One of the things that makes grief and loss so difficult is the sense of helplessness. We often feel so powerless, and nothing we can say or do that will make any difference. It’s easy to fall into a victim mentality, to feel helpless, disempowered, angry, and bitter. The story of Ruth grapples with all … [Read More…] Merciful Justice
Every relationship will have conflict, so how should we handle our words when conflict when it comes into our lives? Three questions to ask yourself when in conflict: 1. Why am I in this conflict? 2. How should I act in conflict? 3. What is the goal of this conflict? Proverbs 10:19
Grief is messy and leads us through a painful journey. The way out of the darkness is often found through the faithful love of someone in our lives who walks with us towards the dawn. In Ruth’s story, that kind of love is called “Hesed”. It means loving selflessness, enduring faithfulness, and forbearing graciousness. God … [Read More…] Fellowship in Sufferings
A wise person stewards well the resources they are given. We think a lot about stewarding money or time, but we often think very little about stewarding one of our most valuable resource: our words. Many studies suggest that the average person speaks 16,000 words a day. How are you stewarding your 16,000 daily words? … [Read More…] The Power of Words
When our world is shattered, how do we pick up the pieces and get back to normal? When we’ve lost something and are grieving, our capacity for restoration depends on finding God’s mercies in the dark times. We have to face grief square in the face and invite God into that darkness if we are … [Read More…] Running to Reality
As we wrap up this series, Pastor Eric asks an important question: how can we know that God loves us now and will continue to forever? Through the passage, we learn that there’s nothing we can do to cause God’s love, because He first loved us; and there’s nothing that we can do that will … [Read More…] How Can I Know God Loves Me?
Is this world broken? If it is, can it be fixed? In this message, Pastor Eric continues our study through Romans 8. We learn that brokenness does not necessarily lead to brokenness. There is surprising hope for our world. Romans 8:18-28
As we prepare for the arrival of our new senior pastor, we reflect on our individual roles in creating a healthy church. In this sermon, we explore what it means for a person to love the Lord with all their heart and soul. The outpouring of that reality is a church member who contributes to … [Read More…] Healthy Church Members
Are we all really God’s children? In this sermon, Pastor Eric shares three thing that are true about all children of God: we’re all debtors, we’re all adopted, and we’re all inheritors. Romans 8:12-17
What does it mean to live life to the fullest? To let our spirits soar? Our culture has embraced a philosophy promoting ways to live as freely as possible; we tend to pursue our personal pleasures above all else. But our culture has failed to define what it truly means to live. In this passage, … [Read More…] The Secret of True Spirituality
