There are tons of books written on good marriages filling bookstore shelves. Each of them take their own unique twist on the marriage relationship. But what if there was a single approach to all relationships that could set you up for success in everything you do? Listen this week as Pastor Derrick shares what makes a healthy relationship.
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The name alone is great! Come as you are. It means that you don’t need to change anything to be accepted. You don’t need to be different from you are right now. You don’t need to have it all together. You don’t have to have your life perfect before you come in.
Unfortunately that’s not the message many people hear. Too many people see the church as a place where you’re only accepted if you’ve got it all together. But that’s just not the way it should be! Jesus invites us who are . Give this song a listen. Just sit and listen to the words.
Come as you are with all of your pains and all of your hurts. Come just as you are right now. Don’t wait until you have it all together. God wants to be the one who carries you through the difficult times in life. And the best part…he’s always there. You need not see him. You may not even feel his presence at times. But know this, there’s never a time when you’re actually alone. He’s right there.
A common misconception is that God won’t let you go through more than you can bear. The hard truth is that he regularly allows us to go through more than we can bear. He just walks that road with us. .
Today just come as you are and let Jesus hold you.
Over the past couple of weeks we’ve been working our way through a book titled The Ways of The Alongsider: Growing Disciples Life2Life by Bill Mowry. The idea of an Alongsider might be an uncommon thought to some of us, but Bill does a great job detailing at the outset of the book. Then as we moved deeper into our understanding of what an Alongsider was we hit three topics of great importance to discipleship: A Way of Life, Intentionality and A Life of Prayer. Continue reading
Good Monday morning! Today we have so many reasons to be thankful for all that God is doing in our lives. That’s why I love this song by Matt Redman titled 10,000 Reasons. As we kick the Monday Blues to the curb, get a little pick-me-up for everything the day has before us.
The title says it pretty simply – 10,000 Reasons. There are so many reasons for us to be thankful, for our hearts to find a reason to rejoice in the presence of God in our lives. There are countless reasons for us to enjoy every moment that we have in life. Continue reading
Replacing the original is usually not a great thing. As a matter of fact some things just are never the same when they’re replaced. But Paul introduces us to a new thing, a replacement, that is better than where we started. Listen as Pastor Derrick shares this replacement and how it’s better than the original.
Over the past couple of weeks we’ve been working our way through a book titled The Ways of The Alongsider: Growing Disciples Life2Life by Bill Mowry. Bill is a friend of mine whose passion is to see people grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus and to live out his way of life everyday. The idea of an Alongsider might be an uncommon thought to some of us, but he does a great job detailing at the outset of the book. Then as we moved deeper into our understanding of what an Alongsider was we hit two topics of great importance to discipleship: A Way of Life and Intentionality. Continue reading
As followers of Jesus we know that Jesus is important for our past because he died for our past sins. And we know that he’s critical for our future because he is the reason we have a future hope. But what about today? Listen this week as Pastor Derrick explains the reason Jesus is important today!
This week’s MusicMonday post is one of my personal favorites – a song called Free to Worship. I first heard it at a conference that talked about the sacramental presence of Jesus in the world today in his people. The message of this song was so very powerful for me. Check it out below. Continue reading
In this series titled the Alongsider, we’ve been 
journeying through a book by Bill Mowry titled The Ways of the Alongsider: Growing Disciples Life2Life. The first chapter of the book really sets the stage for what this idea of an alongside really is. We also talk about the different between professionals and amateurs. The second chapter deals primarily with developing a passion for the ways of God and making this life of discipleship a true lifestyle.
Chapter three brings us face to face with a powerful word: intentionality. Nothing in the life of faith happens by accident. The sooner we realize that fact, the better off we’ll be. We don’t accidentally follow Christ faithfully. We don’t accidentally share our faith lives with other people. We must be intentional about how, when, where, why and what we share with people where we live, work, and play. Continue reading
This week is actually a request in our MusicMonday series. Have you heard the song Even So Come by Kristian Stanfill? The song contains a powerful image of the church. Let’s look at the words for a minute: Continue reading
