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Togetherness is about our conviction, and the character by which we confess Jesus as Lord – the basis that makes our church the church. We declare this simple truth every time we share the joys and pains of a common life together. And it comes to life every time we give and receive love.
Acts 2:43-47 June 13, 2021 |
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"They took the awe of Jesus and made awesome everywhere they went." Acts 2:43-47 Recorded on June 6, 2021 |
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If we want to change people’s minds, or show them a new way of living, we must first be willing to live that way ourselves. Acts 2:37-41 May 30, 2021 |
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The Holy Spirit, the very Breath of God, is an invitation to breathe life in. But it is a gift given with purpose - to proclaim the good news of Christ Jesus to the ends of the earth. Pentecost Sunday Acts 2:1-21 Recorded on May 23, 2021 |
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The purpose of the Gospel message is not for us to withdraw from society but to be fully present in it – living our lives, faithful and true, to the Good News in all the ways we create justice, love kindness, and offer mercy. John 17:6-19 Recorded on May 16, 2021 |
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From his cross, Jesus unites us all, and calls us into a new kind of family. One where, like Mary, we are mothers and children at the same time. And like John, who will risk it all for the sake of bearing the love God. John 19:25-27 Recorded on May 9, 2021 |
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Just as the life of a branch is sustained by being connected with the vine, our lives are sustained through a close relationship with our Lord. When we are connected to Jesus, when we make our home in him, we are able to draw from his spiritual abundance that helps us bear his fruit – God’s steadfast love.
John 15:1-8 Recorded on May 2, 2021 |
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Whenever we make love come alive in the world, Jesus lives. And so do we. For that’s what happens when sheep and shepherd become one - one flock dwelling in the house of the Lord all the days of our lives.
Psalm 23; John 10:11-18 Recorded on April 25, 2021 |
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Jesus tells the disciples, who are us, “You are a witnesses of these things.” But will we go out and feed the world as living witnesses to this Shalom he speaks of and died for? Or will we simply offer him a piece of leftover fish?
Luke 24:36-49 April 18, 2021 |
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Part One Recorded on April 11, 2021 Part Two
Recorded on April 11, 2021 |
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Today, as we gather to celebrate God know that God is here to celebrate you. Whether you see yourself as worthy or not, the table is set, the food is already cooked. There is enough for everyone to get more than their fair share. The celebration is on. The only one stopping you from attending … is you.
Mark 16:1-8 Recorded on: Easter Sunday April 4,2021 |
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But if you say you follow Jesus, you must ask yourself how far are you willing to go? Palm Sunday Mark 11:1-11 Recorded on March 28, 2021 |
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Why does God do such crazy things like forgive the unforgivable? Perhaps God knows the only way we can truly do God’s will is to have our hearts free of the anger, guilt and shame that traps us in our cycles of sin. Jeremiah 31:31-34 Recorded on March 21, 2021 |
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In Christ, God casts out all fear and puts love on full display. Jesus taught us how to live God’s love faithfully and fearlessly; in a way that pushes us to see the world differently. Numbers 21:4-9 Recorded on March 14, 2021 |
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As Jesus showed us, when we come together in love, the hope and promise of God’s covenant comes alive. Lent Week Three - Exodus 20:1-17 Recorded on March 7, 2021 |
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Lent is a time to remember that His name is your name. His purpose is your purpose. His glory is yours too. Lent Week Two - Genesis 17:1-7 Recorded on February 28, 2021 |
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When all seemed lost, they had hope. Because God’s promises are never broken. They knew that no matter what challenges they faced, they could rely on God because they knew God’s word is good. Lent Week One - Genesis 9:8-17 Recorded on February 21, 2021 |
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We are all ministers, called to be little Christ’s in the world. Jesus has shown us the way to be the very living presence of God’s love so others might see their way too. Mark 1:40-45 Recorded on February 14, 2021 |
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We do not know her name. But we know she was the first one to truly understand what Jesus’ radical new ministry was about. She was the first to recognize that serving others is the key to our call as followers of Christ. Her ministry is ours to follow. Mark 1:29-34 Recorded on February 7, 2021 |
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Jesus approached this man is the same way he did with scripture; like the Holy One of God. When Jesus spoke to the man, we see his authority came from his willingness to do the will of God and see to it that justice was served. Mark 1:21-28 January 31, 2021 |
