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The messaging throughout this pandemic has terrified some crippling them in fear and keeping them in lockstep with all safety guidelines believing it is careless to open society back up without a vaccine. At the same time, the same messaging emboldened others to live as they normally would not allowing anyone or anything to infringe on their freedom believing it is careless to allow protected rights under the constitution to be taken. And then there are others that are somewhere in between those reactions; people wanting to care for fellow man but refusing to allow this to continue 1 moment more than necessary.

As a result, the rhetoric is ratcheting up and the political winds are blowing once again; the polarization of our country continues. But what should be the church’s response? How are we going to navigate through all these complex decisions in the midst of such complicated emotions? We have all been impacted, but we have been impacted differently. How will you stay grounded and steer clear of making judgmental claims or callused comments regarding anyone that does not see things the way you do? Short answer? Love where you live.

Moms give and give with little or no appreciation or affirmation, that is why it is so important that we designate this day to reflect on motherhood, celebrate our moms and affirm one of the most significant roles in society. With all its stumbling blocks, pitfalls and broken dreams, for all the soiled diapers, crayons on the wall and spoiled plans, being a mom is a beautiful thing; it’s a natural part of God’s creative plan to bring love and tender care to light. Today we honor you!

What if we are living life upside-down? In other words, what if we are missing it? What if we are getting it all wrong? What if all the things that we are living for are the wrong things or (at least) not the right things? Is it possible that we have missed what it is to be a faithful Christ follower? The Sermon on the Mount is probably the best-known part of Jesus’ teaching, yet perhaps it is the most misunderstood and arguably the least obeyed. However, this teaching is the nearest thing we have to a manifesto that Jesus ever uttered for it is His own description of what he wanted His followers to be and to do.

This year our Easter celebration looked a little different. With the threat of the Corona Virus looming and the appeal from the government to stay at home to help battle the spread, the church building was empty. Butbe reminded, so is the Lord's tomb. The symbol of of the Church has become the cross, an rightly so. Without the shedding of blood there is no deliverance for sin. But the strength of our faith resides in a resurrected Savior. In like manner, the strength of a church is not measured by the attendance on a given Sunday, but rather as the body of Christ is scattered about how many are being the hands and feet of Jesus. This Easter challenge is all about the provoking question our Lord asked after declaring that He was the Resurrection and the Life. He asked, "Do you believe this?"

Life is full of endings. It’s natural to want to push past the "endings" as quickly as possible in an effort to minimize the discomfort and insecurity that our ending can bring. Typically, we want to move on to more positive feelings associated with new beginnings, but we must not fail to recognize that endings represent significant turning points in life, and although the end may include some pretty complicated emotions, we do not have to live in fear when the end draws near. Instead, as believers of Christ we must remember, the end is so good and so glorious that we should be living with the end in mind.

Christmas is filled with lights. But Jesus is the true light, the original light from which all light has its source. In John’s Gospel, you find a conflict between light (which represents God, His goodness, and eternal life) and darkness (which represents Satan, sinfulness, and eternal death). However, it is Jesus who shines in great brilliance, full strength and power and is the perfect expression of all God wants man to be. He is the Light that give us life. Do you really want to have a merry Christmas? Let’s make it about Jesus, the one who gives life.

When militants from the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) moved into northern Iraq, they begin identifying Christian-owned property. Families would find the Arabic letter “nun” (noon) or letter “n” painted on their homes, churches and businesses. The single letter conveyed the powerful accusation that occupants and owners were “Nazarenes”; they were people who followed Jesus of Nazareth rather than Islam. They were Christians.

That provokes a question, “R-U-N ?” Is there enough evidence in your life to label yourself a Christian? “R-U-N ?” What does being labeled “n” in our context look like? “R-U-N ?” Why would anyone put their life on the line like that anyway?

Don’t run from God, but run to Him chasing life in Christ

The church has been delivered from serving the flesh and has been raised up as the children of God to walk in victory. But how many times have you served God for a while and then turned your back on Him to do evil in His sight? How many times have you come to your senses, repented and cried out for deliverance from the bondage of sin? How many times has God restored you to a life of blessing just for you to repeat the same bitter cycle?

The flesh reigns when God’s people choose to do evil in the sight of the Lord. The flesh reigns when God’s people choose to sin. Doesn’t that frustrate you? Don’t you want to live in victory? Don’t you want to defeat the enemy? Don’t you want to triumph over the sin of the flesh? The Gospel is the catalyst needed for you to be the difference.

"What in the world, what is with all this Jesus stuff?" How many times has someone you have known express that kind of sentiment. So how does one make that journey from being a skeptic, a cynic or someone that just doesn’t understand what faith in Christ is all about to one who not only recognizes the value of what we do but fully embraces what we do and become a part of God's family? How does one make the transition from looking curiously from outside the church to celebrating authentically inside the church? What is in the world makes the difference? It's all about the gospel; for God so loved!

Living in our broken world can be hard. Instead of the perfection of Eden, our world is wild and full of struggle. But because of Christ, life can also be joyful and full of hope! Walking through Genesis 3, Dan DeWitt shows us how we can look at this world realistically but without despairing, as we wait for God to keep his wonderful promise to bring us out of the wild and into his perfect creation. The opening sermon is presented by Dan DeWitt who was celebrating his new book release with our ministry. The following messages will expound the early chapters of Genesis and build upon those themes as we seek to navigate our life in the wild holding on to the hope of the Gospel of Christ.