We continue "God's Promises," by looking at an incredibly encouraging promise made by Jesus--you don't have to walk in darkness, but can walk in light. It's absolutely life-changing!

God promises that He has a plan for our future, and that includes the future of our nation. This weekend, we will look at one of God's promises that includes specific actions and behavior on our part, in order to see the nation strong and healthy. We will look to God's word to define the position of our hearts and guide our interactions with others. It's not a message you want to miss!

What began twelve months ago as a staff discussion about which of God's promises meant the most to us has turned into what could be the most encouraging year you've ever spent in church! This weekend, we start a year long series on God's promises. Get ready to be encouraged as we learn and memorize a new promise of God each weekend here at First NLR!

What is a healthy church? This message is critical for all of us--whether you've been part of the First NLR family for days, or decades. We'll examine what the Bible defines as a healthy church, and recommit to those principles together!

With the year coming to an end, many people are deciding on their resolutions for the new year. What's the one big thing you're planning to work on? We will look at how to commit to change, but more importantly start the new year fresh and more like Jesus!

Join us as we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

I have forgiven my peers, but what do I do if I have to forgive myself? How do I get rid of the self shame I have brought onto myself? This weekend, we will look at the Bible and take a look at what it says about how to forgive ourselves.

How do we forgive, and how can we move past major hurts?  How can I just move on?  This weekend, we'll use scripture to figure out the biblical way to forgive those who hurt us most.

Why should you forgive, when the hurt may not even be your fault? Shouldn't the offending person make the first move? This weekend, we'll take a look at Scripture to determine why forgiveness is not only a good idea--but imperative for every believer. 

Forgiveness is a practice at the heart of our faith. This weekend, we'll start a new series on forgiveness by exploring what it means--and doesn't mean--to forgive.

As a church family, we understand that because every soul matters to God, every soul must matter to us. But, what does that look like in everyday life? This weekend, we'll look at practical ways of applying this guiding principle to your life.

"Every Soul Matters to God" is a phrase you hear a lot around here.  ESMTG. We print it on t-shirts, cups, pens--everything imaginable!  But, it's more than a catchy saying.  It is a core value.

In today's sermon, Pastor Rod recounts the story of the prophet Elijah at an incredibly low point in his life. It is a model for overcoming discouragement and depression.

Naaman's is the story of an unexpected miracle and an unexpected hero. Even if you have heard this story before, you might be surprised!

Pride comes at a high price. In this sermon we will study one of the most prideful men in the Old Testament - King Nebuchadnezzar.

Pastor Rod Loy sits down with missionaries Derek and Tammy Walker to discuss their important work in Africa.

Do you ever feel like God isn't making sense? In this message, we study the story of a man who obeyed God even when it didn't make sense.

We continue our series Great Bible Stories by looking at the story of a lesser known character from the Bible - Ehud. This story of obedience and faithfulness reminds us that God uses unlikely people to do amazing things.

Every family is different, and sadly, today we see a lot of families who have ongoing conflict! This weekend we study one of the most famous stories from the Bible surrounding conflict within the family, and learn how to end those family feuds. It's time to resolve conflict biblically and bring unity to the family.

In this new series called "Great Bible Stories", we look at Josiah, the youngest boy to rule Judah. It is an encouraging message that will remind us that we are never too young to be used by God.

We conclude our series "Teach Us To Pray" with the last line of the Lord's prayer. It is a powerful lesson on how to maintain a healthy God-dependence, recognizing that everything we have and everything we are comes from Him!

"and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil..." In a society that normalizes sin, how do we recognize temptation? How do we prepare ourselves for battle and ask the lord to give us strength to stand against temptation? Today we look at the fifth line of the Lord's prayer as Pastor Rod breaks down how to pray this way.

Forgiveness isn't an easy subject, but it is an incredibly important one. In the fourth part of his Teach Us To Pray series, Pastor Rod will discuss the key components of one of the toughest lines of the Lord's prayer. "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors..."

We continue our series, Teach Us To Pray, by looking at the third line of the Lord's Prayer which asks us to depend upon God for our daily needs. Pastor Rod's message will challenge you to let go and fully depend upon God for the strength you need.

