Direct download: 12.29.19_Stand_Up_or_Stand_Out.mp3
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Direct download: 12.22.19_Stay_Bright.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 7:53am CDT

Direct download: 12.8.19_You_are_the_Light_of_the_World.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 8:33am CDT

Direct download: 12.1.19_The_Light_of_the_World.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 9:43am CDT

Direct download: For_God_So..._11.17.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 11:19am CDT

Direct download: The_Seeker_11.11.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 9:53am CDT

Direct download: Prove_It_11.3.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 8:57am CDT

Direct download: From_There_to_Here.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 2:19pm CDT

Direct download: Follow_Me_10.20.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 10:12am CDT

Direct download: What_Difference_Does_Jesus_Make.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 9:00am CDT

Direct download: Mind-Blowing_Truths_About_Jesus_10.6.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 10:23am CDT

Direct download: _A_Final_Charge_9.29.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 12:14pm CDT

Direct download: Unbreakable_9.22.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 9:04am CDT

Direct download: Last_Days_Will_Be_Terrible.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 10:08am CDT

Direct download: Foolish_Arguments_are_Stupid.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 12:40pm CDT

Direct download: Endurance_Training.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 8:29am CDT

Direct download: Grit.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 12:25pm CDT

Direct download: The_End_of_the_Matter.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 9:44am CDT

Direct download: The_Generational_Church.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 10:36am CDT

Direct download: You_Dont_Know.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 10:40am CDT

Direct download: Walk_Wisely_7.21.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 10:03am CDT

Direct download: One_Life_7.14.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 11:20am CDT

Do you ever stress about things like politics, the direction of our country, or the issues facing our world today... why do we need to enter this?

Direct download: Ecclesiastes_8_7-7-19.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:32am CDT

We are going to discuss a question and objection almost every person in the world has asked about God.  It doesn’t matter if you lived 4000 years ago or today, this question has haunted mankind from the beginning of time.  

Direct download: Super_Big_Questions_6.23.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 11:45am CDT

We rarely choose to do something hard when there is an easier way. Our natural tendency is to pray for good days and simply endure the hard days.  This Sunday we are going to talk about Ecclesiastes 6:10-7:12.  Solomon gives us a different perspective on death, speed, patience, and wisdom.  The contrarian wisdom in this passage will fly in the face of our natural way of thinking and help us understand that the more difficult path is worth the work.

Direct download: Better_6.16.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 9:32am CDT

Stuff.  If you have ever had a garage sale you know that by the end of the day, you just can’t wait to get rid of the stuff you were trying to sell.  In the beginning, you haggled and negotiated for the best price but by the end, you are willing to give it away.  After it is all over, you swear that you will never fill your garage with stuff like that again. 

Scripture is packed full of proverbs and stories of people who have struggled with the possessions of this world.  We wrestle with that still today.  We know it can’t bring happiness, yet we strive to collect as much stuff and possessions as we can.  We sometimes go to one of two extremes.  One extreme is that we seek after more stuff thinking that this will satisfy us and we can find true enjoyment in the number of toys we have at the end of life.  OR we go the other way and live a minimalist life feeling guilty or wondering if we should have nice things.  Is it wrong to have nice things while others go without?

Solomon is going to address the theology of stuff.  While that’s not a term you would see in most or any scholarly works, stuff dominates our lives yet we go back and forth as to how God feels about it.  In this passage, we see God mentioned six times and he has a clear perspective as to how we should view stuff.  

Direct download: Stuff_6.9.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 9:46am CDT

Last week we learned that we will not find lasting comfort, contentment, and true community here under the sun, but we can find it in a relationship with Jesus Christ.  We have the opportunity to experience meaning by living our lives for Him.  But how do we approach and get to know God?  
Ecclesiastes 5 addressed this head-on with instructions on how we are to enter into the house of God.  Don’t you wish you could hear the voice of God more clearly or experience more meaningful worship? 

Direct download: Approaching_God_6.2.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 5:09pm CDT

We all need relationships with other people.  We want to share the good times with people we love because there is something empty about success when you are by yourself.  We need relationships in hard times so we can lean on one another for help and encouragement.  Relationships and community are the backbones of the human experience and the church.   
What do the writings of a king in the middle east that lived thousands of years ago tell us about how we should function as the church today in the United States?

