What does it mean to be the church in the midst of a pandemic? How do we be the church when there’s not a church we can be? In our minds, particularly in the west, we often confuse people and place, or “ecclesia” (Greek) and “kirche” (German), when it comes to thinking about church. … [Read More…] Be The Church
Disagreement is something that we can expect within the church, but when we disagree it can and should be done in a godly way. The goal is to maintain our unity as a church throughout disagreement, prioritizing our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ above the temptation to be right at all costs. … [Read More…] A Call For True Unity
If you read the Bible, you will find numerous stories where in God’s goodness despair is turned to deliverance, misery is turned to majesty, brokenness is turned to beauty, and grief is turned to glory. These stories are not here to stoke our wishful thinking. These stories show us, in compressed form, the redemption God … [Read More…] Sovereign Stories
As we wrap up our series , featuring conversations on race between panelists representing members of our staff and congregation, we conclude with two important question: what does the Bible say about race, and how should we respond to this issue? Pastor Best helps guide our thinking on this important issue by encouraging us … [Read More…] The Bible and Racism
The Bible is a masterpiece with a central message, from beginning to end, about Jesus and the redemption that He brings to humanity. And this is true of the Old Testament story of Ruth, as well, as it foreshadows the redeeming love of Jesus. As the story unfold, we see five aspects of Boaz’s redemption … [Read More…] Redeeming Love
In this conversation on race, Pastor Philip Miller, Elder Tony Durns, and Charlie Miles discuss what the Bible says about justice, equality, and advocacy.
Sometimes doing the right thing is the last thing we want to do. Anyone can do the right thing when there’s no pressure. But doing the right thing when the pressure’s on, that takes character. In this passage, we find four bold moves of obedience that change the trajectory of potentially tragic circumstances for … [Read More…] Providence in Waiting
In this conversation about race, Elbert Whitfield, Cassie Eng, Pastor Josue Reyes, and Pastor Bob Gunter discuss the heavenly vision of diversity and its connection to church life today.
Hope is a beautiful thing. It gives us a reason to get up in the morning, to press through all the anguish and the sorrow of this life to something beyond, something bright, fresh, redeeming. Hope carries us through the darkness to the dawn. Our story continues with Naomi having a sightline to redemptive … [Read More…] Manipulating Grace
Our series “Conversations on Race” hosts important conversations with our staff and church members on how Christians should think about racism in our world. In our second conversation, Pastor Larry McCarthy and Ron Ingram share their stories and describe how the gospel has transformed their perspectives on racism.
