False vs. True Religion
June 30, 2024 • Jon Morales • Isaiah 46
If you’ve ever watched a movie set in high school, this probably sounds familiar: Protagonist leaves her friends behind for a chance to get in with the populars. After securing a spot at the cool table, she quickly discovers being “in” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Turns out, her new “friends” are heartless back-stabbers in high heels. (Who knew?!) Enlightened to the value of true friendship, she dumps her jock boyfriend and begs her real friends to take her back. Cue happily ever after. While we all find ourselves thinking Protagonist should’ve known better, are we really so different ourselves? Join us this Sunday as our upcoming message, “False vs. True Religion,” exposes what you and I are chasing to feel loved, happy, and secure. Could it be that what you’re searching for has been there all along?
Unlikely Ways, Unending Hope
June 23, 2024 • Jon Morales • Isaiah 44:24—45:25
Streaming services are filled with low-budget chick flicks telling the same old story. From the millionth Cinderella story to the Prince of Who Knows Where falling for a small-town girl, these movies come and go without anyone blinking an eye. While the same-old and predictable are a dime a dozen, the films that top box offices and build franchises are of a different kind – original and unexpected. Among the greatest plot twists in cinematic history, this iconic line says it all: “No. I am your father.” If we love unpredictability on the silver screen, why do we complain when things don’t go the way we expect in real life? Join us this Sunday as our newest message, “Unlikely Ways, Unending Hope,” challenges our response when God works in ways we didn’t see coming
Remember. Return. Redeemed!
June 16, 2024 • Jon Morales • Isaiah 43:22—44:23
April showers bring May flowers. Whether you’re tending flower beds, sowing a vegetable garden, or wrangling a lawn that seems to grow a foot a week, you know what a difference those showers make. Without rain, you’d be left with nothing but a crispy patch of hay and some floppy zucchini. Biblically, water is often used as a symbol of life. We understand this, so we’ve invented hoses, watering cans, and sprinkler systems to keep our yards healthy under the summer sun. But there’s a type of dryness – the kind the prophets warn about – that runs much deeper than our lawns. Join us this Sunday as our upcoming message, “Remember. Return. Redeemed!” reveals why our lives so often feel barren, empty, and tired – and where to find Water that never runs dry.
A New Thing!
June 9, 2024 • Jon Morales • Isaiah 42:18—43:21
The 2018 film Beautiful Boy depicts the true story of a father’s struggle to redeem his son from the drug addiction that has torn their lives apart. Viewers grieve for a dad willing to give everything for his son, yet powerless to save him. We ache as the hope we once held gives way to despair. And we long for the happy ending that never comes. It’s stories like these that reveal a deep longing for our own happily ever after, and our yet-deeper fear that it won’t come. Join us this Sunday as our newest message, “A New Thing!” tells another true story—one of a different Father, and with a different kind of ending.
Can Your Life Turn Around?
May 26, 2024 • Jon Morales • Isaiah 41:1–20
There’s power in a good pep talk. A coach’s half-time huddle changes the course of the game. An officer’s rallying cry turns the tide of the battle. A politician’s address inspires a nation. And a father’s reassurance gets two skinned knees back up on the bike. Browbeaten by fear and shame, there’s only one thing that gives us the strength to try again: Hope. Join us this Sunday as our upcoming message, “Can Your Life Turn Around?” speaks a word of hope to the weary, anxious, and ashamed.
Shattered People, Rousing Word
May 12, 2024 • Jon Morales • Isaiah 40
We all know the kind of person who has to make their own mistakes. Raised in a good home, they still manage to land themselves on the wrong path—one plainly headed for trouble. Our hearts ache to watch a person we love dig themselves into a pit of addiction, abuse, or suffering. We long for the day they’ll “wake up” and return to what they know is right…but will that day ever come? Join us this Sunday as our newest message, “Shattered People, Rousing Word,” reveals what each of us have in common the ones who’ve lost their way. Together, we’ll discover a hope for the prodigal in all of us.
Prayer & Love
April 28, 2024 • Jon Morales
When her enslaver fell into financial trouble, a newlywed Harriet Tubman realized her family would soon be torn apart and sold for top dollar. It was then she faced unthinkable danger by attempting an escape from slavery. At the end of her long journey from Maryland to Philadelphia, Tubman had achieved her lifelong dream of freedom—but her story didn’t end there. Selflessly, and fueled by her Christian faith, Tubman dedicated her life to setting others free. As a Conductor in the Underground Railroad, she sacrificed her own safety to bring approximately 70 people—including her family—to freedom. From there, she continued to fight in both the abolitionist and suffragist movements until her death in 1913. Like Tubman, we have a mission to the world. Join us this Sunday as our upcoming message, “Prayer and Identity,” reveals how we can be most heavenly-minded and of the most earthly good.
