FOUNT

We often carry burdens we aren't meant to in our own strength - circumstances, worry, fear, or guilt. Jesus came to release all of that from us, for us to receive rest rather than trying to achieve it. This Sunday, Filmore Bouldes preached on coming to Jesus to truly find our rest. We need to stop running to ourselves and recognize our need for help, for Jesus.

Jesus elevated a symbol of weakness, a child, as the greatest in the Kingdom. Our society tells us to hide our vulnerabilities, but Jesus, who entered this world clothed in the weakness of a newborn baby, calls us to that same childlike humility, vulnerability and dependency on our Father. This Sunday, Emmanuel Hastings shared a powerful message kicking off our Advent series, challenging us to push past the pride and self-reliance we often develop in our adulthood in order to recover our much-needed posture of humility and wonder. To live by God's strength and grace, we enter the Kingdom like a child.

Ambitious praise is the crescendo of our faith because praise reminds us of the One who saved us. This Sunday, Pastor Josh Kelsey urged us to live a life overflowing with praise and thanksgiving to God. Praise will always be the result of a life that is firmly rooted in Christ. The certainty of our faith will give us access to all the riches of God as we discover His great mystery.

Generosity is the way of the Kingdom. This Sunday, Pastor Josh Kelsey preached a message on Vision Sunday encouraging us to step out in our giving to build God's Kingdom in New York City and beyond. We give because we have already been accepted — not to earn salvation but out of the overflow of His grace in our lives. We release the miracle-working power of God when we give what may seem insignificant to us but can be used significantly by Him. May we be ambitious in our generosity, build the Kingdom and have hearts sown deeply in God's vision.

We need to use the ambition God has given us to lift up the name of Jesus in our city. This Sunday, Pastor Josh launched our November series AMBITION on seeking to reclaim our generation's desire to build the Kingdom of God. The God we serve is an ambitious God — like Abraham, we are called to step out of our limited tents, lift our eyes to His unlimited vision and count the stars. Nothing is impossible with God, and as we trust Him, we will see Him do more than we can imagine.

God is not looking at the eloquence of the words in our prayers — He's looking for our honesty, our heart. This Sunday, Pastor Josh Kelsey finished our Motel series with fresh insight into the Lord's Prayer. Prayer gives God access to our hearts and shapes our earthly desires into heavenly ones — shifting our focus off ourselves and onto Jesus and His Kingdom. The more we surrender to His will, the more earth will look like heaven.

We are made in love and wired for love through Christ. God gave us intellect, so our intellect is spiritual and God-breathed but functions fully when we're connected to the Vine, the Holy Spirit. This Sunday special guest speaker and cognitive neuroscientist, Dr. Caroline Leaf linked scientific principles of the brain to spiritual, intellectual and emotional issues in a practical way. We have a responsibility to steward and step into God's leading in our minds.

What is the state of the internal conversation going on in your life? This Sunday, Pastor Josh Kelsey continued in our Motel series, sharing one of David's Psalms and challenging us to shift our internal dialogue from that which is temporary to the eternal. Through remembering what God has done for us, we overcome the negative thinking that tries to dominate our internal conversation and are free to be a blessing to others. When we remember His goodness, we discover that Grace is a love that will never stop pursuing us.

The earth was always designed as a reflection of heaven. This Sunday, Pastor Josh continued in our Motel series, encouraging us to live out our calling as citizens of Heaven. Jesus is our great leader of this kingdom of grace, and He's given us the rights, privileges, and authority to represent Him here on earth. Through Him, we can live in freedom knowing that His love has secured our future.