Know God. Find Freedom. Discover Purpose. Make a Difference.
Whether you've grown up in church, or this is your first experience, we want you to feel at home! We believe that you can discover Jesus, as you are, wherever you are!
Listen on:
Episodes
Sunday Jan 22, 2017
Sunday Jan 22, 2017
The Bible Doesn't Say That Part 4 - Every person suffers. We all go through moments that lead us to ask "Why?" Culture attempts to answer the question by suggesting, "Karma" or "It is what it is" or "Life's not fair." The gospel redirects our hearts from asking "why" to asking "how." Only the gospel acknowledges the reality of suffering in the world, and provides hope that when we suffer we can suffer well! How? Because we know that we will never experience the ultimate suffering that Jesus experienced for us!
Reflect: When you suffer, what questions do you tend to ask? Do the answers you find bring you any comfort?
Write: Write a letter to God today. Share with him the suffering you or someone you know is going through. Conclude your letter by thanking God that the ultimate suffering you deserve - separation from Him - Jesus experienced on your behalf!
Read: Matthew 27:27-50. The suffering of Jesus was total: physical, relational, and spiritual. He was separated from everyone He knew. He did this so you would never have to! Praise God!
Do: Connect with another Christian today. It can be any length of time. Share with them the suffering you are experiencing. Ask them to gospel your heart by reminding you of the truth of what Jesus did!
Pray: Adore God for sending His Son to suffer on your account. Admit that often you trade faith in God to find answers to “why” questions. Aspire to allow the Holy Spirit to lead you to believe in what you know - the gospel - not what you see!
Sunday Jan 15, 2017
Sunday Jan 15, 2017
The Bible Doesn't Say That Part 3 - Our culture pushes against any sort of "judgment." When someone brings, opinions, critiques, evaluations, or assessments, we squirm. Why? Because the narratives of society say that no one should tell us how to live or what to do. After all, doesn't Jesus say, "Do not judge"? Today we explore the teaching that Jesus gave in Matthew 7:1-5 and find out that Jesus was more concerned with our attitude of judgment, not the action of judgment itself. We need the gospel to shape our lives so that the judgment we bring is rooted in the humble truth that each one of us deserve to be judged for our sin.
1. Reflect: Think of a time where someone judged you. How did it make you feel? Was the person right in their judgment? What hurt more, the action of judgment or the attitude of judgment?
2. Write: Write out the areas of people’s lives where you tend to be more judgmental? A good way to determine this is by finishing the sentence: “How could they _______.” (i.e. “wear that” “say that” “go there” “buy that” “watch that” “drink that” etc.)
3. Read: John 8:1-11. Jesus teaches the accusers that proper judgment only comes when we see that we are guilty too. Humility!
4. Do: Spend five minutes in front of the mirror today reading Romans 7:21 - 8:4 out loud. End with a prayer of praise thanking Jesus for being judged on your behalf.
5. Pray: Adore God for being so grand and holy. He is perfect and requires perfection. Admit that too often you judge others in order to justify yourself. Aspire to look to Jesus daily. To judge FULLY from a heart of humility.
Sunday Jan 08, 2017
Sunday Jan 08, 2017
The Bible Doesn't Say That Part 2 - Culture has a definition of what it means to be blessed: Happy. Successful. Prosperous. Culture tells us to find our purpose and satisfaction in positive circumstances. Jesus offers a more permanent definition. One that is found in Who He is. Discover how different Jesus' definition and what the Bible actually says about being blessed.
Reflect: How have you typically defined blessed? Do you only “feel” blessed when life is good? Think about a time when life was challenging. How would Jesus’ definition on blessed change your approach in those moments.
Write: Make a list of all the “things” in life that bring you happiness. (i.e. Relationships. Career. Health).
Read: 2 Corinthians 11:23-30. Paul endured many hard moments in life. Yet he was blessed because he knew the grace of God! Paul’s life shows us that blessing isn't attached to circumstances; it’s attached to Jesus Christ!
