Message from Joe Cotroneo on November 28, 2021

Waiting isn't one of my favorite activities. Nor was it apparently for the first generation of Christ followers. In fact, James, when pastoring his church, noticed that the people were having a really hard time trying to make it through the hard stuff of life. Most of his church family had their lives entirely upended by persecution and they were really starting to lose hope. It seemed like time was standing still for them and things never seemed to be changing for the better. Stress was at an all time high for many of them. So, pastor James shares with them something that he no doubt learned by growing up in the same home with his older brother Jesus. He shared with them how their faith works when time seems to stand still during particularly painful or difficult seasons. If you or someone you know is experiencing stress at an all time high or just simply facing some hard things, let them know God has an encouraging message for them this Sunday at church. Join us as we learn how faith works when life stands still.

This week, James is going to be addressing a subject that most of us, if not all of us, feel very uncomfortable talking about. It's the subject of money and how we are currently managing it. I'm sure there are times we can all resonate with how one author described his relationship with money. "If money could talk, all it would ever say to me is goodbye."

James boldly and directly elevates our perspective of how we manage our bank accounts by calling us to submit our opinions about money to God's plans and His agenda. He is going to raise four questions that will undoubtedly teach us how to make every dollar count for His glory and His kingdom.

Message from Joe Cotroneo on November 7, 2021

Family pictures, I sort of have a love/hate relationship with them. Sure, I love being with the family and getting all dressed up, but it's the change that is captured in the pictures from year to year that honestly tends to bother me the most. In particular, it's the people that are no longer in the pictures that I'm talking about. Grandma isn't in the picture because she went home to be with the Lord this past winter. Or, Uncle Bill isn't in the picture any more because he and my aunt are now split up. Or even more difficult, it's your sibling or your son that isn't there because of the strife and tension in the family. Family pictures have a way of bringing this sort of thing out.

Well, this week James is going to show us how to handle any dysfunctional relationship in such a way that it can lead toward peace and reconciliation. And it has everything to do with living with the right type of wisdom. Hope you can join us as we continue to dive into God's Word together.