Direct download: Life_Under_the_Sun_Together_5.26.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 4:38pm CDT

Many of us are familiar with the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:30 where he says, my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.  Yet, in Ecclesiastes, Solomon in his pursuit of wisdom seems to have a heavy heart when he says, “I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race” (3:10). I am guessing that you are feeling this burden as well and I am looking forward to working through it with you.

Direct download: Ecclesiastes_3_5.12.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 4:50pm CDT

A hypothesis is when you have a statement you think is true and then you test it to see if it is actually true.  Fishermen do this all the time when they go fishing.  If the temperature is cold they might try a certain lure or depth to catch the fish.  They have an idea that they think is true about where the fish are and they test it with the type of tackle they use to catch it.
Solomon has a hypothesis about “life under the sun,” it’s meaningless.  In Ecclesiastes 2, Solomon is going to test his hypothesis by how he lives.  He had all the wisdom and resources in the world to test his theory that life under the sun is meaningless. 

Direct download: Testing_Meaning_5.5.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 4:31pm CDT

So what is all this for?   We wake up, walk the dog, get the kids to school, go to work, come home, eat dinner and repeat.  As we labor under the sun, do we ever stop to ask ourselves, what is the purpose of all this?  This is the question Solomon is asking Ecclesiastes.  

Solomon was rich and wise yet struggled to come to a conclusion on this question.  Let’s inspect our own lives and ask the question, so what is all this for?

Direct download: Life_Under_the_Sun_4.28.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 5:30pm CDT

HE HAS RISEN!  Can you imagine being there for the moment when the news broke?  The women returned from Jesus' grave to report the most amazing news to the disciples.  Jesus Christ is no longer in the grave, He is alive.  What incredible news!  This day must have been the best day of their lives.  However, remember fresh on their minds would have been the worst day of their lives when they experienced the horrific news that Jesus would be crucified on the Cross.

Imagine hearing the bad news that Jesus was crucified and then the good news that Jesus has risen so quickly after.  The extreme change in news in a short period of time made the fact the Jesus is risen that much more powerful.  The cross is truly bad news.  The cross shows us the true consequences of our sin, displayed on the cross.  The Resurrection shows us the amazing gift of eternal life through Christ Jesus.

Direct download: One_Day_4.21.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 2:18pm CDT

Forgiveness.  Forgiveness has never been more graphically communicated than what we see on the Cross.  Jesus stopped at nothing to make sure that we could experience the forgiveness that God is offering through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  After being nailed to the cross, Jesus prays to the Father and says, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  Forgiveness is powerful.  For those that have been forgiven a great debt, the weight and pressure are instantly lifted.  Sometimes we carry unforgiveness around like great boulders in our backpack. 

On Good Friday, we are going to remember what Christ did on the Cross and recall what it is like to be forgiven.  The message of the Cross is that no matter how far you have roamed, you have NOT gone too far to where God won’t offer forgiveness.  He wants to forgive you!

Direct download: Good_Friday_Service_2019.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 2:05pm CDT

Just before the climactic ending of the crucifixion during the one day that changed the world, Jesus is put on trial.  The irony of this trial is that later, Jesus will return and all of humanity will be put on trial.  We will have to give an account for our sins of which we cannot pay.  During this earthly trial, Jesus reveals who he is to us foreshadowing the trial that will happen at the end of days.

Direct download: The_Trials_4.14.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 3:39pm CDT

As we continue in our One Day Series leading up to Easter I want you to think about pivotal moments in your life.  By pivotal moments, I am thinking about moments or decisions that either changed your life or had the potential for your life to be on a very different path.  As we look at the final days of Jesus’ life this weekend, we will see Him in a pivotal moment and witness His inner struggle to do what He knows He should do.  

Direct download: Pivotal_Moments.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:38pm CDT

One Day that changed the world.  One Day when all of the prophecies of old came to completion.  One Day when mankind saw the purpose of history leading up to that day and every day after.  One Day.
In the events of only one day, Jesus had a life-altering experience in the upper room with His disciples, an agonizing time in the Garden of Gethsemane, been put on trial in front of 3 courts, and ultimately was crucified on a cross.  These are pillar events of the Christian faith and human history, all happening in the course of One Day.  One Day that changed the world.

