Wells (Part 4) Today we return to the story of Jesus and the woman at the well, and discuss the challenges of letting go of the control in our life and stepping into the deeper waters with Christ. Often times, we have the desire to move out of the shallow waters, but do not know how. With this in mind, we examine practical steps for how each of us can take action to put down our control and step into deeper waters. (John 4: 25-39, Luke 5:1-7)
Read MoreWells (Part 3) - The ways of Jesus and his Kingdom often feel like a paradox. Jesus displays this with the woman at the well and as gives her absolute grace and truth. The world wants to make it grace OR truth...the kingdom says it must be AND. (John 4)
Read MoreWells (Part 2) Sometimes we are too focused on the "right way" to do religion and we lose sight of the joy of following Jesus and digging deeper into God. He is so much bigger than religion. We must let go of the societal pressures and arguments of religion and dive into our relationship with God with total freedom and joy. (John 4, Proverbs 3:9)
Read MoreWells (Part 1) There are times in life when it's clear that we need to "commit to digging." Meaning it's time to dig until we find the living water Jesus gives! In those times we establish wells that we can draw life and wisdom from forever. (John 4:3-14, Psalm 63:1, Psalm 84:2)
Read MoreI Am (Part 9) We finish our series by looking at Jesus' claim in John 8 as the light light of the world. The story surrounding these words show what he meant through this claim and how we can live as the light! (John 8:1-18)
Read MoreI Am (Part 8) Every Easter we return to the story of Jesus and his victory over death. Do we believe it? Are we changed by it? We revisit this story, along with a few other powerful stories in order to help us explore our own. (John 20, John 11:21-26)
Read MoreI Am (Part 7) Jesus describes himself as the door, the gate of access to the Father. He offers an invitation to freedom. He is like a shepherd who both serves as a gate of protection from harm and an invitation to green pastures. (John 10:1-11)
Read MoreI Am (Part 6) We often complicate faith, but Jesus said simply, "I am the Vine; and you are the branches. If you abide in me, you will bear much fruit. If we desire to bear fruit, to have a full life, we must abide in Him and want to just dwell in His presence. (John 15:1-8)
Read MoreI Am (Part 5) In John 14, Jesus makes a powerful statement by saying, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." We break down what it means to live His way, to follow the truth of His word, and have life to the full. (John 14)
Read MoreI Am (Part 4) For most of us, Christianity is built upon what Jesus can do for us and how He can meet our needs. We run to Him for His signs and wonders, but not simply for Him. We must learn to quit wanting from Jesus and just start wanting Jesus. (John 6, Mark 8)
Read MoreI Am (Part 3) In the third part of our "I Am" series, we examine the qualities and characteristics of a shepherd and draw the comparisons to Christ our Good Shepherd and our dependence upon His provision, protection, peace, and comfort. (John 10, Psalms 23, Col. 3)
Read MoreI Am (Part 2) Living the Gospel begins with understanding that I am not, and He is. John The Baptist understood this principle as he declared himself to be a voice crying out in the wilderness. If we too are going to be a voice in the wilderness, we must be in the wilderness. Christ did not save us from the world, He saved us for it. (John 1, Mark 1)
Read MoreI Am (Part 1) Starting our new series, we study Exodus 3 and the story of Moses and the burning bush. Moses asks a question that is still relevant in the heart of us today, "Who Am I?" God responds with an answer of peace and power... "I Am With You." In every situation... in fear, in doubt, in stress, in frustration, in anger, in joy, in depression, in everything... "I Am With You." For every need of life, "I Am." (Exodus 3, John 18:4-8)
Read More1 John: Love Conquers All (Part 11) In our final morning in the series 1 John (Love Conquers All), we witness a "drop the mic" moment from John as he encourages us to keep away from idols in his final words of the letter. There are really good things in life that we sometimes elevate into a higher position and it begins to drive our life. If we look to created things to give us hope, love, and happiness, they will eventually break our hearts. (1 John 5:20-21, Rom. 1:21,25, Rev. 2:2-5)
Read More1 John: Love Conquers All (Part 10) Have you ever wondered if you're doing God's will? How do we discern this? We treat God as though he is a traffic cop at the intersections of life, but following His will is more like He is the sculptor shaping us in to who we are called to be. His will is that we would hear and listen to His voice. (1 John 5, Rom. 12:1-2, Matt. 22:35, 1 Thes. 5:16-18)
Read More1 John: Love Conquers All (Part 9) Reality, Truth, and Love drive out all fear. Whatever you fear, love will drive it out. In today's culture and world, we must not be too afraid to love. (1 John 4:16-21)
Read More1 John: Love Conquers All (Part 8) This is love.. not that you first loved God, but He loved you and sent His son to die for you. God is not concerned with what you bring to the relationship, His love for you is 100% dependent on Him. If we are loved so unconditionally, we must give that same love to everyone we meet. It doesn't matter what any have done, all are deserving of His love. (1 John 4:7-16, Luke 15)
Read More1 John: Love Conquers All (Part 7) We have been given His Spirit and the ability to know what is of God and what is not. In the difficult situations of life, we must determine the truth and where to insert the things of God, such as; humility, love, patience, and forgiveness. (1 John 4:1-6, 2:26-27)
Read More1 John: Love Conquers All (Part 6) As John discusses what it means to love, he appeals to our gut-level essence of our being. He implores us to put matter over mind, to not just think about things like forgiveness and loving your neighbor, but actually act on these things. Do we actually forgive, love, and show patience, or do we just agree with the concept? (1 John 3:11-18)
Read More1 John: Love Conquers All (Part 5) One of the central questions throughout God's story and in our world today is... where is God? The scriptures show us that there has been a progression to the answer of this question. God has been found in certain places and certain types of people, but 1 John reminds us of what we've received and reveals where God is. (1 John 2:26-27, Exodus 25:8, 28:41, 1 Samuel 16:12-13, Luke 4:18, John 14:15-17, 25-16, John 20:22)
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