The Porch (Video)

If you could go anywhere and do anything, where would you go, and what would you do? What's stopping you? On the same note, what's holding you back from the adventure of life that Christ is calling us to? We all get wrapped up in our idols: what we have and what we want to have. It's hard to see a need for God when we have all that we could ask for. We think we are giving up life and adventure to follow God when it's actually the opposite -- He gives us life. All we need for a full life is need -- a need for a Savior who is Christ. In Him, we gain everything, and our life starts with belief in God. Don't miss out on this real adventure.

We all fall under two camps: some of us are happy to be alone and don't want a relationship, while some of us are just wishing and waiting for the right guy or girl to come along any minute. But, all of us are missing out on true love. That true love always involves God because God is true love. When we feel unlovable, God sees us as being worthy. He seeks our own best and He bears all thing. He made the first move, making a way for us to experience the fullness of His love through Christ dying for us while we were still sinners. We may feel like we can't be loved and want to resist it, but no matter what we've done, we can never outrun God's true love for us.

We all struggle with a fear of commitment because we've lost sight of the pursuit of permanence in the pursuit of pleasure. We see life through a broken lens of sin, not how God fully intended it to be. In a world where we have endless information, we are met with growing dissatisfaction. But the most beautiful things come from fully committing. When we truly commit to life in Christ, we won't be missing out on anything; being redeemed by God's love is the ultimate satisfaction.

The Porch kicks off 2015 with our new series #MissingOut! Each of us has a purpose that we don't want to miss out on -- living for God. We are meant to know God and to make Him known. When we place our God-given desires with the right perspective, they can drive us to His purpose. When we don’t, we waste time seeking power, money or knowledge. Jesus takes whatever we have done and makes it into to our testimony. He saves us so we can live out our purpose by representing God, multiplying His people and caring for His things.

As we end the Game of Thrones series, we look to the one true king, Jesus Christ, for our hope. Regardless of who, what, or where you came from; regardless of what you've done; regardless of what's been done to you, Jesus gives us hope. Matthew uses the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 to show us that the King of Kings came from sinners just like us, but unlike us, Jesus as God took on humanity and conquered sin, sacrificing Himself to save us.

We've all experienced that nagging feeling inside- jealousy- the desire to want what other people have and be better than them. But jealousy has the power to corrupt your life. It starts with an interest, leads to a false future, and ends in unhealthy obsession. Continuing the Game of Thrones series, we look at King Saul's life in 1 Samuel and see how his jealousy of David eventually led to his demise. But if we admit our jealousy and accept that God has the best laid plans for our life down to the smallest details, we don't have to let jealousy take over our lives.

Continuing the Game of Thrones series, we look at the final three kings of Judah --- Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah --- who were the ultimate rebels. Even after hearing God say rebellion would only cause destruction and pain, they still didn't want to listen. Each of us share similarities with them; we may hear God speaking, but we just don't want to listen. Instead, we want to be the kings of our own lives. But what happens when we wave that white flag, surrender to God, and let go of controlling our own lives? God delivers us from our own shackles and gives us freedom in Him.

In today's culture of social media, we are hyper-aware of what our friends have, what we could have, and most of all, what things or people lie just out of our reach. Continuing the Game of Thrones series, we look at 1 Kings 21 and how King Ahab lost everything when he let his discontentment consume him. Through Ahab we see the power, danger and cost of discontentment, but we also see the secret to being fully satisfied --- following Christ. What are you seeking first?

Kicking off the Game of Thrones series, we take a look at how much your friends influence your life. When you need counsel, who do you go to? Are you seeking advice or affirmation? Listen as we discuss the importance of surrounding yourself with wise friends who will give you advice in line with God's word, evidenced by the story of Rehoboam in 1 Kings 12: 1-19.

The story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 is that of an underdog who ultimately prevails, isn't it? Not quite. When we look at an underdog, we often miss the "who is really involved"? Why did a shepherd have so much courage to defeat a giant warrior? The answer lies behind the ultimate "Who"- His courage was fueled by faith in the almighty and living God. In the end, we already know who the winner is- God. As Christians with faith in God, we can courageously fight for Him, knowing we are already on the winning team.