It's Ok to Not Be Ok
The Only Way To Be Okay
November 24, 2019 • Jonathan Wolfgang
Sometimes our lives are messy on the inside, but they look very neat on the outside. We’re really good at hiding the mess of who we are. We work hard to make it look like we’re okay, even when we’re far from it. However, it’s in the middle of the mess that we often meet God. It’s in the darkness that we discover His goodness, love and grace. Using the story of Zacchaeus, a man who met God in the middle of the mess, Pastor Wolfgang discusses the only way we can truly be okay. When you truly realize who God is, you don’t have to hide anymore, act like you’re perfect or that you have it all together. Just let Jesus inside, into your mess.
Depression
November 17, 2019 • Jonathan Wolfgang
Pastor Wolfgang discusses what to do when you feel depressed as part of the sermon series, “It’s OK To Not Be OK.” Whether your depression is situational, seasonal or clinically diagnosed, it can cause you to feel that there is no meaning left in life. Meanwhile, the Church often chooses to play the quiet game when it comes to discussing feelings of depression, causing those who are depressed to become silent as well. The reality is that some of God’s brightest saints dealt with the darkest depression. Scripture clearly shows that God is close to the brokenhearted.
Anxiety
October 20, 2019 • Scott Scruggs
Anxiety is a not okay part of life that can cause you to feel weak, isolated and ashamed. It can even cause you to become angry with God, asking Him why He made you the way He did. In this second message in the It’s Ok To Not Be Ok series, Pastor Scott shares his own story with anxiety, his decision to go to counseling and the ways in which anxiety is impacting our lives. Living with anxiety takes courage. God created you perfectly, which means your anxiety is nothing to feel shame about. It isn’t a sign a sign of weakness. It’s something that God will use to draw you back to Him.
Grief & Loss
October 27, 2019 • Jonathan Wolfgang
We don’t get to choose whether we’ll experience loss in life, but we do get to choose whether or not we will grieve. When we lose something or someone, we can hide how we feel or ignore or try to numb how we feel – we can pretend we’re okay. Or we can admit we’re not ok. Why? Because it’s okay to not be okay. The only path toward healing is acknowledging our not-okay-ness. As part of the It’s OK To Not Be OK series, Pastor Jonathan Wolfgang discusses God’s model for expressing grief and loss, as shown through scripture and the example of Jesus while He walked on Earth.
Loneliness
November 3, 2019 • Scott Scruggs
Pastor Scott addresses our need for connection and the painful reality of loneliness in the sermon series It’s OK Not To Be OK. Whether you’re dealing with a failed relationship, in an isolating leadership position, lacking in-person connection in spite of your social media followers or grieving a loss, loneliness is something we all struggle with and the health consequences are significant. Because God created us for relationship, there is a deep connection between your spiritual and relational life. Steps to establish deep relationships that strengthen your relationship with God include: 1. Get connected in person 2. Be vulnerable in person 3. Have hard conversations in person 4. Confess in person 5. Forgive in person
Divorce & Remarriage
November 10, 2019 • Scott Scruggs
Relationships can be messy and deeply painful. In this fourth message in the It’s OK To Not Be Ok series, Pastor Scott addresses what the Bible really says about broken marriages and divorce. Marriage is a relationship that was intended to represent God’s deep commitment to us, but things have gone off course. Even when we face brokenness, unfaithfulness and lack of love in our relationships, God shows us how hope can be found. If your relationship is struggling, you feel like damaged goods or feel like you have done something that can’t be forgiven, we pray this message provides hope for you.
I'm Not Ok
October 13, 2019 • Scott Scruggs
Kicking off the It’s OK To Not Be OK series, Pastor Scott discusses what happens when we don’t feel okay. Admitting that you are discouraged, depressed, anxious, sad or lonely is not an easy thing to do, sometimes especially so within the church. Sharing his own journey of experiencing seasonal depression when he moved from sunny California to rainy British Columbia, as well as countless examples from the Bible of people who didn’t feel okay, Scott discusses the first step to healing: asking for help.