Fully Alive in Christ

Join us as we discuss the question, 'What will you do with all that you have been given? Intimacy with God and understanding our identity in Him lays the foundation for a powerful and impactful life.

We dive into the topic of inheritance and what it truly means for us as followers of Jesus. We explore the idea that inheritance is not about money or possessions, but about the Holy Spirit coming and resting powerfully in our lives. Intimacy with God is the foundation of our inheritance, and how identity and inheritance flow out of that intimacy. We also examine the importance of renewing our minds and believing in our worthiness to access our inheritance and exercise our authority in Christ. We encourage you to embrace your inheritance and walk in the fullness of God's grace, knowing that you are not alone but have the presence and power of the Holy Spirit with you. Listen as we explore the transformative power of inheritance and how it impacts our lives and the world around us.

Join us as we explore what it means to be adopted, apprentices, and ambassadors of Jesus. We delve into the concept of adoption, where we are brought into God's home and heart, becoming children of God. Through the teachings of Jesus, we learn how to be apprentices, following in his footsteps and learning from him as our master. As ambassadors, we represent Christ's kingdom, living as diplomats in this world and inviting others to be reconciled to God.

In this teaching, we explore the importance of intimacy, identity, and inheritance in our journey with God. We are reminded that our identity flows from our intimacy with Him, and that walking in our identity is an expression of our deep connection with God. Through scripture, we learn that our true identity is found in Christ, and that we are deeply loved, completely forgiven, fully pleasing, totally accepted, and absolutely complete in Him.

Gideon was a man easy to overlook. In the book of Judges we learn the history of Israel when it was under oppression from surrounding nations, suffering from frequent raids. These raids were the consequences of turning their backs on God for years, but finally, the people were beginning to call out to Him for deliverance. God heard them and picked Gideon to lead His people to freedom in battle.

Many of us have hindered our relationship with God (and others) because we drag who we think He wants us to be (or who we think others want us to be) before Him, while withholding our TRUE SELF. This is what we mean by living in our FALSE SELF. And living in our FALSE SELF can become so normal/natural that we don’t even realize we are doing it!

If you missed last Sunday, we talked about how God is leading us as a community around giving and our finances. Please give it a listen and enjoy a fresh perspective from our Pastors, Ryan and Kate.

Join us as we explore the importance of relational intimacy with God, and how it impacts our lives and relationships. We share practical insights and personal stories, all with the goal of creating a safe and healthy community where love and forgiveness thrive. Get ready for honest conversations, challenging questions, and a whole lot of encouragement as we journey together towards deeper connections and a more meaningful life. So grab your headphones and join us on this adventure of growth and transformation.

Intimacy with God is a beautiful process, that requires a constant yes, and a willingness to travel with Him into the deeper places. Intimacy isn't about reaching "it" as a destination, it is all about the daily journey walking with him through hard things, trusting Him in every season, and being bold going after things in our lives that hold us back from Him. It is a beautiful journey, that requires entrusting Him with our heart. Allowing Him to restore it and make it a dwelling place for His presence. A repaired heart that gives love and receives love in ever increasing capacity.

Intimacy is the root of your life in Christ. It is this connection to the source of life from which everything else grows. Daily, you will be allowing the roots of your life and love to stretch into the depths of God’s presence. Tha love that is abundantly available to you. New life, new daily habits, and new goals start right now.

Isaiah 43:18-21 - "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert…for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.” God is not functioning based on our calendar, but He is at work within our rhythms and dates, and so for us, as a new year dawns, it makes sense that we would look to Him for a fresh direction, vision, or word for 2024. In another time and place, the people of Israel had been scattered - and God promised to rescue and save them for His honor and glory. As they waited for fresh direction from Him, this is what He spoke to them through the prophet Isaiah.

Join us as we continue Advent, centering our heart on FAITH as we wait on Jesus, preparing our hearts to celebrate His birth, while also waiting for his arrival in and around the places in our lives that need Him desperately right now. He is not far off, and is "near the brokenhearted" (Psalm 34:18). No matter where you are, or what you are walking through, Jesus is COMING.

We are continuing our journey through "The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry" this season and I am excited to be sharing with you this weekend on portions of the book that have been impactful and somewhat challenging, especially in a season that wants to push us to extreme limits. We will also move into the next week of Advent as we prepare our hearts to "receive" Jesus' LOVE into our homes and hearts, through communion and prayer.

Each Sunday and the corresponding week in this Advent season, we have a specific focus to help prepare our hearts to “receive” Jesus into our homes and hearts on Christmas as we honor and celebrate His birth. The process of preparation is to slow down, remain focused on Jesus in the middle of a hectic season, and fight the urge to get spun up or spun out by consistently and persistently returning to prayer and scripture each day. As a church, we are committing to the “Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” this Christmas season. Having just completed our “A Call to Prayer” series, we hope to continue “Redigging wells of PRAYER in our lives, homes, and our church” through this season of Advent and on into 2024.

There are definitely prayers I can look back on and I’m very thankful that God didn’t move on my behalf and do what I wanted the way I wanted, and I have to admit that His Goodness and Wisdom have brought me here WAY better than my plan ever could have… But often when I think back across my prayer life’s journey, the moments that rise to the surface are the disappointment, disillusionment, confusion, and frustration of THOSE TIMES God didn’t come through... Where passionate prayer is seemingly met by silence, and a God who Jesus himself said “everything is possible for you”...didn’t move. Didn’t intervene. Didn’t speak. So what are we to do with our unanswered prayers?

Prayer forms us into a vessel for His presence, but it doesn’t earn anything. It doesn't earn my our into His presence by jumping through prayer hoops. I was taught that prayer accesses what Jesus' life and blood poured out established for us.

John 10:12-13 - “The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away... Jesus is the Shepherd who stays when the wolves of life come to huff and puff and blow our houses down. Mixing parables a bit, but the point remains: We HAVE a Savior who guards and guides our lives, and fights anything that desires to "steal, kill or destroy". What does that mean for us today? And, on a personal level, are there places in our own faith where we treat our own heart, body or mind like the hired hand treated sheep and retreat at the first sign of trouble? I hope you'll join us Sunday as we learn the Word together, honor the Word together, and allow it to refine us as we walk the way of Jesus!

The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard invites us all to examine our response to the extravagance of the Good News of Jesus. If you are like me, on first read you may identify with the laborers in some way or even struggle with understanding what Jesus is really trying to say. As we spend time contemplating this section of scripture, let’s invite Holy Spirit to examine our motives and heart postures so we can see Jesus clearly and why this story matters to us in our day.

John 10:10 is a scripture we often share, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” When Jesus said this statement, it was in the context of his description of Himself as both The Gate of the sheep pen and The Good Shepherd. While we may have an enemy who wants to “steal, kill and destroy,” Jesus is the One that both places us in the safety of his care and guides us as we follow his voice. This is where we are both kept and sustained so that in Him we “may have life and have it abundantly.” Watch Kim as she dives into the Kim dives into the Parable of the Good Shepherd.

Let's dive into Matthew 7:24-27, the simple parable Jesus taught about two men - one who trusted the words of Jesus, and one who ignored them. Let's open our hearts and lives to Jesus, inviting Him to establish all that we are on all that He is - until nothing in our lives is built on sand.