Sunday Message Series

Here is a strange thing. We can celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus, enjoy the high praises of God during Easter, but in the days and weeks that follow, nothing changes. All is the same as before. What’s wrong with this picture? For the first disciples of Jesus, nothing was the same. Everything was different. The love of God gripped their lives so completely that they were new creations.

Do you understand why the resurrection of Jesus is so important to our faith in Jesus? What does it mean that Jesus was raised from the dead and what does that have to do with us? It could make your life extraordinary to experience the love and the power of God seen in the resurrection of Jesus. A new creation, with new possibilities and with renewed hope. The future can begin now.

Do you know the story of God? His intense compassion, his deep humiliation, his overcoming joy? It will change our lives when we experience and know God in this way.

It is quite an amazing breakthrough to understand that God is a God of invitation. He loves to welcome us. He is filled with hospitality and kindness. Contrary to our dim view of God's. Did you know that God is a God of invitation? Did you know that God invites us into a better story? He has made preparations for it. He wants us to experience the depths of his love. He desires it not only for us, but also for those we know. As we approach Easter, let's awaken to the happy opportunity we have to invite others into this astonishing story.

What brand of Christianity do you have? Is it the kind that reflects the compassion of Jesus? Is your faith in God the kind that makes you uneasy with hatred, prejudice and hypocrisy - especially when you see it in yourself? Expose yourself to radical love.

What's your story? How has your story, your life, been radically altered by Jesus? Does the definition and value he puts on love penetrate you to the depths of your soul? Is he your closest friend or is he your closet friend?

Are you able to recognize the work of God in your life? Are you allowing him to write his story in your life? Did you know that your life can be a persuasive invitation from God for others to experience God's amazing love? This week begins a new teaching series - "The Wakening - A Call into the Heart of Jesus". Experience the Story of God in Jesus Christ.

Have you ever asked yourself, "What on earth am I doing?" It's a good question, but probably not one we spend much time with. But, that's just the point. Time - we have this amazing gift of time. In the Bible, we are urged to make the most of every opportunity. The question is not only for the individual, but also for the church - the community of people who are becoming followers of Jesus. "What on earth are we doing?"

Is it possible to provide an environment in your marriage that is conducive to healing, nurture and growth? Is there a way to think differently about our marriages so that our marriages become a place of encouragement? Is there any way to remove the toxicity of lovelessness so that we stop hurting each other and truly love each other from the heart? Yes - there is a such a way to be married.

God never had a bad idea. Out of his goodness and ability he created mankind, male and female. He has called us as husbands and wives to experience something great. But we often have a bad experience with God's good idea. Explore with us this question: "Is your marriage just for making you happy?"

You are not stuck with yourself or with your marriage as it is. Embedded in God's design for marriage are the resources to make it happen. In this journey together, often marked with conflict, disappointment and brokenness, is the irrepressible optimism of grace.

The concluding teaching from this series based on I Timothy 6:6-21 is about handling our wealth in a way that truly empowers us to escape the snares of loving money and the desire for riches. “How to be Rich without Loving Money” explores how to become a fully developing follower of Jesus while training to live counter to the economy of wealth.

Most of us are addicted to money and to what money can buy. And, if we don’t have enough or if we feel deprived of the amount we hoped for, we begin to experience common withdrawals like anxiety, fear, protectionism. There is a better way. It is the way of faith. Faith in God, a Father, who is generous and who invites us to truly live in freedom and joy no matter our circumstances. Anyone who takes this seriously will understand that it is a battle. It’s a battle we must fight. It’s a battle we can win. The rewards are amazing!

Most of us are addicted to money and to what money can buy. And, if we don’t have enough or if we feel deprived of the amount we hoped for, we begin to experience common withdrawals like anxiety, fear, protectionism. There is a better way. It is the way of faith. Faith in God, a Father, who is generous and who invites us to truly live in freedom and joy no matter our circumstances. Anyone who takes this seriously will understand that it is a battle. It’s a battle we must fight. It’s a battle we can win. The rewards are amazing!

Do you want to live a great story? The answer for nearly everyone is yes! No one really wants to live a boring and meaningless life. And yet, if we love money and what it can buy we will miss our purpose and forfeit our lives. There is a way to live fully in a world dominated by the economy of wealth.

Begin the New Year by stepping toward the amazing Story of God at work in your life. You are invited into something big - something compelling - something transforming. Jesus has prayed that we would live a great story. No need to live in the boredom and narrowness of a self-oriented life. Experience the Story. It is worth living, it is worth telling.

2012 offers open doors of opportunity for all of us. We will seek to sort out the 'right door' for the year ahead. Jesus offers us some wise insight on making the 'right' choice.

What God does for us at Christmas, he keeps doing. He continues to give. He continues to pursue us. He continues to reshape us. Christmas giving draws us into the amazing generosity of God, life and more life!

Completely unpredictable. Totally beyond our Imagination. Outrageously risky. The Creating, Life-giving, Light-bringing Voice of God became flesh and moved into our humanity with all our brokenness! When this Word, this Jesus, is received, we are brought into his grace and truth. Life can never be the same. Join in the Christmas celebration through the eyes of John 1:14.

The challenging issue in the story of Christ is that he isn't optional. He is uniquely the way to know God, the truth about God and the life of God. The good news of Christ is that he himself is the only way to truly live. Discover God's design for you.