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I Choose Joy
James 1:2-4 | Make the choice right now.
Right now.
Before 2021 even begins, make a conscious decision: I will choose joy in whatever comes.
It's easy to choose joy when all is well, it's harder to choose joy when things aren't. But we can be joyful in all things because the trials and troubles of life are God's time-worn path to an enduring, growing, thriving faith.
If 2020 taught us nothing else, it should have taught us that with trials and troubles come a great opportunity to grow. And guess what? As much as we don't want to admit it, you know what is coming in 2021? More trials and troubles.
So choose right now for 2021: Joy in whatever comes!
James 1:2-4 | Make the choice right now.
Right now.
Before 2021 even begins, make a conscious decision: I will choose joy in whatever comes.
It's easy to choose joy when all is well, it's harder to choose joy when things aren't. But we can be joyful in all things because the trials and troubles of life are God's time-worn path to an enduring, growing, thriving faith.
If 2020 taught us nothing else, it should have taught us that with trials and troubles come a great opportunity to grow. And guess what? As much as we don't want to admit it, you know what is coming in 2021? More trials and troubles.
So choose right now for 2021: Joy in whatever comes!
More from this series:
Hope-filled Homesickness
Philippians 3:20 | Have you ever been homesick? You know what that feels like. The pit in your stomach, the weight in your chest, the longing to be back with who you know and what you know.
As Christians, we live with a sense of homesickness. We want to be with Jesus. And yet, ours is hope-filled homesickness. Why? Because we are people living between the Christmas coming of Jesus and the second coming of Jesus. The Christmas coming fills us with hope. The waiting for the second coming fills us with homesickness.
So how are we to live as people between the two comings of Christ? What characterizes the life of the hope-filled homesick?
Philippians 3:20 | Have you ever been homesick? You know what that feels like. The pit in your stomach, the weight in your chest, the longing to be back with who you know and what you know.
As Christians, we live with a sense of homesickness. We want to be with Jesus. And yet, ours is hope-filled homesickness. Why? Because we are people living between the Christmas coming of Jesus and the second coming of Jesus. The Christmas coming fills us with hope. The waiting for the second coming fills us with homesickness.
So how are we to live as people between the two comings of Christ? What characterizes the life of the hope-filled homesick?
Trusting Instead of Taking
Genesis 16:1-17:14 | There is a saying we use when we feel the time has come for us to get something done ourselves: "I'm taking matters into my own hands."
Often, we say this when someone else who was responsible isn't doing things as quickly as we would like, but what happens if we do this with God? Are there times we take things into our own hands that God never asked us to take? And what tends to be the outcome when we do this in life? On the heels of an unforgettable, faith-building covenant ceremony, Abram is going to have an epic faith-fail. What can we learn from Abram and Sarai taking matters into their own hands that might help us from making the same mistake?
Genesis 16:1-17:14 | There is a saying we use when we feel the time has come for us to get something done ourselves: "I'm taking matters into my own hands."
Often, we say this when someone else who was responsible isn't doing things as quickly as we would like, but what happens if we do this with God? Are there times we take things into our own hands that God never asked us to take? And what tends to be the outcome when we do this in life? On the heels of an unforgettable, faith-building covenant ceremony, Abram is going to have an epic faith-fail. What can we learn from Abram and Sarai taking matters into their own hands that might help us from making the same mistake?
More from this series:
Our Faithful, Covenant-Keeping God
Genesis 15:1-21 | For the fourth time God will promise Abram that his descendants will be too many to count. Four times God has been saying it without Abram seeing it. Finally, Abram basically says, "Can you prove it? How do I know this?"
God delivers. In Genesis 15, God delivers with what we can look at as a really bizarre and bloody scene, and yet what God is communicating is one of the most powerful pictures of His commitment of faithfulness to a faithless people.
What is this bloody massacre? What does it mean? And how is it one of the most powerful pictures of God's gospel commitment to His people?
Genesis 15:1-21 | For the fourth time God will promise Abram that his descendants will be too many to count. Four times God has been saying it without Abram seeing it. Finally, Abram basically says, "Can you prove it? How do I know this?"
God delivers. In Genesis 15, God delivers with what we can look at as a really bizarre and bloody scene, and yet what God is communicating is one of the most powerful pictures of His commitment of faithfulness to a faithless people.