Do: For an entire day, as you interact with the list of “things” you wrote about earlier this week, say out loud “You remind me that my true blessing is Jesus” when you come in contact with one of those “things.”
Pray: Adore God for His amazing generosity in sending Jesus to be your Savior. Admit that far too often you look to things to bless you, instead of Jesus. Aspire to find your identity in Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you towards the Giver, not the gifts!
Sunday Jan 01, 2017
Sunday Jan 01, 2017
The Bible Doesn't Say That Part 1 - Many people want God to help them in life. We've come to believe that God only helps those who help themselves. But the story of Scripture actually teaches us something different. Today we discover that thos who humble themselves and seek Jesus are the ones who God truly helps. He knows what we need; which means we don't need to worry or help ourselves.
Here is this weeks devotional guide. Complete one a day:
Reflect: What area of your life do you usually “help yourself” in? (i.e. relationships, finances, morality, leisure). Has helping yourself ever caused worry or stress?
Write: Make a list of some of your greatest needs. Be specific. After you finish your list, write Matthew 6:32 at the bottom of your list. Read through your list and that verse everyday this week.
Read: Read the following verses. What theme do they all share? 1 Chronicles 16:11. Isaiah 55:6. Proverbs 8:17. Matthew 7:7-8. Jeremiah 29:13. Psalm 119:2.
Do: Buy something for someone today (coffee, lunch, a gift) As you provide for someone else, remember that God has promised to provide for you as you seek Him!
Pray: Adore God because He is your heavenly Father. Admit that you have helped yourself instead of trusting God. Aspire to live humble and seek God’s kingdom first.
Sunday Dec 25, 2016
Sunday Dec 25, 2016
A Wonderful Life Part 4 - It is so easy for us to become discontent with what we have or what we do not have. When we look for purpose in the things around us, we always end up disappointed. The Christmas story tells us that God responded to our discontentment by sending His perfect Son to give us a full life.
Saturday Dec 24, 2016
Saturday Dec 24, 2016
Christmas Eve Eve Gather - The narrative of culture is, "The beautiful are in, the ugly are out." You prove you have value and worth through your accomplishments. Does the Christmas narrative support this, or say something different? Tonight we look at the geneology of Jesus and discover some pretty "ugly" people who were brought in to the family of Jesus! Through this we learn that no one is too bad to be excluded from the Christmas story.
Sunday Dec 18, 2016
Sunday Dec 18, 2016
A Wonderful Life Part 3 - We've all seen the ugliness of a toddler throwing a tantrum. That moment is completely fueled by selfishness. As adults, we never stop battling selfishness. We mature in our tantrum throwing. Today we look at King Herod and see just how devestating selfishness can be. King Jesus leads us to a place where we can live selfless lives and truly love those around us.
Sunday Dec 11, 2016
Sunday Dec 11, 2016
A Wonderful Life Part 2 - In the midst of such a busy season, it is easy to forget about people! Most of us have a guest list. The people we care about the most are on the top, while the ones we discount and ignore make it to the bottom. The Christmas story teaches us that the people society typically say have no value and worth are the first ones God invites into the gospel! Discover how the night Jesus was born teaches us that all people are invited to know the Messiah. And those who know Him respond by inviting others to come and see Jesus too!
Sunday Dec 04, 2016
Sunday Dec 04, 2016
A Wonderful Life Part 1 - We are naturally fueled by selfishness. When we want to leave the pressures of life, we typically ask, "What is best for me." But was that the filter that Jesus used when He left heaven to come to earth? Today we discover that Jesus was motivated by selflessness. What He did on the cross enables us to have the same attitude that He had: humility!
Sunday Nov 27, 2016
Sunday Nov 27, 2016
Live Generously Part 6 - Each person has a certain amount of power and influence. We are all leveraging that power in our relationships. How does Jesus change how we use our power? Today we look at Luke 19 where Jesus gives up His reputation for Zacchaeus, a nortorious sinner. This act of love propelled Zacchaeus to completely change how he used his power. In light of Jesus giving up His life for us, we too should be moved to change.