Look up. Look down. Look back. Look forward. Believe it or not that is how Jesus teaches us to pray.  Join us this week as we listen to Jesus' teaching on prayer, and seek to be a people of prayer.  A people believing what Jesus believes about his Heavenly Father, trusting that when we do our resilience will grow.

Research shows that resilience is something we can build and grow in our lives, and we believe it is something we can build and grow in our faith.  Join us this week as we begin our new series on how we can be a resilient people and a resilient church.  No matter what 2024 might bring us, might our resilience enable us to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

What might it be like to be those shepherds watching the fields by night, only to be stunned with the sight and sound of a host of angels lighting up the night sky? Why does God often show up to these lowly folks? It's interesting how often this happens in scripture... perhaps it's really important? I think so, so pay attention!

We are being called to wake up, because there is work to do in preparing for the arrival of Jesus. In the scriptures, John the Baptist is out preparing the way for the arrival of Jesus. His message is still relevant to us today as we prepare for the arrival of the Christ Child.

Sermon Scripture Text: Mark 1:1-8

"Prepare The Way Of The Lord" – S03E92 of Grow Deeper: A Bluff Park UMC Podcast

Welcome to the Grow Deeper podcast. I'm pastor Ross Furio from Bluff Park United Methodist Church in Hoover, Alabama. Each week I share my Sunday sermon, and occasion guest preachers, on the podcast to inspire and encourage you to grow in faith and in life. I'm glad you've joined me on this journey.

#Preparation #JohnTheBaptist

What would make you filled with joy? Really-what would it take? In today's message Pastor Ross talks about Mary's Song and what true joy looks like.

Sermon Scripture Text: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

"Drawing Toward One Another" – S03E93 of Grow Deeper: A Bluff Park UMC Podcast

Welcome to the Grow Deeper podcast. I'm pastor Ross Furio from Bluff Park United Methodist Church in Hoover, Alabama. Each week I share my Sunday sermon, and occasional guest preachers, on the podcast to inspire and encourage you to grow in faith and in life. I'm glad you've joined me on this journey.

#advent #relationships #joy

Advent, a word that means "the coming," invites us to consider ways in which we can recognize God's presence even in the midst of our seasons of waiting. The Apostle Paul and the Thessalonian church that he writes to in scripture knew quite well the experience of seeking God's presence in times of waiting as they faced persecutions and other great costs for their commitment to Christ. In today's sermon, we look to the the example of these first century Christians to perhaps glean ways in which we can make our Advent seasons less of a time of holiday burnout and more a time of slowing down enough to create more space for God to act, specifically in our communities and through our relationships.

Sermon Scripture Text: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

"Drawing Toward One Another" – S03E93 of Grow Deeper: A Bluff Park UMC Podcast

Welcome to the Grow Deeper podcast. I'm pastor Ross Furio from Bluff Park United Methodist Church in Hoover, Alabama. Each week I share my Sunday sermon, and occasional guest preachers, on the podcast to inspire and encourage you to grow in faith and in life. I'm glad you've joined me on this journey.

#advent #relationships

We are being called to wake up, because there is work to do in preparing for the arrival of Jesus. In the scriptures, John the Baptist is out preparing the way for the arrival of Jesus. His message is still relevant to us today as we prepare for the arrival of the Christ Child.

Sermon Scripture Text: Mark 1:1-8

"Prepare The Way Of The Lord" – S03E92 of Grow Deeper: A Bluff Park UMC Podcast

Welcome to the Grow Deeper podcast. I'm pastor Ross Furio from Bluff Park United Methodist Church in Hoover, Alabama. Each week I share my Sunday sermon, and occasion guest preachers, on the podcast to inspire and encourage you to grow in faith and in life. I'm glad you've joined me on this journey.

#Preparation #JohnTheBaptist

As a society, we are attracted to the language of royalty. At the end of the Christian year, we reflect on Jesus as our King - the King of Kings. When the prophet Isaiah talks about Jesus, he tells us that a very different kind of king is coming into our world. Today we reflect on what it means to bow down to Christ the King and how that will change us and our world.

Sermon Scripture Text: Isaiah 9:1-7

"Christ The King" – S03E91 of Grow Deeper: A Bluff Park UMC Podcast

Welcome to the Grow Deeper podcast. I'm pastor Ross Furio from Bluff Park United Methodist Church in Hoover, Alabama. Each week I share my Sunday sermon, and occasion guest preachers, on the podcast to inspire and encourage you to grow in faith and in life. I'm glad you've joined me on this journey.

#ChristTheKing #KingOfKings

As we prepare for the Thanksgiving Holiday we take time to reflect on the gratitude we have for all that God has done for us. Living in gratitude is good for our faith and it's even good for our health. Pastor Ross shares some key steps we can all take to live our lives from a place of gratitude.

Sermon Scripture Text: Luke 17:11-19

"Thanks Be To God" – S03E90 of Grow Deeper: A Bluff Park UMC Podcast

Welcome to the Grow Deeper podcast. I'm pastor Ross Furio from Bluff Park United Methodist Church in Hoover, Alabama. Each week I share my Sunday sermon, and occasion guest preachers, on the podcast to inspire and encourage you to grow in faith and in life. I'm glad you've joined me on this journey.

#gratitude #thanksgiving