Pastor Brian Myers shows us the true meaning of the Christmas tree. He refers to the Christmas song... O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum... your boughs can teach a lesson. Traditions/lessons are rooted in the bible and over the centuries, Christians have come to celebrate Christmas with the Christmas tree. It is seen as the Tree of Life... just as Christ is to us.

Pastor Mark Hill shares with us his story, his milestones, that has brought him to today. Have we noticed that the bible is 50% narrative? Theology is set in the messiness of life. We need to ask ourselves: What stones has God asked me to set? Three points are: 1. Mnemonics: Remembering stones. 2. Hope in Common Ground amongst ourselves. 3. God is the Hero! We all have various "stones" throughout our lives... some are those that we have put to death, such as abandonment, self-centeredness, inadequacy and others that are worth celebrating, such as our heritage, the Gospel and scripture, trust and worship.

Pastor Brian helps us understand what Thanksgiving is all about. It is an attitude of gratitude. It is about having the Godly gratitude of a true American Christian and the other worldly attitude of a true pilgrim. It's about seeking God's Kingdom first! How do we become more of a true pilgrim? 1st-Be generous. 2nd-Don't complain. 3rd-Get to know God. 4th-Trust and obey. 5th-Let go and let God. 6th-Learn about heaven. 7th-Read the book of Ecclesiastes. And know that the best is yet to come!

Pastor Brian continues with our 40 Days of A Caring Community. As a caring community, we are creating an environment where our hearts and souls are softened... we are seasoning the environment... where we nourish our and others' souls. We have learned that we belong to each other and we need each other. Life is about relationships... with God and others. We have also learned about growing together, about serving together, and about reaching out together.

Pastor Brian Myers continues sharing what it takes to be a caring community. Having a generous spirit is at the heart of being a caring community and going passionately into the world. The sense of community is deepened by participation, contribution and generosity. The benefits of generosity are: 1. creates a strong community; 2. defeats greed (materialism); 3. strengthens your faith in God.

Pastor Brian Myers shares with us on what it takes to build a "TEAM". The first one is "Trust". The second one is "Empathy". The third one is "Accommodation". The fourth one is "Mission".

Pastor Brian Myers shares with us how to help each other grow better together. 1st way is to affirm each others' worth. We do this by showing acceptance, by showing attention, by showing affection and by showing appreciation. The 2nd way is by praying for each others' spiritual growth.

Pastor Brian continues in the 2nd week of how to deepen our caring community. He shares with us the four enemies that can destroy relationships and also offers the antidote/victory to the enemies. The four enemies are: selfishness, pride, insecurity and resentment. The four antidotes are: selflessness, humility, love and forgiveness. He ends the sermon with Colossians 3:14... Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Pastor Brian Myers explains to us the spiritual discipline of fasting and why we should fast. We become a sword in His hand... we are a weapon in the divine dimension.

Pastor Brian begins by showing us a video of the father and son team, Rick and Dick Hoyt and asks us the question,"Are you running alone?" We all need someone to lean on... lean on God. God also wants us to be inter-dependent with one another... not independent. Together has power! He begins with an introduction of why we need each other. 1. It's safer. 2. It's supportive. 3. It's smarter. 4. To witness with others. We need to look out for each others' souls and keep being concerned about one another. Community is God's answer to defeating satan. We will focus on deepening community within the church and then reach out into the community around the church. Under it all, we need to lean on Him!