Three Sizes – When Christmas Isn’t Christmas
During the Christmas season, we often fabricate feelings of “peace” with things like Christmas lights, Christmas music, and holiday traditions. However, true peace has nothing to do with these things, but has everything to do Jesus Christ bringing hope and healing to our lives.
November 27th, 2022 – The Heart that Grew Three Sizes – When Everything is Wrong In preparing for the arrival of the coming of God, we embrace a hope that trusts in Gods faithfulness even in the midst of despair and pain.
November 20th, 2022 – Courageous – Courage to be First Paul encourages the Philippians to have “the courage to put Christ first.” This is done by forgetting what is behind us, focusing on what is before us, and facing what is beyond us. As Christians, our pursuit of Christ must be first in our lives!
November 13th, 2022 – Courageous – Courage to be Vulnerable Jesus shows us that there is courage in being vulnerable and calls us to follow his example.
November 6th, 2022 – Courageous – Courage to be Last In chapter 2 of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we see that we are encouraged to be united in our passion for the gospel, and that in doing so, we are to have mutual care for one another. We do this by remembering the power […]
October 30th, 2022 – Courageous – Courage to be Gracious In hard situations, God’s grace pours out courage. As we allow God’s grace to shape us, we can become courageous enough to give others grace which generates abiding joy.
October 23rd, 2022 – The Letter to the Romans – Good News about Eternity In Romans 16, we see three important realities, including the importance of unity, the importance of Christian community, and the fact that ordinary people play an extraordinary role in the mission of the church.
October 16th, 2022 – The Letter to the Romans – Good News about Relationships In Romans 12, Paul gives his readers a glimpse at what “true love” looks like within Christian community. As members of the church, it is important that we proclaim the gospel with our lips, but we also must recognize that the […]
October 9th, 2022 – The Letter to the Romans – Good News about God’s Plan In Romans 10, Paul wants his readers to stop for a moment and consider the power of confession (Jesus is Lord) and the power of belief (that God raised him from the dead). By confessing Jesus’s Lordship and believing in […]
October 2nd, 2022 – The Letter to the Romans – Good News about Daily Life In the midst of our brokenness and pain of daily living, we have an advocate who helps us in our weakness and knows our deepest groaning.
September 25th, 2022 – The Letter to the Romans – Good News about Hope While the world seeks hope in possessions, technology or other people, followers of Jesus celebrate a hope that has already been accomplished on the cross and not dependent on present circumstances.
September 18th, 2022 – The Letter to the Romans – Good News about Faith All of us are trying to justify our existence. The Good News of Jesus is that we are made right with a Holy God not from our efforts, but simply by believing, trusting and committing our lives to the Jesus way.
September 11th, 2022 – The Letter to the Romans – Good News to a Church Paul Never Met As Paul introduces himself to the congregation in Rome, he offers the good news that Jesus Christ has given to us a plan of salvation by faith.
August 28th, 2022 – Breathing Underwater – Working the Steps In Mark 8, Jesus demonstrates what it is to be spiritually blind. We must be honest with ourselves and pursue full restoration through Jesus and his work on the cross. We can be hopeful, because “He who began a good work in me will continue […]
August 21st, 2022 – Breathing Underwater – Step 12: Having a spiritual awakening When you experience the gift of healing grace, you find true power when you offer your personal witness which encourages and helps others.
August 14th, 2022 – Breathing Underwater – Step 11: Seek to improve our contact with God The fullness of God is to empty all of your distracting thoughts and to enter into a still moment of silence. It is the prayer of quiet and self-surrender that will best allow us to follow this step. Biblical […]
August 7th, 2022 – Breathing Underwater – Step 10: Continue to take personal inventory It is easy to fall back into sin, and we must realize that the road to growth is bumpy, not smooth. However, the apostle Paul encourages us to build holy habits into our lives: rejoicing always, praying continually, and giving thanks […]
July 31st, 2022 – Breathing Underwater – Step 9: Make direct amends to such people wherever possible In order to make amends appropriately, we can use the famous Serenity Prayer – asking for acceptance, courage, and wisdom in each situation. With the help of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can […]
July 24th, 2022 – Breathing Underwater – Step 8: Make a list of persons harmed In step 8, we see the importance of making amends with those we have harmed. We must also take steps to forgive those who have harmed us.
July 17th, 2022 – Breathing Underwater – Step 7: Humbly ask God to remove shortcomings The purpose of humbly asking God to remove our shortcomings is not to change God’s will but to shape our own will. Prayer makes us more compassionate and caring.
