Valley Creek Church Weekend Messages

What if the things we spend our life seeking are the very things that rob us of the margin to enjoy those things? What if our lives are just too complicated to be disciples of Jesus? In this message, Pastor John Stickl breaks down the practice of simplicity and how it helps us arrange our lives in a way where we can seek God first. We learn that Jesus practiced simplicity which gave Him the margin to respond to what God was doing in Him and through Him – and we can too.

Our lives are arranged around constant noise, but our souls crave peace. Jesus invites us to live a different way by engaging in silence and solitude. But silence and solitude is so much more than “quiet time”! In this message, Pastor John Stickl reminds us that the practice of silence and solitude trains us to live with peace in the midst of chaos and positions us to hear God’s whisper.

Most of us believe that busyness is just part of life and that, the more busy we are, the more successful we are. But, what if we’ve gotten it backwards? What if we’re missing out on the life of freedom God has for us? In this message, Pastor John Stickl teaches us that the Sabbath is not just a spiritual practice, but a command designed for our good. It’s not a rule to follow, but a gift to receive. We learn that the Sabbath is designed to help us rest from work so that God can work in us. God has given us a Sabbath day each week to rest and enjoy the life He has given us.

Fasting is a practice that can feel so archaic in our modern day but is actually very strategic. It's the ancient path that has been practiced by the people of God for thousands of years. Fasting is one of the most relevant and necessary practices because it reminds us that we are not sustained by the world but by God alone. In this message, Pastor John Stickl walks through the practice of fasting. We learn that fasting is abstaining from food in order to seek God; we fast from food to feast on God. We see from the life of Jesus that He begins His ministry and finishes His life with the practice of fasting, and fasting didn't make Jesus weak, it made Him strong. We also learn that our reward for fasting is more of God, and sometimes we have to abstain from the things of the world in order to remind ourselves we are sustained by God. So, how is God inviting you to arrange and rearrange your life around the practice of fasting rather than our flesh or this world?

What is prayer? What if it's more than just asking God for things? What if it's more than just a religious exercise? What if prayer was simply being aware of God? In this message, Pastor John Stickl shares that prayer is talking with God about the life we're living together. We learn that prayer is intimacy and authority, it's relationship and rulership, and it's communion and commissioning. We learn that prayer is living in the present with God. Jesus, teach us to pray!

Today we wanted to start Season Three of A Different way with a blackout experience by intentionally removing several service elements we love like lights, videos, and a full band to make Jesus the One thing we focus on. In this experience, Pastor John Stickl walks us through a teaching about gold shields and bronze shields from 1 Kings 10-14 and 2 Chronicles 9-12. We learned that bronze is a picture of man, but gold is made by God. Bronze is a form godliness without any power; it's trying to fight our battles on our own. Gold represents the glory of God; it represents us letting God fight our battles. So, what bronze shields are you carrying around that God wants to replace with His gold shields? Do you have the courage to lay down your bronze shields, lift up your head, fix your eyes on Jesus, and receive God’s gold shields for your life? It’s time to go from bronze living to a golden lifestyle in Jesus’ name! It's time for a different way.

Do we really want to change? If we want to live like Jesus, we first have to decide we want to be His disciples. If we want Jesus's health, we need to first build our life around Jesus's habits. In this message, Pastor John Stickl recaps Season One of our A Different Way series by reminding us that a disciple is a student of Jesus who is training to be like Him. The spiritual practices/disciplines – the lifestyle of Jesus – opens us up to be fully immersed into the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit. We can't change ourselves, only Jesus can change us. But before He will, we have to first answer His question, "Do you want to get well?"

Do you like the direction your life is going? If we want to do the things that Jesus did on-the-spot, we first have to do the things Jesus did behind-the-scenes. Before we jump into Seasons 3 and 4 of A Different Way this fall, we revisited the first message in our series to again ask ourselves, who am I becoming, and who do I want to become? We are all being molded and shaped into the image and likeness of someone. Is it Jesus? In order to do the things that Jesus did, we need to do the things that Jesus did. This doesn't happen on it's own or simply by "trying" – it happens through training and practicing. Jesus, help us be open to a different way!

In this upcoming season, are you going to choose your routine, or are you going to let your routine choose you? In this message, Pastor John Stickl invites us to prepare our hearts for the fall by asking us who we need to forgive, what we need to grieve, and where we need to obey. There is a race that God has marked out for each of us, and His grace gives us everything we need to run it. Let's look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, to help us identify where we need to forgive, grieve, and obey so we can be free to run our race this fall unhindered!

What is church? Why does it matter? And why are you here? It all comes back to Jesus because our view of Jesus will determine our view of the church. The more clearly we see Jesus, the more clearly we see everything else. In this message, Pastor John Stickl helps us re-focus on who Jesus is and what He's done for us, he gives us a couple definitions of the church, and he reminds us of who we are as Valley Creek Church. The church was, is, and always will be Jesus' idea, so, Jesus, have Your church!