No Excuses
"Man is not irresponsible because he is ill; he is ill because he is irresponsible." William Glasser A recent awards show performance put on full display the critical state in which we find our culture. We have become an age marked by victimization--"it's not my fault". In this message, Pastor Chris looks at Romans 1:18 - 32 and highlights three ways in which we can take charge of our lives, instead of making excuses and becoming a casualty of this present evil culture.
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- Feb 12, 2023No Excuses
No Excuses"Man is not irresponsible because he is ill; he is ill because he is irresponsible." William Glasser A recent awards show performance put on full display the critical state in which we find our culture. We have become an age marked by victimization--"it's not my fault". In this message, Pastor Chris looks at Romans 1:18 - 32 and highlights three ways in which we can take charge of our lives, instead of making excuses and becoming a casualty of this present evil culture.
- Feb 5, 2023Dynamic Decisions
Dynamic DecisionsBlessings in life typically do not come by chance; they come by choice. In this message, Pastor Chris looks at the priestly duties found in Exodus 28:29 - 30. From these verses, we find four duties that we, as a kingdom of priests, need to implement in our lives.
- Jan 22, 2023The Forgotten Water Jar
The Forgotten Water Jar"When Jesus was in the presence of sinners, He dreamed of saints." Jesus' criteria for people whom He could and would use are vastly different from our criteria--from the disciples He chose to work with Him to the choosing of the woman at the well to plant the seeds for a Samaritan revival. When we encounter Jesus, we must leave some things in order to move on in God. As Pastor Chris looks at the account the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:1 - 29, he speaks to several ideas that we can embrace as we allow Jesus to take us from where are to where He wants us to be.
- Jan 15, 2023Are We Yet Alive?
Are We Yet Alive?If Holy Spirit were to take our vital signs as believers, would any be found? In this message, Pastor Chris references Jesus' assessment of the church of Sardis, in Revelation 3:1 - 5. He highlights the tell-tale signs of a living church and signs that can be seen in the life of a believer who is truly living for Christ.
- Jan 8, 2023Possibility Thinking
Possibility Thinking"Anyone can count the seeds in an apple; but only God can count the number of apples in a seed." Robert H. Schuller Often, we cannot fully understand the possibilities that are available to us. We have to learn how to trust God to open our imagination and then, to trust Him to take us into the seemingly impossible. In this message, Pastor Chris looks at Mark 9:17 - 24 and highlights three points from this father's encounter with Jesus that we can apply to our lives to live in the God-possibilities.
- Jan 1, 2023New Mercies, A New Day
New Mercies, A New DayHave you ever needed a fresh start or made a mess of life or ever felt, as the prophet Jeremiah lamented, "The enemy has won."? Where can we find hope in these times of distress? In this New Year's message, Pastor Chris brings encouragement from Lamentations 3:19 - 26 for those very moments in life. He reminds us, as the prophet was reminded, that hope is found only in One--in God, Who is faithful. And He has new mercies...Every. Single. Morning!
- Dec 21, 2022The Dawning Light
The Dawning LightAs we celebrate the Light of the world being born in Bethlehem, it is a good time to remember that we are also to be lights in our world. In this Christmas message, Pastor Chris looks at Isaiah 9:2 and 6, the Old Testament prophet's declaration of the promised Light to come. Pastor Chris also reminds us of the Light's word to us in Matthew 5:14 - 16, that as He is the Light in us, we are to be His light in the world.
- Dec 18, 2022The Sounds of Christmas
The Sounds of Christmas"You can give without ever really loving; but you cannot love without giving." God so loved that He gave (John 3:16, 17). During this season, we celebrate the greatest gift ever given. This gift was not placed under a tree, but nailed to a tree--our Savior, Immanuel, Jesus. In this message, Pastor Chris looks at the account of the nativity in Luke 2:1 - 18. Although the imagery may be familiar, how often are the sounds of that event considered? Pastor Chris highlights three of those sounds heard that night and encourages us to emulate those sounds in our own lives.
- Dec 11, 2022Our Great God
Our Great GodThere have been people throughout history who have accomplished such things to be called "great" and earn a level of admiration. But none compare to the greatness of our God. In this message, Pastor Chris looks at Joshua 10:1 - 15, which gives one illustration of a greatness that can only come from God Almighty. From this passage, Pastor Chris also highlights four things about God's greatness that should enlarge our concept of what can be accomplished through Him.
- Nov 27, 2022Grateful Hearts
Grateful HeartsWe have to make the choice to live a thankful life and value gratitude. Out of a thankful life flows many good and positive things. In this message, Pastor Chris expounds on what we can see gratitude bring in our lives, centered on 1 Thessalonians 5:16 - 18.
- Nov 20, 2022Thankful, Safe, and Secure
Thankful, Safe, and Secure“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”—G. K. ChestertonAs our culture seemingly becomes more entitled and ungrateful, we must never under value the importance of giving thanks. In this message, Pastor Chris looks at Jude's letter, where we are given reason to be thankful. In Jude 1 and 21 - 25, we see three points that remind us to be thankful because, in God, we are safe and secure.
