Alabaster Group

If not dealt with properly, sustained disappointment can cause our hearts to grow cold and callous. When our hearts become hard, it is easy to drift away from the Lord and from his people, but these are precisely the people that we need to persevere in hope and faith. In this service, two of our members, Amber and Kenisha, share their own experiences with disappointment and how the Lord has been walking them through difficult seasons.

1 Corinthians 12; Leviticus 17; Matthew 7

After David was anointed king, years passed before God’s purpose for him was fulfilled. In the time in between his anointing and his ascension to the throne, David had many opportunities to seize the crown for himself, but he never took them. Instead, he chose to wait for the kingship to be handed to him by God, even though he knew it was rightfully his. In doing so, he ensured that his throne would endure forever. In the same way, when we accept the seasons of delay that come with waiting on God, He firmly establishes his plans for our lives in ways that we could not have done ourselves.

When God asks us to place our faith in Him, He is extending an invitation for us to partner with Him in the work that He is doing in the Earth. This invitation often requires that we don’t simply believe Him with our words, but with our actions. Without these invitations to partner with God in faith, we would simply be spectators of our own lives—watching God do amazing things in our midst, but never being changed ourselves. And while we are not perfect in partnering with God, He is faithful to help us learn from our missed opportunities, so that we would grow to be more like Him.

Although Jesus is King and Judge over all the Earth, He chooses to not only empathize with the lowly, but to become lowly Himself. Among the poor, the broken, the needy, the blind, the brokenhearted—that is where He makes his dwelling. For most people, life progresses in such a way that we obtain more prestige and privilege as time goes by and we become less aware of the needs of the marginalized. But, if we want to truly serve Jesus in this life, we should take every opportunity to anchor ourselves to the suffering, because that is where He is.

Matthew 25; Genesis 24; Matthew 11

As we walk with God, He reveals his love for us in ways that other people can see, but also in ways that others cannot. Over time, the blessings that God pours out into our lives accumulate and stand as a layered testimony of God’s love that the people around us can bear witness to and celebrate. But, there are experiences that we have with God that no one else will be privy to, and it is in those experiences that we discover the immeasurable depth of his love. Understanding this facet of his love, however, is not guaranteed with time; it requires intentionally holding onto Him and his promises even in our darkest moments.

God in his infinite power could solve all of the world’s problems in an instant, but if He did, we would miss out on a key experience of what it means to be like Him. Instead, in his infinite wisdom, He has made room for us to participate in his sufferings so that we may find our place in his story of salvation. All of the areas in life where we recognize that the Kingdom of God is not manifest are invitations for us to labor for his will to be done on the Earth as it is in Heaven.

Colossians 1; Luke 7; Luke 3; Proverbs 18; Ecclesiastes 3

The culture today tells us that we should discover our identity by looking inward. Ironically, this practice of navel-gazing will eventually produce anxieties and insecurities within us that cause us to doubt who we are. When we look outside of ourselves, however, and focus on what God has spoken concerning us, understanding who we were made to be and what we were made to do becomes exceedingly clear.

Exodus 3; Luke 4; Psalm 123; John 9; Job 1

Student Fall Retreat 2025

Saturday Evening Sermon

Student Fall Retreat 2025

Saturday Morning Sermon

Student Fall Retreat 2025

Friday Evening Sermon