How do you make big decisions in your life? And how much do you lean on God when navigating these uncertainties? No matter what life has in store for us, God always has a plan to lead us towards what’s best. Today, as we enter into a new year together as a church, Pastor Ulysses invites us to remember the importance of leaning on the Lord in prayer.

2020 has been quite a year filled with so much difficulty and suffering. It's the end of the year and many of us are looking forward to moving on. This week, Pastor Ulysses preaches from the book of Philippians on how Paul learned to be content in both times of need and times of plenty. He encourages us to take these last days of the year to contemplate how we can find our contentment more in Christ and less in circumstance.

When facing problems in your life, where do you turn to in order to resolve your issues? Do you rely on yourself and other worldly ideas to fix your problems, or do you lean on God and trust in Him to make things right? This week, Pastor Ulysses preaches on this topic from Isaiah 7, focusing on the story of King Ahaz and how instead of turning towards Assyria, we should turn towards Immanuel - the God who is with us in all of our affliction.

Sometimes we imagine the first Christmas as a warm fuzzy scene at the manger, and we gloss over the purpose of His coming. Jesus came to rule, and the wise men recognized this by going to worship Him as King. This week, Pastor Ulysses preaches from the book of Matthew about two different responses to news of Jesus' birth: one of apathy, and one of resistance. In this teaching, he urges us to long for Jesus' second coming and realize that Jesus kingship applies to every area of our lives, right now.

This Christmas season is very different than in past years. With Covid cases still spiking across the U.S., it is easy to feel like there’s not much to be hopeful for in these coming months. Today, Pastor Ulysses preaches from the book of Luke on how Jesus is the ultimate consolation for the sorrows of this world, and how as much as Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus, it's also just as much about waiting in anticipation of His Second Coming.

How often do we find ourselves making commitments to God only to find ourselves sliding back into sin? We're caught in a cycle of devotion and rejection. This week, Pastor Ulysses teaches about the sinful nature within us against which we battle, and he highlights prayer as our most important and effective tool in keeping us from sin.

In this world, death is seen as the end of all things. We’re told that nothing overcomes death, and because of that, many people focus on accumulating wealth, fame, and fortune in an attempt to make the most of this life we have. Christians however see the world differently - through Jesus’ resurrection, we believe there is in fact life after death, and that worldview affects how we are called to carry out our day to day lives. This week, Pastor Ulysses shares how as Christians we can live a different life than those around us - a “Resurrection Life” that puts our faith in Jesus to overcome death and sin.

When we face pressure or criticism from the world, it's tempting to distance ourselves from Jesus. We fear the persecution. When Jesus talked of going to the cross, Peter spoke against him even though he knew Jesus was the Christ. This week Pastor Ulysses encourages us to be true in our confession and follow Him, holding tightly onto the majesty and glory of who He is.

There are a number of traditions that Christians devote themselves to as part of our following of Jesus. We have routines like tithing, worship, prayer, and Communion, but is it enough to just simply "do" these things? Today, as we return to our series reading through the Book of Mark, Pastor Ulysses expands on the topic of Christian traditions, challenging us to engage in these acts with mindful intentionality and God-pursuing hearts.

The 2020 general election is days away, and we may be feeling some powerful emotions. We may have great hope for our preferred candidate, or feel fearful and anxious about the results, or feel hopeless about the country's political climate. This week, Pastor Ulysses reminds us of the wrongly placed political and economic hope Jesus' disciples placed in him. They were crushed following his crucifixtion, because of their earthly vision of the freedom Jesus would bring. Let's reorient, and instead of placing our utlimate hope in a political savior, turn our hope to rest in Christ above.