July 10th, 2022 – Breathing Underwater – Step 6: Be entirely ready to have God remove all defects of character Rather than justify our shortcomings or cling to “lesser” sins, we must get to the point where we are ready for God to entirely remove all our defects of character. We do this by preparing […]
July 3rd, 2022 – Breathing Underwater – Step 5: Admit to God, ourselves, and another human the nature of our wrongs Confessing our sin to God and to others is incredibly difficult, but this type of accountability brings freedom as we experience God’s forgiveness.
June 26th, 2022 – Breathing Underwater – Step 4: Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of self A crucial step to healing and recovery from the brokenness of sin is to commit to a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves in order to allow God to deal with our past. There is joy […]
June 12th, 2022 – Breathing Underwater June 19th, 2022 – Breathing Underwater – Step 3: Make a decision to turn our will and lives over to the care of God- Step 2: Come to believe that the Power of God can restore us to sanity The third important step in our spiritual battle with sin […]
June 12th, 2022 – Breathing Underwater – Step 2: Come to believe that the Power of God can restore us to sanity The Lord seeks to be in a relationship with each of us. When we cultivate a desperate desiring, our defensive behaviors will break down and the Lord’s presence will flood around us
June 5th, 2022 – Breathing Underwater – Step 1: Admit that our lives have become unmanageable The first step to spiritual healing is to die to the false self that you can fix yourself. “There is a Savior and you ain’t It!” Our ego hates to change and so we do the same thing over […]
May 29th, 2022 – Truth: What is Truth? In John 18:33-38, we see Jesus on trial, with Pontius Pilate asking the question, “What is truth?” This question is not answered with facts based on measurements and observations, but in relationship with the person of Jesus, who is Truth incarnate.
May 22nd, 2022 – I Love My Church – Multiplication Matters As Christians, it is important to “multiply” disciples of Jesus and proclaim the good news. This is done when we first disciple ourselves, spending regular time with Jesus on a daily basis and living out what He has been teaching us. When the world […]
May 15th, 2022 – I Love My Church – Bold Vision As the Lord grants us a vision regarding a direction, we often experience doubt, resistance, and finally a crystal-clear certainty. If we are in tune with the Spirit and taking risks for the glory of God when he calls us, we can be assured […]
May 8th, 2022 – I Love My Church – The Difference Friends Make As members of the family of God, one purpose we have is to “connect all to Christ.” By taking risks, believing the impossible can happen, and celebrating what God is already doing, we can fulfill this purpose here at Church of the […]
May 1st, 2022 – I Love My Church – 5 Reasons Even though we all can have complicated relationships with the church, we can see in Matthew 14 five good reasons to be in church community! These reasons are why “I love my church!”
April 24th, 2022 – Abiding, Pruning, and Bearing Fruit Those who are grafted into Christ should be producing the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5. By pruning what’s dead and getting rid of what’s hindering us from bearing fruit, we can produce fruit in such a way that others want to “meet the […]
April 17th, 2022 – Embracing the Uncertain: The Empty Tomb and the Proof of the Resurrection Easter celebrates the good news that the deepest desire that we seek has been seeking to connect with us!
April 10th, 2022 – Embracing the Uncertain: The Uncertainty of Obedience When Jesus found himself facing a decision that required obedience, he chose to trust in the ultimate goodness of God and endured the cross to fulfill his purpose. Likewise, we must root our belief in God’s goodness and choose the narrow way of obedience, […]
April 3rd, 2022 – Embracing the Uncertain: Zacchaeus and the Uncertainty of Surrender In a world of brokenness and poor life choices, the Lord offers a path of healing and restoration. This path of sweet surrender starts when we take out the trash accumulating in our lives and accept the invitation to join the Jesus […]
March 27th, 2022 – Embracing the Uncertain: Lazarus and the Uncertainty of Mortality In the midst of death and grief, Jesus offers a new life through trusting in His way. Sin brings death, but Jesus has come to show a way out of this death to a new form of abundant and eternal life.
March 20th, 2022 – Embracing the Uncertain: The Uncertainty of Worry We are all tempted to worry, but when we do, we begin to believe that God is unfaithful and forgetful. As followers of Jesus, we are called to be different, striving for God’s kingdom and trusting Him with our lives.
March 13th, 2022 – Embracing the Uncertain: Peter and the Uncertainty of Forgiveness In perhaps one of life’s most challenging tests, we must be willing to let go of all debts of those who have wounded us deeply. This is never easy and only possible when we realize how much God has forgiven us.