What is this bloody massacre? What does it mean? And how is it one of the most powerful pictures of God's gospel commitment to His people?
More from this series:
Maps, Messes, and Mysterious Melchizidek
Genesis 13:1-14:24 | Genesis 14 introduces a rather mysterious yet important character throughout the Bible. His name is Melchizedek, and well, we really don't know that much about him.
But he's mentioned again in Psalm 110, and then again in Hebrews 7 where he is connected to Jesus.
In fact, we are told that Jesus is a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. So who is this mysterious figure introduced to us in Genesis 14? And how does he give us a glimpse into a greater picture of who Jesus is?
Genesis 13:1-14:24 | Genesis 14 introduces a rather mysterious yet important character throughout the Bible. His name is Melchizedek, and well, we really don't know that much about him.
But he's mentioned again in Psalm 110, and then again in Hebrews 7 where he is connected to Jesus.
In fact, we are told that Jesus is a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. So who is this mysterious figure introduced to us in Genesis 14? And how does he give us a glimpse into a greater picture of who Jesus is?
More from this series:
Romans 5 + 6
Romans 5-6 | We took a break from our Genesis series to spend time in Romans 5 + 6. We'll get back to Genesis next week!
Romans 5-6 | We took a break from our Genesis series to spend time in Romans 5 + 6. We'll get back to Genesis next week!
Walking By Faith
Genesis 12:1-20 | It's hard to leave places you know to go to places you don't know. It's even harder to leave the people you know to go to people you don't know.
And yet this week, we walk with the father of the faith as he trades the known for the unknown and obeys God by faith. In our walkthrough of Genesis 12, we are going to find "4 Ways to Be Equipped to Live a Life of Faith". Without faith it is impossible to please God, so let's gather Sunday and let God's Word equip us for a life of living by faith.
Genesis 12:1-20 | It's hard to leave places you know to go to places you don't know. It's even harder to leave the people you know to go to people you don't know.
And yet this week, we walk with the father of the faith as he trades the known for the unknown and obeys God by faith. In our walkthrough of Genesis 12, we are going to find "4 Ways to Be Equipped to Live a Life of Faith". Without faith it is impossible to please God, so let's gather Sunday and let God's Word equip us for a life of living by faith.
More from this series:
Breaking Babel
Genesis 11:1-9 | A group of people set out to build a city and a tower to make a name for themselves. God wants them to scatter in faith to multiply His image. They want to stay together, comfortable, and safe. God wants them to live lives making His name famous. They want to make their names famous.
The story of Babel is a story of God's grace to intervene in the lives of a people who want to preserve self and exalt self. We need the Lord to intervene in our lives in the same way. This message is an investment in us running from lives of safe, comfortable, self-exalting disobedience and toward lives of faith-filled, uncomfortable God-exalting obedience.
Genesis 11:1-9 | A group of people set out to build a city and a tower to make a name for themselves.
God wants them to scatter in faith to multiply His image. They want to stay together, comfortable, and safe. God wants them to live lives making His name famous. They want to make their names famous.
The story of Babel is a story of God's grace to intervene in the lives of a people who want to preserve self and exalt self. We need the Lord to intervene in our lives in the same way. This message is an investment in us running from lives of safe, comfortable, self-exalting disobedience and toward lives of faith-filled, uncomfortable God-exalting obedience.
More from this series:
God's Grace and Noah's Ark
Genesis 7:1-9:29 | There is something subtly dangerous that can happen with the "big stories" of the Bible. You know, those ones you'll find in every children's Bible, David and Goliath...Daniel and the lion's den...Joseph and his coat of many colors...
The subtly dangerous thing is to get so caught up in the acts of the people of God that we lose sight of God's actual work in the story. This week we continue in one of those famous "big Bible stories," Noah and the Ark. What we need to see in this is God's character and God's power on display. He is the hero of the Bible, and He is the hero of the flood account, and we need to see that and respond to it properly.
And so we walk through Genesis 7-8 and see what we need to understand about who God is, how He works, and how we as His people are to respond with our lives to these truths.
