The Crack in Creation

Introduction

(Read Mark 5:21-43)

Perhaps Jairus had taken his eye off of his little daughter for just a moment, never thinking she'd go near the edge of ...

National Reflections

Introduction

This past week, our elders met to pray and talk about our church and the level of churning in our nation these days around issues of political ...

Heart Burn

The man's name was Toby. He was the youngest son of a lawyer from Cleveland who'd struck it rich and moved his family to the upscale community of Rancho ...

Heart Attack

If I asked you to take your finger and point to yourself, where would you point? Most of us, I imagine, would not point to our heads. That's interesting ...

Heart Scan

I'm going to talk today about the most important thing there is about you or me or anyone else we are ever going to meet. To get there, I want to take ...

Heart Ache

More than 3,000 years ago, near the city of Shechem, in the land we know today as Israel, an unknown seeker began digging a hole in the crusty soil where ...

How Did the World Get So Messed Up?

Introduction

Not everything in the world is good. Not everything in the world is happy. Not everything in the world is beautiful. In fact, real evil does ...

The Lostness of Humankind

Text: Romans 1:18-25Topic: A look at mankind's journey through rejection, separation, domination, and condemnation—and his opportunity for redemption ...

Is There Any Hope When God's People Fail?

From the editor

As a part of our Getting the Gospel Right theme in the Skills section, we are currently featuring an article by Steven Mathewson, entitled ...

A Bleeding Hearts Club?

Introduction

Suppose someone were to describe you as "a bleeding heart?" How would you feel about that? That expression is often attached to ...

Our Hungry Hearts

Introduction

Have you ever used an image to help motivate you? To help you clarify what and who you want to become? An image can be an object or can come ...

The Heartbreak Gospel

Introduction

Last week we began our study of the Beatitudes: Jesus' intriguing list of people who are blessed and well-off. Suppose we were to come ...

Why Is the World So Messed Up?

Text: Romans 5:12–17
Topic: How the world is broken and what that means for us

Introduction

Not everything in the world is good. Not everything in the ...

Redneck Christmas

Editor's note: The following monologue is delivered in character by a shepherd named Larry. There was a live nativity scene on stage for the Children's ...

Cravings and Conflicts

Text: James 4:1–2
Topic: Identifying and addressing the source of conflict

Introduction

There is a relational conflict in your immediate future. You ...

The Lord Is My Shepherd

Introduction

I don't know much about sheep. I was born and raised in the suburbs, and we didn't have sheep. In fact, they were probably illegal. ...

Doing Justice

Introduction

I want to talk to you about a concern that lies at the heart of the Prophets, but let's start with a question. Think about the basic human ...

I Have a Dark Side I Must Understand

Introduction

Mark Twain once said, "We're all like the moon—we have a dark side." I think his analysis of human nature was right on ...

A Calvinist Talks About His Friend, John Wesley

Introduction

If you had been a student at Oxford University in the early part of the eighteenth century, you probably would have been a swinger. The bars ...

Like a Living Stone

Introduction

"How does it feel," Bob Dylan asks. "How does it feel to be on your own, with no direction home, a complete unknown, like a rolling stone?" ...

When God Makes Everything New

Series Title: Heaven: Nothing Could Be Better

Series Subtitle: Understanding the details and desirability of the age to come

Series Texts: Revelation 21:1–21; ...

The Bridal City

Series Title: Heaven: Nothing Could Be Better

Series Subtitle: Understanding the details and desirability of the age to come

Series Texts: Revelation 21:1–21; ...

Where the Sun Will Never Go Down

Series Title: Heaven: Nothing Could Be Better

Series Subtitle: Understanding the details and desirability of the age to come

Series Texts: Revelation 21:1–21; ...

Shall We Gather at the River?

Series Title: Heaven: Nothing Could Be Better

Series Subtitle: Understanding the details and desirability of heaven

Series Texts: Revelation 21:1–21; ...

Coming Soon!

Series Title: Heaven: Nothing Could Be Better

Series Subtitle: Understanding the details and desirability of heaven

Series Texts: Revelation 21:1–21; ...

Lost Sheep, Coins, & Men

If God is what you describe him to be, if God is so huge and powerful and capable and loving and caring and concerned and involved and all of these other ...

Combining Conviction and Compassion

What does the Bible teach about homosexuality? Since I have been at this church, I have had to answer this question as well as a number of related questions ...

Sin 101: Why Sin Matters

I'd like to read you a quote from an interview with someone named Brian Warner:

Initially I was drawn into the darker side of life. But it's really just ...