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If you want to know God, fully and authentically, then open your heart and hands, and allow the love of God to flow through you like Jesus did. 1 John 4:7-21 Recorded on January 24, 2021 |
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We can trust Jesus because time and time again, with his words and deeds, Jesus proved to be trustworthy. John 1:35-51 Recorded on January 17, 2021 |
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Thirst for power corrupts us. But a hunger for peace unites us. We need to stop dividing ourselves over our petty differences and be united by our commonality. Mark 1:1-11 Recorded on January 10, 2021 |
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Hope and Restoration are the Hallmark of Christmas. Jeremiah 31:7-14 Recorded on the Day of Epiphany January 3, 2021 |
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A Splendid Crown Isaiah 61:10-11; 62:1-3 Recorded on December 27, 2020 |
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Christmas Eve Service Luke 2:1-21 Recorded on December 24, 2020 |
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As we wait in these final days of Advent, we do so by carrying the love and light of Christ within our bellies, always ready to give birth. For God is acting in the broken, ordinary me and you to turn all that we think we know upside down.
Luke 1:46-55 Recorded on December 20, 2020 |
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When we allow the Christ in us be seen in us, then we might be more incline to act with love and compassion. Isaiah 61:1-11 Recorded on December 13, 2020 |
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Advent is a time to remember that Christ not only came to be with us, but to be in us to reveal God’s glory so that “all people shall see it together.” Isaiah 40:1-11 Recorded on December 6, 2020 |
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We wait for God to do what God does best. Mold our hearts to love and hape our hands to give. Isaiah 64:1-9 November 29, 2020 |
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Doing the will of God. Matthew 25:31-48 Recorded on November 22, 2020 |
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Can we trust in God’s faithfulness to be faithful to God? Matthew 25:14-30 Recorded on November 15, 2020 |
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It’s up to us to use this time of active wait to be active disciples – taking up our cross and following in the footsteps of Jesus. Matthew 25:1-13 Recorded on November 8, 2020 |
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Just as we share in God’s love we also share in God’s joy. And when we share God’s joy, the world can help but rejoice always!
Philippians 4:1-9 Recorded on Nov. 1, 2020 |
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Paul could have given up, dismayed that he hasn’t yet reached his goal. But he knew that this is a holy race. One where God is always a step ahead leading the way to the finish line.
Philippians 3:12-14 Recorded on October 25, 2020 |
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Like Jesus, we too will find our truest joy being one with God allowing God to work through us. And when God works through us life's most difficult challenges can be overcome. Joy can be had. Philippians 2:12-16 Recorded on October 18, 2020 |
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Joy is Jesus. Joy is living for others, serving and caring for them as Jesus did. Joy is about you and what you can do and what you achieve when you initiate Christ’s love in the world. Philippians 2:1-11 Recorded on October 11, 2020 |
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Whatever difficult situation we’re facing nothing is too difficult for God. And no matter how tough our circumstances may be God is tougher. When everyday life kicks the joy out of us, God kicks it back in. Philippians 1:1-11 Recorded on October 4, 2020 |
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I believe that’s why God gave us laments, so we can have a way to talk to God when we’re mad and pissed off. And to do so without feeling guilty or ashamed. Psalm 25:1-10 Recorded on September 27, 2020 |
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Through Jesus, God is intentionally present in our life, always ready to redeem us, equip us, and feed us along the way. Whatever your need is — relational, spiritual, physical, or emotional, — God is waiting for you, ready to take care of you. John 21:1-17 Recorded on September 20, 2020 |
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Forgiveness isn’t absolute like math. There is no perfect set amount because each act of forgiveness has its own set of problems and calculations. Matthew 18:21-22 Recorded on September 13, 2020 |
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The law bows down to love, not the other way around. Romans 13:8-10 Recorded on September 6, 2020 |
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Jesus shows us that love is the ultimate cross we all must carry. Matthew 16:21-26 August 30, 2020 |
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Jesus knows what kind of rock you are, and places you exactly where you need to be. You are a living stone, a living memorial to God’s Divine presence in the world. Matthew 16:13-20 Recorded on August 23, 2020 |