March 6th, 2022 – Embracing the Uncertain: Desperate Father and the Uncertainty of Faith When we descend into the valley of our limitations, God provides a lift to stand up even in the midst of our doubts. Our task is to repent and rely on the power of God through the Holy Spirit when we […]
February 20th, 2022 – Hope for the Future: Hope in the Face of Suffering The Lord promises to guide history not to an end but to a new beginning, to a world in which finally death and evil are completely destroyed and justice and peace reign supreme.
February 6th, 2022 – Hope for a New Year: Hope in the Face of Suffering In times of waiting and in times of doubt, the book of Habakkuk demonstrates three things we should do to as we wait: listen, write, and wait in faith.
February 6th, 2022 – Hope for a New Year: Hope in the Face of Suffering While many try to avoid or insulate themselves from suffering, Christians are given tools to walk through the challenges not crumpled in despair or denying the painful effects. Instead followers of Jesus are given an orientation of hope in God’s […]
January 30th, 2022 – Hope for a New Year: Hope for Lasting Justice To experience the salvation of Jesus is not just to be safe from the wages of sin but also to serve for lasting justice. This entails committing to equal treatment for all, radical generosity, advocacy for those without power and acknowledging our […]
January 23rd, 2022 – Hope for a New Year: Hope for Sexual Healing God created our bodies to be a temple to treasure, not a shack to be trashed. The collateral damage of sexual impurity is painful, emotional and deeply spiritual. Yet even when the temple has been desecrated, we have God who cleanses better […]
January 16th, 2022 – Hope for a New Year: Hoping for Racial Reconciliation
When it comes to race issues and racial reconciliation in our American culture, we can heed the words of Paul in Galatians by remembering that our primary identity is to be “one in Christ Jesus”. However, in doing this, we also need to listen and love each other, pointing to Jesus as our hope.
January 9th, 2022 – Hope for a New Year: Hope for Restored Relationships
In a world of conflict and divisiveness, followers of Jesus are provided a path of forgiveness which leads to the hope for restoration. The failure to embrace this path of forgiveness and restoration harms the witness of our faith and diminishes the power to connect with God.
January 2nd, 2022 – Hope for a New Year: Hope for Real Change
Real change happens in our lives when we intentionally decide to cast away all of the false gods that clutter our souls and put on a new self by placing our hearts trust in Jesus.
December 26th, 2021 – The Heart that Grew Three Sizes
Around Christmas, our perception of reality can become distorted by all the glitz, glamor, and gifts. The Grinch exemplifies how we allow our distorted perceptions to consume us inwardly and outwardly. But the Grinch (eventually) finds the true reality: Christmas isn’t about boxes, presents, or decorations. Christmas is about love.
December 24th, 2021 – Christmas Eve 2021: Love Came Down
Recorded from the 12/24/2021 9:30 Candlelight service
December 19th, 2021 – Making Room: Making Room for the Outcasts
The outcast shepherds are chosen by God to be the witnesses of the spectacular good news. They responded to the gift of salvation by going to the source, offering praise and then sharing their experience with others. Will you make room for the offer of salvation?
December 5th, 2021 – Making Room: Making Room for the Stranger
The account of the Persian Magi and a poor Jewish couple is a reminder that a follower of the Lord is to practice hospitality to the strangers in our midst so we can become a channel of grace and peace.
November 28th, 2021 – Making Room: Be a Neighbor
Our society has slowly drifted away from the practice of the love and inclusion that Jesus modeled. Isolation and division seem to be the rule rather than the exception. It is up to us, as God’s people, to turn this situation around. This is of great concern in heaven.
November 21st, 2021 – Constructing Your Story: Nehemiah – Risk Ahead
A compelling need generates the courage to risk everything for what really matters. Nehemiah demonstrates that when we trust in God’s purposes, we will receive all you need to change lives and repair a broken world.
November 14th, 2021 – Constructing Your Story: Daniel – Stay in Lane
A healthy life with the LORD begins in the trenches of consistent personal habits. These holy habits equips followers to endure the lion pits of life.
November 7th, 2021 – Constructing Your Story: Jeremiah – Work Zone Fines Doubled
In a broken world, the LORD issues warnings and citations to those who turn away from God and commit injustice. Followers accept assignments from the LORD rather than extend excuses.
October 31st, 2021 – Constructing Your Story: Isaiah – Merge
The LORD is not content to be a concept to be accepted on our individual terms. Instead the Lord invites us to merge into the great plan of salvation for the entire world. When we confess our broken condition and accept the assignment to serve the Lord we find deliverance.