Loving others responsibly might seem counterintuitive to the calling of unconditional love. It's often assumed that love comes only from the heart, and leaves no room for thinking. In today's message however, Pastor Ed will teach us that this isn't necessarily the case. Using several examples, Pastor Ed demonstrates the difference between reckless love, and knowledgable love. Just because we might love a child or person unconditionally, doesn't always mean we do whatever they want. Today we learn the importance of discernment as Pastor Ed teaches us from the letter to the Philippians.

Communicating with others doesn't always go as well as we plan. Whether its in a business environment or the intimacy of a relationship, we sometimes feel the conversation wasn't a success. In today's message, Pastor Ed applies this same thought process to our prayer life with God. Many of us have experienced the feelings or thoughts of wondering whether or not God hears our prayers. Pastor Ed will encourage us to ask ourselves an important question. What are our motives behind those supposedly unheard prayers?

The apostle Paul went through many trials during his time in ministry – he was beaten, scorned, and thrown in jail, more than once. However, Paul always continued to praise Jesus and remained joyful, even at his lowest lows. You may be wondering, how is that even possible? Well, Pastor Ed tells us in today’s message that Paul practiced being thankful. Thankfulness will take us from a place of self-pity and depression to a place where we remember we are blessed, loved, and hopeful. That can turn any mood around!

Today’s message from Pastor Ed is on the topic of joy. Joy is a word easier said than felt, many times. Pastor Ed asks a good question – what memories are we clinging to and allowing to shape our lives? Are we hung up on bitterness and self-pity? Or are we allowing ourselves to forget those things, and focus instead on the encounters with God, the progress in our faith, and the people who have helped shape us in a positive way? If we focus on the later, we can then allow joy to permeate our mood!

We Christians have a confusing life, in a way. In one sense, we are to be wholly sold out for God and the advancement of His Kingdom, and therefore we live life with a Kingdom viewpoint. However, as Pastor Ed reminds us today, we are also still citizens of the world. We are not to just turn our backs on people and issues that are so much a part of this world. We must instead be active in the things that matter, and be a part of the world that God has created.

Christians in the world come from all denominations, backgrounds, and cultures. Even within one city, there are multiple churches that preach the gospel, but focus on different aspects, sing different songs, or have different traditions. What Pastor Ed addresses today is that going to a church, or being raised in a certain denomination, does not make you a Christian. The thing that ultimately unites us is our relationship with Jesus – we must accept His sacrifice on the cross to be saved!

In this week’s message, Pastor Ed addresses the power that is ours to access when we become believers. God’s power is everlasting – it has and will continue to withstand every test that could ever be thrown at it. God will be victorious, no matter what. We have the unique ability to utilize that power when we too face challenges in our time here on earth. We can also be assured that God will be there fighting beside us and supporting our every movement with His glorious power!

As Pastor Ed concludes his series on The Lord’s Prayer in this week’s message, he reiterates the need to praise our Savior. He asks us an important question: do we merely say that God is our Lord, or are we actually living with God as our Lord? If we are to truly embrace God’s Kingdom purpose, we are basically giving every aspect of our lives over to Him. We are laying our agenda at His feet. His glory then becomes our priority. His views of the world then become our views. Our desires change, for the better!

Satan has one mission: steal, kill, and destroy. Every aspect of our lives is potentially subject to his harmful ways. Pastor Ed today reminds us that it only takes a small thing – a little compromise – to give Satan the foothold he needs. However, God desires to support us in our efforts to be righteous, and struggling with temptation is one way we can work on our defense against Satan. It isn’t easy, but in the end we will be stronger in our faith and our resolve to be more Christlike.

The Lord’s Prayer has always been a useful tool when communicating with God. It reminds us how we should be praying, and what our focus should be. In today’s message, Pastor Ed gives us another use: it is a weapon to be used in our arsenal of defense against Satan. Think about it: Satan’s goal is to cut ties between you and God, but when your communication with God is constant, your will and God’s will begin to intertwine, and suddenly Satan loses all hold on your life!