[A liturgy is simply an order of service that tells a story that forms and shapes us as we interact with it. CLICK HERE for an explanation on why we use the word "liturgy", why we do more than just sing, and how this is a corporate discipline that shapes us] CLICK HERE for the... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncn_1hSmXps When we are weary, anxious, hopeless, or looking for satisfaction we often don't want to admit it. It feels week to name those things in our hearts, which is why I love when songs give us the opportunity to do that by putting those words in our mouths. It becomes a heart check that... Continue Reading →
For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience, the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:19 As we go through the Gospel of Matthew we'll see many Messianic themes explored, particularly in the first four chapters. Matthew in particular focuses on fulfillment of Old Testament... Continue Reading →
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.' - Acts 20:35 Someone is always left off the Christmas list right? Blame it on inflation, distance, or lack of... Continue Reading →
Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. Obscene and foolish talking... Continue Reading →
CLICK HERE for video, or check it out on our worship playlist on APPLE MUSIC or SPOTIFY As we journey through the Psalms we see beautiful descriptions of God's care for his people. One of the most memorable is his role of Shepherd and King in Psalm 23. The role of shepherd is so compelling... Continue Reading →
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people. For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his. Let us, then, make every effort to enter that rest, so... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPZnFLhltzQ As we go through Revelation we see that the Satanic powers are always waging war against the church. This leads to persecution, death, and chaos this side of Christ's return. However we are also constantly reminded of the present and future hope we have. God will ultimately win, and presently he is still sovereign... Continue Reading →
We’re all familiar with pain in various forms; the pain of rejection, the pain of hitting your physical, financial, academic, or emotional limits, the pain of worthlessness, the pain of sin, the pain of scarcity, the pain of abuse, the pain of abandonment. However, we’re often afraid to look underneath the pain to the messages... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZHbQBo-b44 As we go through our sermon series on Revelation we are encouraged to persevere as we gain a vision of who God is, what he's doing, and what he will do. Although evil is powerful, in the end Christ will prevail and those in him will have their reward. But what is our reward?... Continue Reading →
How should safety be pursued? Should it be pursued? Can we pursue safety and glorify God? Throughout the past few years during the pandemic we’ve seen Christians both scoff at the idea of safety for the sake of “risking for Christ”, and value it above all else for the sake of “loving our neighbor”. How... Continue Reading →
Audio From the class on 8/22/21 Click on this link for Care Group CovenantDownload Why Relational Safety? - If people don't feel like they can share than they won't bring things to light and won't grow. 8For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of... Continue Reading →
“Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2 Often we think that renewing our minds simply includes replacing lustful thoughts with pure thoughts, wrong doctrine with right doctrine, or envy... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgjFgP1ZOvo As we begin 1 John we seek to reflect on the love of God show to us that we are called to imitate and show towards others. Some of the themes that come out of 1 John that are reflected in this song are advocacy (2:1), cleansing from sin (1:7, 2:2), forgiveness (1:9), and... Continue Reading →
We all live within a story. It’s either within God’s sweeping story of redemption where our identity is in Christ, or it’s in our own little world where we are ruler and our identity is comprised of lies and half-truths we hear from the culture, others, and ourselves. The goal of this study is to... Continue Reading →
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things. Phillipians 4:8 If the past 12 months has taught us anything, it's that life in a fallen world can get tougher, more stressful, and... Continue Reading →
CLICK HERE to listen to this song on our church playlist on SpotifyCLICK HERE for our Apple Music Playlist The Heidelberg Catechism begins with this question: Question 1: What is your only comfort in life and in death? Answer: That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior,... Continue Reading →
One of the greatest benedictions in the scriptures comes at the end of the Epistle to the Hebrews. After a number of dense arguments around the superiority of the New Covenant, a call to hold fast to those promises, warnings for not doing so, and some practical out-workings of those truths, we receive the author’s... Continue Reading →
As we've preached our way through Hebrews I've been reflecting on how it applies to us. The author seeks to convince his readers that the New Covenant is better than the old, but we don't want to hang on to the Old Covenant right? How does the call to let the old go apply to... Continue Reading →
"Thanks for leading us into God’s presence”, is a comment I’ve received throughout the years as a worship leader. It sounds good at first, and resonates with certain experiences we have during corporate worship. Upon closer reflection however, the description of corporate worship as “entering into God’s presence", or "his throne room” makes too much... Continue Reading →
During the past 4 weeks on Wednesday nights we’ve been looking to the scriptures to examine what racial reconciliation and justice look like in a few different scripture passages. We’ve considered the Babel narrative of Genesis 11, the implications of us all becoming one in Christ from Galatians 3, and the implications for “the dividing... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HSdeeCm8_g As we go through the book of Hebrews we see both Jesus who is a faithful, perfect, and sympathetic High Priest (2:17), and we are warned that God is a consuming fire (12:29). He is glorious and holy, humble and present. The song "Only A Holy God" seeks to capture all of those things.... Continue Reading →
