After years of mostly faithful living, Abram is beginning to doubt whether God will do what he promised. In Genesis 15, God assures Abram by making a covenant with him -- a covenant which sets in motion Jesus' future death.

The New Testament calls Abraham the "father of all who believe." All Christians are indebted to him, not only as the source of faith. Abraham is also a model for how to believe and follow God. Listen as Dave opens the series, considering the surprising and encouraging backstory of Father Abraham.

When we engage in good, godly work--like the Israelites rebuilding the temple--we're tempted to believe that such work either proves we're holy or makes us holy. But Haggai 2 reminds us that our works don't make us holy. Only God's grace can do that. Listen as C.J. encourages us with the promise of grace.

In Haggai 1, the prophet pointed out how the people of Israel had no good reason to hold off building the temple. In Haggai 2, the prophet probes deeper. What was their reasoning? Listen as C.J. explains how we, like Israel, delay faithfulness for fear of comparison and to avoid grief.

On Sunday, we began a two-month series through the Book of Haggai. When Haggai begins, it had been twenty years since God's people had returned from exile. Why, then, was the temple still in ruins? Maybe that's why the people were so dissatisfied their lives. Haggai challenges us to look at our own priorities. Are we putting off what God has sent us to do? Are we putting off that which would make us truly satisfied? Is not life with God what God rescued us for?

Every Easter, Christians celebrate the reality and significance of Jesus' death and resurrection. Paul tells us these twin truths are "of first importance," but what does that mean and how do we know when they've fallen behind? Dave looks to two descriptions of the disciples in Luke to help us understand: when they “doubted for joy” and “slept for sorrow.”

Holy Week is the most important time of the year for Christians and it begins with Palm Sunday. This is Jesus’ coronation day. Pastor James Westbrook of Realm Church Oakland reminds us that Jesus is a king like no other. What the culture expects and what he offers is not the same, but faith teaches us to accept his kingship as best.

One of Jesus’ most famous parables is the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and it’s famous for good reason. In an unforgiving world, listening to Jesus’ story about an abundantly forgiving Father is water for the soul. With the help of Henri Nouwen and Tim Keller, C.J. slowly walks us through this story and asks us to identify ourselves with each character.

As Jesus approaches Jerusalem, he becomes more and more distressed. He knows what’s coming. As a result, his teaching becomes more distressed and he talks a great deal about death and divine judgment. In this sermon, Dave encourages us to hear Jesus’ love for us in his distressing words.

As we look forward to a year as uncertain as 2020, what should we be our vision? What is available to us? What do we need? On Sunday, Dave encouraged us with Jesus' hope for us in John 4, that we would "know the gift of God and who Jesus is" leading us to ask him for living water and turn us into the "true worshippers" that God is seeking.