What about your “One Day?"  What was that day like when Jesus came into your life?   What was that day like when He changed the course of your future?  Have you had that experience with God?  Is your One Day yet to come?

This week we will focus on the scene of the upper room.  Jesus does the unthinkable as He puts Himself in the place of a slave and washes His disciple's feet.  While we don’t wash feet in our culture today, it is clear that Jesus is showing His disciples something He believes is extremely important.

Direct download: Washing_Feet.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 11:09am CDT

From Stressed to Strengthened… and everything in between.  As we’ve been journeying through the book of James our hearts have been challenged to grow and persevere well, in times of pressure, in trials and in progress toward spiritual maturity.  To have our walk line up with our talk requires wisdom, decisive action, humility, and prayer while ultimately loving each other well.
The final message we will discuss in James will be one of prayer and restoration. This sermon will be “participatory” in nature – that’s right we’re going to do some good old fashioned, pondering (listening & thinking), praising (you know, really singing) and praying (just what it says).  Finally, we’ll be presented with the responsibility of loving our brothers and sisters well.  When faith falters and truth becomes a distant reality God brings us back to a place of restoration.

Direct download: From_Stressed_to_Strengthened.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 2:56pm CDT

Last week we talked about how God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.  Pride is a heart issue that has outward signs that are recognizable.  This week, we are going to ask God to check our hearts.  There is nothing wrong with identifying something as wrong or right.  However, when do those moral convictions turn into slander or judgment?  There is nothing wrong with making plans for the future, but when do those plans turn into our will versus God’s will?  God cares about our innermost thoughts because he knows that what comes out of our hearts turns into actions. 
 
Here is the good news…  God is in the business of changing and shaping the hearts of man.  He has done it throughout the course of history and he can change our hearts as well.  Psalms 139:23-24 says, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.”  When we ask God to test and know our hearts, HE DOES.  Then we will see that God replaces our desires with His desires. 

Direct download: Check_Your_Heart.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 3:49pm CDT

What does it mean to submit our lives to God?  Does it mean we have to live lives that are boring with a list of dos and don’ts.  In the book of James, we are going to see the dangers of trying to live life our way versus living for Jesus.  God desires us to humbly submit our lives to Him. 

Direct download: Staying_Humble.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 4:44pm CDT

“What causes fights and quarrels among you?”   This is how James 4 begins.  This question seems incredibly relevant today as we witness the many arguments that polarize our culture.  Disagreements and sometimes heated exchanges lead to damaged relationships and hurt feelings.  However, inside the family of God, should such arguments divide us?  

This Sunday we are going to look at the core reasons why there are fights and quarrels among us.  Even though they are shockingly obvious, these reasons still contribute to unnecessary quarrels among friends and family.  We will also take a look at the cure to such arguments.  What if you could live at peace with those around you?  What if you could mend some of the torn relationships in your life?  Wouldn’t that be both liberating and a testimony to the amazing work of Jesus in our lives?  

Direct download: The_Struggle.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 4:06pm CDT

Life is filled with tough decisions that require wisdom.  Do I take the job in another state?  Should we be involved in sports as a family?  How should I discipline my kids?  How should we prepare for retirement?  What should we do with our time now that we are retired?  What college should I go to?  All of these decisions require us to use wisdom to discern what is best.  However, how do we use the wisdom that comes from God rather than “wisdom” that comes from earthly sources?

When we live our lives wisely, there is no guarantee that everything will turn out the way that we want it to.  Wisdom comes from God.  When we walk through life using heavenly wisdom, we get the opportunity to live in accordance with His desires.

Direct download: Two_Kinds_of_Wisdom.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 4:42pm CDT

Words are POWERFUL!  Words have led to the rise and fall of nations.  Words of encouragement or good news can lift up our spirits while negative words and bad news can cast us into the depths of despair.  Many times, we use words carelessly and without thought.  What if we treated words as if they had great power?  What we say does have great power and we need to be careful about what comes out of our mouths.

On average, a person says over 7,000 words in any given day.  This means on any given day, we each have the incredible ability to create amazing good or disastrous destruction.  According to James, our tongue can “set the whole course of his life on fire.”

