- 04/15/2018Patience | Saul Jumps the Gun
- 04/08/2018Patience | Hanna Prays for a Baby
- 04/01/2018Peace | Resurrection Day
Peace | Resurrection Day
Our journey into the topic of peace culminates with Jesus, the cross and the miracle of His resurrection. Salvation of the soul is the ultimate miracle... the ultimate healing! He is Risen indeed! - 03/25/2018Peace | Jesus Arrives
Peace | Jesus Arrives
It's Palm Sunday, in which we remember how people worshiped Jesus in the coming days before his death. In the last installment of this month's theme of peace, Pastor Jon takes a look at the arrival of Jesus. - 03/18/2018Peace | Abigail Intervenes
Peace | Abigail IntervenesPastor Jon continues this month's theme of peace, gleaning from the story of Abigail in 1 Samuel.
- 03/11/2018Peace | Issac’s Wells
Peace | Issac’s WellsIn the second in our series on peace, Pastor Jon draws from the story of Issac of the Old Testament.
- 03/04/2018Peace | Lot’s Entitlement
Peace | Lot’s EntitlementPastor Jon teaches on the concept of peace in this first installment of this month's series.
- 02/25/2018Kindness | When They Don’t Deserve It
Kindness | When They Don’t Deserve It
How can you be kind to people you don’t get along with?Pastor Jon addresses this question in Part 3 of the Kindness Series through the stories of Joseph, Samuel, David and Jesus. Our main text is from Matthew 5:43 – 48.When we are showing kindness, we: 1. Speaks the Truth in love without breaking the spirit of the recipient. 2. Believes the best of others…without prejudice. 3. Prefers the honor of others before themselves. 4. Allows space for love, grace, forgiveness and acceptance to be proven by showing.Kindness: Showing others they are valuable by how you treat them. Luke 6:31 - 02/02/2018Kindness | When We Don’t Deserve It
Kindness | When We Don’t Deserve ItDrawing from Titus 3:1 – 7, Pastor Jon kicks off this series on the fruit of Kindness.What does kindness look like? It usually doesn't mean giving everyone what they deserve! We show others they are valuable by how we treat them.Romans 2 says this...You didn’t think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? Or did you think that because he’s such a nice God, he’d let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.
- 01/28/2018Commitment | The Rock
Commitment | The Rock
How can we live for God? By placing our trust in Him. Pastor Jon takes a look at Matthew 16:13 – 20 and Mark 12:41 – 44He isn’t fully our Rock until we have given up all the sand of our lives.When we give up all the sand of life, that’s when we are able to fuse our foundation into the bedrock of Jesus. When He is our bedrock, the Storms of Life will blow and they’ll blow... the waves will crash and crash... and how terrible the storms will rage, but we still remain because our trust is in Him! - 01/21/2018Commitment | The Sand
Commitment | The SandWhat are the elements of building your life on the sand that's faulty and unstable?What are the elements of true repentance and turning things around?What does it take to surrender and relinquish control of our lives?Pastor Jon looks at these questions in the third installment on the topic of commitment.
- 01/14/2018Commitment | The Storm
Commitment | The StormThe storms of life will come... and the really rough ones are indeed more than we can handle- alone that is.Dealing with the matters of the heart is hard, but the only way to build real Godly character through a real relationship with Jesus. There are no quick fixes, short-cuts, or cure-allswhen it comes to building relationships with anyone let alone Jesus.Building relationship with Jesus in the place of the heart – where it really matters –establishes our lives as if we were built on solid bedrock.How and when do you pray to God? We call out to God as soon as the storm begins and place our trust in Him.
- 01/07/2018Commitment | The Foundation
Commitment | The FoundationHow can you hear from God? By making certain you start with the right foundation.Consider these:1. Commitment is hard 2. The popular ways are never the best ways 3. Commitment that succeeds is always born from the heart 4. Commitment from the heart creates a new lifestyle. 5. Jesus is the only Foundation that stabilizes the Heart.Focusing on Matthew 7:13 – 29, Pastor Jon discusses how commitment is making a plan and putting it into practice.Then, practicing hearing what God says and doing it.
- 12/24/2017Generosity |When It’s Hard to Give
Generosity |When It’s Hard to Give
Generosity. Sometimes it's hard to give! Yet, God gave us Jesus. Certainly not what we expected or deserved.Today we take a look at 2 Samuel 9, and what happened between David and Mephibosheth.You could imagine Mephibosheth’s wonder at the kindness he was being shown. Likely, he was entirely overwhelmed, and David’s heart was remarkable full, and those watching this whole thing unfold were likely dumbfounded.Generosity: making someone’s day by giving something away. - 12/17/2017Generosity | When It’s Hard to Find
Generosity | When It’s Hard to FindWhat tends to steal your spiritual focus?Hard times? Dry times? Lonely times?God has a way of redeeming these things in your life.In the third installment of the generosity theme, Pastor Jon takes a look at the story of Mary's husband Joseph. This man laid down so much, at God's request, to participate in God's will and way even through he didn't fully understand or see the big picture yet.Our steps of faith reveal the generosity of God, and through our steps He works creatively and generously through us. It stands to reason that if we sometimes need to go looking for how God works in our lives, it might also mean that we have to go looking for creative ways to bless others.
