Have you ever experienced those negative "buts" in life? For example, "You really excelled in completing that project but . . . ". Or, "You're really a nice person but . . . " We've all had those moments when the proverbial air was taken out of our emotional tire by the dreaded "but".

However, we're going to turn the tables and begin a new message series looking at God's positive "buts" as revealed in Scripture. This Sunday, Pastor Ian explored how God's reality for us is "Not Anxiety . . . But Peace".

At Church of the Rock Calgary, we're about transformation. We're not arrogant enough to think we can accomplish this on our own, but we believe that when we experience true relationship with Jesus, our lives are forever changed for the better. This Sunday we had the privilege of hearing a story of transformation from one of our very own, Gerry Klein. Gerry has been a valuable part of our church family since the early days, and she has a powerful story of how her identity was transformed by Jesus. Wherever you are at today, we believe that all stories become treasure when they're transformed by God.

"Follow Your Heart." We live in a day and age where that phrase is often our united anthem: "Don't know what to do, where to go, or who to be? Just follow your heart - you'll find your way." In an era where it feels more confusing than ever to discover who we were created to be, Dr. Clem Ferris shares with us the only true guide for our lives: the one who was always meant to lead our hearts rather than our hearts leading us.

"And they lived happily ever after..." We hear that phrase so often in stories and yet anyone who's ever tried to stick it out in any type of relationship can affirm that life's not that easy. As humans, we often look to other people to satisfy the deep longings and desires of our hearts. If we're not careful, we can heap all those expectations onto others, get disappointed when they don't get met, and then become hard-hearted with resentment and bitterness. In this Valentine's week message, Pastor Val shares the need to trade our inadequate love for God's love - to let Him romance our stone heart back to life.

Don't you hate it when you don't have all the pieces to a puzzle? Or that moment where you know that if you could just find that ONE tool - the job would make sense and could be completed? Christianity can be like that. For many people, Christianity is the secret recipe for success - the key to a happy life. But then we face "trouble" in this world that appears to contradict what we thought we were promised, and we become disillusioned and confused. In "The Christian Myth", Russell Byrd unpacks a false view of Christianity that many of us fall into - and points us back towards the true promise of the Christian faith.

Understanding who we are in Christ, embracing our true identity, and rejecting the lies of the enemy are keys to living a successful and fruitful Christian life. In this message, Pastor Ian shares the liberating power we receive when we embrace our God-given self-image.

Why do we need each other? Not only does community provide a family for the fight, the cure for crowded loneliness, and help us to break out of patterns of "non-missional" living. Community is where true transformation happens. Pastor Dave Wells, current leader of LifeLinks International, shares with us the transformational power of community as we walk together to advance God's Kingdom.

In the beginning, God created us for Community - "It is not good for man to be alone." Jesus lived it and affirmed it: "Love God and love your neighbour." But to limit our sole purpose for life on this Earth to community would do all of us a great disservice. Before leaving this Earth, Jesus gave one final command: go into all the world, share the good news of salvation, and make disciples in my name. We've all heard of the great commission, but have we learned how to live it out - each and every day? in Part 3 of "Created For Community", Cacey Byrd shares the urgent need to break out of the patterns of this world and invest the talent God has given us each in advancing His Kingdom mission.

Living in a large urban centre like Calgary can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation. So, how can we combat this? How can we experience genuine relationship in a crowded and busy world?

In the second installment of our series, "Created For Community", Pastor Ian identifies several barriers that crowd out the very community we need in order to thrive in our lives.

Living in a large urban centre like Calgary can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation. So, how can we combat this? How can we experience genuine relationship in a crowded and busy world?

For the next four weeks, "Created for Community" will look at how God intended the local church to provide the relational glue to bring people together.

This week Pastor Ian begins with "A Family for the Fight" - how in real community we can stand with others in their challenges and also have them support us in ours.