Northwest Hills Community Church

We love vacations, adventures, new hobbies, and memorable experiences. But why does the excitement of one experience so often leave us looking for the next? Where can we find satisfaction that actually lasts?

Continuing our The Good Fight series, Young Adult Pastor Gary Jones explores our desire for pleasure through Jesus' parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. Both the younger son, who chases freedom and pleasure, and the older son, who trusts in his own obedience, reveal different ways our hearts seek satisfaction apart from God.

Through this familiar story, we consider how to enjoy life's good gifts without making them our ultimate source of joy, and how Scripture, prayer, and worship can redirect our desires toward God.

Scripture References

• Luke 15:11–32
• Psalm 103:10–13
• Psalm 16:11
• Psalm 37:4
• Psalm 90:14

Key Moments

• (00:00) Welcome
• (00:25) Message: The Prodigal Son and the Search for Satisfaction
• (03:43) Why we crave experiences: new, novel, and the next thing
• (06:54) Luke 15: Three stories of lost things and the parable begins
• (10:11) The younger son and the belief that satisfaction is somewhere else
• (17:00) The younger son comes to his senses and the father celebrates
• (18:36) The older son and rebellion in other forms
• (26:40) Is it wrong to desire pleasure?
• (28:59) How to move our hearts toward the Father

Mentioned in This Message

• This World: Playground or Battleground? by A. W. Tozer
• The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis

Thank you for listening to this message from Northwest Hills Community Church in Corvallis, Oregon, on October 25, 2026, at 9:30am. You can find us online at ⁠nwhills.com⁠.

Few things feel as attractive, or do as much damage, as sexual desire. Proverbs 5 names it plainly: it "drips with honey" and promises fulfillment, but Solomon warns his sons that chasing it outside God's design leads only to regret, broken relationships, and a hunger it can never satisfy.

Solomon calls us to fight on two fronts: fleeing whatever doors lead us toward it outside God's design, and pursuing the real, exclusive intimacy God intends within marriage (or fulfillment in Him for the single); and for anyone already caught in the trap, the prodigal son's declaration, "I will arise, and I will go to my father" is still the way home.

Scripture References

• Revelation 12:7–9
• 2 Peter 2
• Jude 6
• Proverbs 4
• Proverbs 5
• Luke 15

Key Moments

• 00:00 Welcome
• 00:31 Message: The Good Fight & Sexual Pleasure
• 13:20 Sexual Sin Is Attractive
• 16:51 Sexual Sin Is a Trap
• 25:44 To the Married: Honoring God’s Design
• 29:31 To the Single: The Same Fight
• 32:08 The Prodigal Son: I Will Arise
• 36:02 Closing Invitation & Prayer

Thank you for listening to this message from Northwest Hills Community Church in Corvallis, Oregon, on October 18, 2026, at 9:30am. You can find us online at ⁠nwhills.com⁠.

Does God test us? This message begins in John 6, where Jesus asks Philip how to feed a crowd of thousands, even though Jesus already knows what he will do. We then look at 1 Chronicles 29, where King David and the people of Israel give freely toward the temple, and David prays to a God who tests the heart.

In this closing message on money within The Good Fight series, Josh welcomes a panel with experience in financial advising and personal finance education. Together, they discuss stewardship, generosity when money is tight, saving and enjoying God's gifts, and how to have honest financial conversations without shame or disclosing every number.

Panelists

• Rachel Lang, high school personal finance teacher at Santiam Christian
• Rob Schreier, financial advisor, Edward Jones
• Trevor Bulman, financial advisor, Edward Jones

Scripture References

• John 6:5–6
• 1 Chronicles 29:9–22
• Matthew 25
• Romans 12

Key Moments

• (00:00) Welcome
• (00:31) Message: Is Money a Test from God?
• (03:08) John 6: Jesus tests Philip, and why God tests us
• (07:44) 1 Chronicles 29: David, Israel's giving, and the burnt offerings
• (15:29) Two test questions and meeting the panel
• (18:21) Panel: What people get wrong about money
• (21:25) Panel: What biblical stewardship looks like in real life
• (25:21) Panel: How to know you're living generously, not just giving when it's easy
• (28:20) Panel: Building generosity into a budget when money is tight
• (30:38) Panel: How Christians should think about saving, investing, and enjoying wealth
• (32:30) Panel: How to talk with others about money
• (36:59) Panel: What they wish they knew 20 years ago

Thank you for listening to this message from Northwest Hills Community Church in Corvallis, Oregon, on October 11, 2026, at 8:00am. You can find us online at ⁠nwhills.com⁠.

A man in the crowd asks Jesus to step into a family inheritance dispute, and Jesus answers with a warning that has less to do with money than with the heart. In Luke 12:13–21, the parable of the rich fool raises a question most of us carry quietly: how much is enough?

