Respond to Worship

The Road Ahead

November 24, 2024 • Brad Strait

Ripples

November 17, 2024 • Brad Strait

Freeing Our Hearts

November 10, 2024 • Brad Strait

Teachable and Trusting

November 3, 2024 • Brad Strait

Conversation Starters ╬  Western culture has been thoroughly Christianized for so many centuries that concerns for the homeless, the indigent, and the elderly have long been institutionalized. When you think of the “lowly” today in your community, whom or what comes to mind? Are they being overlooked? What is it that they need the most? How is God asking you to give love to the lowly?  ╬  Jesus says that all who desire to enter the Kingdom must come to it like a little child — "for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” This is shocking language for an educated and accomplished people. Look at your life, attitudes, and actions. Are the Kingdom requirements of humility, dependence, weakness, and trust centerstage for you? The gifts of confession, forgiveness, and beginning again are always ours in Christ Jesus.

Too Hard

October 27, 2024 • Brad Strait

Conversation Starters ╬ “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!” Like the boy’s father, unbelief and doubt can sometimes seem larger than faith and belief. Do you believe your doubts and doubt your faith? Or do you believe your faith and doubt your doubts?  ╬ When have you assumed that God would do something the same way he did before? What would change in your life if you lived always in continual reliance upon Him?

Old and New Faces

October 20, 2024 • Brad Strait

Conversation Starters ╬ What is the significance of the fact that Jesus was both the Son of God and the Son of Man? That he experienced both horrific suffering and death, and glorious exaltation?  ╬ For what challenge or problem should I seek the help of the God who is the Lord of heaven and earth?

Seeing Clearly

October 13, 2024 • Brad Kenney

Conversation Starters ╬  The two-stage healing of the blind man reflects our own progress toward understanding who Jesus is and the extent of his compassion and provision for his people. Think about your own journey as a follower of Jesus. How do you understand and know Jesus differently now than you did when you first became a Christian? As you think about your own growth as a disciple of Jesus, what words would you use to describe your progression of who you have known him to be—Friend, Savior, Healer, Lord, Shepherd, Suffering Servant, Lamb of God, Risen Christ, Son of God, Righteous Judge, . . . ╬  Think about a time when your vision was obscured by life circumstances. How do you see that situation differently now?

Opening Day

October 6, 2024 • Phil Bremerman

Value

September 29, 2024 • Marc Ragusin

Conversation Starters ╬ Imagine being one of the disciples with Jesus during this encounter with this Syrophoenician woman. She is one who is known to be an enemy of Israel and an enemy of God. The disciples would have expected Jesus to reject her, to use harsh words toward her, and to reject her request for healing of her daughter. The disciples would have approved of Jesus’s words toward her. Then they would have been stunned by Jesus’s response and healing. When have you expected one kind of justice only to be surprised by mercy? When have you witnessed deep faith in God from someone you believed couldn’t possibly understand? How has someone’s unexpected faith challenged and changed you? ╬ The Lord is always inviting us to know him better and to trust him more. Success and blessing or disappointment and loss can be equally valuable to us as our faith and trust grow. How has the Lord deepened your relationship with Jesus? What have been the moments that have undeniably deepened your faith and your trust in God?

Grumble

September 22, 2024 • Brad Strait

Conversation Starters ╬ Jesus sent the disciples out to tell the people about God’s good news. They weren’t “ready” for such a task, and yet God used them to bring about his purposes in people’s lives and in their own lives. When has the Lord used you to do his Kingdom-come work before you thought you were ready? Remember and tell stories of how God used you and of how your own faith grew. ╬ Jesus is answering the disciples’ question: “Who is this man?” We have the benefit of the rest of the story. But we also must walk through the process of having the eyes of our hearts opened to the truth of Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man. Where are you today in your understanding? Ask God the Spirit reveal Jesus to you?

Beyond the Waves

September 15, 2024 • Brad Strait

Conversation Starters ╬ Jesus is Lord! In this text, all that begging points us to the universal reality that Jesus is Lord (read Phil 2:11) and that “all things are under His feet” (read Eph 1). Make a list of the things that Jesus is Lord of. Is there anything missing from your list? Ask God the Spirit to lead you. ╬ At the end of the story, the Gerasene demoniac was restored and redeemed. The man begged Jesus to allow him to join the disciples. Jesus instead sent the man home to the Decapolis—10 great cities—to tell the story of his rescue and redemption. Because the man was sent home, the potential for many to come to faith in Jesus was great. Who needs to hear your story of rescue, restoration and redemption? 

Strangers

September 8, 2024 • Brad Strait

Conversation Starters ╬ What qualities does Jesus manifest here that, with the guidance and enablement of the Holy Spirit, we might pursue?  ╬ While we may readily disagree with the Pharisees’ approach to the Sabbath, what lessons about the Sabbath might there be here (in Mark 2 and 3) for us? In your regular life’s rhythm, do you receive and enjoy God’s gift of Sabbath rest? 

Eyes of a Doctor

September 1, 2024 • Brad Strait

Conversation Starters ╬  Self-righteousness is enticing because it feels good. It orders the world with certainty and places the self in a comfortable position relative to others. Self-righteousness avoids the discomfort of trying to understand the perspectives and experiences of others who may be very different. As individuals and as a church community, how could a desire for truth turn into self-righteousness? How might our stand for the good, true, and beautiful remain untarnished by self-righteousness? ╬  What are some laudable aspects of the teaching and practices of the Pharisees? Is there anything we can learn from them that has application in the modern American church? What dangers need to be avoided? ╬  Imagine Jesus reclining and enjoying a meal with Levi and his guests. How did Jesus engage with them? What did they discuss? How did they connect? Are there any lessons for us?

Dealing With A Hard Heart

August 25, 2024 • Brad Strait

Conversation Starters ╬ What is my attitude toward “the wicked” - do I want them ruined or redeemed? Am I withholding blessing or compassion for anyone? Do I need a clearer perspective of my own sin and need for a Savior? ╬ Are there any people or groups who I may have given up on and wait in expectation for the Lord's judgment for their sin? Ask the Lord to increase your love and pray for them today asking the Lord how He might use you to extend His grace, compassion, and love to them. ╬ To whom, in addition to my brothers and sisters, is the Lord calling me to serve? Ask Him to soften your heart, open your eyes, and lead you to where He desires to use you for His glory and your good.

The Wideness of God's Mercy

August 18, 2024 • Brad Strait

Conversation Starters ╬ Jonah worshipped God while he was in the belly of the whale and not after the crisis was passed. Face to face with the consequences of his disobedience, Jonah turned to the God of heaven and earth, the God who created and directs the fishes of the seas and the people who walk the land. As a result, the Ninevites learned that “salvation comes from the Lord.” When have you worshipped the Lord in the midst of crisis even without knowing what the outcome would be? What stories of God’s compassion and mercy can you tell?  ╬ One definition of mercy is “not receiving what we deserve.” Often, we demand justice for wrong-doing and we cry “Unfair!” when mercy is extended. It is easy to place misdeeds on a scale of “Oh well,” “Bad,” or “Despicable and unforgivable.” God doesn’t use this scale. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). In Jonah 3, we see the expanse of God’s mercy. The Lord’s mercy is extended to Jonah despite his disobedience and to the Ninevites despite their cruelty. When do you use a scale to weigh the severity of sin within you and the sin around you? Based on the story of Jonah, what is an alternative way to view sin, both your own and others’?