March 1, 2009 PMDavid Dawson
The celebration of the Lord's supper is wonderfully rich in meaning an symbolism. It is a wonderful time to remember Christ and his sacrificial death, yet this meaning does not completely capture the beauty of this act of worship. Tonight as we close out our Better Together campaign, we will allow the passage form Corinthians to lead us into an appreciation of how the Lord's Supper is a celebration of our fellowship with God and our unity in Christ.Audio
March 1, 2009 AMDave MarttunenWe began six weeks ago with a message entitled, “Preparing for a Visit with God.” Today we celebrate how God has been among us in our Campaign, and ask the obvious question: “What’s next?” Deuteronomy gives us the answers; celebrate what you have seen and prepare to pass it on. God not only wants to show his grace to us, he plans to show it through us. He not only wants us to see, and know… but He wants us to act. As we celebrate all that God has been doing among us these last few weeks we will hear the challenge to keep living out our faith and hope.Audio
February 22, 2009 PMDavid Dawson
As the theme of our day is worship, we will reflect on how joy and thanksgiving feeds the heart of worship. It is so easy at times to go through the motions of worship, singing songs, but not engaging the heart. Psalm 100 helps us remember why we celebrate.Audio
February 22, 2009 AMDave MarttunenWorship is the white hot expression of hearts declaring their love for God. Worship ascribes worth to God. It makes sense that when we love others we give them what we know pleases them. The best expressions of love are not giving what we want, but giving to others what they want. God does not make us guess what He wants; He tells us plainly. Today, we will learn what it means to give God what He wants. Worship is saying to God in ways that He wants - We love You!
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February 15, 2009 PMDavid DawsonThe theme of our day is service. We have been challenged to serve together and to serve each other. While there are
many thousands of different ways in which we can serve one another, each act of service stems from the virtue of
generosity. It is very easy to guard one's time and resources for personal use and personal gain. When we cling to these things, we seem to end up with less. We must remember that as we worship a generous God, we must become a generous people.Audio
February 15, 2009 AMDave MarttunenServing Together is one of the great opportunities, pleasures, and privileges of the church. Serving is doing what God made us to do with others. Blending passion, resources, and purpose enables the church to do more than it planned and believed possible because God directs, empowers and blesses what we chose to do together. This morning, Pastor Dave Marttunen continues the series, Better Together, with a message entitled, Serving Together, based on Acts 6:1-7.Audio
February 8, 2009 PMDavid DawsonI remember my mother having a fridge magnet with the slogan "Be patient, God isn't finished with me yet." I can remember the smiley caterpillar that was still waiting to be a butterfly. What is true for caterpillars is also true for us. In our fast paced culture, we expect to see instant results; however, like all relationships, our relationship with God, develops over time. We must be patient with God, ourselves and with others.Audio
February 8, 2009 AMDave MarttunenGreat families have great family dinners together. As they eat, they talk, relate, support, laugh, and disclose; in short, around the table they grow deep in family life. Every member of the family needs good food to sustain their lives. They also need healthy practices. Many Christians, sincere followers of Christ, reduce their spiritual growth and strength to a single issue: eating good spiritual food - or Truth. While that is essential, it is not the only ingredient needed. God designed us to grow strong through key spiritual practices. Today, Pastor David Marttunen will explore “How Spiritual GrowthHappens.”Audio
February 1, 2009 PMDavid DawsonAlthough more of a practice than a virtue, encouragement is a powerful tool for building community. As we come along side one another to bring comfort and challenge each other to pursue Godliness, we live out the strength that community ought to be. We all face times of discouragement and weariness and we need each other for encouragement. Let us be strong for each other as we build a culture of blessing.Audio
February 1, 2009 AMDave MarttunenTeams, depending on their size, have different styles of belonging.A golfing foursome relates differently than a football team.Something as large as a battalion (500-1500) requires a new strategy for relationships, communication and focus that is very different from either a golfing foursome or a football squad. Churches change as they grow (become fruitful). The game or goal stays the same, but how we play it, how we adapt for it, and how we relate to each other in it changes. Today we will study our roles as team players in our church family, because in Christ, we belong together.Audio
