Judging - Not Judging - Audio

What stories are you telling yourself about your identity, your worth, and what makes life meaningful? (Hint: the emotions you experience most often are an indicator about what kind of stories you're telling.) In this message from 1 John 5:6-12, Max Vanderpool argues that our stories shape what we believe, but God's testimony about Jesus Christ gives us the truth on which to build our lives. The good news is that we don't need a dramatic testimony to make a difference—every story of God's goodness, grace, provision, and faithfulness is worth sharing. When we put God at the center of our story, our testimonies strengthen each other's faith, encourage others, and point the world to Jesus, the true hero of our story.

Gratitude - letting others know you see how they've helped you.

James, at the end of his letter in the New Testament, encourages believers to remain faithful and patient through life’s trials, suffering, and persecution, trusting in the promise that Jesus Christ will return and ultimately make all things right. There's POWER in holding on - even when things are difficult. There's POWER in holding on - even when you can't control the outcome.

In this message, we explore James 5:1–6 and what it means to be wealthy in a world filled with economic inequality. James warns against hoarding wealth, exploiting others, and spending everything on personal comfort while ignoring those in need. The problem isn’t having money or possessions—it’s how we use them and whether our resources serve only ourselves or become a blessing to others. This message challenges us to rethink generosity, give proportionally according to what we have, care for our neighbors, and advocate for those who are vulnerable or overlooked. Discover how following Jesus calls us to a generosity that goes beyond words and transforms the way we live, give, serve, and love others.

Because we're Americans, we tend to make plans and have dreams about our future. Where we'll go to school. What we'll do for a career. How many kids we will or will not have. But, as James points out (and cautions) in the New Testament, making assumptions about the future is trap rich people fall into - because they mistakenly believe that they can control the outcomes. In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches from James 4:13-17 - that a posture of humility is the best posture to adopt when it comes to tomorrow.

We kick off the month of October with a focus on the virtue of courage - and courage is when God helps us to be brave enough to do hard things. Pastor Max highlights the story of Jericho - and how God is our place of strength and safety - even in the face of what seems impossible.

We've all heard the phrase, "judge not," but we tend to view it through the lense of one individual to another. So what exactly is James talking about in James 4:11-12? And what does it mean to walk this pilgrim way - with OTHERS - together? In this message, Dr. Steve Bruns unpacks James 4:11-12.

It's easy to read James 4 and think that NONE of it applies to us (or our settings). But James addresses the ways in which our motives are ALWAYS mixed - and sometimes incredibly selfish - even though we wrap our desires in language of "better for all." In this outdoor worship service celebrating our 22nd anniversary - Pastor Max leads up to three questions worth asking as we read and make sense of James 4:1-10.

Someone stops by your house or apartment to say hello. You accidentally say that you're sad to see them - but you MEANT to say you're glad to see them. What happened? On the one hand, it simply could have been a glitch. But, on the other hand, your heart - the way you REALLY feel or think - might have spoken. There's a powerful connection between what you really think, believe, and feel - and what you SAY. And in this message, Max Vanderpool unpacks that connection by teaching on James 3.

Our intergen worship in September kicks off a month-long emphasis (for our kids) in learning to hear from God - that's, in part, because faith is believing in what you can't see because of what you can see.