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.

Have you decided that you are a failure? From the story of Adam and Eve, the first failure of all time, God revealed the pattern of His relationship with man; and how he will respond to your failures.

Wouldn't things be different if Adam and Eve had resisted the temptation of the serpent? From their failure in the garden, we can learn how to handle temptation when it comes.

Last year, in our series titled "Jesus Is Worth It", we discussed the cost, worth, and value associated with following Christ, but there is another side to that coin.  Through Adam's disobedience in the garden, we learn that sin carries a high price.

You know that God has a plan for your life, but there is one other factor in the equation -- one other plan that exists.  Satan has a plan for your life as well.  Being able to recognize his tactics will help you avoid falling into his trap.

Unfortunately, many people struggle spiritually because of past hurts they received in church.  No church can be perfect because people are involved, but using the first century church as a guide, we can work to display these twelve characteristics of a healthy church.

Pastor Rod tells how to avoid making 2018 a New Year and a NEW YOU!

If the thought of spending Christmas with your family fills you with dread, or if you don't have family to send Christmas with.  Remember that You are part of God's family.  Because He is your "Everlasting Father", you are His forever daughter or His forever son.  You are part of His family!

When we are reluctant to worship, perhaps we have simply forgotten what Jesus has done for us. He is bigger than anything we face. He is strong, mighty, great and powerful... Jesus is Mighty God!

This is the first message in a series entitle Jesus Is... We must keep in mind during the holiday season that Jesus IS wonderful.

The Bible teaches us that it is wise to seek good counsel.  While there are many wonderful sources of good counsel--professional therapists, mature believers, spiritual mentors--there is none better than our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Counselor who holds our future in is hands.

What do we value?  Worth and value are directly tied to priorities, so others are able determine our priorities by watching where we put our time and money. Since we decide what we value, we should make sure that we are prioritizing the things that matter to God.

Have you ever bought something from an unknown seller to save a few dollars only to find out later that it would have been better to spend the extra money to deal with someone who could be trusted?  Trust and value are connected.  The more you trust, the more willing you are to pay the price.

Have you ever looked at what someone else paid for something and said, "That's not worth that kind of money!"?  How about being mid-way through a frustrating job and thought, "Is it worth all of this stress?"  Likewise, we observe the difficult life of Paul the Apostle and wonder why he would be willing to face imprisonment, torture, and possible death time after time in so many places?  Paul believed that Jesus is worth it!

When you have the courage to defeat your Giant, you also inspire others to do the same.  Young David's triumph over Goliath and the Philistine army, teach us a valuable lesson about the contagious nature of courage.

We all love a powerful speech from a great leader.  Young David gave perhaps the greatest speech of them all while standing toe to toe with Goliath, and through his words we learn how to face down the giants in our life.

Have you ever faced a challenge that makes you think: "There's no way. I can't do this. I don't have a chance"? This week, we continue "Giant" with an encouraging message that will restore your hope!

Young David was the only person willing to fight Goliath, and yet he still had to deal with critics.  We all face critics, and David's response to his critics help us understand how we can silence ours.

David, a simple messenger boy from the country, was the least likely person to end the forty-one day stand-off with Goliath.  God can make a giant killer out of anyone, regardless of age or size... anyone who is willing to fight.

David, a simple messenger boy from the country, was the least likely person to end the forty-one day stand-off with Goliath.  God can make a giant killer out of anyone, regardless of age or size... anyone who is willing to fight.

In one of the Bible's most epic stories, the army of Israel faced a enormous, terrifying giant. Goliath was unstoppable as long as no-one was willing to fight. From David we learn that if we are to ever defeat the giants in our life, we must decide that it's time to fight.

Titus was a young leader in training, assigned by Paul to look after the new church in Crete.  We can learn much about leadership from Paul's letter to Titus, in which he lists the qualities of a great leader.

As we see in sports, television, politics, and even in how we use our social media accounts, popular culture rewards those that self-promote.  As we learn from our study of Paul's instructions to the people of Crete, Christians are supposed to stand out by being humble.

To some so-called Christians, the concept of grace has been interpreted as permission to live how we want to live. But, we learn from studying Paul's letter to Titus and the church on the island of Crete, that we must live as an example to others.

You only live once, and you intend to make this life count, but when your plans go wrong it is easy to think that maybe God isn't planning to use you like you thought?  Through the story of Mordecai and Esther you can find assurance that God is still preparing you for your moment.

Esther had a lot to lose when her cousin asked her to approach King Xerxes to save her people.  From the story of Esther we learn how to recognize when the moment that God has been preparing us for arrives.

What can we learn from one of the most ruthless and evil dictators in history?  In todays message we learn how not to be like Xerxes, one of the biggest jerks in the Bible.

Pastor Randy continues our Elephant in the Room on the subject of Extremes of Grace.  Grace is God’s wonderful gift to his followers, yet some overemphasize the power of grace to excuse sinful living. Others rob grace of its power by adding requirements to grace resulting in legalism.  In this message on Radical Grace, Pastor Randy lays out a biblical view of grace that avoids these extremes.

Anger and bitterness are destructive forces as we learn from the story of Haman in the book of Esther.

In this lesson we learn how the right actions of a compassionate, Jewish man in exile honored God, earned the gratitude of his king, and ultimately saved his people.

Do you feel too insignificant for your needs to matter to God or anyone else?  We learn from the story of two blind beggars that Jesus is interested in those who others ignore.  Ask anyway.

In this message, Pastor Rod teaches about the freedom and protection that comes from submitting to Gods authority.

What does the Bible say about Alcohol? Find out what it says and also find out what our stance as a church is.