We continue our series, Teach Us To Pray, by looking at the second line of the Lord's Prayer. Pastor Rod will break down this powerful sentence, teaching what it means to seek after the will of God, allowing Him to be in control. #FirstNLR #RodLoy #TeachUsToPray #ESMTG

In this first message of the Teach Us to Pray series, Pastor Rod explores the opening of the Lord's Prayer as a model for beginning our daily time with our Heavenly Father.

All followers of Christ should make the pursuit of the presence of God their first priority. Powerful blessings accompany Gods presence. In this message, Pastor Rod finishes our series on worship by talking about preparing for the presence of God.

King David made a big mistake when he tried to bring the arc of the covenant to Jerusalem the first time, and he learned a hard lesson. Pastor Rod teaches us how we can learn about effective worship through Kind David's second try. David got it right that time, and we can too.

King David, on a mission to bring the Arc of the Covenant back to Jerusalem, made a mistake in judgement that separated him and his people from the presence of God. In this message, Pastor Rod teaches how David's mistake and later his realization is a lesson to all of us about the great value of staying in the presence of God.

If you grew up in church, you probably were taught about the story of The Good Samaritan. What was Jesus really trying to teach us from this parable? What does "love your neighbor" mean to a follower of Jesus?

Watching the way we live, it appears we believe "My life consists of what I have -- my stuff."  Jesus warns us about the dangers of a life consumed by greed in a parable that you may not have heard before.

One of the most confusing stories Jesus told was the parable of the talents.  In this message Pastor Rod reveals how Jesus's story illustrates God's approach to his resources and our responsibilities.

From one of Jesus' parables we learn that God loves everyone and heaven celebrates when someone makes the decision to follow Jesus. From another story, we learn that God seeks after those who are lost.

There is a seat at the table for you! You are welcome to be a part of God's family. Pastor Rod looks at an incredible story Jesus told and what it means for you.

#firstnlr #esmtg #parable

Have you ever looked down on people who don’t have “as much of God" as you? Maybe you've seen someone who is new to faith and struggling with addiction and thought, “They just need to clean themselves up.” Pastor Brian teaches what to do if you struggle with spiritual pride.

One missing piece can ruin things.  A nine-thousand piece puzzle with one missing piece is worthless.  Sports teams, businesses, and relationships routinely fail because of some vital, missing element.  In this Easter message, Pastor Rod discusses the importance of finding that important, missing piece in our lives.

Pastor Rod concludes our series on Healing. One touch from Jesus can change everything. Regardless of your situation, Jesus can and wants to heal you.

What is the "right" way to be healed? Do miracles only happen if you follow a formula? Who has to pray if you want to be healed? Pastor Rod Loy walks through these questions and more.

Looking at stories from the Bible, Pastor Rod shares practical ways to care for someone battling long-term illness and things to remember if you are battling a long-term illness.

Pastor Rod begins our new series looking at stories from the Bible when people were miraculously healed by Jesus.

We finish our series on The Fruit of the Spirit with the final fruit, one that seems to be increasingly rare in our angry, out-of-control society: self-control.

Society doesn't often reward the gentle over the harsh or the humble over the judgmental.  It has even become common for Christians to match the world's harsh injustice with a kind of "righteous" harshness.  In this eighth lesson on the fruit of the Spirit, we explore the gentle attitude that Jesus expects of his followers.

What does faithfulness look like for the follower of Jesus? What is the evidence of a life of faithfulness? Join us today as Pastor Rod answers those questions.

The word "good" might be the most overused word in the English language.  We use it to describe our children's behavior, our food, even our dog.  To be "good" has come to mean "not bad", but in the scripture, good means much more.  In this message on the sixth Fruit of the Spirit, we learn what the Bible teaches about goodness.

One of the most difficult fruit of the spirit to develop is patience. As members of an instant society, it can be difficult to tolerate the the aspects of life that develop more slowly. In today's lesson we explore why patience is such an important fruit for followers of Christ to produce, and how we might cultivate patience in our lives.

