The Growing Crisis of the Passionless Life

In an effort to comprehend the reason for increasing numbers of American young men traveling to the Mideast for the purpose of becoming part of a Muslim jihad, pundits have begun talking about the boredom of the American people. For so long the primary goal in the lives of many Americans has been a pursuit of peace and affluence. But young people are beginning to ask, “Isn’t there more to life?” They are looking for a cause, something bigger than themselves to fight for, and yes, even die for. What a tragedy that some are finding their reason for being in such a twisted idealogy as terrorism!

The fact that young people are attracted to violence as a way to make sense out of their lives should be a wake-up call for every church in America. We have failed to present not only the urgency but the exciting purpose representing Christ gives to those who follow him. In contrast to Islam, Christianity, in its infancy, turned the world upside down not through military conquest but by standing firm in the midst of persecution and reaching out with acts of love and kindness to those discarded by the rest of society.

It is time for Christians to regain the urgency of the early church, not because we are afraid of the advance of radical Islam, but to demonstrate our gratitude to Jesus Christ. He did not save us by taking an easy path filled with affluence and physical comfort – he took the way of the cross because it was the only way to save us. People may be bored with life, but Christians have no right to feel that way. Time is short. We have so much to do. And what we have to do matters for eternity. Join us for one of our weekend services. Start getting passionate about life again.

Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am

Is Church Really Necessary?

The words, “Get dressed, we’re going to church in 10 minutes,” generates a much different reaction than the way we respond to, “Get dressed, we’re going to the beach in 10 minutes”. Even for people who attend church regularly, it is often seen more as a necessary obligation than an enjoyable experience.

There may be many different reasons for a less than positive attitude towards church, but one can’t read much in the New Testament before it becomes very apparent that the church is very important to Jesus Christ. Before we answer the question, “Is the church really necessary,” we need to first answer questions such as, “What is the church? What is its purpose? What is my role in the church?”

It may be our experience with church has not been better because we haven’t understood what Christ intended when he founded it. Join us for one of our weekend services as explore what church means to God, ourselves and others. It could be the beginning of a very positive change in thinking!

Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am

Laughing on the Outside While Crying on the Inside

The suicide of actor Robin Williams caught the world by surprise. Most of us imagined his daily life as passing from one hilarious situation to the next. The last word anyone would use to describe him would be “depressed”. And yet, it was depression which led this man, so loved by the public for making us laugh, to take his own life. While pundits will speculate on the reasons and causes for his depression, Christians need to take to heart the powerful lesson of Williams’ untimely death – we all need answers to our deepest questions.

Life can be fun and exciting. It can seem like we have no time to wonder about, “Why am I here on earth? What is the point of my life? What happens when I die?” However, if we don’t wrestle through those questions and find solid, trustworthy answers, we also may find ourselves mired in the same swamp of depression which overwhelmed Robin Williams.

For the last several weeks we have been studying the answers the Bible gives for the important issues of life. This weekend we’ll address the question, “Is the Bible the Word of God, is it true?” Depression is no respecter of persons. Some day you will be confronted by the creeping sensation that your life has no meaning, happiness or hope. Start getting ready for that day by getting to know the book that has the ammunition to destroy depression.

Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am

Free to Be the Real You

We Americans so value our individuality that we intensely resent anyone even suggesting that we should in some way change our behavior. We want to be free to be ourselves without having to conform to someone else’s idea of the kind of person we ought to be. However, to our great dismay, we have found that in our rush to live life on our terms, many have fallen headlong into a slavery to their desires. People have discovered that “living free” has led them to develop a lifestyle which has not brought the happiness they expected but instead ongoing misery. They know their behavior is causing their problems but they can’t get themselves to stop. They have become slaves to themselves.

Jesus Christ once said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Part of the teaching of Jesus Christ is called the Ten Commandments. Tragically, these commandments do not have a very good reputation today. They are seen as intrusive, burdensome and robbing life of its happiness. The reality is, nothing could be further from the truth. The Ten Commandments, when understood in the light of Christ’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins equip human beings to experience life as God intended. We become truly free to live out what is best for us rather than slavishly give in to manipulative desires which end up coming back to haunt us.

Join us for one of our weekend services. Be free to be the real you – the you Jesus Christ saved you to be!

Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am

What Does Being a Christian Have to Do with My Daily Life?

Too often there is a disconnect between what God has done for us and what we do for God. We prefer a one way relationship with him giving us what we want so that we can live each day on our terms. The last thing we want is to be told how we are to live.

But God wants a two way relationship with us. He tells us how he has loved us and he also shows us how we can love him in return. In a short letter to a Christian congregation, the Apostle John wrote, “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.”

During the first several weeks of our series “The Questions We Ask” we’ve been studying who God is and what he has done to offer us a place in his family. Now it’s time to learn about his will for our lives – how he wants us to live in response to his love.

When people hear the word “commandment” their first impression is negative. We think, “I don’t want anyone telling me what to do.” But the 10 Commandments are not part of a vicious plan to deprive human beings of everything that is fun. Remember who is giving us those commandments, the same One who did not withhold his Son from going to the cross in our place. Is God going to unnecessarily punish us after investing so much of himself just so that we might spend eternity with him?

Join us the next two Sundays as we answer the question, “What does being a Christian have to do with my daily life?” You might just find it’s a whole lot better than you ever imagined.

Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am