Are we going to use it to build something lasting and useful? Or are we just going to play around, wasting all of its potential by watching funny cat videos?

Are we going to build on the foundation of Jesus and what he wants for this world? Or are we going to build on the foundation of our own little tribe, with us as the center of truth and the center of the world?

Are we going to build for Jesus, in our true identity and for the benefit of others? Or are we going to do all the good things, but do them so we can be successful and our ego can feel protected.

What does cross-shaped thinking look like? And what contribution did this philosophy make to a Western society that now believes that all men are created equal, that women are valued, that slavery is an abomination, that racism is being dealt with, that the poor is being taken care of, that killing is not a public sport, and that babies are no longer left to die?

This is message #2 of a two-part series on humility.

This is message #1 of a two-part series on humility.

You are a Beloved Son...with a new sense of belonging, a new tribe, and a new innocence.

He knew he would need to convince them that things are radically different in God’s New Creation, and not just that things are radically different, but that they are radically different. For this reason, Jesus took a young converted Paul into the wilderness and personally taught him the ins and outs of this good news. Because people need to know that “it’s not like that anymore”.

What happens after baptism, what is life like when you step into glory and spend your first day in God’s New Creation?

This is message #4 in a series of messages on baptism.

The world is infected with another mysterious disease that is carried in human bodies....sin. It literally kills people every day and there is no vaccine for it. However, a man with a mysterious practice involving water seems to have a global solution...a way to bury the big one.

This is message #3 in a series of messages on baptism.

This is message #2 in a series of messages on baptism.

One of the central claims of Christianity is that baptism is a huge deal. It is a portal from one world into another. If this is true, what does it look like when someone we know becomes a new creature, and what can they expect in their new life in God’s new creation? To answer these questions, this message explores what it looks like when a creator god shows up. And what this has to do with a fire-breathing sea monster.

This is message #1 in a series of messages on baptism.

It started with the parent that we couldn't please...."You never do it quite right, you don’t deserve what I am giving you, you’ll never measure up." Then the pastor chimed in...."It’s a good thing God is good…because we aren’t and can’t be. If good does happen to come from us, it’s because God did it, not us."

But what if God created humans as something with dignity, a being crowed with glory and honor? What is our potential if we stop telling ourselves the lie that some of us inherited from our parents and/or pastors....that we are the Ugly Duckling?

This message is the first in a series on the Honor/Shame culture of the first century.

This is the fourth message in a four-part series on repentance.

This is the third message in a four-part series on repentance.

This is the second message in a four-part series on repentance.

The message also discusses the “age of accountability” and attempts to replace it with what Jesus actually said about “when” to repent.

This is the first message in a four-part series on repentance.

PLEASE NOTE: About a minute of audio is missing in the middle of the message. 

Our local sisters had a get-together where they talked about how to manage strong feelings.  They were pretty excited about some of the thoughts that were shared, so a full message was eventually developed on the topic.