What Matters

Time to Grow: Courage

The second-last week of our Time to Grow series, this week we explored God's commandment to Joshua to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:1-9).  What does it mean for us to walk into God's future for our community with courage, confidence and the conviction that God goes before us.  Listen in...Download stu_a_time_to_grow_vision.mp3 

Time to Grow: Vision Night

Over the last six months or so our congregation has been journeying with God in discovering His Vision for our future.  Here I articulate our values, vision, goals, measures and strategies for growth for the next year and beyond.  It is a future full of promise under God's direction...Download vision_night_stu.mp3

Time to Grow: Give

The third message in our Time to Grow series, this week we explored what it means to give generously, prayerfully, cheerfully, expectantly and gratefully.  Based on 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, we finished by remembering we give because we have been given so much.  Listen in... Download sermon_5112006_am1.mp3

Time to Grow: Serve

Our second week in the series, we explored what it means to serve as God would have us.  Out of Romans 12, we discovered that we serve because we were first served and that our service pleases God.  Listen in...Download dfg.mp3

A Faithful Church

God has not called me to be nice, our church to be comfortable, nor successful.  God has called us to be faithful.

• Successful churches exist to please their members
• Faithful churches exist to glorify God
• Successful churches ask what they can do better to please their members
• Faithful churches ask what can we do to reach the lost with Jesus’ love – and then will do whatever it takes to do so
• Successful churches are constantly juggling competing priorities, demands and seemingly urgent needs – priorities, demands and needs that drift further away from the heart of the gospel as they seek to keep everybody happy.
• Faithful churches are constantly juggling competing priorities, demands and urgent needs – priorities, demands and needs that are ruthlessly addressed or discarded in the light of God’s primary call upon their life to be salt in a world that desperately needs God’s seasoning and light in a world enveloped in darkness at every corner
• Successful churches in the end burn out through ceaseless and unrelenting activity, fizzle out for lack of an inspiring cause or are vomited out for so drifting from the heart of God he can do no other
• Faithful churches make mistakes, repent, and are forgiven again and again by a faithful and forgiving God
• Successful churches, by God’s Grace, may be effective for a season
• Faithful churches, by God’s Grace, will be effective as long as God gives them breath, and their legacy will stand from generation to generation