What happens when a tourist in Jamaica is offered a winter coat—or a freezing South Dakotan is handed snorkel gear? The absurdity highlights an important truth: context matters. In this week’s message from John 1:29-34, we’ll explore how understanding our sin deepens our appreciation for God’s gift of grace through Jesus. Only when we realize our need for a Savior can we truly grasp the significance of Christmas.

At times it can be tempting to think “I’m better on my own” or “I can do this by myself.” As Jesus was getting ready to leave his closest friends, he knew they needed help. If they were going to do what he was asking of them, they couldn’t do it alone. Even bigger than that, if they were going to become the people he knew they could be, they couldn’t become that version of themselves on their own. You can’t do all you could do or be all you can be if you’re doing it on your own. Good news: you don’t have to.

Wonderful has become an old word. It’s definitely not wonderful. One likely doesn’t hear high schoolers yelling, “that’s wonderful!” when something great happens. Merriam-Webster says it means “unusually good.” So when God through the Psalmist says we were “wonderfully made” it is as if he was saying the way we were created was “unusually good.” This is significantly better than an average creation by a typical creator. You are an above average creation, wonderfully made! We’re exploring this truth when we meet this weekend.

There can be a lot of pressure to find the right person to date as a teenager, an adult in one’s twenties or at any time, really. Like Tom Cruise’s character in Jerry Maguire there is a feeling we need someone else to “complete” us. We think we need our Dorothy. Join us as we explore the topic of singleness this weekend, see what Jesus had to say about it and learn how the Church can better support those who are single.

One of the criticism of Christians and those who attend church has been the rules. From the outside, and often from within, it can seem Christianity is full of do’s and don’ts that are preached about in church services, but not lived out throughout the rest of the week. It’s a fair critique and not unique to the 21st century. Jesus addresses rules based religion in one of his earliest recorded sermons with a variety of topics, including divorce. Hopefully you can join us and learn how this applies to your life…even if you are currently single.

In a blog post, Carey Nieuwhof reviews some information coming out of a study done by Barna Group which shows only 21% of those identifying as Non-Christian have a positive perception of the local church. As a whole, only 44% of males and 49% of females surveyed have a positive perception of the local church. While the goal of the local church may not be to make everyone like it, what should the goal be? It’s likely not what culture at large suspects. This is what we will discuss in this week’s message.

We are excited to have Pastor Zach Bauer preaching this weekend as we continue our CounterCultural 2024 series.

As a world, we are more connected than ever. The internet, cell phones and other technology have helped make it possible. Unfortunately, in a connected world, division and fighting are prevalent. Many people are getting tired of it but can’t seem to get away from it. This weekend we will see what God has to say for the Church in a divided time.

Many people around the world enjoyed watching the Olympics this past summer. There were some amazing performances, including Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson in the 100m dash finals. Both ran the race with a time of 9.79 seconds, but it was Lyles edging out Thompson in a photo finish. We all love a good ending! As we wrap up our Mentored Pt 2 series, Paul is approaching the end of his life with a message to Timothy about finishing well and not quitting. Join us this weekend as we talk about what it takes to finish well.

Dr. Henry Cloud and others have been advocates of healthy boundaries in life. He’s written at least four books on the subject that have the word “boundaries” in the name. This week we are continuing Mentored, Pt 2 and will see Timothy’s mentor, Paul, stress the need for healthy boundaries. We’ll see the type of people Paul instructs Timothy (and us) to avoid. We’ll also see how to not be or become those people who need to be avoided.