Great Lakes Church

What Goes Around Comes Around: Sometimes a saying that has religious roots ends up being assumed as part of all religions. This sort of principle is one of them. The issue for someone who’s following Jesus though, is that it isn’t anywhere in the Bible. In fact, Jesus taught something more interesting, and far more difficult.

Does God Only Help Those Who Help Themselves?: Somehow we need to find just the right amount of effort to trigger God’s help. Is there a scale that measures how much helping ourselves we’ve done? If there is, we aren’t privy to it so we work extra hard, dream extra big and hope God’s feeling helpful that day. The problem with that thinking is thinking we can get God to submit to our will. In reality, we need to submit to his.

Is Money Evil?: A lot of us grew up thinking money was the root of all evil. And that had us believing that good Christians are broke Christians. But somewhere along the line, we forgot a few words in that often misquoted verse: the love of… Money itself has no moral value. How we view it and use it though, does.

Should I Trust My Heart: Oftentimes, when we’re trying to make a big decision, someone will say, “Just listen to your heart.” But instead of our heart serving us, it will frequently betray us and leave us with regret and frustration. Even though we might think that phrase comes from the Bible, it doesn’t… unless we’re talking about an entirely different heart.

Why So Much of the New Testament is Written By Paul: If you’ve ever wondered why most of the second half of the Bible is written by Paul instead of Jesus, you’re in good company. The good news is that there’s a legitimate reason. Paul spends almost every word of his letters helping us answer the question: so now what?

Is the Old Testament Meaningful: Have you ever read part of the Old Testament and wondered, "What does this have to do with me?" The answer is simpler than you think: it's a story that's going somewhere. In this talk, we'll see how Abraham, Moses, the Law, the Temple, and the Prophets all point to the same destination—Jesus.

What is Genesis About: The first chapters of Genesis have divided people, churches, and families for centuries. Is it a fable? Did God literally create everything in seven days? How could that even be possible? But what if we're asking questions Moses never intended to answer? What if Genesis is less about how God created the world and more about who created it? That changes everything.

What We’re Reading: Many people assume Christianity began with the Bible. But what if it was actually the other way around? Discover how eyewitness accounts of Jesus sparked a movement that eventually produced the Bible itself. Whether you're skeptical, curious, or exploring faith for the first time, this talk may change the way you see it all.

Pay Attention to Your Intentions: Money, acceptance, or security can be so appealing and often leads us away from the path we really want to be on. So we end up in places we don’t want to be; and we think we got there unintentionally. What do we do when we encounter those distractions in life? Good news: you have a choice, so you better know the options.

Follow: We all start out life with great intentions. But our intentions aren’t good indicators of our destinations. In fact, our direction trumps our intention every time. That’s why we all need to follow someone we trust. Someone who can make our lives better and make us better at life. We all have a decision to make. If not Jesus, then who?