Direct download: Most_Powerful_Muscle.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 9:52am CDT

When we use the word faith, we might think differently about what it means.  I have faith that the winter is going to continue for the next 6 weeks.  I have faith that the Minnesota Wild hockey team will make the playoffs.  I have faith that my car will start when I turn the key.  James is going to show “faith” in a different light.  Faith is KNOWN by our DEEDS.  We know that we have faith when we put our trust in something.  You can see a person’s faith by how that faith effects their interactions with others.  

This week, James is going to hit the crescendo of the first two chapters in the book of James as we talk about how our faith should and does affect our everyday lives.

Direct download: Faith_and_Deeds.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 3:49pm CDT

Prejudice and discrimination have caused so much heartache in our country and in our society over the years. However, this is not a new problem, it has been going on for decades. In the church, we are one in the Lord and have the opportunity to unite around the amazing work of Jesus Christ on the cross. In James chapter 2, we see how scripture addresses favoritism and discrimination in the early church. I think you will be surprised to hear how applying the solutions to these can be simple and refreshing.

Direct download: Discrimination.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 5:41pm CDT

How many times have you experienced when someone says they are going to do something and then they do the exact opposite?  The next thing that runs through your mind in these situations is, can I trust what that person has to say?  As Christians engage the world we live in, the world is looking at our actions not only our words.  When our words and our actions line up, our words have meaning and truth.

The primary thesis in James 1:22 is “do not merely listen to the word.  Do what it says.”  We can know the Bible inside and out but if we do not do what the Bible teaches it is completely worthless.  Our knowledge must be accompanied by action. 

Direct download: Listening__Doing.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 5:35pm CDT

Words are like toothpaste.  Once they are spoken, they don’t go away. You can’t put toothpaste back in the tube any more than you can put words back in your mouth.  As we continue our study in James, we are challenged to use our ears more and our mouths less.

How do you want your words to be heard?  Do you want your words to be life-giving to others or painful?  When you interact with your spouse and children, do you want to be heard and helpful?  Listen more and speak less.  What a simple formula, but it can be difficult to actually apply it.

Direct download: Listening__Speaking.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 12:52pm CDT

Last week we started the series in James called Wholeness.  The book of James is written to believers with incredibly practical instruction on how we are to live out our lives.  James opens with how we endure trials of many kinds.  We all go through trials and must learn to let perseverance finish the course.  This week we are going to look at some specific trials, the testing of our faith through wealth and temptation.

God seems to turn our worldly economy on its head when the Bible talks about those who have a higher status and a lower status.  The poor and the meek have a high status while the rich and powerful must take pride in their lowly status.  Regardless of whether you consider yourself rich or poor, we have been given divine instruction on how to stand firm in the testing of our faith.

Direct download: Tests_1.13.19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 6:46pm CDT

Struggle. Trial. Hardship. We would love to think that if everything were going the way it was supposed to go, we would not experience these unfortunate events. For some reason, we think that when hard times or struggles come, it must be bad. In our hearts, we know this isn’t true. Sometimes bad things just happen. Sometimes your car breaks down. Sometimes relationships are strained. Sometimes we lose a loved one, but that doesn’t mean something has gone wrong.

What if trial and struggle happen when something is going right? In James, we learn that trials are NORMAL. James even argues that it is as valuable as pure gold. Join us as we start our series exploring James. This will be the first of what will be a holistic perspective on the Christian life as we study the book of James.

Direct download: Trials_1-6-19.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 3:29pm CDT

We often view leadership as something only a select few must do. We can all be leaders, right? In a sense that is true. However, Jesus communicates and models truths about leadership in his entire ministry. In another sense, we all are leaders to some degree. Many of us are mothers and fathers, leading our families and homes. Many of us are in professions where we lead others and direct others. If you are a student, you have the opportunity to lead teams and lead in the classroom. Leaders are everywhere. How can we be great leaders in our families and the world we live in? Jesus modeled perfect leadership. In this sermon we are going to discuss Jesus and leadership. Jesus turned many of the ideas of leadership upside down, so be prepared to be challenged!

Direct download: Jesus_and_Leadership_12-30-18.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 3:09pm CDT



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