Georgianna

Sermon by Pastor Corky Calhoun

Well in twenty years of ministry I have preached the subject of "forgiveness" from every angle and I am not sure anyone ever likes it. I don't usually get a lot of "atta boy" emails the next Monday. The truth is it's not a subject that generally promotes church attendance, and it's not a subject that generates enthusiasm among the faithful. Now if I were to preach on retributional justice for those who have hurt us, well it might just be standing room only. I believe there are some things we all share in common; we have ALL been hurt by others, we have ALL hurt others and ALL of us have sinned against God. It's a crowded boat this forgiveness boat. You see, the Bible teaches comparative forgiveness, the forgiven are expected to forgive...end of story. So how do you pray for some one who has hurt you, when what you want to do is see Old Testament Justice incinerate them? Well I believe you have to go stand at the foot of the cross and face your own shortcomings and sins, then if your heart isn't completely stone you will get it, and the "it" is how much we have been forgiven. At least that is what I do. Not sure Sunday will be an easy day, it for sure won't be as funny and wonderful as Nathans sermon was last week, but I'm gonna preach it anyway. Who knows, it may be the sermon some of us need to hear most. See ya Sunday!

Sermon By Youth Pastor Nathan Walter

As we continue to study great prayers of the Bible, this week we will look at a conversation that Jacob has with God. It is a short prayer, but one that has the power to change his destiny. This simple prayer is not remarkable due to it's length or Jacob's wisdom, but because of it's honesty. A simple, honest conversation with God. Often, it is precisely these conversations that make us uncomfortable, but these prayers are the ones with the power to restore us. These are the prayers with the power to change our destinies.

Sermon by Pastor Corky Calhoun

Sermon by Corky Calhoun

Great Prayers: Teach Me
The enthusiasm for our 2018 vision has been overwhelming, and people are excited about being in Gods word and better steering their prayer lives. This Sunday we are going to look at the Lords Prayer, specifically the prayer that Jesus taught when the disciples asked..."Teach Us to Pray"! Its always been interesting to me what the disciples didn't ask Jesus to teach them. They didn't ask him to teach them to heal, or speak in tongues, or cast out demons, or any of the other supernatural cool stuff Jesus was doing every day in their midst. They asked him, to teach them to pray. I have always believed that its not "how" we pray, or "what" we pray, that matters as much as "why" we pray. In the church it always boils down to "why" we do anything. Intentionality about Jesus is always the answer to the "why" questions of our faith. Join us Sunday as we begin walking through the great examples of prayers that we can apply immediately to our everyday life. If you did not get a Bible reading/prayer journal Sunday you can pick one up this Sunday.

Sermon by Corky Calhoun

This Sunday we will be casting our Vision for 2018. There are many reasons that this is an important day in the life of our church, but the most important is so that we would be united behind a central theme for who Christ is calling us to be as a church. The Bible says "where there is no vision the people perish" and we see examples of this all the time. One of the greatest sources of fragmentation I see in other churches is the fact that they are chasing lots of agendas and are not united by a singular focus. This failure of focus depletes enthusiasm, energy, resources and passion. The end result is that the Kingdom is not advanced, it thus becomes a ministry of running in place, which leaves people unsatisfied and exhausted. This Sunday we will also be placing in your hand a tool to help you in the coming year maintain your spiritual focus. Join us Sunday for what will be an exciting day.

Sermon by Pastor Corky Calhoun

This Sunday is typically a throw away day in the church calendar. That is what I was told in Seminary. I remember hearing that and thinking, how could this be? The church has pre-decided that no one comes on this last Sunday of the year, so don't put to much into it. Not on my watch! Years ago I decided that I would preach this sermon as a declaration that in the Kingdom of God, where the gospel is proclaimed there are NO throw away days. Georgianna, I believe we live in a world of spiritual warfare, I believe we have a real enemy bent on our destruction, and I believe the darkness cannot overcome us. Gods incarnate invasion that we celebrated last week meant "game on" for our enemy. As we bring 2017 to a close and reflect on the Impact we had and the impacts we missed, I want us to do it with confidence that we are children of light and cannot be defeated. I want us attacking the flipping of the calendar with brazen boldness and prepare for the year to come as people who have already been declared victorious. Can't wait to see you this Sunday as we finish our year together and charge into 2018!