Worship Director Justin Jackson looks at the Greek word for covetousness, a culture that always says you need a little more, and what Jesus means by being "rich toward God." Along the way, he draws on Ecclesiastes, Psalms, and Romans, and offers one practical habit for recognizing what you already have.

This message is part of a series on enemies of the heart.

Scripture References

• Luke 12:13–21
• Luke 12:29, 32–33
• Ecclesiastes 3:10–11
• Psalm 107:8–9
• Romans 8:38–39

Key Moments

• (00:00) Welcome
• (00:35) Message: The Fight for Enough
• (04:32) Luke 12:13-15: A Man Asks Jesus to Settle an Inheritance Dispute
• (05:58) Covetousness and the Greek Word Pleonexia
• (07:10) The Parable of the Rich Fool
• (09:45) Rockefeller, Advertising, and Why You Can't Take It With You
• (14:30) What It Means to Be Rich Toward God
• (17:00) What We Receive in God: Eternity, Love, Meaning, and Provision
• (23:30) Fighting for Enough Through Daily Gratitude

Mentioned in This Message

• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
• Confessions by Augustine
• William Hendriksen, commentary on the Gospel of Luke

Thank you for listening to this message from Northwest Hills Community Church in Corvallis, Oregon, on October 4, 2026, at 9:30am. You can find us online at ⁠nwhills.com⁠.

Most of us would rather talk about almost anything than money. Jesus didn't share that hesitation. He talked about it constantly. Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen begins a look at four enemies of the heart (money, pleasure, power, and honor), starting with money.

Working from Matthew 6 and 1 Timothy 6, he draws a crucial distinction. Money itself is a neutral tool that can do great good or great harm. The real enemy is the love of money: trusting our own resources for our well-being. Whether you have plenty or very little, that pull is real. So why is it so dangerous, and what does it take to fight for a heart that money doesn't master?

Part of Northwest Hills' ongoing series on fighting the good fight.

Scripture References

• Matthew 6:19–21
• Matthew 6:24
• 1 Timothy 6:9–12

Key Moments

• (00:00) Welcome
• (00:30) Message: Money and the Fight for Your Heart
• (01:48) Two Words Nobody Wants to Hear from a Pastor
• (04:33) Four Enemies of the Heart and Our History with Money
• (08:18) Jesus Talked About Money All the Time
• (10:05) Reading Matthew 6 and 1 Timothy 6
• (12:35) Money Is a Tool; the Love of Money Is the Enemy
• (19:03) Three Reasons the Love of Money Is Dangerous
• (32:02) If You Want to Move Your Heart, Move Your Money

Mentioned in This Message

Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn

Thank you for listening to this message from Northwest Hills Community Church in Corvallis, Oregon, on September 27, 2026, at 8:00am. You can find us online at ⁠nwhills.com⁠.

Guarding your heart isn't a single decision — it's a daily fight over what you let in, what comes out, and where your eyes are fixed. Proverbs 4:23 calls the heart "the wellspring of life," and the verses around it spell out exactly how to protect it: guard your ears, guard your mouth, guard your eyes, and ponder your path.

We see this demonstrated in the life of Caleb, the spy who trusted God's promise when ten others gave in to fear, who spoke the truth to a terrified nation even under threat of being stoned, and who at eighty-five years old was still strong enough to ask for the very land God had promised him years earlier. His story is a picture of a heart that stayed fixed forward, no matter how long the wait.

Scripture References

• Proverbs 4:20–27
• Numbers 13
• Numbers 14
• Joshua 14

Key Moments

• 00:00 Welcome
• 00:31 Message: Eyes Fixed Forward
• 03:14 Recap: The Good Fight & Guarding Your Heart
• 08:49 Scripture: Proverbs 4:20–27
• 10:04 Guard Your Ears: Caleb and the Voice of God
• 17:12 Guard Your Mouth: Speaking Truth to a Fearful Crowd
• 21:12 Guard Your Eyes: Fixed Forward Through Forty Years
• 28:43 Ponder Your Path: Where Is My Heart Chasing?
• 33:19 Reflection and Prayer

Thank you for listening to this message from Northwest Hills Community Church in Corvallis, Oregon, on September 20, 2026, at 9:30am. You can find us online at ⁠nwhills.com⁠.

Conflict runs throughout the biblical story, but the fight between good and evil isn't only something happening around us. Proverbs 4:23 brings the struggle inward: "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

As Northwest Hills begins The Good Fight, we explore what the Bible means by the heart, why our inner lives matter so deeply, and why changing our behavior alone doesn't reach the source. Solomon's own story offers a striking tension: a man known for extraordinary wisdom who nevertheless allowed his heart to drift.

