Alamance County Campus Pastor Brandon Delk shares a message on hope from Isaiah 9.

Apex Campus Pastor Josh Ingram preaches a message of hope from Isaiah 9.

Blue Ridge Campus Pastor Dustin Wells shares a message on Christmas from Isaiah 9.

Associate North Durham Campus Pastor of Small Groups and Sending, Stephen Snyder, shares a message of hope from Isaiah 9.

Many people have a tendency to confuse needs with wants, and this becomes even more pronounced with the arrival of the Christmas shopping season. For the Israelites living in exile, meeting their deepest need wasn’t a matter of satisfying their hunger or providing a luxurious place for them to live. What they really needed is the same thing we still need today: a Savior. In this week’s message from Isaiah 9, Pastor John shows us how everything we lack is met in this Savior, Jesus—the one we know to be the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Brier Creek Campus Pastor Warren Neverson shares a message from Isaiah 9.

Popular Christmas songs paint the picture that “all is merry and bright” this time of year—but for many, the reality is starkly different. In this week’s message, the first in our Christmas series, Pastor J.D. shows us the contrasting realities present in Psalms 88–89. It is in these two psalms that we see one of the great paradoxes of the Christian life: Our seasons of darkness and despair, while incredibly painful, don’t invalidate the steadfast love and faithfulness of God.

With the holidays fast approaching, along with the feeling that you are constantly inundated with ads, you'll likely pick up on a common thread: The accumulation of more things equals happiness. But with a "never enough" mindset, it's impossible to be what God desires us to be: cheerful givers. In this week's message from 2 Corinthians 8–9, Pastor J.D. helps us to see a kind of giving that is motivated not by guilt, but as a response to the grace that we have received. When we have this as our focus, we can move from asking, "What must I give?" to "What do I get to give?"

While we know that it is more blessed to give than to receive, it doesn't always feel that way, especially when the bills are piling up and the money doesn't seem to stretch far enough. So how can we reclaim joy in giving? In this week's message from Matthew 6, Pastor Bryan shows us how generosity helps to shift our perspective on life, giving us what material possessions never can—deep, lasting joy.

We're likely familiar with the call from Jesus to seek the kingdom of God above all other things, but our financial decisions are one indicator of what we are truly seeking. In this week's message from Haggai 1–2, Pastor J.D. encourages us to consider how our giving reflects the priority we have placed on God in our hearts and lives. Just as the Israelites fell to the temptation to place their own comforts and priorities ahead of their worship of God, we are still susceptible to this today. By reorienting our hearts, we can ensure that the stewardship of our finances is in alignment with God's kingdom.