CCW Podcast

“Peace be still, YOU are here so “it is well”, lyrics from a song performed by Lauren Daigle. Do these lyrics mean something to you? This week as we look at “Peace” and my prayer is that these lyrics would capture your heart and that no matter what comes, you will be able to hold onto the peace that Jesus offers you and I. It's a peace that surpasses all understanding, and keeps us in times of trouble, trials, and the kind of peace that will help you get through the hardest seasons of life because you know that the Prince of Peace is with you every step of the way.

Christmas season is all consuming as we are just over 2 weeks away from the celebration of Jesus's birth. Last week, many in our church served through the fantastic performance of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" and through that outreach there were 10 people who gave their lives to King Jesus! 

We are studying a new sermon series: The Gifts of Christmas. Paul said, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) One of the most vital gifts of Christmas is hope. Pastor Rick's sermon this Sunday is entitled, “The Gift of Hope." (John 1)

This Sunday we hope and pray you find encouragement as we look at Daniel 6 and the message, "Deliverance from the Den". Certainly we all have experiences of which there was no escape outside of the embracement of God. There are so many applications so we hope you will join us that the application will not be just looked at but lived out. 

We have made it to the final week of the great story of Jonah, which is actually a story about the great Relentless God, whose mercy has no geographical, cultural, political, and economic affiliation. The dialogue between God and Jonah (Jonah 4:1-11), which is considered the climax of the Book of Jonah, is an invitation to cultivate love. Do we agree with God that in our great cities there is so much sin, and so little witness, Do we pray that the gospel will go into every place, are we helping send it? God has a call for your life to impact the world and He is Relentless about that world, and He is Relentless about working through you in it.

Jonah gets a second chance… straight outta the belly of the fish. 

How will he respond? 

What about the Ninevites? What will they do? 

What about God? Will He relent?

We left Jonah running into a storm, being thrown overboard into the sea and into the mouth of a great fish! We are going to look at what happens after 3 days and 3 nights in that storm! When you feel trapped in a storm, how do you get out? This week Pastor Rick's sermon is entitled "Running Out of the Storm."

This Sunday is Friend Day and we will be looking back at Jonah 1, where we see a huge storm strike almost causing the boat that Jonah and the mariners are in to break. What is Jonah doing during the storm? He is sleeping!!!! The mariners are frantic in the biggest storm of their lives and Jonah is unmoved. Our Friend Day message is entitled "Running to our Neighbor." When people all around us are hurting, are we helping?

Last week, we learned that Jonah heard the call of God and attempted to high tail it the other direction. In doing so, Jonah ran right into a real life Storm. Have you ever looked back after a trial and saw how it all could have been avoided if you just would've done one thing differently?

Jonah figures out he is the problem and tells the Mariners to throw him overboard! That could have been the end of the story, but God in a twist of events because of His great mercy sends a Great Fish.

Israel and Ninevah were bitter enemies, and God gives Jonah a tough assignment. Jonah theme is sin reaches far, but God’s grace reaches farther. We will see the the contrast of the sinful heart of man and the Gospel heart of God. God is calling, Jonah goes running, but God in His pursuit of man is “Relentless.”

Joni Eareckson Tada once said this "If you had never known physical pain in your life, how could you appreciate the nail scarred hands with which Jesus Christ will meet you?" I believe that how we endure pain in life is one of the greatest ways we can show God's faithfulness to the world. The apostle Paul said in his writings to The Church at Corinth that "I boast in my weakness for when I am weak He is strong." As humans in a broken world pain and suffering will happen but as Christians we have an opportunity to show Jesus through it all, so join us this Sunday as we look at one of the coolest stories of healing in the bible and how we can learn to suffer well through the testimony.