As we journey through the Bible we notice a lot of trends. One of them is that Jesus is never ok with us just staying in one place in our faith. We need to be growing. In this week's message we spend time looking at the ways God calls us to grow. It seems counterintuitive but the best way to grow and gain is to give away. The more you give the more you grow.

Listen as Pastor Derrick shares this and more truths from God's word about giving and generosity and how they impact our growth.

New Year's resolutions are way too common. But most of these resolutions will be given up by January 17th! Why do these resolutions fail so quickly? Perhaps the reason is because they're too focused on ourselves. In this series we replace the desire for self promotion with the fullness of God's promise.

This week we focus on serving and how our serving keeps us better focused on who God calls us to be. Listen as Pastor Derrick shares three simple tools you can use to develop a servant heart as you follow where God leads.

The disciples were so seized by fear that they didn't know what to do. They hid in their room for fear of being caught. They didn't want to come out. But after Jesus ascended they were filled with power and wanted nothing more than to share the Jesus that they knew.

What would it take to help you live a more bold life of witness? The best publicity we can give for the gospel isn't talking about it but living a transformed life. In this message I reference a song that's spoken to me recently. It's the song King of Kings by Hillsong. There's a small gap in the message where we cut the song out of the recording for copyright purposes. The link is below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of5IcFWiEpg

The story of the wise men coming to see Jesus was so powerful yet we fill it with just as much myth as we do Christmas and Santa Clause. Bu what if the message of the Magi was powerful enough to stand on its own without myth, without legend, without make believe and simple tradition? What if the message of the Magi was magnificent and marvelous and yes even a bit miraculous!

Open your bible to Matthew 2:1-12 because Pastor Derrick is going to walk you through the story of the Wisemen like you might never have seen it before. We hope you grow in Christ as you re-learn this epic story!

It's the last Sunday of 2019. The decorations in some houses are down. The presents are all put away. But the message of Christmas lives on. So what is that message of Christmas that sticks with us throughout the year? What is the message that has changed the course of the world?

This week we focus on King Herod. We'll learn who he was and just how awful he truly was! Why did he want to kill the children under 2 years old? Why did he go to such great lengths to find Jesus? Why did Joseph move Mary and Jesus to a new place? Why was it all such a big deal? And probably most importantly, what does it all mean for us today?

As we wrap up 2019, take a minute to honestly evaluate your level of commitment to Jesus. Are you a fan of Jesus? Or are you a committed follower? Are you hot for him or cold against him? Whatever you are don't be lukewarm! Listen as Pastor Derrick shares these are more truths to close 2019 and prepare for a year of clarity in Christ.

The story is told of a young boy who had a drum and it's all he had. He wanted to give something to Jesus but didn't know if he had anything of value. Then he remembered his drum! Listen as Pastor Derrick shares the story of the Little Drummer Boy and how meaningful it is to him. Then consider how you might start playing your drum for Jesus too!

What is Christmas all about anyway? We make it about trees and packages. We make it about stockings and nice and naughty lists. We make it about things it really isn't about. This year we look at an unusual passage to find a Christmas message.

The title says it all! Happy Birthday Jesus! Will you celebrate with us in our Christmas Eve Family service?

When we hear the name Jesus we also think of the other names by which he's been called. One of the most popular this time of year is the title Immanuel. This title means God with us. But what does it mean that God is with us? What does it mean that we have a savior who came to live and die and rise again just for us? What does it mean that this child was God? What does it mean that this child was WITH? And what does it mean that this child was God with US?

This week Pastor Derrick breaks this down and shows how each part of this designation for God is important to our faith lives and to a right understanding of Christmas.

Throughout this journey toward Christmas we've been walking our way through the Christmas story found in Luke and Matthew's gospel accounts. These two accounts tell the same story from a variety of angles allowing us to see who Jesus was, why he came, and what difference it should mean for us.

This week we look at the message of the angels to the shepherds. It was a message of joy in the midst of sadness and pain. It's the message that says "It's ok not to be ok, but don't give up real reason you're here." Joy is the idea of putting Jesus first, others second and yourself last. If you're lacking a little joy this year, perhaps it's because your letters are a tad out of whack!

Give this message a listen as Pastor Derrick shares what it means to have a heart and life of joy this Christmas.