Kindness has become rare in our society.  For followers of Jesus, kindness should be a normal, everyday, all the time priority.  In this message we explore the importance of this fourth fruit of the spirit.

Kindness has become rare in our society.  For followers of Jesus, kindness should be a normal, everyday, all the time priority.  In this message we explore the importance of this fourth fruit of the spirit.

In today's world peace can be a rarity - It doesn't have to be though! God wants us to experience the peace He can provide on a daily basis. Learn how you can have peace regardless of your circumstances. Share and Invite your friends who need peace.

We continue our study of the Fruit of the Spirit with a look at Joy. The Apostle Paul tells us that followers of Christ should be filled with the Joy of the Lord. How can we find and live a life full of joy?

This weekend, we start a brand new series "The Fruit of the Spirit." Each week, we will look in depth at one of the Fruits of the Spirit, and be challenged to grow. We kick off our study with the dominant theme in Paul's letters... love.

God created the church and it belongs to Him. Our goal is to please Him in who we are and what we do. Your quest and mine should be for a biblically functioning community - a healthy church that fulfills the purposes of a church as laid out in Scripture.

When starting a new goal, like running a marathon, losing twenty pounds, or writing a book, there are two important components - starting and finishing. Both are critical to success. How can we ensure that our goals for 2019 are successful?

Pastor Rod Loy teaches how to be an encourager and why it is important for you to lift others up.

Do you struggle with unhealthy relationships? Pastor Rod Loy concludes "Come to the Table" with some keys for recognizing harmful relationships.

Pastor Rod continues our series Come to the Table with a powerful message on God's Grace.

We continue our study of David and Mephibosheth in the next installment of our series, Come to the Table. It is a powerful message stressing the importance of serving.

How do we move past our pain to be able to experience all that God has planned for us?

When your pritiories are out of order, you risk forgetting what matters to you and more importantly God. Have you forgotten the things and people that matter to God?

We bring our series, The Ten Commandments, to a close with the tenth commandment, Don't Covet. It will be a powerful exploration of the sinful desires of the heart.

We continue our series, The Ten Commandments, with the ninth commandment, a powerful message about how lies destroy relationship with God, relationship with others, and unity in the body of Christ.

Messages devoted to the eighth commandment - Do Not Steal are rare.  This one is powerful, and you might be surprised how much it applies to all of us.

We continue our series on The Ten Commandments by studying the seventh commandment - Do Not Commit Adultery.  We might think this is a straight forward commandment, but what did Jesus have to say about it?

We continue our series, The Ten Commandments, with the sixth commandment - Do Not Murder. It sounds like an easy commandment to follow, but the application might surprise you.

We continue our series with the fifth commandment, Honor Your Father and Mother.  Parents, you may be surprised that this isn't just for the kids!

The fourth commandment, "keep the Sabbath holy", seems like an easy commandment, but in reality it is about much more than going to church on Sunday or Saturday.

The third commandment, "You Shall Not Use the Lord's Name in Vain" is not only about profanity. You will be challenged by this thought provoking message on our responsibility to revere the name of the God.

We continue our series, The Ten Commandments, by looking at the second commandment, "You shall have no other gods before Me." You might think, "I'm too smart to fall for that kind of trick. No golden calves for me!" But, I'm afraid we are often guilty of worshiping other types of idols.

The first commandment is, "You shall have no other gods before Me."  The temptation is to say, "I've got this one down, I don't pray to evil spirits.  I love Jesus."  If that is your response, then you've missed the intent of this commandment.

looking at the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego we learn how Jesus helps us when we walk through the fire.

When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar, they knew they would be facing the fire. It wasn't a figure of speech, but an actual furnace in which they were to be burned alive. Christians must endure big problems in life, and from this story we can learn what we should remember when we are in the fire.

Everyone faces challenges in life - some easy, some hard. What do you do when you are faced with difficult circumstances and it seems like there is no way out? Pastor Rod walks through the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den and how God can help you through anything you face.