Genesis 7:1-9:29 | There is something subtly dangerous that can happen with the "big stories" of the Bible. You know, those ones you'll find in every children's Bible, David and Goliath...Daniel and the lion's den...Joseph and his coat of many colors...
The subtly dangerous thing is to get so caught up in the acts of the people of God that we lose sight of God's actual work in the story. This week we continue in one of those famous "big Bible stories," Noah and the Ark. What we need to see in this is God's character and God's power on display. He is the hero of the Bible, and He is the hero of the flood account, and we need to see that and respond to it properly.
And so we walk through Genesis 7-8 and see what we need to understand about who God is, how He works, and how we as His people are to respond with our lives to these truths.
More from this series:
The Blood Cries Out
Genesis 4:1-26 | Once sin starts things get ugly. Sin unchecked gets brutal. From the story of the very first sin last week, we now see the evil escalate as the blood of a murdered man at the hands of his brother cries out before the Lord.
As the people multiply on the earth, the image of God does not. And this was not God's intent. What happens in this gruesome scene? How will God deal with multiplying people who are not multiplying His image? Where do we see His redemptive heart come out, and how is that good news for us?
The murder of a brother in Genesis 4 teaches us more about our own hearts and the heart of our redeeming God.
Genesis 4:1-26 | Once sin starts things get ugly. Sin unchecked gets brutal. From the story of the very first sin last week, we now see the evil escalate as the blood of a murdered man at the hands of his brother cries out before the Lord.
As the people multiply on the earth, the image of God does not. And this was not God's intent. What happens in this gruesome scene? How will God deal with multiplying people who are not multiplying His image? Where do we see His redemptive heart come out, and how is that good news for us?
The murder of a brother in Genesis 4 teaches us more about our own hearts and the heart of our redeeming God.
More from this series:
Gruesome Sin and God's Grace
Genesis 3:1-24 | Genesis 3 is ugly. Humans rebel against God. That never goes well. Rebellion against God never makes life easier, better, simpler... it always makes life more painful.
As we watch the first-ever sin unfold this week, we will be able to glean important things we need to know about life in this broken world. Where does sin originate? How does sin work? How is sin defeated?
And yet in the midst of the ugliness of Genesis 3, there is beauty. We get the first glimpse of the gospel. Good news. It's there, so clear, all the way back in Genesis 3. An arrow of God's grace pointed perfectly at Christ.
Let's worship our way together through the gruesomeness of sin and the graciousness of our God.
Genesis 3:1-24 | Genesis 3 is ugly. Humans rebel against God. That never goes well. Rebellion against God never makes life easier, better, simpler... it always makes life more painful.
As we watch the first-ever sin unfold this week, we will be able to glean important things we need to know about life in this broken world. Where does sin originate? How does sin work? How is sin defeated?
And yet in the midst of the ugliness of Genesis 3, there is beauty. We get the first glimpse of the gospel. Good news. It's there, so clear, all the way back in Genesis 3. An arrow of God's grace pointed perfectly at Christ.
Let's worship our way together through the gruesomeness of sin and the graciousness of our God.
More from this series:
Work + Rest
Genesis 2:1-25 | We can get out of balance so fast on the topics of work and rest. On one side, we can begin to worship work as God, instead of seeing work as worship to God. Out of a desire for more, to make a name for ourselves, or to run from other responsibilities in our life, we can become workaholics to our own demise.On the other side, we can tend toward laziness or complaining about work and fail to see what a good gift from God work is.
What should the rhythm of our week look like as it pertains to work and rest? What do I, as a Jesus follower, need to understand in order to honor God in my work? And just as importantly, how do we receive God's gracious gift of sabbath rest each week?
Let's seek a worshipful rhythm to our weeks of work and rest.
Genesis 2:1-25 | We can get out of balance so fast on the topics of work and rest. On one side, we can begin to worship work as God, instead of seeing work as worship to God. Out of a desire for more, to make a name for ourselves, or to run from other responsibilities in our life, we can become workaholics to our own demise.
On the other side, we can tend toward laziness or complaining about work and fail to see what a good gift from God work is.
What should the rhythm of our week look like as it pertains to work and rest? What do I, as a Jesus follower, need to understand in order to honor God in my work? And just as importantly, how do we receive God's gracious gift of sabbath rest each week?
Let's seek a worshipful rhythm to our weeks of work and rest.
