Text: The Psalms of Ascent | Listen to Message Longing for Peace in The Midst of Conflict   The desire for peace is one of the most universal longings of the human heart. Most of us want goodwill instead of violence, tranquility rather than turmoil. But the peace and quiet we seek can prove to be quite elusive in the real world, which is filled with conflict on a global, local, and personal scale. Furthermore, even if we could escape the agitations that press in from the outside, we would still find ourselves agitated from within. When it comes to peace,...

Text: Acts 14:21-28 | Listen to Message How to build a strong, healthy spiritual life   If you want to build a stronger, healthier physical body, you’re going to need more than just a workout routine! You’re going to need several things that work together synergistically to produce real strength and endurance. Let’s look at 6 of them and consider how each has a parallel to spiritual growth and strength. 1. Nutrition. You’ve got to fuel your body with lots of good calories, protein, vitamins, and water. In the same way, you’ve got fuel your heart and soul with the...

Text: Acts 14:1-20 | Listen to Message Sharing the Gospel with empathy   A perfectly-cut diamond is a thing of unparalleled glory. Each facet creates a different angle for light to enter, bounce around, and then radiate outward with maximum brilliance and beauty. The Gospel is like that. Instead of giving us one facet of good news, the Bible gives us dozens and dozens of facets. Instead of merely saying, “Trust Jesus and you’ll go to heaven when you die,” the Bible says Jesus is freedom, forgiveness, righteousness, cleansing, healing, hope, rescue, restoration, adoption, satisfaction, joy, eternal life – and...

Text: Romans 12:1-2 In his book Step By Step, author James Petty asserts, “until the industrialized age, most Christian writings on guidance emphasized guidance to God, not guidance from God.” Our attention has shifted from relationship with our Creator to navigation within His Creation. We've lost our path, but Romans 12:1-2 can help us regain our bearings. In this passage, Paul clarifies the means by which we which we discern God’s path - the renewed mind. The renewed mind serves as the touchstone by which we test the options presented us. We don’t look to a wet fleece or a...

Text: Acts 13:13-52 | Listen to Message The Heart of the Christian Gospel   Ask a dozen people on the street what they think the essential message of Christianity is, and you’ll probably get a dozen different answers. Some think Christianity is little more than advice for living a religious life. Others think Christianity teaches that God is mad at everyone or, conversely, that God loves everyone and just wants everyone to be happy, regardless of who/what they believe. Still others think you’re just supposed to ask Jesus into your heart – whatever that means – and then good things...