Episodes
Sunday Dec 23, 2018
Be Christmas - wk4
Sunday Dec 23, 2018
Sunday Dec 23, 2018
"Be Peace"
Dr. Gary Singleton
The last few days of the Christmas season are upon us. The baking and shopping and decorating and wrapping are coming to a close. So how would you describe these final days before Christmas? I think a lot of us would use words like rushed … anxious … stressed. Especially if you still have Christmas shopping to do! But some of us would describe the joy experienced as we gather with family and friends. And still others would talk about the anticipation and hope that comes with celebrating the birth of our Savior.
But how many would say that the thing they are experiencing more than anything else is a deep sense of peace? Peace seems to be the least experienced fruit of the Spirit this time of year. How sad – because the One we are celebrating is the Prince of Peace. Jesus is the peacemaker between God and man. He is the peace-giver.
This Sunday we will wrap up our Christmas sermon series “Be Christmas” with a look at the peace that is available to us in Jesus. I hope you will plan to join us as we return to that familiar passage in Luke 2. As we will see this Sunday, peace is a gift to receive and to give away.
Sunday Dec 16, 2018
Be Christmas - wk3
Sunday Dec 16, 2018
Sunday Dec 16, 2018
"Be Hope"
Bryan Jones
This Christmas season we’ve been talking about how we can “Be Christmas.” The heart of Christmas is the peace, love, hope, and joy that we experience through a relationship with Jesus. And as Christians, we can “be” those things to the lost world around us.
This Sunday we’re going to look at what it means to “Be Hope.” The world’s version of hope is all about optimism. We hope the Cowboys win. We hope we get a Christmas bonus. But as Christians, our hope is rooted in a person.
The people of Israel had been hoping for a Savior for generations. They were waiting and longing for God to rescue them. The prophets told of the coming of a King … a Savior. They weren’t looking for a baby in a manger.
Then Jesus came on the scene, and He kicked off His ministry in Luke 4 by declaring that He, Jesus, fulfilled the prophecy of this coming Messiah. He was the hope of the people of Israel, and He is our hope today.
This Christmas, don’t miss who Jesus is. He is our King, our Savior, our Hope. And through Him we can Be Hope this Christmas season.
Sunday Dec 09, 2018
Be Christmas - wk2
Sunday Dec 09, 2018
Sunday Dec 09, 2018
"Be Love"
Dr. Gary Singleton
When you think about Christmas, what comes to mind? Family gatherings? Exchanging gifts? How about joy to the world and peace on earth?
I believe the essence of what Christmas celebrates is actually love – God’s love for us and our desire to be loving toward others. Our sermon series this Christmas is called “Be Christmas.” Last Sunday we looked at what it means to “Be Joy” – to allow the joy that comes from Jesus to spill over onto those around us. This week we will look at how we can “Be Love” this Christmas.
Seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah announced that God loves us enough to be born among us … to be “Immanuel - God with us.” God’s love is not hidden from us. It’s not a secret. He declared it loud and clear. “I love you and I am with you.”
Our world is desperate for love. God has given His love to us. And God’s love compels us to be God’s love to others.
Sunday Dec 02, 2018
Be Christmas - wk1
Sunday Dec 02, 2018
Sunday Dec 02, 2018
"Be Joy"
Dr. Gary Singleton
This Christmas season we’re going to look at the heart of Christmas in a sermon series called “Be Christmas.” We will begin this Sunday by looking at what it means to “Be Joy.” Most people approach Christmas hoping to find joy. But what if we went into this Christmas season seeking to give joy – the kind of joy that fills our soul and spills over onto all of those around us?
For some people Christmas is anything but joyful. Maybe instead of joy, you find yourself filled with anxiety, and loneliness, and confusion. You may force a smile on your face, but you can’t fake it. Joy is just not part of Christmas for you.
What if I told you that all of us can find joy this Christmas – even those who are lonely and confused? And not just find joy – but be so filled with joy that you just can’t keep it to yourself!
This Sunday we will look at the familiar Christmas story found in Luke 2, as the angels brought “good news of great joy” to a bunch of shepherds. That same “good news” is for us too. And from these shepherds we learn that you can’t manufacture joy, but you can find joy in the presence of Jesus.
Sunday Nov 25, 2018
I Surrender All - "My Fear"
Sunday Nov 25, 2018
Sunday Nov 25, 2018
"I Surrender My Fear"
Bryan Jones
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope today you are spending time with family and friends, and I hope you take a few minutes in the midst of the feasting and football to thank God for all of His many blessings in your life.
This Sunday we will wrap up our sermon series “I Surrender All” with one of the toughest things to surrender. This Sunday we will talk about surrendering our fear to God.
Fear is such a powerful force. As kids we are so free-spirited, wild-eyed, and joy-filled. But as we get older it seems like that joy gets replaced by worry, and fear, and anxiety. Studies even show that on average a person will spend 116 minutes a day having worried, fearful, or angry thoughts. That’s nearly two hours a day!
And yet the most-repeated command we find in the Bible is this: “Fear not.” So why do we find ourselves so consumed with fear? And how do we obey God’s command to “fear not?”
This Sunday we will look at a story that is very familiar to many – the story of David & Goliath found in 1 Samuel 17. From this story we learn that everyone but David had a vision problem. Their eyes were fixed on the wrong thing.
Do you have a vision problem? I hope you will join me Sunday as we learn how to correct our vision problem and surrender our fear to God.