Checking our Vital Signs in Crisis Uncertainty, inconvenience, violence, sickness, and social upheaval are enough to cause anyone to bunker down and just take care of "me, myself, and I". Our impulse during a crisis may be to control, to self-protect, or fight back against things that we don't understand or agree with. When our... Continue Reading →
2020 What a year huh? No doubt this will be a year for the history books. The medical, financial, and psychological implications of the COVID-19 pandemic will be far reaching. The important conversations about racism should be positive for our nation. But without the proper foundation they’re just as likely to suck us deeper into... Continue Reading →
“Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”Amos 5:24 The result of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever. Isaiah 32:17 There have been cries for justice all over the place this past week. Justice to be served for wrongful killings by police, justice to... Continue Reading →
I think would be safe to say that these times have altered our daily lives. As creatures of habit this time has been quite disorienting. When things get turned upside down, what habits do we go back to? I've talked previously here about big picture habits, or cultural liturgies like sports, school, consumerism, and work... Continue Reading →
Failed Coping Mechanisms When we're confronted with our own insanity we tend to play the blame game right? Blame it on COVID-19, cabin fever, my spouse, my kids, my church, my government. All this is a diversion to avoid the painful reality that often our own idols make us crazy. All the things we task... Continue Reading →
The church is one body of Christ, and has one Lord, one faith, and shares one new birth into the family of faith as God's children (Eph 4:5). Based on what I've heard and read recently, you wouldn't think that's true of Christians. As this crisis has lengthened, the church has become more and more... Continue Reading →
The idea that we may experience loneliness is foreign to us, and maybe even appalling. We think that loneliness is experienced by weak people, needy people, or sulking introverted people who have isolated themselves. The possibility that we could experience such a weak and pathetic state of loneliness never crosses our minds, but maybe we're... Continue Reading →
This article is about embracing the present. Pastor Ryan wrote an article helping us think about preparing for the future here... I recently took a personality test in a moment of weakness and I saved one of the quotes because it was so funny and true. "Your natural good humor may deteriorate into sarcasm or... Continue Reading →
https://vimeo.com/71273326 During this time of crisis I keep coming back to "In Feast or Fallow" (Click for full band version) by Sandra McCracken, so I figured it's time to share! Even though it's tough to introduce a new song without all of us gathered to learn it together, I think it's worth it. It has... Continue Reading →
"What do you do with the mad that you feel?" It's the opening line to a theologically suspect song crooned by my childhood hero Mr. Rogers (linked only for nostalgic purposes). But we would do well to ask ourselves that question. Many people I talk to during this time have seemed to become more and... Continue Reading →
Here are a few resources to help you prepare for Good Friday and Easter. Good Friday "Poor Bishop Hooper" is a band that put together an hour long of original music narrating the events of Good Friday called "Golgatha". It's beautiful and moving (in my opinion!) There's a companion booklet with corresponding scripture as well.... Continue Reading →
Part 1 HEREPart 2 HERE Is There Anything Good in Fear? We are interesting creatures. The habits we often cultivate in our lives drive us nuts and lead to burnout, yet somehow they're also comfortable because they're familiar. We don't know of any other way to act or live unless we are shown another way.... Continue Reading →
All the American rhythms of life we're used to are now drastically different or gone altogether for the time being. The sports cycle, the news cycle, the shopping cycle, not least the daily 9-5 cycle. All of these rhythms are habit forming, and thus soul-forming rituals (read about how habits shape identity here). Our calendars... Continue Reading →
Part 1 Click Here... It would be so nice if we could just see the junk on the surface of our lives and just skim it off and be done right? It’s terrifying to think of how much work there is to do in my life when I peel back the facade on the surface.... Continue Reading →
Feeling frustrated, scared, and unsure of life? Here's some playlists that bring comfort, exalt Christ, call for love, faith, and courage, and remind us that we are not God but merely human. The Socially-Distanced-but-Spiritually-Close-Community Playlist Some friends and I put this together with the goal of exposing others to some new music while keeping some... Continue Reading →
Over the next few months, almost everyone on the planet will be coming to terms with their own fears. With each new development in the news cycle, some will be triggered with anxiety and immediately feel panic, some will self-righteously "rise above it", and others will be more afraid of what people think of their... Continue Reading →
Week 1: Introduction Week 1 Our first week of "Tough Questions" focused on why these questions are tough in the first place, and what kind of cultural context we're speaking to. We finished with a few tactics and questions that can help us interact better with those immersed in postmodern culture and philosophy. Sorry for... Continue Reading →
CG Leader Training: 1/26/2020 We covered a good amount of material from the Care Group Leader Guide (found here), but focused mostly on vulnerability and, at the end, doctrinal discernment. We focused on Philippians 2 and considered how we as leaders can lead in "selfish ambition and conceit". This can be done by making it... Continue Reading →
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Exploring a life of worship in light of the resurrection
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