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In the desperate cry of a concerned parent, she is willing to set aside any animosity and run after the one whose reputation proceeded him. Matthew 15:21-28 Recorded on August 16, 2020 |
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Jesus calls us to be like Miriam, who despite the odds set against her, nevertheless, in faithfulness, she persisted. Michah 6:3-4; Exodus 2, 15:20-21; Numbers 20:1-2 Recorded on August 9, 2020 |
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The kingdom of heaven is like you. And you are worth more to God than any earthly treasure. Matthew 13:44-53 Recorded on August 2, 2020 |
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We cannot make the kingdom of heaven happen, that’s not up to us. But as the church, as disciples and students of Jesus Christ, we are called to partake in it; to play in this heaven realm and share it with everyone. Matthew 13:31-35 Recorded on July 26, 2020 |
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Jesus is calling you to open your heart and shine like the sun in the kingdom of heaven; to accept your calling as a beloved child of God, today until the end of the age when we will be gathered together ... as one people... in one glory... in God’s one and only eternal love. Matthew 13:24-30; 36-453 Recorded on July 19, 2020 |
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If we choose to follow Christ, then in essence we are not merely the soil, We are also the seed and the sower as well. Jesus invites us to accept God’s love and grows God’s love and scatter God’s love all over the place without ever worrying about running out. Matthew 13:1-23 Recorded on July 12, 2020 |
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Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.” That is his promise. However, to accept the yoke of the gentle and humble Lord means answering God’s call to embrace a life of work that puts the soul at ease. Matthew 11:28-30 Recorded on July 5, 2020 |
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It takes only the smallest amount of faith in God’s love for you, and the willingness to be vulnerable in that love, so that you can give God’s love away in all that you do. Matthew 10:40-42 Recorded on June 28, 2020 |
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Jesus calls us out to be the visible presences of God, to love and serve one another in such a way that we can boldly declare, “whoever sees me, sees not me but the One who sent me.” John 12:44-50 Recorded on June 21, 2020 |
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Love is our purpose. Love is our mission. Love is the faith God has placed in us. Faith is an active verb that calls us to bear the good fruit of God’s kingdom. Matthew 9:35-10:15 Recorded on June 14, 2020 |
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As disciples, we are be both learners and practitioners of Christ, students who rely heavily on God’s mercy and grace. By living out the gospel, especially in places where it lacks, people are able to see Christ alive in you and learn how to be like him. Matthew 28:16-20 Recorded on Trinity Sunday June 7, 2020 |
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How will our gentle breath turn into a mighty wind, one that can move with such forcefulness that it catches the world by surprise, and tips it over towards the righteousness of God? Acts 2:1-4 Recorded on The Day of Pentecost. May 31, 2020. |
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Filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples become what we are today – the church, the visible body of Christ. They set out to go to the furthest corners of the world to love God, to love others and to serve both. Acts 1:6-11 Recorded on May 24, 2020 |
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By being little Christs in the world we become both the blessed ones and the one’s who bless others. 1 Peter 3:13-17 Recorded on May 17, 2020 |
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God is calling you and me to be mother’s giving birth to love, grace, and peace every day. This is what it means to be a Christian, to follow the way of Christ. 1 Peter 2:2-5 Recorded on Mother's Day May 10, 2020 |
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We need to take a risk and be the gospel and good news in the world for transformation to happen. Acts 2:42-47 Recorded on May 3, 2020 |
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Faith is a lifelong journey of seeing with open hands that reach out to Christ in every moment and down every road we go. Luke 24:13-35 Recorded on April 26, 2020 |
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Facts begin in the head. Faith begins in the heart, where God’s love is forever engraved. 1 Peter 1:3-9 Recorded on April 19, 2020 |
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Easter is the day we are called to abandon our dark tombs. And run after the One who loves us unconditionally. Isaiah 25:6-9 and John 20:1-18 Recorded on Easter, April 12, 2020 |
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Resurrection is God’s promised grace coming full circle. Matthew 21:1-11 Recorded on Palm Sunday, April 5, 2020 |
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If God has a plan for us, I think it’s for love and life to become one with God. Love is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega and everything in between. Jeremiah 29:10-14 Recorded on March 29, 2020 |
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Do you think these bones can rise? If so, what then are you doing with your bones?
