THE LOVE OF GOD - Unshakeable, Part 6

April 7, 2020

God doesn’t love us because of who we are. He loves us because of who He is.

We wrapped up our Unshakeable series on Sunday and for the finale, we talked about the one characteristic that defines God more than any other. God is LOVE.

But while we all have an idea in our minds about what “love” is and what it looks like, we must be careful not to define God’s love as simply a higher version of human love. The two might be similar, but they are not the same.

Check out the video above to see for yourself and you can also enjoy a little entertainment at the start of the video, thanks to James, our guest host for the week.

THE JUSTICE OF GOD - Unshakeable, Part 5

March 31, 2020

“We need less THINKING about justice and more DOING of justice.”

We’re in Part 5 of our series Unshakeable and this week we looked at a topic that is on everybody’s mind these days: THE JUSTICE OF GOD.

Where is God when times are bad? Where is He when evil seems to be winning? Why isn’t He doing more?

Special thanks to Fr. Timothy for answering those questions and more in this week’s message.

GOODNESS OF GOD - Unshakeable, Part 3

March 16, 2020

“Trust in the goodness of the Giver, despite what you see in the gift.”

That’s easier said than done, but that’s what God’s goodness is all about. It’s about trusting His definition of good more than my own. And that was our topic in Part 3 of Unshakeable.

Enjoy the message!

CAN I TRUST GOD? - Unshakeable, Part 1

March 2, 2020

"Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever."
Psalm 125:1

UNSHAKEABLE. That’s the name of our latest series and in it, we’re talking about the key to a life of invincibility: trusting in God. When we trust God, we can withstand the inevitable trials of life. When we don’t, the smallest challenges may cause us to stumble and fall. The one who trusts in God cannot be shaken.

But is trust simply a “yes or no” thing? Or are there degrees? Is it possible that all of us – no matter how much or how little faith we have – can grow in our trust of God?

The Devil's Strongest Weapon

February 6, 2020

"The only way to DEFEAT your enemy is to first KNOW your enemy."

We may not always realize it, but every day we wake up to a war – one that’s been going since the day we were born and will continue until the day we die. It’s not a war fought with guns and other physical weapons; this war is much more deadly and there’s much more at stake…your soul!

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary THE DEVIL walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

Adversary… devil… roaring lion… DEVOUR! YIKES!!!

Blind Faith, Part 5 - THE MAN BORN BLIND

November 18, 2019

“I don’t have to UNDERSTAND everything in order to BELIEVE something.”

Week 5 of our Blind Faith series takes us to John 9 and the story of a man born blind who was miraculously healed by Jesus. Some struggled to accept the miracles (the Pharisees) because they couldn’t understand it and make it fit into their “god box.”

And if we’re not careful, we may end up doing the same thing. That’s what happens when you choose to only believe that which you can understand.

Blind Faith, Part 2 - THE NOBLEMAN'S SON

October 28, 2019

We’re in week 2 of our latest series, Blind Faith and this week we’re looking at the second sign in the gospel of St. John: HEALING THE NOBLEMAN’S SON (see John 4:46-54).

Here we see Jesus challenge the nobleman (and us) to trust, even when that means walking away from the very thing we are asking for. It isn’t easy, but true faith calls us live each day as if Jesus is who He says is, regardless of what we see in front of us.

What’s the Most Boring Book in the Bible?

August 14, 2019

Forgive me for what I’m about to say. I know it sounds bad – especially coming from a priest – but it’s honest. We all know that there are books/sections in the Bible that are really difficult to understand – rule after rule, painful detail after painful detail…the very thought discourages us from even opening our Bible.

I know it’s not right, but it’s true.

So what one book in the Bible exemplifies this? The one book that we avoid the most?

First in Faith, Part 6 - THE FINAL TEST

April 15, 2019

We wrapped up our series on the life of Abraham this week, First in Faith, and this week our hero faces his toughest challenge yet: the offering of his son Isaac. But as we’ve seen throughout the series, Abraham faces his challenge with faith and trust and because of that, he ends up reminding us of our key lesson in this series:

The reward of faith will always OUTWEIGH the cost, but it will never PRECEDE it.

First in Faith, Part 5 - ISAAC AND ISHMAEL

April 8, 2019

“You’ll never reach new heights, without letting go of familiar places.”

That’s our key thought from Part 5 of our series, First in Faith: The Life of Abraham. Abraham finally gets the gift he’s been waiting for (Isaac), but in order to get there, he’s got to let go of something dear to him (Ishmael). Why? Check out the video above and see for yourself.

First in Faith, Part 1 - THE FIRST STEP OF FAITH

March 11, 2019

We kicked off a new series yesterday, one that will carry us through our journey through Lent. The series is called First in Faith: The Life of Abraham. Our goal is to look at how God turned this ordinary man - filled with many of our same weaknesses and shortcomings - into a GIANT in faith.

