Written In Stone - Exodus 20:16: Remember Pinocchio? His nose grew anytime he told a lie. Ever wished that there was some tell-tale sign that would incriminate dishonesty? I have. Until I'm forced to take a long, hard look in the mirror only to discover that I've been guilty of shading the truth to my own advantage. The truth is, we all have a tendency to tell little white lies – to make others think more highly of us, to keep from being punished, or a host of other reasons. This weekend we'll take a look at the downside of dishonesty and discover ways that we can move from the shadows into the light. Maybe then, like Pinocchio, we can get our wish of becoming real.

Written In Stone - Exodus 20:14: We live in an age when personal pleasure, choice and fulfillment are some of our new gods. It is not surprising that in this environment God's countercultural call to a lifetime of loving, exclusive, faithfulness is mocked, challenged and ignored. The world says that doing what makes me happy brings freedom. But God, who made us in his image, knows that living his way is the only way to be truly free. The world is longing for real intimacy and we are called to show them what that looks like with our very lives, as we live out a restored relationship with God and each other.

Written In Stone - Exodus 20:13: We learned it first on the school playground: Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me. It wasn't true as kids and it certainly isn't true as adults. Jesus takes the sixth commandment, don't kill people to a whole new level in terms of anger management and personal commitments to others. We'll cover some very sensitive ground this weekend as we consider how we relate to others. Are we really pro-life or just pro-birth? Are there other options for caring for vulnerable people beyond helping them die? What does thou shalt not kill mean to a society embracing physician assisted death? How do we respond to that person who annoys us at work or hurts us at school? It's the shortest of the commandments with the longest of implications for today.

Written In Stone - Matthew 22:34-40: People in Jesus's day faced many of the same issues we do. They, too, lived with a culture of fear, violence, paranoia, terrorism, injustice, political instability, suspicion and corruption. Not only that, the first-century church was deeply divided over race and social status as well. Too often, the modern church is too. But God's response to all of this is the same today as it was yesterday—it's called the Greatest Commandment. God commands us to love one another with all we got, and to love others as much as we love ourselves. This is Christianity 101—the gospel message distilled. If ever a world needed to respond like this, it's today. Come to church this weekend and be challenged to begin to make a difference in a world turned upside down.

Written In Stone - Exodus 20:12: Honor your Father and Mother: We face the realities of being human and raising humans. What scriptures apply to how we treat our parents? What if they don't deserve to be honored? How do our parents affect the way we interact with the world? We will understand that honoring doesn't mean a perfect relationship. It also doesn't mean we use their imperfections and many mistakes to have no honor for them at all. Jesus told His disciples: I am among you as one who serves. He served those who wouldn't listen and even those who would forsake Him. He served and loved them anyway. This week's Commandment challenges us to do the same thing…to honor our father and mother regardless of the season we are in. And regardless of the season they are in.

Written In Stone - Exodus 20:8-11: I can hardly wait to hear what I have to say this weekend! That's the predominant emotion I'm feeling as I think about preaching on commandment # 4 … to honour the Sabbath! There's a lot of growth areas in my life and few are as prevalent as my need to understand Sabbath and rest and God's delight in me. I've revelled in study this week and am so excited to be a fellow student in the journey of life as we consider the gift of Sabbath and how to unwrap it. This might be one of the most important sermons I've preached in a very long time. It may even save our lives and our souls. That's a bold claim (I know!) but such is the gift of the rest of God.

Written In Stone - Exodus 20:4-7: Graven images. We don't know so much about them. We're not sure commandment # 2 has much to do with our lives. And taking the Lord's name in vain? (Commandment # 3) Words might slip out on occasion that we regret but not that often. Maybe this weekend won't be that relevant for us. Or maybe it will! Come this weekend and allow your understanding of who God is to expand and grow and then watch your life and legacy expand and grow!

Written In Stone - Exodus 20:1-3: Rules. Just the mention of the word makes many of us cringe and get our backs up. For some reason our automatic reaction to rules is to want to break them – or at least find all the loopholes so we can get as close to the line as possible without actually crossing it. It seems that many people tend to see the Ten Commandments this way – as a list of outdated, restrictive, lifeless rules. But what if we looked at the Ten Commandments from another perspective? What if we saw them as God’s love letter to us? A path to live life as it was meant to be lived – to the absolute fullest – without fear, pain or regret? Join us this Canada Day weekend as we launch a new series on the Ten Commandments. What we’ll discover together, is that this enduring document – written in stone – can provide a solid foundation to build our lives upon. It will be a Family Service that I believe our kids, seniors – and everyone in between – will find engaging, relevant and meaningful. Hope to see you there! Pastor Scott - Worship Arts Pastor

#awesomelife - 1 Chronicles 28: Just do it. Nike’s built a billion dollar industry on the back of that slogan. In our action-oriented world where we become a little cynical about words without actions, it hits the right note within us. Just Say Yes is the theme of our services this weekend. It’s not intended to be a pull yourself up by your boot straps and take charge of your life kind of message. My hope is that we’ll see again how amazing Jesus is … how deeply He wants to transform our stories … how saying yes to Him is always the best decision we can make in life and how it is the pathway to the awesome life we all long for!

#awesomelife - 1 Chronicles 28: Dad. A son's first hero … a daughter's first love. For many of us, this is a profoundly true statement. Our Dad's have shaped us, taught us, believed in us, prayed for us, and inspired us. So much of who we have become is because of the father the Ultimate Father has blessed us with. Many will celebrate Dad this weekend … and some of us, sadly, will only be allowed to remember his influence in our lives. And a few of us will shed tears of sadness because of the incredibly complex relationship that exists. Wherever you are in the journey, I encourage you to join us this weekend as we remember our Good, Good Father and as we learn how to be dads and honor dads appropriately.