Have you ever been facing a really big decision and you prayed for God’s guidance, but all you heard back were crickets? What’s the secret to unlocking God’s wisdom? How can we hear from him when we need him most? That’s our subject as Pastor J.D. continues our series called, The Man Who Had it All.

As we kick off a brand new series called, The Man Who Had It All, we’re looking at the life of King Solomon, a fascinating Old Testament figure whose story is a string of seeming contradictions. He was the wisest man who ever lived, but he still made some pretty dumb mistakes.

When it comes to our relationship with God, most of us are content with attending Sunday services and occasionally reading our Bibles. But if those are our only goals, then we’re aiming way too low! Pastor J.D. is teaching from Exodus Chapters 33 and 34 as he concludes our series called, Presence.

When you’re taking someone’s temperature, you’re not going to get a good read by sticking the thermometer on their foot or the top of their head. And the same is true when you’re checking the temperature on your relationship with God. You have to be measuring the right thing! Pastor J.D. helps us get a spiritual check up as he continues our series called, Presence.

As he continues our series called Presence, Pastor J.D. deals with an emotional question: “What do I do when I feel like God’s abandoned me?” Maybe it’s an unanswered prayer, an unexpected tragedy, or a long season of spiritual drought when you just don’t feel very passionate about God. How do we respond in those moments? To find the answer, we’re turning to Exodus Chapter 23.

Where do you find your security? What do you cling to when life seems to be falling apart? Most of us would like to say that it’s God, but if we’re honest, we really put our trust in other things, like our careers, spouses, or bank accounts. So how do we get our hearts to trust in God first? Pastor J.D. answers that question as he continues our series called, Presence.

As we continue our series called, Presence, we’re dealing with one of the most important questions of all time, a question that every religion on earth tries to answer: “What does it take to please God?” Is there a set of rules we need to follow or a certain prayer we need to pray? Or do we just have to be nice people and do good things?

It can be fun to get a little scared sometimes, like on a roller coaster or in a scary movie. But it’s only enjoyable because we know we’re not in any real danger. No one likes being truly afraid. But as he continues our study in Exodus called, Presence, Pastor J.D. reveals that fear is actually an important part of salvation.

A proper foundation keeps your house above the ground, insulates against the elements, and keeps you standing in an earthquake. Without a good foundation, it doesn’t matter how strong the rest of the house is. It won’t last long! And in many ways, the same is true of our spiritual lives. As he continues our series called, Presence, Pastor J.D. describes how to build a solid foundation for our faith.

Most of us think of idolatry as something that happened in the ancient world when people would make statues to the sun or the moon. We don’t really think of it as something that still goes on in our modern Western society. But as he continues our study of Exodus called, Presence, Pastor J.D. reveals that idolatry is still alive and well, though not as obvious at first glance.