- 12/10/2017Generosity | Lavished Love Part II
Generosity | Lavished Love Part IINone of us loves- or gives- perfectly. But God did show us the way to follow.In the first sermon on generosity, we heard that God set the standard for generosity in Ephesians 1.In part II, we learn about how God showed us exactly how to do it, so we could do it just the way He does so well.Because God gave, we can give generously. Because God loved lavishly, we can love too.1 Timothy 6:18 says,“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”Generosity: Making someone's day by giving something away.
- 12/03/2017Generosity | Lavished Love Part I
Generosity | Lavished Love Part IGod set the standard for generosity in Ephesians 1.Because God gave, we can give generously. Because God loved lavishly, we can love too.1 Timothy 6:18 says,“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”God showed us exactly how to do it, so we could do it just the way He does so well.Generosity: Making someone's day by giving something away.
- 11/26/2017Gratitude | Part IV
Gratitude | Part IV
A grateful heart is a free heart, and this freedom beings with a generous God.Pastor Jon concludes our November theme of gratitude,reminding us that because God freely gave, we can freely give to others. - 11/19/2017Gratitude | Part III
Gratitude | Part IIIWhat does gratitude instill in you? What does gratitude release in our lives?Gratitude can do so much; including insulating us from disillusionment, allowing us to see the work God is doing, enables our spirit to connect with God, ignites repentance and often is the beginning of expressing love.In part III of the series on gratitude, Pastor Jon teaches on the story of the 10 Lepers.
- 11/12/2017Gratitude | Part II
Gratitude | Part IIIn part II of the series on Gratitude, Pastor Jon teaches on what we can learnfrom the Biblical character Jonah and the condition of his heart.Today's texts are from Matthew 20:1 – 15 and Jonah 3:5 – 4:11.
- 11/05/2017Gratitude | Part I
Gratitude | Part IGratitude. It can change our outlook and transform our lives.We define it as this: letting others know you see how they've helped you.Join us for Part I of this month-long series.
- 10/29/2017Stewardship | What Really Matters
Stewardship | What Really Matters
Are you running around in life always wondering if you're doing it right?Jesus desire for you is to abide in Him, rest in your relationship with Him, dine with Him at His table.In this third sermon on Stewardship, Pastor Jon tackles the topic of What Really Matters.Live like you know what really matters.Stewardship.Taking care of what you have, because it all belongs to God. - 10/22/2017Stewardship | Things
Stewardship | ThingsWhy was the servant in the Matthew 25 parable called a foolish servant? What is the connection between the Kingdom of Heaven and what you do with what God has given you? Do you take God's investment in you and bury it in the ground instead of utilizing it as He originally purposed?Pastor Jon takes on the topic of how we steward our things, the connection of trustand eager acceptance of God's divine investment in you.
- 09/24/2017Storytellers | Part III
- 09/17/2017Storytellers | Part II
Storytellers | Part II
Before the people were to enter the land God promised them, Moses has a lot to say.In Part 2 of Storytellers, Pastor Jon continues to examine the theme of Deuteronomy 6: 1-25. - 09/10/2017Storytellers | Part I
Storytellers | Part IIs the church solely responsible for our children's spiritual growth?What are parent and grandparent roles supposed to look like in this process?Is a partnership possible so that two influences working together are greater than two working alone?In this first installment of the series "Storytellers... When God's Story Becomes Your Story,"Pastor Jon begins to examine the theme of Deuteronomy 6: 1-25.
- 09/03/2017Straining at the Oars | Part III
Straining at the Oars | Part III
In Part III of this series, Pastor Jon further examines Mark 6 and Matthew 14. The disciples are in their boat- where Jesus actually sent them- and come into very rough waters. Jesus approaches them, walking on the water saying "come to me." Peter jumps out of the boat...He's still saying "come to me" in our rough waters.Jesus makes much out of our little. - 08/27/2017Straining at the Oars | Part II
Straining at the Oars | Part IIWhen we get to the end of ourselves, we tend to finally cry out to God after much turmoil and self-effort.Jesus appears on the scene and with no effort at all, shows himself strong in our weakness.He knows what has been, what is and what will be.Out of our life storms, He takes our "little," and makes much.In this episode, Pastor Jon continues with Part II of the series "Straining at the Oars"based on Mark 6: 45-52.
- 08/20/2017Straining at the Oars | Part I
Straining at the Oars | Part IThe hard times of our lives do not surprise God at all, but more often than not, it certainly catches us off guard. These storms are very real and often devastating to us, but if we can embrace it, Jesus uses them to stretch us and grow our trust in Him.In order for us to grow, He may not instantly take away the pain, but rather says "trust me" through the process. In this podcast episode, Pastor Jon addresses this topic through Mark 6:45-52.
- 07/23/2017Understanding the Kingdom | The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
Understanding the Kingdom | The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
Jesus talked a lot about the importance of forgiveness.Pastor Jon continues the series "Understanding the Kingdom" with this teaching from Matthew 18:the parable of the unforgiving servant.*You will hear static in this episode. Please bear with us as we work out the technical difficulties. Thank you.