Sermon by Community Care Pastor Janice Shepard

Christmas Day Sermon 2017

Sermon by Youth Pastor Nathan Walter

As we look at the Christmas story, there are three different reactions to the birth of Jesus. First, there was the reaction of Herod, the reaction of hatred and hostility. Herod was afraid that this child was going to interfere with his life, his place, his power, his influence, and so his first instinct was to destroy Him. This battle still wages today, and we often see it as a war on Christians, but it is against Jesus himself. We want to do what we like and Christ will not let us.
The second reaction is the reaction of the priests, the innkeeper, and all of Bethlehem. This reaction was one of complete indifference. Their story comes so close to the greatest story on earth and they missed it. The final reaction is that of the wise men, the reaction of adoring worship. They desired to lay at Jesus' feet the noblest gifts they could bring. When we look at the characters in this story, which one are we? I don't think anyone would claim to be Herod, but do we truly go as far as the wise men when it comes to the adoration of our Savior on Christmas? Or do we find that, when we truly look within, we are most like the town of Bethlehem? Are we too wrapped up in ourselves, in the everyday, or even in the Christmas season, to notice what is happening just next door?

Sermon By Pastor Corky Calhoun
So I hinted last Sunday that I refuse to battle culture over who owns Christmas, and quite frankly I think we lost that battle decades ago. I am more interested in us getting it right in our own church and not succumbing to Christmas add-ons, that I think would be unrecognizable to Jesus. So when I hear people talking about wanting to return Christ to CHRISTmas, I need you to know I am more interested in us returning Christ to CHRISTians. I spend most of Advent asking myself is our Christmas recognizable to Jesus for who our reveling is named? Are we conscious about who we are spending our time with and what we are doing with our resources? Essentially, do these activities Glorify the Babe born in the manger or do we do them for some one else or even for ourselves? This is what makes the Shepherds unlikely guests at the "Reveal" party. I can picture the angels working on the invitation list and then Jesus say's, oh yea invite the Shepherds. Then the Angels in shock say...whoa Jesus slow your roll a bit, the Shepherds? Uh, excuse me son of God but have you smelled a shepherd lately, they're not exactly sterile folks. Then I hear Jesus say, "I am the Good Shepherd"...these are my people. Don't exclude them! Join us Sunday as we see how the Shepherds presence in the Inn Crowd, ensure that none of us who have the stench of sin on us are excluded from the benefits of a Savior!

Sermon by Pastor Corky Calhoun

I believe that everyone can be found in the manger scene, its why we called our Advent series the Inn Crowd. We all can be found at the scene of this unlikely way God chooses to save the world. Some are a part of God's family already, like Mary and Joseph. Some are marginalized by culture and circumstances, outsiders to the faith, outcasts from the world, like the Shepherds. Some are seeking, knowing there has to be something more, something deeper, like the Wise Men who come. Some are like the Inn Keeper, who fails to recognize the opportunity in front of him, and makes no room either in his home or his heart for the Christ child. And every Nativity Scene I have ever seen has a Donkey...I hope none of us are the Christmas Donkey. The fact is Joseph is a remarkable man of God and yet he has no lines in the Christmas story. What he does have is unwavering obedience. I think the Kingdom of God is desperately searching for more than a few good men, Godly men, men of integrity and character, men of action, men who are honorable and men who can be trusted with your wife and sister. Increasingly, there seems to be fewer of these men in our world. I rarely do this, but I believe this is one of those sermons that every man in our church should be present to hear. As men, we need to be asking what kind of man am I? What kind of father am I? What kind of husband am I? Who am I modeling my manhood after? I think every young unmarried woman in our church needs to be here to hear it. Because there is a kind of man you should want, and to settle for anything less might just get you less than God desired you to have. The Biblical Simple Christmas is a powerful story, and we are all in it. Sunday we will look at one of the really good guys of faith...Joseph!