Sunday Nov 18, 2018
I Surrender All - "My Finances"
Sunday Nov 18, 2018
Sunday Nov 18, 2018
"I Surrender My Finances"
Dr. Gary Singleton
For the past few weeks we’ve been talking about what it means to surrender all to Jesus. We’ve talked about surrendering our marriage, our worship, our doubt, and our bitterness. Most of us would say that we want to surrender all of those things to Jesus and give Him complete control. But the truth is, most of us struggle to do so.
Nowhere is the struggle to surrender more difficult than in the area of finances. Why is surrendering our finances to Jesus that big a deal? And what happens when we give control of our finances to Him?
This Sunday we will look at the story of Cain and Abel found in Genesis 4:1-7. These two brothers have a lot to teach us when it comes to surrendering our finances to God. Both brothers gave an offering to God, but one offering was accepted and one was rejected. Why?
I hope you will join me Sunday as we learn from the story of Cain and Abel that in surrendering our finances to Jesus, we must decide “why” to give before we decide “what” to give.
Sunday Nov 11, 2018
I Surrender All - "My Bitterness"
Sunday Nov 11, 2018
Sunday Nov 11, 2018
"I Surrender My Bitterness"
Bryan Jones
This Sunday we will continue our sermon series “I Surrender All” with a look at a parable Jesus told in Matthew 18:23-33. This parable tells the story of a king who wanted to settle accounts. One of his servants owed him some money. Actually – this servant owed him a LOT of money. More than he could ever pay. The focus here is on the magnitude of the debt that was owed, and on the king’s anger over the servant’s inability to pay.
Have you ever been wronged by someone, and you found yourself wanting to “settle the account?” Most of us do this all the time. Someone honks at us and we slow down just to annoy them. We settle the account. But what does Jesus have to say about this?
Jesus understood the price we pay for settling accounts the wrong way. So many of us hold onto frustration and anger. We live with a spirit of bitterness. It’s human nature to try to hurt those who hurt us because we think it will make us feel better. But it doesn’t. When we hold onto anger, frustration, bitterness, and unforgiveness we are really just punishing ourselves.
I hope you will join me Sunday as we talk about surrendering our bitterness to Jesus. In this parable Jesus teaches us that we can “settle accounts” in a way that we don’t forfeit our heart.
Sunday Nov 04, 2018
I Surrender All - "My Doubt"
Sunday Nov 04, 2018
Sunday Nov 04, 2018
"I Surrender My Doubt"
Dr. Gary Singleton
“I surrender all.” It has a nice ring to it – right? Most of us don’t know exactly what it means, but we are completely in favor of surrendering all to Jesus – just as long as we can keep control of certain areas.
Nowhere is this desire to maintain control in our life more true than when it comes to doubt. We want to trust that God is in control. We want to believe that He will show up, and keep His promises, and provide for us. But we have this nagging doubt that pulls back on the reins of full surrender. Can I really trust God enough to let Him have full control?
This Sunday as we continue our sermon series “I Surrender All,” we’re going to talk about surrendering our doubt to Jesus. We’re going to take a look at the story of Gideon found in Judges 6. Gideon was a judge who was sent by God to deliver the people of Israel. We would expect Gideon to be a mighty man of God. But Gideon wasn’t a particularly courageous guy. In fact he was pretty normal, and he struggled a lot with doubt.
I hope you will join me Sunday as we learn from Gideon that we can trust God even in our doubt. Gideon shows us that God does not reject us because of our doubts. He meets us there.
Sunday Oct 28, 2018
I Surrender All - "My Worship"
Sunday Oct 28, 2018
Sunday Oct 28, 2018
"I Surrender My Worship"
Bryan Jones
This Sunday we’re going to talk about worship, and what it means to surrender our worship to God. Psalm 73 is identified as “A psalm of Asaph,” and in it we see some of the things that can easily distract us from true worship.
The psalmist starts out by saying that even though he knows God is good, he’s still struggling with some things – like why do wicked people prosper while Christians suffer? Why is there so much injustice?
We all want things to be right and fair. We hunger for justice. This is true when it comes to trivial things, and it’s even more true when we see the evil in the world. But when we focus on evil … when we focus on ourselves and our need for justice … it can affect our worship.
What do you really want in life? Good health? A great marriage? Financial security? All of these are good things. But we must want time with God … time worshipping God … above everything else.
I hope you will join me Sunday as we get honest with God and learn what it means to surrender our worship to Him.
Sunday Oct 21, 2018
I Surrender All - "My Marriage"
Sunday Oct 21, 2018
Sunday Oct 21, 2018
"I Surrender My Marriage"
Dr. Gary Singleton
Last Sunday we started a sermon series called “I Surrender All.” We talked about what it means to surrender your life to Jesus. This Sunday we will turn our attention to marriage and what it means to surrender your marriage to God and allow Him to make your marriage what He created it to be.
Now when it comes to marriage it’s easy to set the bar too high and expect something near perfection. We believe God expects us to never fight, always listen, and keep the house spotless. If that’s the standard we try to live up to, then most of us would just give up.
But it’s also easy to set the bar too low. Some people think when it comes to their marriage they just have to do their best and hope everything works out. But that doesn’t hold us accountable and bring out our best effort. Setting the bar too low is even more damaging to our marriage than setting it too high.
So as we talk about surrendering our marriage to God this week, we’re not going to do either of those things. Instead we’re going to set the bar right where God set it. As we look at the story of Hosea and Gomer found in Hosea 3, we will see that God sets the bar at unconditional love.
I hope you will join me Sunday as we learn from Hosea that we are expected to mirror God’s unconditional love for us by loving others unconditionally.