In order to change and grow, each of us has to pick something up and put something down. We have to let some things go (sins, destructive habits, etc) and start picking some things up (new habits, disciplines). In our study through Colossians, Paul challenges us to let go of things that are holding us back and adopt a new lifestyle with new habits. In this message we'll dive into that challenge and see how we can apply this to our lives.
03.04.18 - Identity
Who are we? And who gets to decide who we are? These are important questions in a culture that is constantly shifting on questions of identity. In this message we'll be looking at Paul’s letter to the church at Colosse and walk through what it means to find our identity in Christ.
02.25.18 - Rooted
In a culture that's constantly changing, what can we hold on to? How can we stay strongly rooted in something that will survive the storms? In this message we will look at Paul’s words to the church in Colosse about how they can be rooted and we will see how that applies to our world today.
02.18.18 What's The Big Deal About Jesus?
Jesus Christ is the most talked about, sung about, and worshipped person in all of history. But why is he such a big deal? Who was he really and what difference did he make in the world? And what difference does he make in your life? In this message from Colossians 2 we'll look at what's the big deal about Jesus.
02.11.18 - A Powerful Prayer
Christians for a millennia have celebrated something known as the Gospel - this Good News about Jesus Christ. What is that good news? Why is it good? What difference does it make now? In this series we'll be diving into the letter Paul wrote to the Colossians and looking at the heart of the Gospel and its implications for our lives.
02.04.18 - Pay It Forward
Jesus calls His followers to speak up and share their faith with others. But so often, believers are intimidated to do this. What if we poured our faith into other people? What if we spoke up and shared how God has been good to us? What kind of return might we get on that type of investment? How might God change us when we share His love?
01.28.18 - Bull Market
"Where you invest your love, you invest your life."- Mumford and Sons. Perhaps no other issue shows us where we invest our love, than where we invest our money. Where your money goes, your heart goes. In this message we'll look at the return on investments we can expect with money and we will look at what generosity does to our hearts.
01.21.18 - The Investment Club
We accomplish more when we work together. This is true of so many of the investments we make in life. When we pool our money, we buy more. When we pool our time, we get more done. When we pool our energy, we move the needle. God designed us for community and designed us to connect. In this message we'll look at Paul’s advice to the church at Galatia and see the various ways in which we are better together.
01.14.18 - All In
When we play scared, we end up not playing at our best. This is true in sports and it’s true with our faith. So what would it look like to be ALL IN with our faith? What would it look like to really embrace a life of servanthood and pour ourselves out for other people? And what return could we expect on that kind of investment in others? In this week's message we'll examine a rather awkward exchange Jesus has with his disciples that teaches us about servanthood.
01.07.18 - Blue Chip God
Where are we investing our lives in 2018? You have limited resources, so where will you spend them? In this new series we'll look at different ways to invest our lives and look at what return we can expect form them. But like any investment, you want to count the cost first. In Sunday's message we'll look at God who has already invested in us.
12.24.17 - Don't Miss the Moment
Angels, wise men, shepherds, Herod, Mary and Joseph--you’ve heard of all of them in the Christmas story, but what were they thinking? How did they experience the event and what difference does it make to us now? In this message we'll look at the first Christmas and who was there and who almost missed the moment. We'll also consider how we can prepare our hearts to not miss it this year.
12.17.17 - I Need Hope
The birth of Jesus reminds us that God knows us and sees us. It is the story of hope for a hopeless world. In this message we're going to look at the very real and modern problem of hopelessness and how the birth of Christ brings hope to us once again.
12.10.17 - I Feel Alone
While the Christmas season is one of great joy for many, it can be a sad time and lonely time for others. In this message we'll look at the struggle with loneliness and the ancient roots of this issue that go back all the way to the beginning of creation. We'll also consider Mary and how she may have felt when she first heard she was going to give birth to Jesus.
12.03.17 - Consumed
Of all the countries of the world, the one most defined by consumerism is America. What does it mean when we consume so much? What does it mean to our humanity? In this second message of Advent we'll look at consumer culture and consider how Jesus challenges to walk a different road.
11.26.17 - I'm So Hungry
At Thanksgiving time, food ends up front and center in our minds and conversation (and gratitude!). What are the modern problems we have around food? Specifically what are the social justice issues in our own city about food and what can we do about them? In this message we'll look at the concept of hunger in our city and how the ancient followers of Christ had a unique solution to address hunger- one that can still work today.
11.12.17 - I'm Addicted to My Phone
Technology permeates every part of our lives--work, home, friendships, dating. And while much of technology is great and fun and even helpful, it isn’t all great. Are there limits to how we use technology? Should their be limits? In this message we'll look at Jesus' teaching on how to strategically retreat from culture. We'll also look at ways we can put healthy boundaries around technology so we can live healthier lives.
11.5.17 - The New Sexual Revolution
Harvey Weinstein, Hugh Hefner and the #metoo hashtags have brought the topic of sex to the surface again in our culture. We live in our culture that is sexually conflicted and sends a lot of mixed messages. How do we cut through all that? In this message we'll look at how the Christian sexual ethic differed from the Roman culture of it’s day and how it differs from our culture today. In digging into Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth, we'll discover ways the Christian understanding of sex can challenge and even help correct our current cultural ideas.
10.29.17 - This Job is Killing Me
Over the course of our lives, we'll spend about 80,000 hours of our lives at a job. So it’s important that we think about what we're doing there and how we're doing it. God is interested in our whole lives and a big part of our lives is spent at work. What is the purpose of work? How should we view it? And what are the modern traps we fall into when we think about work? In this message we'll look at the Biblical ideas about work and see how they help us deal with our modern work frustrations.
10.22.17 - Ancient Habits for the Modern Storm
Modern America is in an unprecedented age of anxiety. The experience of feeling overwhelmed by normal life is so common that it leads us to ask - Is there something bigger going on in our culture? There is. In this message we'll see that the cultural storm is a crisis of habit, and it's affecting everyone. But we'll also see there are ancient answers for this modern problem in the centuries-old practice of the "rule of life," which refers to a set of communal habits intended to shape a community in love. We'll look at a modern adaptation of a rule of life called The Common Rule, and talk about how formational habits are central to living lives of love for God and neighbor.
10.15.17 - A New Kind of Slavery
Our world is improving in so many ways. Technology is amazing. Who would’ve thought that we could video chat easily with people from all over the world? Even though many things are getting easier we still have a lot of problems.When we drill down into those problems we see things that humanity has always struggled with. In this series, we'll reflect on problems we all deal with and look to some ancient sources to find answers. In this message we'll explore freedom and what it takes to truly be free.