Ezekiel 37:1-14 March 22, 2020 |
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Lent is a time to give up...as in Give Up(ward) to God.
Romans 12:6 - 13 Recorded on March 15, 2020 |
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No matter how messy his life got or how impossible things seemed be, Abraham held onto the hope of God’s word. And as such, God didn’t let him down. Genesis 15:1-6 Romans 4:13-5:2 Recorded on March 8, 2020 |
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In Christ, God has made us something more beautiful, and more valuable. Our golden scars become a new story with a new history. The goal is not to hide our scars or pretend that our broken places never existed. But to wear them proudly knowing each scar is a testimony of God at work in our lives. Numbers 21:4-9 and Mark 1:9-13 Recorded on March 1, 2020 |
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To be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect isn’t about being a perfectionist. It’s about discipleship. Matthew 5:38-48 February 23, 2020 |
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Jesus knows God’s law intimately. It’s written on his heart. His actions reflect God’s love and grace. There can’t be a Christ-centered church if the heart of Christ’s message is missing. Matthew 5:17-37 Recorded on February 16, 2020 |
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By understanding our own blessing, we are able to illuminate God’s blessings in those dark places where love is lacking, forgiveness is needed, and where mercy and justice are missing. Matthew 5:13-16 Recorded on February 9, 2020 |
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In Christ, God disrupts the way things are going on in our world and transforms them to the way things are to be in God’s world. Matthew 5:1-12 Recorded on February 2, 2020 |
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Jesus says, “Repent,” not because you want to get into heaven, but because heaven wants to get into you.
Matthew 4:12-23 Recorded on January 26, 2020 |
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Jesus knew if we don’t continue what he started then people will be left empty, and culture will step in to fill the void.
John 1:29-42 Recorded on January 19, 2020 |
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Let us not forget that the same Spirit that descended on Jesus at his baptism is the same Spirit sealed within us at ours. Same is true about his mission and ours.
Isaiah 42:1-9 Recorded on January 12, 2020 |
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To understand that I am ‘in’ Christ not only changes the way I see myself, but it also encourages me to move beyond myself to become a larger part of God’s eternal vision. Ephesians 1:3-10 Recorded on January 5, 2020 |
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"Hugging the Cactus" Pastor Bob offers us some encouraging words for the new year. Luke 18 Recorded on December 29, 2019 |
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A Very Special Christmas Day, 2019 |
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Special Christmas Eve Service, 2019 |
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We don’t experience joy because life is good. We experience it because God is great. When life kicks the joy out of you, God is there kicking it back in. Luke 2:8-14 Recorded on the Forth Sunday of Advent, December 22, 2019 |
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It’s up to us to embrace love like it is the most powerful weapon we have at our disposal. If we want to feel God’s peace in our hearts, we need to be the light of God’s hope, God’s love, and God’s peace in the world for one another.
Matthew 2:13-24 Recorded on the Third Sunday of Advent, December 15, 2019 |
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God is up to something. A green shoot from the House of David will emerge and reign with the Spirit of God’s love and righteousness. A new king who will lead his people with “wisdom and understanding” “counsel and might” and with “knowledge and fear of God.”
