Pt. 1

We live in a broken world, with many opportunities to want to point blame or to act before thinking. Culture, politics, injustice all have the potential when we aren't processing healthily to breed hate. The challenge is to walk and live in a way that forgoes our basic reactions and to turn to the truth of Jesus, and to consider the way that he lived; a life of being blameless.

Relationship is necessary in our lives. Those that we bond closely with are those who have exclusive rights to our time, our resources, and even our heart. With that, we must be careful who we surround ourselves with, because we become a direct reflection of those around us. To be friends with another should include laughter, happiness, and shared sorrow; t should also include confrontation, disagreements, and sharpening moments to make one another better. Watch to see what being a biblical friend looks like.

What matters most: often a question we are faced with in the moments of affliction. Our life is filled with seemingly arbitrary events and circumstances that some face a life time trying to reconcile with "why me?" The Christian is no exception to the rule, and often may find themselves a greater target because of their efforts to pursue what is counter-culture. It is easy to believe that this happened because of something we have done, and while life is full of choices that lead to consequences, it is erroneous to believe that every thing that has happened in our life is due to our futile efforts. Once we can begin to engage with our past in a positive, effective way, we see that the greatest effort to lead to healing hasn't come from strength, but seemingly the opposite: surrender. And this is the call Christ calls us to. Repentance is the greatest act of surrender, because repentance comes from a place of complete release of pride, position, and even potential. Surrender is a journey, but leading a life of surrender can create the greatest story we'll ever live!

Often we understand the church as something we "do" on Sundays verses something that we "are" every day of the week. We fill our spiritual tank by worshiping and engaging with one another on Sundays, and we can also build the church when we live our lives. It is not good for us to try and walk out our salvation alone, as much as a personal relationship is necessary in Christ. He called us to be one, not to be individuals. Being the church is more than just attending the church, but it is incredibly important to come together and be reminded, refocused, and rejuvenated in our purpose as the church.

We are joined this weekend by Martha Tennison, a dynamic speaker whose story of tragedy during her and her husbands time in ministry continues to bring hope and direction for many after many years. Through a horrific bus tragedy, God showcased His glory, kindness, and sovereignty in ways that reverberate into today. Her message was one of urgency, however; what matters most in this life, the things we have, or the gift of the loved ones we are asked to steward? We hope this message brings you to a point to consider, what is the point of what you are doing?

Last we began the conversation of what matters most. If we aren't focused on loving God with all we are and others as ourselves, we will miss the purpose of our lives here on earth. This is largely our battle, to not do only what we want to do. Many Christians will live this life knowing they are saved and entering into heave...but what are we building in this life once we reach heaven? Stay tuned to what we can do to impact our heavenly home waiting for us.

We are beginning a series on where our priorities matter most. As we live our lives, we find what should have the first access to our time, resources, availability, and faith. And we can also be quick to lose sight of these things as the anxieties and arbitrary nature of life hits us. However, Christ said two things can sum up the whole law that Christ fulfilled: love the Lord with everything you are, and love your neighbors. No matter where we focus our priorities, if they are not fit in this vision, it is excess and a distraction!

We are joined by guest speaker Randy Jumper this Sunday for our spotlight on missions, and the impact the Gospel is making around the world. The challenge for us Christians is largely based in how we prioritize: our time, our energy, our resources, our passions. Randy tells stories of faithful Christians who are finding what life in Christ is like, and, ultimately, their greatest priority; to serve Jesus, even when everything else is lost. We hope this message encourages you to see how the church is working in tandem on a global level!

When life gets to a point where we are exhausted, run-down, beyond our capabilities, and uncertain, how are we getting filled back up? Perhaps the greatest fallacy is believing that we are in control of our life after we gave it to Christ. If Christ is the Lord, and our Lord, then who's battle is it that we face in this life? If it is Christ's, shouldn't we just let Him fight this? Our response should always be worship; worship is for God, and the way that we experience how great our God is. This truth magnifies the victory we have in Christ!

Our call as believers can sometimes be a demanding lifestyle: to love others, even when they are actively against us; to be at peace with all people, even when they are threatening us, and the list goes on. It isn't easy to be a light in our dark world, but the light is always what draws others out of their hopelessness, their unrest, and loss. But we aren't the light, in the sense that we weren't the light originally. We have the Spirit of God within us, lighting the way through us, and ultimately, causing us to be the light for others. How is our life reflecting this light, though? Are we being effective to light the darkness, or are we dimming?