Some church traditions have their church leaders wear a collar or preach in an ornate robe. Other church traditions request parishioners address church leaders using a term of respect such as "Father," "Priest," or "Pastor." Special clothing and titles are intended to visually identify the spiritually mature among us, When we look at the Gospel of Mark, we see a different measure of spiritual maturity. It is faith and generosity. Join us as we discover what genuine love for God looks like.

Everyone will eventually answer the question, "Who is Jesus?" To many, he was nothing more than a good teacher. Some hate Jesus. Others love Jesus. As we continue in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus takes the religious leaders of Judaism to the Old Testament where he proves to them where his authority is found. He is much more than just a man. He is the man that is God.

The web site "Record Setter" has a unique way of setting world records. They allow contestants to video tape themselves attempting to set world records. If they beat the world record in a category, they moved to the top of the category as a new record holder. In preparation for this message, I checked the "I love you" category on the "Record Setter" web site. Currently the world record for saying, "I love you" the most times in 30 seconds is held by a youth pastor! He told his wife "I love you" 69 times in only 30 seconds. While someone can set a record saying those words, it is much harder to be a recorder setter when it comes to living out those words and showing love. In this message, we explore the greatest commandments. Both of them call us to not just say the word "love" but to try and be a record setter in how we show it.

On November 14, 2004, 6-year-old Alex Malarkey was with his father as they drove home in rural Ohio. When his father made a left turn, their car collided with oncoming traffic. The impact of the crash detached Alex's skull from his spinal cord. Alex lived but he awoke from a coma two months later as a quadriplegic. When he awoke, he began telling his parents about visiting heaven, seeing Jesus and angels that intervened in the car accident to save his father's life. Tyndale House published a book about Alex's trip to heaven claiming it was a true story. It sold over a million copies. Unfortunately Alex later admitted that he made everything up to get attention. Millions of people were deceived by his fictional stories about life after death. Is there a way we can know what lives beyond the grave? Can we know with certainty that there is life after death? Join us as we discover the certainty and joys of the resurrection.

Michael Bowman of Oregon has refused to pay his taxes since 1999. He cashes his work check and keeps his bank account low in order to keep the government from garnishing his wages. Why does he refuse to pay the taxes he owes? He claims it is his opposition to abortion. He doesn't want his tax dollars to fund the taking of human life. His words before the court were, "If a woman has a right to choose, so do I." Is Michael Bowman right? Do Christians have a right to refuse payment of their taxes to protest the evil in our government? Join us as we find what the Bible says about this important question.

Every day we are flooded with information. Demands on our life hit us through texts, social media, email, snail mail, and a constant stream of advertising on everything we see. Wouldn't it be nice if we could cut through the informational chaos and focus on the important things we need? The good news is God has simplified things. There is only one authority we need to follow. The words of Jesus and his apostles are the one thing we need to know. Join us as we learn how God has simplified the informational chaos we all face and made Jesus the only thing we need.

All of us conform to peer pressure. We wear the clothes we wear because they are in style. We purchase the latest phones and gadgets because our friends are using them. While everyone is shaped by the people around us, sometimes cultural pressure leads us away from truth. In this study, we see Jesus as the ultimate authority in the world and our lives. He is the authority we need to follow. We also see how the leaders in society are twisted by the desire for popularity into half-truths and deceit.

Have you ever despaired to pray because it feels like your prayers don't make a difference? We know prayer is the right thing to do, but why doesn't God answer our prayers more favorable? In this message Jesus gives us a lesson on how we can pray prayers that make a difference.

When Cindy and I were first married, I tried my hand at gardening. I planted tomatoes and looked forward to a juicy harvest in the fall. I was amazed at how big the plants grew, but in the fall, the tomatoes were small and few. No-one told me the importance of pruning the plants so all the plant's energy would not go into producing leaves instead of growing fruit. This week, we discover the temple and judaism had become nothing but leaves. They looked great on the outside but were not producing spiritual fruit for God. As a result, God decided to taken them away. Join us as we learn the importance of living a life that is more than leaves.

A 2015 Gallop poll revealed 75 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians. If that were true, don't you think our country would be different? Don't you think the comments we read in social media would be kinder? That Gallop poll revealed many people want to casually associate with Jesus but in truth far less are interested in following Jesus. Join us as we learn the dangers of being a casual fan of Jesus instead of a follower as we study the Triumphal Entry.