Who are the people in your life that influence your decisions? Today, we will continue our series, Daniel: Dare to Be Different by looking at a remarkable story from Daniel's life. It will be a powerful lesson on how to know who the Daniels in your life are.

At some point, every parent has hears the excuse, "But, everyone is doing it!", prompting the obligatory response "If everyone was jumping off of a cliff...". Even as adults it can be difficult to follow God's commands when the world around us expects otherwise. In today's lesson we learn from Daniel how to to the right thing even though everyone is doing it.

Satan wants you to be known not for who you are but for what you do and what you have done.  He wants your sin and your past to define you.  God wants you to see yourself as He sees you--to give you a brand new name

How does God respond when you ask Him to forgive you?  What does God do when you decide to come home?

Have you ever been given useless driving directions like, "Turn left four streets before the dead end." or "If you see Walmart you've gone to far."?  It is maddening to be lost and helpless.  When you are lost on the road or when you have lost your way spiritually, what you really need is clear directions that tell you HOW to find your way home.

We will kick off a brand new series, Come Home with a study of the prodigal son, and welcome home those who have been away from God. Come ready to be challenged to be grace filled and love more.

We will kick off a brand new series, Come Home with a study of the prodigal son, and welcome home those who have been away from God. Come ready to be challenged to be grace filled and love more.

In this conclusion of the "I Choose Joy" series, we learn Paul's secret for possessing joy in any circumstance. This one is life-changing!

While facing unbelievable circumstances, the Apostle Paul talks about having a "peace that passes all understanding." Where did he find that peace? In a world full of chaos, violence and unrest - How can you get that same level of peace?

Paul gives the answers to the “what ifs”. If you feel stuck and you can’t seem to get moving in the right direction, or if you keep repeating the same mistakes, this is absolutely life-changing! Today can be the start of a whole new way of thinking and living.

In your life, what matters the most? There are a lot of different answers to that question, but what should the answer be? From the words of Paul, you find what the Bible says should be the most important thing in your life.

Pastor Randy continues our series and talks about how to deal with negative people. We will also look at ways we can choose joy over negativity . 

Paul wrote the book of Philippians from prison as a letter to the struggling and discouraged church.  Paul could have written, "Hey Guys, I know things are tough.  Just do the best you can."  Instead, Paul dramatically raised the bar - for them and for us.  The entire letter is filled with instructions and commands that are almost breathtaking in their challenge.

Are you in a difficult time of life? Are you dealing with pain struggle? We continue our study of the book of Philippians and learn lessons from Paul's pain. It will change the way you view difficulty and struggles and help you discover God's purpose through the pain.

These days, the phrase "I'll be praying" and all of its variations is as common among Christians as the question "How are you?" when we encounter someone we know in passing. Praying for others should not be simply something we say; it should be something we do. When we say, "I'm praying for you", what should we pray? How should we pray? For the answer to that we look at the first eleven verses of the book of Philippians.

One thing you can expect in life is the unexpected. No matter how carefully you plan your future, things change. Good, bad, or devastating; life is full of unexpected twists and turns. Unfortunately, some people expect that following God will result in a life without struggle, trouble, heartache or problems; and they become disillusioned and mad at God when things don't go as they expect. If that is you, perhaps God hasn't let you down, but instead, perhaps what you were expecting wasn't what He promised.

When you are in a storm, survival instinct takes over. That's human nature. However, on the other side of the storm, the adrenaline is gone. Survival mode doesn't work anymore. What should be your response when the storm has gone and the rain is done?

Often, it happens without warning.  It wasn't your fault.  You couldn't avoid it.  But, suddenly, you find yourself in a storm.  It feels like it will never end - that there is no way out.  In life we must experience storms, but the story of Noah teaches us how we can survive life's biggest storms and emerge stronger that before.

If you had a time machine would you use it to go back in time to change your current financial situation?  We don't have the benefit of a time machine; however, we can approach the future with a different mindset and a changed perspective on money.

When it comes to money, who is the right leader?  Who you follow will determine whether you end up in the right place or the wrong place. Today we discuss four Biblical principles that you can follow to ensure that God is leading your financial decisions.