Isaiah 11:1-6 Recorded on the Second Sunday of Advent. December 8, 2019 |
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Jesus doesn’t tell us when the day is coming, because today there is work to be done. When we focus only on the world to come, we lose sight of the task God has called us to do right now.
Matthew 24:36-44 Recorded on the First Sunday of Advent: December 1, 2019 |
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It’s hard to think God loves mean, angry, bad people. But if God is alive in all, then no one can be left out. The grace of God that is revealed in Christ is so deep and so abiding, that even to those who disappoint can receive it if they want it.
Luke 23:32-43 Recorded on November 24, 2019 |
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God is not only present in our pain and suffering, but that God is looking far into the future, to a time when pain and suffering will not exist because Christ has ushered in the resurrected life. This is the promise God gives us to get through those seemingly impossible hardships we face.
Isaiah 65:17-25 Recorded on November 17, 2019 |
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“Give thanks to the Lord. Call upon God’s name. And make God’s deeds know among all people.” Three great imperatives that shape our own worship of God.
1 Chronicles 16:7-11 Recorded on November 10, 2019 |
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In these seasons of silence, we need to look within ourselves where there is always a still small voice whispering, “You are my beloved child. Go and be who I called you to be.”
1 Kings 19:9-13 Recorded on November 3, 2019 |
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God is the primacy of love. Jesus is the character of love. And we are the enduring presence of a love that can transform and renew the world. To practice agape is to practice the immense compassion of God.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 Recorded on October 27, 2019 |
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As the Bible reveals, Jesus knows the only way to make sense of the mystery of death is to enter it. And the only way to come out the other side is to follow God through it.
John 14:1-7 Recorded on October 20, 2019 |
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Forgiveness vs. Vengeance. Jesus calls us into a new covenant. A wonderful message by our guest minister Rev. Bob Cooper out of Greenville, MI.
Hebrews 12:18-24 Recorded on October 13, 2019 |
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We are called to serve others with love, mercy and grace as if we are serving Jesus himself. Because to love thy neighbor requires us to constantly care for the needs of one another. With each step we take in this direction, our faith increases as does our love, our health, our peace, and our security.
Luke 17:5-10 Recorded on October 6, 2019 |
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Jesus shows his true identity in the way he loves people, and cares to their needs. In the same way, God is calling us to follow his lead. Just as God works through Jesus, God also works through us, to bring healing and peace into a broken and hurting world.
John 10:22-30 September 29, 2019 |
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Thank you Rev. Lincoln Skinner for your wonderful message today. And thank you for filling in during our pulpit swap Sunday.
Matthew 14: 22-33 Recorded on September 22, 2019 |
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The Kingdom of God is a great party. And Jesus is our host who wants his joy to be our joy, his peace to be our peace, his love to be ours as well. He wants us not only to come receive it, but to share it.
Luke 14:12-14 September 15, 2019 |
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Jesus said if you’re going to follow him, then come with your eyes, heart, and mind wide open. Discipleship is a way of life. It’s a calculated and conscious call to become like Christ with every fiber of our being – even if it means pushing away everything we love to embrace.
Luke 14:25-33 Recorded on September 8, 2019 |
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We may think it unjust that one who worked a full day in the hot blazing sun should receive the same pay as those who barely had time to break a sweat. But God doesn’t see it that way. And thank God for that.
Matthew 20:1-16 Recorded on September 1, 2019 |
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Are you willing? Are you able? If you are willing to follow Jesus, then God is able to work with you and through you to make possible what the world has said is impossible.
Mark 10:35-45 Recorded on August 25, 2019 |
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Living a resurrected life means making the work of Jesus your top priority. But you can't do this when your old self is getting in the way. You have to let it die so that you can live your new life in imitation of the One who leads the way.