- Nov 13, 2022Where Is Your God?
Where Is Your God?Loneliness--one of the most painful feelings we experience in this life. In those moments of loneliness, our emotions will tell us that God has left us. But faith will tell us that God is near and we have to learn to function out of that faith. What does that look like practically? In this message, Pastor Chris looks at Psalm 42 and Psalm 43 and lays out the three "I will's" that we see the Psalmist exercise in his moments of overwhelming despair and loneliness. As we learn to work these out in our life, we can navigate those moments when we feel despair and hopelessness.
- Nov 6, 2022Walking in Truth
Walking in Truth"One word of truth, spoken in season, can outweigh the whole world." -Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
One of the greatest keys to living a holy life is living a life of truth. Unfortunately though, in today's society, tolerance is emphasized over truth. We must remember that tolerance is not a moral principle, truth is. And values are relative, truth is absolute. In this message, Pastor Chris lays out three aspects of truth, referencing 3 John 2 - 4, that we need to walk out a life of truth in a world of deceit. - Oct 30, 2022Leaven in the Lump
Leaven in the Lump"You're never going to get thoroughbreds from the breeding of mules." E.V. Hill
Our quality of life is not just determined by our faith and effort, but also by the people with which we surround ourselves. Our influences also include everything around us and we have to guard ourselves from those influences that have negative impacts on our lives. In this message, Pastor Chris points out from 1 Corinthians 5:6 - 8 three aspects of leaven, sin, that we need to be aware of so that we can remove it from our life before it has detrimental consequences. Our mindfulness of this is critical, not only for our sake, but for the sake of our family. - Oct 23, 2022Making Sense of Faith
Making Sense of FaithIf you could sum up the Christian life to one phrase, it would be "by faith". We are called to live by faith and not by our feelings or fears. There is more to this life than what we can know with our five physical senses and faith is that bridge between our natural realm and the supernatural realm of God. In this message, Pastor Chris examines principles from Hebrews 11:1 - 3 and 6 that show us how we can develop and increase our faith so that we can face every doubt and fear.
- Oct 9, 2022Three Things Every Believer Ought to Know
Three Things Every Believer Ought to KnowContrary to the old adage, ignorance is not bliss. In fact, God, through His prophet, tells us in Hosea 4:6 that His people perish for a lack of knowledge. Along with this knowledge, though, we must also have an encounter with Jesus that brings an assurance and confidence that will carry us through every mountain and valley of life. In this message, Pastor Chris highlights Paul's prayer in Ephesians 1:15 - 23, and points out three things that every believer needs to know to remain steadfast in our walk with Jesus.
- Oct 2, 2022Triumphing Over Temptation the Jesus Way
Triumphing Over Temptation the Jesus WayHow well do we fair when we encounter temptation? Satan tempted even Jesus in an effort to defeat Him before He could fulfill His calling. This is the bottom line of all temptation--to keep us from fulfilling all that God has for us to do. We see in the account of one of Jesus' temptations that He was able to overcome even at His weakest, most vulnerable state, to show us that we also can overcome. From that account in Luke 4:1 - 13, Pastor Chris points out five aspects of temptation and shows how, following Christ's example, we can overcome also.
- Sep 25, 2022Getting Past Your Giants
Getting Past Your GiantsAs the Israelites approached the Promised Land, twelve spies were sent in to survey it. All twelve saw the same things on their mission, but two of the twelve came back with a radically different conclusion, based on their faith in God. In this message, Pastor Chris looks at this account in Numbers 13:30 - 14:4 of the spies expedition. He breaks down the different conclusions of those spies and how we can live our lives with the Caleb and Joshua attitude, the attitude of faith in God. Having great faith does not mean that life will be a cake-walk, but it does mean that as we walk with God, we will be overcomers. Pastor Chris lays out five points on how to practically apply slaying the "giants" in our life. But first, we hear from Jonathan and Alisa Lade, Chi Alpha missionaries to Ivy Tech. You can find out more about them here.
- Sep 11, 2022The Three Faces of Discipleship
The Three Faces of DiscipleshipWhat exactly does it mean to be a "Christian"? In our increasingly humanistic culture, believers have had to add qualifiers to the phrase "I am a Christian", muddying the waters of all that entails. We need to come back to the basics of being a follower of Jesus--being a disciple. In this message, Pastor Chris does just that; he points out the three facets of being a true disciple based on Jesus' own words in Mark 12:28 - 31.
- Sep 4, 2022The Hillary Step
The Hillary Step“It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” –Sir Edmund Hillary. The greatest obstacle we will overcome in our spiritual walk is ourselves. As Paul admonishes us in 1 Corinthians 9:24 - 27, we must be mindful of our conduct and behavior so as not to lose the race. Pastor Chris highlights this passage to encourage us to maintain a circumspective attitude in our own lives so that we may obtain that great and glorious imperishable crown and hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
