New Direction Christian Community Church

Part 4 of the series "Don't Make Me Tell You How I Really Feel!" — Pastor Chris Welch

Scripture: James 1:19-20 (supporting: Proverbs 18:21; 17:28)

In this series finale, Pastor Chris Welch returns to James 1:19-20 and the call to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger — facing life's troubles, trials, and temptations with intellect, not emotion. Drawing on Proverbs 18:21 ("death and life are in the power of the tongue") and Proverbs 17:28, he gives four reasons being slow to speak matters: it protects relationships, because words once spoken can never be unspoken; it multiplies understanding, because you can't truly listen while you're already forming your reply; it adds weight to your words, because measured, deliberate speech commands respect; and it builds self-discipline and humility, training us to process before we speak instead of fighting for the last word. And the closing word: this is not about sweeping your feelings under the rug — there is a time, a place, and a way to express how you feel that does not destroy the other person.

Recorded live at New Direction Christian Community Church, Sunday, October 25, 2026.

Worship with us Sundays at 10:00 AM CT — in person at 2670 Spring Creek Dr, Spring, TX 77373, or online at newdirectionccc.org.

Watch the full service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1qcdcSo9mI

Part 3 of the series "Don't Make Me Tell You How I Really Feel!" — Pastor Chris Welch

Scripture: James 1:19-20

Your feelings aren't the problem — how and when you express them can be. In this message, Pastor Chris Welch teaches from James 1:19-20 why spiritual maturity means being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. When we're in our feelings, we stop truly hearing people — and a person who never learns to listen will never be able to receive. Discover how the Holy Spirit, our Aid and Comforter, walks with us, speaks to us through the Word, and helps us process pressure and frustration before they explode and cause damage.

Recorded live at New Direction Christian Community Church, Sunday, October 18, 2026.

Worship with us Sundays at 10:00 AM CT — in person at 2670 Spring Creek Dr, Spring, TX 77373, or online at newdirectionccc.org.

Watch the full service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wmcXKqjNO0

Part 1 of the series "Don't Make Me Tell You How I Really Feel!" — Pastor Chris Welch

Scripture: James 1:19-20

In this series opener, Pastor Chris Welch opens James 1:19-20 — be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry — and warns that the most dangerous words are the unspoken ones. Feelings we withhold don't vanish; they accumulate like dirt swept under a mat, quietly eroding relationships while assumptions replace facts. Being quick to listen means prioritizing understanding over responding — seek first to understand before being understood — and restraining the urge to defend, interrupt, or dominate the conversation. And there's a difference between reacting and responding: reactions are automatic and driven by our emotions, but a response is guided by wisdom and self-control. Slow down, listen, and you'll be able to respond intelligently instead of reacting emotionally.

Recorded live at New Direction Christian Community Church, Sunday, October 4, 2026.

Worship with us Sundays at 10:00 AM CT — in person at 2670 Spring Creek Dr, Spring, TX 77373, or online at newdirectionccc.org.

Watch the full service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1qcdcSo9mI

Part 4 of the series "Holding It Together While Falling Apart" — Pastor Chris Welch

Scripture: Matthew 14:22-32

In the finale of the series, Pastor Welch says it plainly: "This is my last little sermon in this series" — and that he still needs help himself. Saying "I'm fine" does not mean you're okay; being high-functioning does not mean you aren't deeply fractured. Returning to Peter on the water, Welch preaches that Peter asked to get out of the boat — better to be with Jesus outside the boat than to die with the other eleven in it — and that the wrong decision is the one made alone, without consulting God, even when God's move isn't logical. Sinking, he says, is a process, not a flash: Peter saw the wind, and then began to sink, slowly. So stop fighting like someone fighting a lifeguard — the more you fight, the more you sink. Pride holds it together while drowning; humility drops the front and hollers, "Lord, save me." And Jesus' hand has not changed: if he rescued you and kept you yesterday, he will do it today and tomorrow — he's a keeper. The sermon closes with three invitations: into salvation, into discipleship, and into fellowship.

Recorded live at New Direction Christian Community Church, Sunday, September 27, 2026.

Worship with us Sundays at 10:00 AM CT — in person at 2670 Spring Creek Dr, Spring, TX 77373, or online at newdirectionccc.org.

Part 3 of the series "Holding It Together While Falling Apart" — Pastor Chris Welch

Scripture: Matthew 14:22-32

Pastor Welch returns to Matthew 14:22-32 — Jesus walking on the water, Peter stepping out of the boat, and crying out, "Lord, save me" — and names what so many of us live with: functionally dysfunctional. Holding down a job, maintaining relationships, meeting every external expectation, while internally falling apart. Welch speaks honestly from his own life — the night he stayed in bed instead of going to the hospital because he himself was falling apart and needed someone to recognize it — and about the God who recognized it. The way through is not to wait for the wind to stop: Peter did not ask Jesus to calm the water first; he said, "Lord, since it's you, let me come to you." Sometimes you have to come to where Jesus is, make a faith move while the storm is still brewing, and expect the unexpected. The sermon closes with three invitations: into salvation, into discipleship, and into fellowship.

Recorded live at New Direction Christian Community Church, Sunday, September 20, 2026.

Worship with us Sundays at 10:00 AM CT — in person at 2670 Spring Creek Dr, Spring, TX 77373, or online at newdirectionccc.org.

Part 2 of the series "Holding It Together While Falling Apart" — Pastor Chris Welch

Scripture: Matthew 14:22-32

Pastor Welch opens Matthew 14:22-32 — Jesus walking on the water, Peter stepping out of the boat, sinking, and crying out — and asks the question at the heart of this series: what happens when the face you put on does not match the storm you are in? Smiling on the outside while suffering on the inside, many of us are trying to keep it all together while falling apart. Welch speaks honestly about the stigma around mental health in our culture, about compassion fatigue — always caring for others while no one pours back into you — and about his own story of learning to stop and get help when he could not control his emotions. The way through the storm is the same as Peter's: look at Jesus and listen to Jesus. First they saw him but did not recognize him; then they heard him, and they overcame their fears. See who he is, listen to what he is telling you, and follow Jesus.

Recorded live at New Direction Christian Community Church, Sunday, September 13, 2026.

Worship with us Sundays at 10:00 AM CT — in person at 2670 Spring Creek Dr, Spring, TX 77373, or online at newdirectionccc.org.

Part 1 of the series "Holding It Together While Falling Apart" — Minister Hanks

Scripture: Matthew 14:30

In this series opener, Minister Hanks opens Matthew 14:30 — Peter, seeing the boisterous wind, was afraid and beginning to sink, and cried out, "Lord, save me." Some things in life are unavoidable: change comes, storms come, and no amount of effort lets us beat them all. But Jesus, who prayed for the disciples from the mountain and then walked to them in the middle of their storm, knows exactly where to find us. When everything is falling apart, the shortest prayer still works — "Lord, save me" — and Jesus specializes in picking us up when we are stuck, resting us when we see no way out, and doing exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think. Keep your eyes on Jesus, not on the wind and the waves.

Recorded live at New Direction Christian Community Church, Sunday, September 6, 2026.

Worship with us Sundays at 10:00 AM CT — in person at 2670 Spring Creek Dr, Spring, TX 77373, or online at newdirectionccc.org.