Scripture References

• Proverbs 4:23
• 1 Kings 11:4
• Psalm 139:23–24
• Ephesians 3:14–21

Key Moments

• (00:00) Welcome
• (00:32) Message: Guard Your Heart
• (04:21) Conflict Throughout the Bible's Story
• (10:49) Proverbs 4:23: Keep Your Heart With All Vigilance
• (13:16) What We Guard: Valuable, Dangerous, Vulnerable
• (17:25) First Step: Realize You're in a Fight
• (19:40) Two Conditions of the Heart: Old and New
• (24:06) Solomon: Great Wisdom, Drifting Heart
• (28:18) Time to Reflect: Where Is My Heart?

Thank you for listening to this message from Northwest Hills Community Church in Corvallis, Oregon, on September 14, 2026, at 8:00am. You can find us online at ⁠nwhills.com⁠.

What does it really mean to serve God when doing so costs us something?

As Northwest Hills closes out a year focused on living as servants and stewards, Worship Director Justin Jackson looks back at the lives of Joseph, Jeremiah, Peter, Jesus, and others we've studied along the way. Through their stories, he explores faithfulness through hardship, choosing truth when it's costly, letting go of present comforts, and the surprising relationship between serving God and true freedom.

Scripture References

• Proverbs 21:6
• John 8:31–32
• Jeremiah 20:7
• 1 Peter 1:3–4
• Genesis 50
• Jeremiah 29:11
• John 6:38–40

Key Moments

• (00:00) Welcome
• (00:28) Message: Is Serving God Worth It?
• (01:11) The Game Ball My Brother Gave Away
• (06:28) A Year in Review: Joseph, Jeremiah, Peter, and the Mothers of Jesus
• (09:36) Fighting for the Truth
• (19:18) Fighting Through Hardship
• (25:20) Trading Present Comforts for Future Reward
• (28:35) Trading "Freedom" for True Freedom
• (33:04) Redefining Freedom: Doing Whatever God Wants

Mentioned in This Message

• Chasing Love by Sean McDowell
• John Adams and the Boston Massacre trial

Thank you for listening to this message from Northwest Hills Community Church in Corvallis, Oregon, on September 6, 2026, at 10:30am. You can find us online at ⁠nwhills.com⁠.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen continues our series on Mark.

Mark ends in a surprisingly abrupt way. The tomb is empty. The women are afraid. And there are still many unanswered questions. Which is actually a pretty good picture of what it can feel like to follow Jesus.

Sometimes life is uncertain, and the best thing we can do is simply stay close to Him. Sometimes following Him is both amazing and a little terrifying.

And sometimes we're more like Peter. We've failed, we're carrying shame, and we wonder what Jesus thinks of us now.

But tucked into the resurrection story are two simple words: "and Peter." Jesus hadn't forgotten him. He wasn't done with him. In fact, He was already ahead of Peter, waiting for him where it all began.

And that's exactly where Jesus meets us too.

Thank you for listening to this message from Northwest Hills Community Church in Corvallis, Oregon, on August 30, 2026, at 10:30am. You can find us online at ⁠nwhills.com⁠.

Key Moments

• (00:00) Welcome
• (01:11) Message: The Gospel of "And Peter" (Mark 16)
• (07:31) Imagining First-Century Rome Under Persecution
• (11:35) Reading Mark 16:1-8: The Empty Tomb
• (12:53) A Longing for Closeness in the Middle of Chaos
• (18:07) The Tension of Amazement and Fear in Following Jesus
• (24:10) Jesus Meets Peter — and Us — in Our Shame
• (27:39) Six-Point Recap and What You Need Today
• (28:49) Closing Response and Prayer

Associate Pastor Ron King continues our series on Mark.

Mark 15 takes us to the cross, and everything looks like defeat.

Jesus is mocked. Beaten. Abandoned. The people with power seem to have won. And yet, beneath all of it, something entirely different is happening.

Human power is exposed for what it is: temporary. The ones who thought they were in control fade into history, while the cross they meant for humiliation becomes the place where God's power is revealed.

And standing nearby are some surprising people: a foreigner carrying the cross, women who refused to leave, a Roman centurion, and even a member of the religious council. One by one, they begin to see it.

This wasn't defeat.

It was love — brutal, costly, overwhelming love. And once you see that love clearly, the question becomes: what will you do with it?

Thank you for listening to this message from Northwest Hills Community Church in Corvallis, Oregon, on August 23, 2026, at 10:30am. You can find us online at ⁠nwhills.com⁠.

Key Moments

• (00:00) Welcome
• (01:18) Message: The Cross That Looked Like Defeat
• (06:17) Scripture Reading: Mark 15, Jesus' Trial and Crucifixion
• (12:54) The Illusion of Human Power
• (18:59) The Shocking Injustice and Brutality of the Cross
• (22:47) The Surprising People Gathered at the Cross
• (27:41) The Astounding, Unfathomable Love of God
• (32:54) The Real Question: How Will You Respond?
• (35:24) An Invitation to Prayer and Communion