What does it mean for followers of Jesus to be free? Paul talks about freedom in his letters, including 1 Corinthians. For Paul his freedom isn’t just so he can live however he wants. His freedom is something to be used, sacrificed even, and for… Read More »To Be Free
In the third week of our Advent series Pastor Dennis Allan walks through Joseph’s story in Matthew 1:18-25. It’s the story of a faithful person who knows God’s ways and character, acts with compassion and mercy, and submits himself fully to God. Joseph endured public… Read More »Joseph’s Joy
This week Julia Allan continued our Advent series by focusing on the story of Mary’s disorienting visit with the angel Gabriel. Mary is a young woman from a village so small and insignificant it wasn’t included on maps. And yet, this unknown and unimportant person… Read More »Mary’s Peace
This week Carrie Buckner started our 2023 Advent series by sharing Luke’s story of Zechariah (Luke 1:5-23). It’s a story of hope marked by waiting. Zechariah had lost hope that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would ever have a child. And then one day while… Read More »Zechariah’s Hope
This week Pastor Dennis Allan walks us through Acts 15:36-41. Paul and Barnabas have just returned from Jerusalem where they advocated for unity in the early church between Jewish and Gentile Christians. But, as they prepare for their second missionary journey, they get into a… Read More »A Sorrowful Conflict
This week Pastor Shaq Hager walked through Acts 15:22-35 where Luke records the story of the Jerusalem Council sending a letter to the Gentile Christians in Antioch informing them they don’t have to become Jewish to be Christians. The Jerusalem Council drafts a letter and… Read More »Unity Requires Work
This week Pastor Dennis Allan talked through Acts 15:1-21 (NIV), a passage frequently referred to as “the Jerusalem Council.” It’s a story about differing factions within the new Jesus-movement believing they know best how to honor God and do life together. There’s a conservative, Jewish-Christian… Read More »Chasing Unity
This week, Pastor Dennis leads a conversation on how Saul became Paul by tracing Saul’s story from his introduction in Acts 8 to the conclusion of his first missionary journey in Acts 14. When Luke introduces Saul into the Acts narrative, Saul is at the… Read More »Paul’s Dark Night of the Soul
This week, Pastor Shaq walked through Acts 14:8-20 (NIV). There, Paul proclaims the good news of the Gospel in Lystra and Derbe, two cities that seem to have no knowledge of God, but instead a very familiar with Greek and Roman gods. Paul speaks persuasively,… Read More »Turning From Our Gods
This week Pastor Dennis Allan talked through Acts 13:13-52, the story of Paul and Barnabas proclaiming the Gospel in Pisidian Antioch. Pisidian Antioch was a military city with nationalist tendencies and dependent on the emperor. The most impressive structure in the city was the Temple… Read More »It’s Always Been Jesus