Confessions of a Bible Powercouple, Part 3 - Abraham and Sarah

February 11, 2019

It’s Part 3 of our series Confessions of a Bible Powercouple and this week we’re looking at one of the most famous and well-known powercouples ever: Abraham and Sarah.

Abraham and Sarah are two GIANTS when it comes to faith. They’re known for their incredible trust in God. But was their faith always strong? Or did they ever falter? Did they ever have any moments of weakness?

YOU BET! And through their story, we learn some critical lessons about what it means to “trust in God.”

THE PROMISED LAND, Part 1 (audio only)

July 15, 2018

"What happened to last week's message? Where is the sermon?"

That's the question that I've heard a thousand times over the past week and unfortunately, even though I have an answer, it probably isn't what you want to hear.

Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties outside of our control, last week's message was NOT captured on video. The room we rent went haywire and we almost had to abandon ship midway through the message.

But the good news is that we were able to capture an AUDIO version - albeit a somewhat below average recording - including the moment when things went haywire (go to minute 32 and listen for yourself).

Whose Plan is Better: GOD'S Plan or YOURS?

May 16, 2018

Don’t answer too quickly. Of course we all know the “right” answer. We all know that God’s plan is better than our plan and that His ways are higher than ours. We know the right answer in our head, but let’s be honest – it’s not always easy to believe it, is it?

What happens when our plans get changed against our wishes? When the thing we planned for doesn’t happen the way we want it to or in the timing we "need"? What happens when our perfect plan is turned upside down by God against our wishes? What then?

Understanding God's Will: MAN'S CATCH-22

January 26, 2018

Why? The three letter question that is seemingly impossible to answer. Many times in life, whether in good, but usually in bad, circumstances, we just stop and ask— Why God? Why did you let this happen or why didn’t you let that happen?

You can spend hours, days, years, even a lifetime driving yourself crazy to find a complex answer to such a simple question. And it isn’t a new question— it goes back thousands of years to the story of Job. But at the conclusion of your quest for an answer, no definitive answer can be found. And typically when we can’t find an answer to a question, we feel angry, sad, hopeless, unmotivated and/or belittled.

So why can’t we find an answer? Because we, as humans, are LIMITED.

Who Has the Better Plan: YOU or GOD?

June 7, 2017

Don’t answer too quickly. Of course we all know the “right” answer. We all know that God’s plan is better than our plan and that His ways are higher than ours, yadda yadda yadda. We know the right answer in our head, but let’s be honest – it’s not always easy to believe it, is it?

What happens when your plans get changed against your wishes? When the thing you planned for doesn’t happen the way you want it to or in the timing you need? What happens when your "perfect plan" is turned upside down against your wishes and the only one to blame is God? What then?

What Learning to Drive a Car Taught Me about Life

April 21, 2017

I am NOT a natural born driver. Never have been and never will be. I'm not one of those people who just gets into a car and "just knows” how it works. In fact, the first time I put my foot on a car pedal I was so anxious that my nose began to bleed.

Despite the effort it takes, there’s great value in trying to learn something new. Since learning is multiplied when shared, I decided to share some lessons I’ve learnt whilst learning to drive a car. These lessons can be applied on the road just as much as they can on your spiritual path.

So buckle up because here we go!

MY NEED FOR CONTROL - I Thought It Was Just Me, Part 3

January 30, 2017

"The area you are trying to control the most is the area you are trusting God the least."

You may not consider yourself a "control freak" but I'll bet you that if you look closely enough you'll find at least one or two areas where you struggle to truly let go... where you believe that you need to take matters into your own hands.

How do we let go of our need to control? Believe it or not, the answer lies in having LESS control, not MORE.

Wanna know more? Check out Part 3 in our I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME series and see for yourself.

My weakness, His strength

June 24, 2016

Ever had one of “those mornings”? Where you can just tell it’s going to be a tough day?

You know the drill: your alarm rings, and you realize that you haven’t really slept all night because you were thinking about the pile of things you have to do. As you drag yourself out of bed, you feel the heaviness of your exhausted body weighing you down. You get ready in a hurry, hopeful that you can avoid the morning rush – which, of course, you cannot.

Now you’re stuck in traffic, and you haven’t moved for the past ten minutes. Now you’re going to be late, your shoulders are aching, you forgot to pack your lunch, your head is pounding because you didn’t get a chance to stop for coffee, and your phone is constantly ringing with reminders for you to check. This day cannot possibly get more stressful…

DEFEATING DOUBT - Fighting Failure, Part 2

June 8, 2015

"The only difference between a hero and a coward is where they focus their eyes."

Week 2 of the Fighting Failure series and this week we dealt with the most common attack that comes with failure...DOUBT... doubt that God is on our side... doubt that God is holding up His end of the deal... doubt that God is still with us and that we should keep fighting.

If you've ever felt like a failure because you doubted God at some point in your life, check out the message above and hopefully you'll be inspired to "look up" the next time doubt hits and to keep your eyes focused on God, not on your circumstances.