Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was leavened.” The picture he is painting is of something that is small yet which has great influence over everything it touches. Something that is small yet has big results.Jesus also said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teachi...

If we consider incredible life experiences we witness in scripture, some encounters stand out. If I said the name Moses, you might say the day God spoke to him through a burning bush. If I said the name David, you might say the day he killed a giant of a man - with a sling shot no less. If I said Apostle Paul, you might say the day he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. But what about Peter? We might have to qualify the question. The Peter who walked with Jesus yet denied he knew ...

The people of Israel were just like us, and just like us, their hopes were misplaced, too. Psalm 72 is the last of the Davidic Psalms and is a prayer for prosperity and security. Only instead of the focus being on wealth, the focus was on a king—in this case Solomon. Solomon was the wisest man in the world and his country was revered by all of its neighbors. But later in life, even Solomon would stray from the Lord and Israel’s hopes would be dashed once again. However, if you read the words ...

As we head into 2019, I want us to develop healthy rhythms of prayer in our lives. Not just when we pray, but how we pray. There is obviously not a formula that makes prayer more effective, instead I am talking about being intentional and committed to spending time with God in conversation. Prayer is so important to our faith. We need to find a healthy rhythm for it.

Over the past few weeks we have celebrated the hope, the peace, and the love we have found through the gospel of King Jesus. Today we continue the journey as we focus on joy. This is not just any kind of joy, but real joy, an unshakable joy, a joy that last forever.

If Paul is the apostle of faith, Peter is the apostle of hope, and James is the apostle of good works, then John is the apostle of love. In fact, the story goes that when John was elderly and unable to walk on his own, the men of the church in Ephesus would carry him into the assembly and sit him down to teach. There, the old man would simply say, "Dear children, let us love one another.” And while this subject is evident in all his writings, love takes center stage in chapter four of his fir...

This Sunday, the second week of Advent, we explore the peace that Jesus offered to us during his time on earth and the final and complete peace that he will bring with his return. Come Emmanuel and bring wholeness to this broken world.

How do you celebrate Christmas? What are your family traditions? Does it involve cutting a fresh tree? Does it include a Jesse Tree or an advent box? Does it include presents under a tree? Does it include cookies for Santa Claus? Does it include adopting a family who is experiencing difficulty so they will get to celebrate a Christmas like you will? Does it involve tamales on Christmas Eve? This advent we are going to explore some of your family traditions.

Our church exists to cultivate fully devoted disciples of Jesus. This is our primary purpose: We want to be a church of disciple-makers! For that reason, we are currently studying the book of Acts in a sermon series entitled, Sent. You and I have been commissioned by Jesus—we’ve been SENT—to go into our workplaces, our schools, our neighborhoods, and yes, even to foreign lands to make disciples of Him, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all...