FOUNT

This Sunday Pastor Josh Kelsey reminds us that while change is inevitable, Christ never changes. Seasons shift, cities move, life turns but Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We often try to freeze the good or fast-forward the hard, yet God uses both to form us. Change is the classroom, and His character is the curriculum.

Stop clinging. Stop rushing. Trust the One who anchors you through every season.

In this week's Leadership Lessons, we reflect on Matthew 5:5: "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."

Meekness is not weakness, it's inner confidence in God that produces humility, security, and true strength. The world tells us to build our own confidence to get ahead; Jesus calls us to lay down self-reliance so He can form unshakable trust in Him.

Pastor Kevin Myers reminds us that when our confidence is rooted in Christ, we don't have to grasp for recognition, push for influence, or cling to resources. We lead from rest, stewarding our gifts in step with the Spirit because the Holy Spirit is drawn to meekness.

This Sunday Pastor Josh Kelsey reminds us that our own goodness will never meet God's standard. In Matthew 5:20 and 5:48, Jesus raises the bar to perfection not to discourage us, but to show that only His righteousness can save. The Pharisees measured themselves against people. Jesus says the measure is God Himself. At the cross, He took our imperfection and gave us His perfection. In His resurrection, He gave us new hearts so we live from love, not performance.

Stop comparing. Stop striving. Receive the righteousness only Jesus can give.

Matthew 15:21–28. While others begged Jesus to send the Canaanite woman away, she refused to back down, revealing a desperation that moved heaven.

Jesus' silence wasn't rejection, but invitation. Her faith pressed past offense, and her response gave her access to covenant promises she wasn't even "qualified" for. Pastor Ryan Schlachter reminds us: breakthrough often comes when we let Jesus offend our expectations. Even the crumbs of His presence are more than enough.

Desperation that draws near is the door to divine encounter.

In this week's Leadership Lessons, we reflect on Jesus' words in Matthew 7:6: "Do not cast your pearls before swine." This powerful call to discernment urges us to steward what's holy with wisdom. Our time, counsel, and spiritual authority are precious meant to be sown into receptive hearts, not wasted on those who mock or reject truth.

Pastor Ryan Schlachter reminds us this isn't about giving up on people, but about honoring what God is doing by protecting Kingdom resources and setting healthy boundaries. As we lead, may we guard the culture of honor, invest wisely, and grow in spiritual maturity becoming more effective in building God's Kingdom.

This Sunday Dr. Michael Maiden reminds us that God can turn even our darkest moments into something beautiful. The story of Joseph from Genesis serves as a profound example of how God works all things for good. Despite betrayal, false accusations, and imprisonment, Joseph's unwavering faith and forgiveness led to his ultimate triumph.

While people can steal our possessions, they can never take away our God-given destiny. This is our invitation for us to examine our own lives, urging us to forgive those who have wronged us and to keep dreaming, knowing that God's timing is perfect and He can restore what was lost.

In this week's Leadership Lessons, our Production Director David Walker calls us to rediscover our identity as masterpieces formed by the hands of the divine Craftsman. Through Isaiah 64:8 and Psalm 139:13–14, we're reminded that we are not mass-produced beings, but uniquely and intentionally shaped by God—the Potter who knows every detail of our design.

This truth reframes how we see ourselves and others: not as broken or unfinished, but as raw materials full of purpose, awaiting refinement. The Potter doesn't discard what's imperfect. He molds it with care. As we submit to the shaping process through prayer, Scripture, and Christ-centered community, we begin to reflect the beauty and function we were always meant to carry.

Let this be a call to stop striving for manufactured perfection and instead surrender to the One who sees masterpiece potential in every part of us. In His hands, we're not just formed we're purposed to participate in His creative work in the world.

Sin doesn't just want a piece of you it wants all of you.

In Matthew 5:29–30, Jesus uses intense language to show how seriously we should treat sin. He's not asking us to self-mutilate, but to cut off anything that keeps us bound. It's a call to action, not passivity to flee from what entices us, before it devours us.

Pastor Amy Perez reminds us that inaction is just as dangerous as wrong action. Like David with Bathsheba, it often starts with small compromises. But God's grace isn't just to forgive it's to train us. Discipline isn't legalism; it's the path to freedom.

What we surrender may feel costly, but what we gain in Christ is worth far more.

In this week's Leadership Lessons, Pastor Ryan Schlachter rediscovers the transformative power of the secret place in our spiritual lives. Matthew 6:5–8, shows us that true intimacy with God isn't found in public displays of piety but in private, uninterrupted communion with Him.

This reminds us that the secret place isn't just a physical location but a posture of presence where distractions fade and identity is formed. It's there that hypocrisy is stripped away, resilience is built, and real relationship with our Creator takes root. As we prioritize time alone with God even when it costs us comfort, sleep, or convenience, we tap into a strength that sustains us in every storm. Let this be a call to rebuild and remain in the secret place, knowing that what happens there empowers everything we do in the open.

Discipleship isn't about what we lose, it's about what we gain.

This Sunday Pastor Amy Perez dived into Jesus' challenging words from Luke 14, where He calls us to prioritize Him above all else. It's not about "hating" our families, but about examining our misplaced loves and hidden influences that may shape us contrary to the gospel.

Through personal stories and biblical examples, we are challenged to break free from generational patterns and align our lives with God's Kingdom. Discipleship is costly, but it's also transformative. In losing our old selves, we gain membership in heaven's family.

This is the way of the Kingdom. The way of radical surrender.