More from this series:
In His Image
Genesis 2:1-25 | The human being is unique to all other created things. Only the human was made by the very breath of God breathing life into his nostrils. Only the human being was made in the image of God. Humans (men and women) are made in a unique way with a unique purpose in creation.We must understand how God made us so we can understand what we were made for. In Genesis 2 we will look at 4 identity-defining truths for image-bearers. It is my prayer that these truths will free us into a rich and wonderful understanding of who we are and what we were made for.
Genesis 2:1-25 | The human being is unique to all other created things. Only the human was made by the very breath of God breathing life into his nostrils. Only the human being was made in the image of God. Humans (men and women) are made in a unique way with a unique purpose in creation.
We must understand how God made us so we can understand what we were made for. In Genesis 2 we will look at 4 identity-defining truths for image-bearers. It is my prayer that these truths will free us into a rich and wonderful understanding of who we are and what we were made for.
More from this series:
In The Beginning
Genesis 1:1-2:3 | "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." The greatest story ever told begins with these words: In the beginning...
Beginnings matter.
Understanding the beginning of the world matters.
Understanding how the world was created matters.
Understanding why the world was created matters.
And most importantly, understanding what the Creator created us for matters.
This Sunday, we embark on a major series through the book of Genesis. Like all good stories, we will start at the very beginning. We'll worship our way through the Creation account and why a right understanding of it matters deeply for our lives as created ones.
Check out our resource on the historical nature of the book of Genesis HERE.
Genesis 1:1-2:3 | "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
The greatest story ever told begins with these words: In the beginning...
Beginnings matter.
Understanding the beginning of the world matters.
Understanding how the world was created matters.
Understanding why the world was created matters.
And most importantly, understanding what the Creator created us for matters.
This Sunday, we embark on a major series through the book of Genesis. Like all good stories, we will start at the very beginning. We'll worship our way through the Creation account and why a right understanding of it matters deeply for our lives as created ones.
Check out our resource on the historical nature of the book of Genesis HERE.
More from this series:
Finding Contentment In An Upgrade Culture
Ecclesiastes 5:10–20 | There was a day where you didn’t get something new until the last one was broken? I know, I know, it sounds crazy but it’s true. You didn’t wait in line for a new phone while holding a perfectly good phone. You didn’t buy a new computer until, well, the one you currently had couldn’t even turn on anymore. But this is a way of the past. Welcome to the upgrade culture. And while there are many blessings of constant improvement and upgrades, what if we live life in a constant upgrade way? I argue it breeds deep discontentment. In this last week of Ecclesiastes we look at the blessing of accepting the lot in life to which God has assigned us. It doesn’t mean we can’t long, and yearn, and strive, but it does mean that instead of constantly focusing on what we don’t have, we live with a peaceful thankfulness for what we do. So, we set out to be free from the tyranny of always being after new and bigger and better and bolder and different and instead seek to heed what Solomon has to say about the joy to be found in what God has entrusted to us right now.
Ecclesiastes 5:10–20 | There was a day where you didn’t get something new until the last one was broken? I know, I know, it sounds crazy but it’s true. You didn’t wait in line for a new phone while holding a perfectly good phone. You didn’t buy a new computer until, well, the one you currently had couldn’t even turn on anymore. But this is a way of the past. Welcome to the upgrade culture.
And while there are many blessings of constant improvement and upgrades, what if we live life in a constant upgrade way? I argue it breeds deep discontentment. In this last week of Ecclesiastes we look at the blessing of accepting the lot in life to which God has assigned us. It doesn’t mean we can’t long, and yearn, and strive, but it does mean that instead of constantly focusing on what we don’t have, we live with a peaceful thankfulness for what we do.
So, we set out to be free from the tyranny of always being after new and bigger and better and bolder and different and instead seek to heed what Solomon has to say about the joy to be found in what God has entrusted to us right now.
More from this series:
Life Together: The Blessing of Relationships
Ecclesiastes 4:7–12 | The best mentors and coaches in my life say this often, “Remember, love people.” People are a gift from God. Relationships are a gift from God. Companionship is a gift from God. This week we continue fleeing from seeking ultimate meaning in riches, work, and pleasure and we look back to the simple things God gives us to enjoy in this life lived in the fear of Him. You know one of His greatest gifts to us? Other people. Let’s talk this week of a life lived in the enjoyment of the companionship He has brought to us.
