This past Sunday, Pastor Trey Etter shared how Jesus’ dinner invitation to Levi in Luke 5:27–32 turns the ordinary table into a powerful tool for relational ministry. By intentionally focusing on the E in our BLESS series—Eating together—we see Jesus model a radical hospitality that avoids demanding people clean up before they can belong, or accepting them with no expectation of heart transformation. Instead, Jesus extends an immediate welcome and a call to repentance simultaneously. As sent ambassadors, we have the opportunity to turn ordinary meals into meaningful moments of ministry and connection

Today, we hear from Pastor Chris Millar as he focuses on listening, the second rhythm of the BLESS model. Walking through the Road to Emmaus in Luke 24, we see how Jesus beautifully modeled a ministry of proximity, patience, and thoughtful questions. Instead of rushing to fix the disciples' grief or immediately revealing His identity, He invited them to share their own story. By genuinely listening to the pain, doubts, and confusion of those around us, we cultivate the trust needed to share the gospel. Listening to others ultimately sets the table for them to hear about the unique Lordship of Jesus.

This past Sunday, Pastor Chris Millar launched our summer series, BLESS, by looking at our very first habit: Begin with Prayer. Walking through Jesus’ ministry in Luke and the early church in Acts, we see that real mission is always birthed in prayer. It’s not just a religious chore; it’s a posture of gospel dependency that aligns our hearts with God's heart for the lost. When we couple a devotion to God’s Word with consistent prayer, we guard ourselves against cold moralism. True prayer turns our hearts inside out, transforming how we love and pursue those close to us but far from God.

This past Sunday, Pastor Chris Millar concluded our 40-week journey through Scripture by looking at Revelation. Across 66 books, the Bible tells one cohesive story: God eagerly sharing His goodness by restoring all things through Jesus. While humanity constantly wanders away to find fulfillment, God relentlessly brings us home. From the Garden of Eden and the Temple to Jesus taking on flesh and the Holy Spirit dwelling inside us, God’s ultimate gift has never just been a comfortable place or physical blessings. His greatest gift is Himself, because He is the true home our hearts were made for.

This past Sunday, Pastor Chris Millar walked us through Galatians 5 to look at the powerful reality that while Jesus has completely set us free, it is shockingly easy to drift back into spiritual captivity. We often slide into one of two extremes: the exhausting treadmill of self-justification—where we try to earn what Christ has already achieved—or a boundaryless life that misuses freedom as an excuse for sin. To protect this incredible gift, we must daily preach the gospel to ourselves, exercise biblical discernment, and allow our faith to genuinely transform how we love others

Chris Millar explore Ephesians 4 to illustrate the "put off, put on" principle of the Christian life. He reminds us that because of our relationship with Jesus, we must discard the "rags" of our old nature—sensuality, greed, and hardness of heart. True transformation isn't just moral improvement; it requires being renewed in our minds to embrace a new identity. We are called to "put on" the new self, walking in the righteousness and holiness that Jesus has already purchased for us.

Andy Abramson explores Acts 10, showing how God often disrupts our comfortable religious categories to expand our mission. Using Peter’s vision of the "unclean" animals, we see that God’s plan for reconciliation has always been global, reaching across every ethnic and social boundary. Peter had to learn that the people he was avoiding were the very ones God was pursuing. When Peter obediently entered a Gentile home, God moved powerfully, reminding us that we are called to be ambassadors of a Gospel that shows no favoritism.

This past Sunday, Pastor Trey Etter walked us through Saul’s dramatic encounter with Jesus in Acts 9, reminding us that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace. Saul’s world was shattered as he realized his religious zeal was actually a war against the Messiah Himself. This "crushing" of his self-made identity and religious performance was necessary to make room for a new life built on Christ. Whether we are far from God or simply stale in our faith, Jesus meets us on our road, inviting us to stop "kicking against the goads" and find our true identity in Him.

This past Sunday, Pastor Chris Millar walked us through the birth of the early church in Acts 1-2, using the powerful imagery of a sailboat to describe our walk with God. Just as a boat drifts aimlessly without the wind, we often find ourselves exhausted by "rowing"—trying to manage our schedules and ministries through human effort and "motors" of self-sufficiency. We are invited instead to wait on God in expectant prayer, raise our sails through the bold proclamation of Jesus, and align our lives with the Spirit through repentance. When we stop relying on our own "diesel fuel" and surrender to the Holy Spirit, we experience the uncommon unity and supernatural power that defined the early church and continues to fuel His mission today.

Following Jesus isn’t just getting to do whatever we want and slapping Jesus’ name on it. It is progressively becoming more obedient to His commands and teaching others to do likewise.

If we are going to be a church that multiplies disciples, it will require four things of us: 1) Intentionality, 2) Identifying with Jesus, 3) Inside Out Discipleship - living as followers first, servants second, and leaders last, 4) A holy discontentment over lostness in our city and the world. And, as we pursue this great mission, we’re sustained by the incredible truth that Jesus, who has all authority in heaven and on earth, has promised to be with us always!