In a defining moment, Ruth proclaims these unforgettable words, “Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” God often uses ordinary people—who are fully committed to Him—in extraordinary ways to change the world. If Ruth chapter 1 makes us sad, chapter 2 will make us glad! A period of famine will be turned into a season of abundance. Take a moment to read through this masterfully-written book of only 85 verses this week. Then join us this weekend as we take a look at what happened at the barley harvest and learn some profound lessons on the theme of kindness.

We start the second section of our focus on two Old Testament books—Jonah and Ruth—this weekend. Join us as we take a look at Ruth, which is a fascinating little book involving some mega themes like love, loss, disappointment, pain, intrigue, marriage, loyalty, family, and faith. It reflects so much of our own lives and the remarkable redemption story God can weave in the midst of our mess if we let Him. God gets thrilled by the idea of bringing His redemptive power to work and create beauty even in our messiness. And He excels in this. For extra credit, read Ruth 1 ahead of time!

Everyone has influence and everyone wins when a leader gets better! This annual conference is for anyone interested in becoming a better leader or discovering how God has wired you to lead. Be refreshed, renewed and sharpen your leadership skills.

Session 1 is a Q & A with Pastors Richard Fredericks and Rajendra Pillai, with an insightful look at Leadership Lessons. Session 2 featured guest speaker, Dr. David Anderson, Founder and Senior Pastor of Bridgeway Community Church in Columbia, MD, who spoke on GRACISM.

Okay, this is it. We are about to come up for air after our deep dive into a little Bible book about an angry, stubborn prophet asked by God to do something big that “by God--he just doesn’t want to do!” And the reflection in the mirror is unsettling. In Jonah’s final chapter it is God’s turn to come into sharp focus: His character, His concerns, His compassion and His last question to Jonah. A question left hanging in the air, still unanswered when the book ends—because it is a question for us too. How much are we really willing to accept God’s radical grace and compassion for people we neither like or value? How much are we willing to let God’s compassion guide us? How much will we trust God when He acts contrary to our settled agenda, then calls us to do the same? How deeply do we get God’s unearned grace for us? When push comes to shove, who is on the throne in my life…really? Join me this weekend as we close off the story that leaves us wrestling with the question.

Jonah confronts places in our life we don’t easily surrender to God as God. All of us. We love our faith in Jesus as long as it is a comforting idea that doesn’t interrupt our preferred routine, lifestyle, or altar our control of our preferred plans. But if we are truly following the risen LORD, He will, for our sake, interrupt our desire to have all of life on our terms--guaranteed. God does not see life as we do (Isaiah 55:8-9); and He calls us to go to new place of trust that require change and surrendering old affections or patterns. Then, suddenly, Jonah is very relevant. In week 4 of Running from God: A Deep Dive into Jonah we consider how many lines of comfort Jonah had to cross to do what God asks him to do and to care about people in the way God asks him to care. And we see more clearly a resemblance…

When Jonah was on the run from the LORD—the LORD used whatever means He deemed advisable to stop His prophet’s downward descent. First, the LORD “hurled” a great storm at Jonah’s ship, then the LORD determined the roll of the sailors dice (lots) so they pointed to Jonah, then He defeated those seasoned seafarers’ best efforts to save themselves and Jonah, and finally the LORD provided “a great fish” to take Jonah on a terrifying submarine ride of grace. This week is the tale of that whale and a whale of a tale (Jonah 1:17-2:10). The greater surprise in this chapter than the whale is that God could have easily said to this stubborn man: “To hell with you!” But He didn’t—and Jonah turned a corner. Part 3 of Running from God, a Deep Dive into Jonah considers what it took to break Jonah’s pride, as a context for reflecting on what it takes to break ours.

Imagine a situation when suddenly all eyes were on you—and serious questions started coming at you: “Who are you? Why are you here? What is your mission in life? What group or community do you define yourself by? What is your story?”

Those are key questions in any life and Jonah faced them while on the run from God. That led to a terrifying ride in a submarine of grace—that brought him right back to where he began when he first said “No” to God. Come join us as we sail into a life-defining storm this weekend, in week two of: Running from God, a Deep Dive into the Book of Jonah.

Ever run from God? Ever tried to head west when He says east? Tried to duck out when He says stand up? Are you running now? New Year’s Eve weekend Senior Pastor Richard Fredericks launches our January series on the tiny, powerful book of Jonah with this challenge: “It’s really not about the whale.” The heart of Jonah is about: “Running from God—how, where and why we do it.” In 48 verses total, Jonah explores our anger at God when He doesn’t meet our expectations, our second guessing of God’s will, and our aversion to caring about those not like us the way God does. Above all, Jonah is about God’s mercy and relentless grace reaching out to our proud hearts.

This is it! Christmas Eve. Our fifth candle, the Christ-Child, the promise fulfilled: “the rising Sun has come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death—to guide our feet into the path of peace” (Luke 1:78-79). We can so celebrate—because our role in this great story is not to generate the Light that dispels darkness or transforms death into a passing shadow. It is to receive Him who does all that, to embrace again the Gift of our God who “humbled Himself” so He could be with us and save us. Let’s come like the wise men—seeking, like the shepherds—adoring, like Mary—treasuring. Come.

We continue our Advent series this weekend on the Real Gifts of Christmas by looking at Joy and Peace. Advent means the anticipation of the arrival of something or someone. There is this longing, a yearning, an ache for Someone to enter into our world to set things right. So we wait in anticipation for the coming of Christ. His arrival promises us joy and peace, which can strike some of us as odd because of all that we see in our world today—wars, human trafficking, orphans, refugee crisis, hunger, poverty, divisiveness and so on. What is this joy, what is this peace and how can you and I experience it? Join us this weekend as we explore this question.

And don’t forget: come early as we will start right on time with our Annual Children & Youth Choir. It will be a joyous and dynamic service, one that you will not want to miss this Christmas season!