Ecclesiastes 4:7–12 | The best mentors and coaches in my life say this often, “Remember, love people.” People are a gift from God. Relationships are a gift from God. Companionship is a gift from God.
This week we continue fleeing from seeking ultimate meaning in riches, work, and pleasure and we look back to the simple things God gives us to enjoy in this life lived in the fear of Him.
You know one of His greatest gifts to us? Other people.
Let’s talk this week of a life lived in the enjoyment of the companionship He has brought to us.
More from this series:
The Beauty In A Day
Ecclesiastes 2:24–26 | The Lord has filled our days with beautiful things to enjoy. And when we are freed from the pursuit of finding meaning for our life apart from God, we are freed to enjoy the beauty in a day that He gives us. This week we are going to let Ecclesiastes instruct us to slow down and enjoy the beauty in each day God has given us. This really could be a game-changer for how we take in the scenery of our life each day.
Ecclesiastes 2:24–26 | The Lord has filled our days with beautiful things to enjoy. And when we are freed from the pursuit of finding meaning for our life apart from God, we are freed to enjoy the beauty in a day that He gives us.
This week we are going to let Ecclesiastes instruct us to slow down and enjoy the beauty in each day God has given us.
This really could be a game-changer for how we take in the scenery of our life each day.
More from this series:
Meaningless, Meaningless, All Is Meaningless
Ecclesiastes 1:1-2:26 | Ever read Ecclesiastes?
Next question: Ever read Ecclesiastes and been encouraged after?
This Sunday, as we regather as a church, we begin a four-week series in Ecclesiastes called "What Matters." It seems on the surface that Ecclesiastes' message is nothing matters. But Ecclesiastes is actually a gift from God to teach us what DOES matter and to not look for ultimate meaning for our lives in non-ultimate things.
Hasn't the COVID season been one of stripping away some of the things that we thought really really mattered? Hasn't it revealed how quickly some things we thought to be ultimate and untouchable were really pretty fleeting and fragile?
Let's regather this month and learn together from God's word what actually really matters.
Ecclesiastes 1:1-2:26 | Ever read Ecclesiastes?
Next question: Ever read Ecclesiastes and been encouraged after?
This Sunday, as we regather as a church, we begin a four-week series in Ecclesiastes called "What Matters." It seems on the surface that Ecclesiastes' message is nothing matters. But Ecclesiastes is actually a gift from God to teach us what DOES matter and to not look for ultimate meaning for our lives in non-ultimate things.
Hasn't the COVID season been one of stripping away some of the things that we thought really really mattered? Hasn't it revealed how quickly some things we thought to be ultimate and untouchable were really pretty fleeting and fragile?
Let's regather this month and learn together from God's word what actually really matters.
More from this series:
Spiritual Leaders, Humility, and Being Watchful
1 Peter 5 | We close out our series in 1 Peter this week with an important look at 3 crucial topics: spiritual leaders in the church, humility in all of us, and living watchful with the devil on the prowl. I think we would all readily agree that these are three areas of life we want to hear what God has to say.
1 Peter 5 | We close out our series in 1 Peter this week with an important look at 3 crucial topics: spiritual leaders in the church, humility in all of us, and living watchful with the devil on the prowl.
I think we would all readily agree that these are three areas of life we want to hear what God has to say.
More from this series:
Entrusting Our Souls While Doing Good
1 Peter 4:12-19 | Peter has spent a lot of ink equipping these Christians for suffering and encouraging them in the midst of suffering. And this week, we get a goldmine for practical equipping for seasons of suffering. We will focus in on 1 Peter 4:19 and together we will be equipped for any suffering we are in now or will be in one day. You won’t want to miss what God has for us from His word this week!
1 Peter 4:12-19 | Peter has spent a lot of ink equipping these Christians for suffering and encouraging them in the midst of suffering. And this week, we get a goldmine for practical equipping for seasons of suffering.
We will focus in on 1 Peter 4:19 and together we will be equipped for any suffering we are in now or will be in one day. You won’t want to miss what God has for us from His word this week!
More from this series: