Darkness is sometimes comforting because you can hide the things you don't want seen. But darkness is also somewhat terrifying because we don't know what's lurking in the dark recesses of our lives. This week we journey into the darkness to find the power of the light. We look at one verse in John's gospel that overflows with powerful imagery and life-changing truth. Listen this week as Pastor Derrick unpacks the rich truths in John 8:12 and what it means when Jesus says *I am the light of the world.*

It's kind of a weird statement. God is our living branch? What's that about anyway? A shoot from a stump will grow into a tree? How does that apply to my life? I don't even have trees in my lawn? This week we journey closer to the celebration of Christmas. In this journey we find ourselves face to face with some of the most challenging days of the year. The stress mounts. The lists grow longer. And often loneliness is at an all time high. Have you ever felt like your tree was knocked down? Listen this week as Pastor Derrick shares what happens when God begins working through a fallen tree.

God is with us here, now, today. He's with us in the good times and in the bad times. He's with us when we're on the mountain tops and when we're stuck in the valleys. This week we focus on the storms of life. God with us in the storms reminds us that even when we want the storms to go away, God has a purpose in the storm. He invites us to journey with him through the torrential downpours and ride the waves of life. Because there's something meaningful waiting on the other side of the storm. Listen this week as Pastor Derrick walks us through the meaning of the God's presence in the storm.

God is with us in all places of our lives but some times he makes himself visible in a specific way to help us through a specific challenge or trial. This week Pastor Derrick shares the presence of Jesus in our lives as our shepherd. As we consider how God is our Shepherd we'll take a few moments to discover who shepherds were and how they acted. Then Pastor Derrick will guide us to a better understanding of why we need a shepherd.

When we travel through the wilderness God is with us. When we feel lost and alone God is with us. When no one else is there, God is with us. When life is swirling at a busying pace, God is with us. But he's not with us the way we might expect. Listen this week as Pastor Derrick helps us sharpen our focus on how to listen for God.

What does it mean that God is our Potter? To turn a lump of hard clay into something useful and usable there are four key things that need to happen. The potter needs to mould the clay and make it pliable. The clay needs centered on the wheel. The potter presses his hands into the clay. But it's not done until the clay is placed into the kiln and fired and hardened. Listen as Pastor Derrick shares the ways the Potter has his hands all over you!

Throughout the season of Advent we're discovering where and how God is with us. This week we travel into the valley to see how God is with us when all we can see are the mountains high around us. We're not meant to stay in the valley. We're made to move THROUGH the valley. Dig a well. Let God bring the rain. Then watch as he guides you through the Valley.

What does it mean to be in Christ? Through this series we've journeyed to understand how Christ makes a difference in our daily lives. Everything from changing the way we see the world around us to bringing us into something far bigger than our immediate families to saving us from our fears and failures to making us whole - Christ makes a difference not just for our eternity but also for our todays. Listen this week as Pastor Derrick wraps up this series with a message titled In Christ I Am Blameless.

Jesus had one prayer when he came to his Father. He wanted his people to live as one. But what does it look like to live together? This week Pastor Derrick shares what it means to live as one. Being together means we:

walk together

worship together

work together

love together

Listen to see how each of these connect with your daily life!

What does it mean to be in Christ? It means not only that I am a child of God but also that the work Jesus did was enough to save me. But saved from what? Saved for what? This week Pastor Derrick shares the importance of having a rescuer, and his name is Jesus.