Matthew 16:24-26 Recorded on August 18, 2019 |
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Many will say yes, but who will actually show up to do the work? Who will be like Christ and help bring healing to our suffering and brokenness? Who will see what Jesus does and take it out into the world to do the will of God so that others can see Christ in their midst and chose to follow the one we call Lord?
Luke 6:46 Recorded on August 11, 2019 |
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The very name of Jesus possesses the power to heal, restore, and return us to who we were created to be – a special people with a special name. We are the beloved children of God, the very One who unites us and defines who we are and what we are called to do.
Luke 8:26-33, 38-39 Recorded on August 4, 2019 in Bridgton, ME |
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You need to look no further than your own self because that’s where God has chosen to dwell. God has made all things, and in all things is the Divine. And that includes you and me.
Matthew 11:7-15 Recorded on July 28, 2019 in St. George, UT |
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This story opens our eyes to the power of God’s love, and it teaches us what it means to share that love with others. And it also reminds us of how God empowers you and me to take our ordinary lives and make something extraordinary.
Mark 6:33-44 Recorded on July 21, 2019 |
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Love is not an emotion, love is an action. Love in action is kindness, mercy, generosity, grace, forgiveness and patience. It’s all the things Jesus did when he healed the sick and cast out the demons in people’s lives.
Luke 10: 25-32 Recorded on July 14, 2019 |
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When you reach out to Jesus, you touch the heart of Christ and are made well.
Mark 5:21-43 Recorded on July 7, 2019 |
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Jesus asks, "But who do you say that I am?"
Why is this important? Just look at your Facebook feeds, or your news feeds, or the world around you as you drive through your town and cities. There is a darkness on our hearts that’s crying out for light. Real people in real pain, in need of spiritual healing and peace. Mark 8:27-33 Recorded on June 30, 2019 |
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Five ministers walk into a hospitality roomand here's what they decided: "Judge. As in, don't. The measure you use will be used on you."
Matthew 7:1-12 Recorded on June 23, 2019 in Cleveland, OH. A celebration of two church services at one service. |
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Guest Preacher, Rev. Dawn Carlson, filling in for Father's Day and speaking on the church's beliefs.
Recorded on June 16, 2019 |
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Your light, your love, your peace – as small or dim as it might seem to be – can overcome all the darkness of the world.
Mark 4:21-25 Recorded on June 9, 2019 Day of Pentecost |
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Jesus isn’t calling us into perfection. He’s just asking for our faithfulness. Like Peter showed us, the more we practice our faith, by stepping out on that ledge of life, the more our faith becomes instinctive – our go to response. God isn’t testing us, but conditioning and strengthening us so we always know who is saving us.
Matthew 14:22-32 and Luke 8:22-25 Recorded on June 2, 2019 |
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How many of us sit on our mats and hope for something better to happen in our life? Have we become blind and crippled, unable to see that the deep well of life is not out there in that magic pool of water, but it’s here…inside us?
John 5:1-9 Recorded on May 26, 2019 |
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Jesus talks about love more than he talks about faith. Love is very important to the way we do the will of God. And Jesus specifically states that love is the mark by which we will be known. If we identify ourselves as Christians, then love must be the guide that leads our way to living as such...like Christ.
John 13:31-35 Recorded on May 19, 2019 |
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Jesus has made Mother’s Day a day for everyone, because we have all been called to give birth to God’s love, grace, and peace every day. By loving kindness, seeking justice, being humble we keep Jesus’ mission alive. Today is our day to be life givers.
Mark 3:31-35 Recorded on Mother's Day, May 12, 2019 |
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Thus Jesus emphatically proclaimed love as the most important command. Because those who truly love God will truly love their brothers and sisters. Not only love them, but cherish and feed them.
John 21:1-19 Recorded May 5, 2019 |
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We need to stop worrying about death and start living life. It's okay to laugh at death. Jesus did.
John 20:19-29 Holy Humor Sunday, April 28, 2019 *We are trying a new format to watch our services. Please let us know if you are having trouble. |