Prayer & Identity
April 21, 2024 • Jon Morales
When her enslaver fell into financial trouble, a newlywed Harriet Tubman realized her family would soon be torn apart and sold for top dollar. It was then she faced unthinkable danger by attempting an escape from slavery. At the end of her long journey from Maryland to Philadelphia, Tubman had achieved her lifelong dream of freedom—but her story didn’t end there. Selflessly, and fueled by her Christian faith, Tubman dedicated her life to setting others free. As a Conductor in the Underground Railroad, she sacrificed her own safety to bring approximately 70 people—including her family—to freedom. From there, she continued to fight in both the abolitionist and suffragist movements until her death in 1913. Like Tubman, we have a mission to the world. Join us this Sunday as our upcoming message, “Prayer and Identity,” reveals how we can be most heavenly-minded and of the most earthly good.
Prayer & Fullness
April 14, 2024 • Jon Morales • John 17:6–12
It was a Saturday with nothing planned, so you decided to surprise your kids with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese. A few hours later, the tokens have been spent, the pizza eaten, and the last of their over-priced prizes secured. From your seat at the table, you see the kids make their way over to you with smiling faces and, without a word from you, start gathering their things and putting on their coats. Your middle child remarks, “Wow, what a day we’ve had! You didn’t have to do this, you know, but you really made our day. Probably best to head home now. Thanks again for everything!” If you’ve ever raised kids—or set foot in a Chuck E. Cheese—this might sound like an alternate universe. Perhaps something like this feels more familiar: “Can’t we stay just 5 more minutes! All I’m saying is we barely got any tokens today… plus I’m still hungry. Why can’t we get dessert? I’m only asking for one more ride, but you won’t even give me that!” As parents, we work hard to teach our kids to say “thank you” and be grateful, but could we be just as guilty as they? Join us this Sunday to discover what our new message, “Prayer and Fullness,” reveals about the way many of us approach our own Father.
Prayer & Heaven
April 7, 2024 • Jon Morales • John 17:1–5
Among the most iconic moments in cinematic history is Neo’s life-altering choice between two pills: red or blue. The protagonist of the 1999 blockbuster, The Matrix, must decide whether to return to the simple life he knows, or to have his eyes opened to a greater, mind-bending reality. You and I face a similar choice. Will we live for the world we see today, or seek the higher reality of heaven—a realm beyond our wildest imagination? Join us this Sunday as our upcoming message, “Prayer and Heaven,” invites us to unlock the greater depths of prayer, by which we’re unleashed to experience the wonders and glories of heaven on earth.
Easter at Oak Pointe
March 31, 2024 • Jon Morales • John 20:24–29
This year, millions will observe the Easter holiday simply out of tradition. Churches will be filled with people whose lives have not been changed by the reality of the resurrection—people who’ve perhaps never questioned whether they even believe it. How about you? This Easter Sunday, join us as we consider the resurrection of Jesus through the perspective of a first-century skeptic. Don’t let another year pass by without answering the question, Do I actually buy this?
Overcoming the World
March 24, 2024 • Jon Morales • John 16:23–33
If you’ve ever been in the market for a house, you know the importance of looking “beneath the surface.” While a new coat of paint, fresh flowers, and a snickerdoodle candle can make most any place feel like a dream, a wise buyer thinks twice. It’s experienced house-hunters you’ll find brushing away cobwebs around the furnace, peering close at the seals of the windows, and, most importantly, taking a good, long look at the foundation. Because no matter how modern the cabinetry or bright the natural lighting, a faulty foundation turns anyone’s dream home into a nightmare. Join us this Sunday as our upcoming message, “Overcoming the World,” challenges us to consider what—or whom—our own lives are built on. Because if a house can’t last without a sure foundation, how can you?
Grief Turns to Joy
March 17, 2024 • Jon Morales • John 16:12–22
The great promise of the American Dream hinges on one condition: No pain, no gain. It’s in the name of this ambition that many professionals forfeit their families for the corner office. Athletes sacrifice their bodies for the title. And gamblers spend their last dollar for the chance at hitting it big. But do any of these things truly satisfy? In a world marred by longing, striving, and pain, our upcoming message, “Grief Turns to Joy,” will reveal a better way. Join us in discovering a new kind of joy – one that can’t be earned and that never ends.
The World’s Hatred
March 3, 2024 • Jon Morales • John 15:18–27
In two weeks, our nation will commemorate St. Patrick’s Day, but amid the leprechauns, shamrocks, and corned beef, does anyone remember what we’re celebrating? Maewyn Succat, later known as St. Patrick, was born in Britain in the fourth century A.D. Shortly before Patrick turned 16, his family’s villa was attacked by pirates, who abducted him to their homeland of Ireland and sold him as a slave. It was there, enslaved in a foreign land, that Patrick encountered Jesus. After six years of harsh labor, Patrick finally escaped his oppressors and embarked on a two-year journey home. Safely returned to his family at last, the young man soon began to sense the call of God to do something absolutely mad: journey back to Ireland and share the Gospel with the very people who had enslaved him. Despite fierce opposition, that is exactly what Patrick did. Selflessly, he devoted his life to proclaiming the message of Christ throughout Ireland, by which an entire nation was transformed by the Gospel. As we reflect on the radical, self-giving love of St. Patrick, we recognize the high calling placed on everyone who claims to follow Jesus. Join us this Sunday as our upcoming message challenges how you and I respond to “The World’s Hatred” today.