North Way Christian Community

During a season such as this it can be easy to find yourself adrift. Life might be heavy right now. You might feel sad, depressed, even lonely. Our thoughts can become like a small boat that gets tossed and turned in the middle of the sea during a storm. Do you feel like you are being tossed and turned in this season? Are you unable to see the light through the dark clouds? There is good news. If we anchor down in God’s Word, he promises to rescue us in our times of need. How do we ensure, daily, that we are fighting the drift? We can equip ourselves with three practical spiritual “weapons”: 1.) Anchoring our thoughts into the Word of God. 2.) Practice personal worship and praise 3.) Be connected to community If we can apply these three weapons in our lives, and be patient, He will come, he will be there for you, and he WILL rescue you. Speaker: Pastor Billy Bob White

It doesn’t matter if you’re well anchored or lightly tethered, drifts come for all of us and eventually they cause us to end up somewhere we didn’t plan to be. Drifts are things we absolutely have to pay attention to. If we’re not careful, we’re all susceptible to a spiritual drift. Paul’s letters were written to help the church avoid drifting. Throughout the Old Testament, in the time of the Kings, we see nothing but drifts. They would begin worshiping God, then they would stop praying to him, then eventually worshiping idols and sin and then we start over again. Why would this happen? Doe this happen to us today? We are most likely to drift when we feel that we are strong. The moment we run to God is when we feel weak. Is our need for God absent or are we just not aware of it? When we don’t know our need, we don’t know our God. Speaker: Pastor Dave D’Angelo

It is back to school season again. But this year is different. We aren’t even sure what the phrase “back to school” means in the current climate. Life is disorienting at the moment and we are grasping for anything we can hold on to to feel some control. Are you feeling lost right now? You aren’t alone in that feeling, but why are you feeling lost? Are you searching for control of your life, especially in this troubling time? Throughout this series we’ve been studying the “I Am” statements from the book of John. This week we focus in on “I Am He”. If we believe Jesus when he says “I Am He”, we should see life differently. He is who we should orient ourselves around, and nothing else. Even in the darkness, Jesus is in control. The amazing thing is, He doesn’t avoid the darkness, He walks into it. He choses to die for us, for you. In Jesus we see a God who doesn’t avoid suffering, but steps into it for our sake. Speaker: Amanda Beggs

Something powerful happens when kids try to be adults. Like when they try on their parent’s shoes or other article of clothing. They don’t care how silly they may look. Kids are not inhibited by their exhibitions. They’re fearless. But that’s not like us as adults is it? We have an image to uphold. When we’re willing to walk in someone else’s shoes (their way) we really get to know them. Jesus said “I am THE way.” THE meaning “only”. Jesus is saying we’ve got to be more like a kid. We have to be willing to try things that don’t necessarily “fit”, not being fearful of how we’re viewed or how it feels at first. There is blessing when we try to live in the way of Jesus. He lived out His life as a servant. It’s not comfortable for us to serve others, as He did, it doesn’t fit. Jesus didn’t base His relationships upon what He deserved as we tend to do. But instead, He served. He gave even to people who didn’t deserve it. Jesus used words to build up. We use them to tear down… We should try on the words and acts of Jesus. Speaker: Pastor Dave D’Angelo

The Father is the Vine Dresser, Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. There are four faith realities from living in the "true vine". Everything we need as Christians, comes from Him, not us. Jesus never takes a day off, He is always our constant source and supply. Thus the metaphor of the vine. This was a radical concept to the Jewish people. The identification of God's people was no longer in their nation, but in their Messiah and this is open to all people! Don't look to yourself for your fulfillment, but to Him - as we face the temptation to rely on ourselves: me, myself & I. You do not need to be the provider of every single answer or the solver of every problem. So what does relying on the vine look like? How do we do that? How do we truly bare fruit in our lives? Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paskey

We have been failed by leaders throughout history and still are today. Is there anything true? Is there anything steadfast in life? We've been searching for answers over the last few months, but all we get is misinformation based on political bias, money and power. So where do we turn for the truth? Through the "I Am" statements in the bible, Jesus clearly states that He is the way. But, with the examples of failed leaders, why should we trust and follow Jesus? Why is He any different? What "leaders" are you following in your life? Speaker: Pastor Paul Hunter

These are still trying times and in the end, the only fear we want to have is the fear of God. If we’re going to be the church God calls us to be, sometimes we have to do things we do not want to do. At North Way, we let God lead. We all have experienced different traumas in our lives, and we do so vividly! It’s human nature. Can you imagine how we’re going to remember 2020? Currently we’re dealing with four simultaneous traumas: political, racial, financial and health. The question is, how can we all survive this? How can we actually thrive in this time? Trauma causes us to act in ways we do not typically act. We’re experiencing fear, anger, frustration and world of other emotions. However, we CAN survive! This can and will have an impact on future generations. There are grand stakes at play. Trauma doesn’t have to be devastating. Jesus’ story shows us this. We have to be willing to look and see what he did and to follow in his footsteps. He knew what was going to happen to him and willingly did it anyway. He did it because He loves us. 2020 isn’t over yet. We don’t have to be devastated. Speaker: Pastor Dave D’Angelo

Each of the four gospels are the same story, but told to suit different audiences. Based on the language and nuance, it becomes clear who each writer was writing for. John's gospel is different. His language and structure feels more inclusive. He perspective was from another angle. So, to whom was he writing? Mary and Martha ask Jesus to move, to perform a miracle, something they've witnessed him do in the past. But he doesn't move. Jesus stays put. They are unaware of what God is doing behind the scenes. There was much more happening than they realized. Does that hit home? When you pray for him to move, does it feel like he is staying silent? No matter how much you pray, nothing happens. We've all prayed that prayer, asking God to move, but he does not. But, what if the most loving thing he can do is not move? What if by staying put, he is making US move? Speaker: Pastor John Reilly

There is no doubt that racism is all around us and present in our lives virtually every day, whether in conversation, on the news, social media or personal experience. Many of us, wanting to do something about it, begin by asking the question "what can I do?" But, perhaps that isn't the question we should be asking. Lead Pastor Dave D'Angelo biblically tackles the seemingly infinite number of issues that confront the potential racism in our own hearts, leading to the way we communicate and live in our daily lives. Jesus is saying He is the door, we are not. What do I do? It begins with you, internally examining your own heart. In this sermon Dave provides a series of steps you can take to begin the process of answering the question. "Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause." - Isaiah 1:17 Speaker: Pastor Dave D'Angelo

Do you find yourself overly stressed, agitated or depressed? Are you spending more time on social media and watching the news than you are praying and reading your bible? Perhaps you should flip those. Light has shown to be a major symbol from God throughout the bible. Jesus comes and claims to be the light. When he says "I am the light" he is calling himself the light of the world, he is God. Darkness trembles and fears his presence. Deception thrives in darkness. Darkness has a way of to creeping into our hearts, without us even recognizing it. We can be deceived, easily, by the darkness. How do we prevent our hearts from being deceived by this darkness? Division also thrives in darkness, it is one of the enemies' greatest tools, especially within the church. Allowing division means that darkness wins. Unity, however, thrives in light. 1. Love reveals God’s grace. 2. Light reveals our hope. Are you willing to look at the darkness in your heart? Speaker: Pastor Scott Stevens