When we go through a hard season in our lives, it's very easy for us to turn to unhealthy things to cope. Maybe it's binge watching Netflix, or scrolling through TikTok, or overeating, or self harm, or going into porn or a relationship. When something happens, we turn to something to escape. But ignoring things doesn't make it disappear. In order for us to fully feel hope, we need to fully feel our emotions no matter how painful they might be. We have to feel to move forward.

We may hold back on our dreams because we are afraid to fail, or we think we're not good enough. But God calls us to DREAM BIG and He wants us to know that we can accomplish anything through Him. In this podcast, we will be looking at the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 and how the disciples were able to accomplish it even though it seemed impossible. God can use us wherever we are. 

When we talk about a rebel in church, we seem to always talk about it in a negative sense. But when we talk about a rebellious Christian, it's someone who goes against the rules of our culture. Jesus was a rebel in His time and shifted history. If we are to be a rebel like Jesus, then we have to do things above and beyond for others. We don't just settle for average, but we set the bar high by loving, respecting and honoring others well.

In a world where there is so much pressure, and everyone has an opinion, it's hard to decide what is right and wrong. Especially when it comes to sex. In this message, we'll see that Jesus has more in mind for your life. He wants you to pay attention to every action and every thought and every feeling that you have. Paying attention helps you be aware of how you can set boundaries when it comes to loving and treating others.

The topic of sex can be confusing. Some people talk about sex like it's dangerous or bad while others seem to think it's no big deal at all. When you talk about sex within the church, it seems like it's a HUGE deal, but when you weigh it with what culture says about it, it seems like sex is just a normal thing of life and can be treated casually. In this weeks message, we look at how sex is never casual no matter how casually it is treated around you. We will learn that God is calling us to be the kind of people who understand that how we treat another human being is never casual, no matter how casually people act about it.

We're not just affected by porn, we are all actually influenced by the culture of porn. The culture of porn is all around us in our music, TV shows, movies and other entertainment choices that we choose. But porn teaches us a fake education on God's intended plan for sex. In fact, studies have shown that porn can even damage your future sex life within marriage because of its false promises that it makes. It's important to know that porn never tells the whole story, and we can make wise choices now that will have better effects on our future.

Talking about sex can be a little weird...until you notice that it is everywhere around us. Singers sing about it. Netflix shows don't avoid it. Magazines at the grocery stores talk about it on their covers. It's taught at school. It's joked about with friends. Because it is everywhere, we believe it is important for the church to talk about it too. This week we are starting a new series talking about how we can live according to God's plan for sex. When we do that, we learn that we can live with sexual integrity.

We all mess up. None of us have lived up to what God's standard is. Peter was someone who messed up big time by denying Jesus right before Jesus was killed on a cross. But Jesus rose from the grave on the third day and then showed Peter that because of the resurrection, Peter didn't have to be defined by his mistake. He was forgiven because of the work of Jesus. We are also forgiven any mistakes that we have made. Because of the resurrection, we have a new life in Christ.

Have you ever felt unnoticed and unimportant? Maybe when you're at school you feel like everyone is watching you, but doesn't actually care about who you truly are. In this message, we see how Jesus shows that Mary Magdalene matters, where many overlooked and didn't think much of her. But after Jesus resurrected, He chose to appear before Mary first, showing her that she matters to Him. Just like Mary matters, we matter to Jesus as well. That is why He died on the cross for us and conquered death on the 3rd day.

Sometimes we can have incorrect views on God. We may think that God is a perfectionist and expects us to never mess up. Or that God is an angry God and will strike us down if we make a big mistake. Or maybe we think God is a distant God, being up in Heaven and all and doesn't care much about us here on earth. But because of Jesus and the resurrection, it proves that God loved us so much that He sent His only son. Today, we look at the life of John and how he experienced God's love through the resurrection of Christ.