This week we explore Mary, Jesus’ mother and the impact of her faith. The minute Mary agreed to be Jesus’ mother she became a Person of the Passion, one of the main characters in the story of Jesus’ last day. After the Christmas story we don’t hear much about Mary until we find her “near the cross” when her son Jesus was crucified. It was at this moment of deep grief we witness Mary’s deep faith.

Ash Wednesday is a call back to God to repent of the things that separate us from God, return to God by accepting God's forgiveness, and remember God's love and goodness.

Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is near, but sometime life looks and feels more like hell than heaven. Today we let Jesus teach us to see the heaven that is already near us.

The hope of Heaven someday, with Gods help, can give the courage and hope we need to persevere in difficult times.

Even without a scientific method to prove it, by faith, we can believe heaven is real based on what Jesus says about it.

Cyberbullying is on the rise. Children have taken their life over being bullied online. But kids aren’t the only one bullying. Our elected officials do it. Athletes do it. Recording artists do it. Movie stars do it. What we SAY MATTERS. Ours words have the power to raise up or tear down. Which raises a very good question. Who is going to set a better example? Listen this week to find out.

Jesus gave a new command before he was crucified. He said that His followers should love one another. And by doing this, people will know they follow Jesus.

As children of God, we were created to live in peace and love with one another but that can be difficult in our polarized world.  Listen this week as we explore how to live in unity and harmony despite our differences.

We were created to live in community not social media isolation. Listen this week as we explore what isolation looks like and the impact it can have on our lives.

A person’s identity is formed by their gender, their job, their family, their ethnicity, and so much more. And all are important. And all are secondary to our identity in Christ. Listen this week as we wrestle with having people “like” us and our identity vs “being like” Christ.”

A look at the classic Christmas movie Home Alone and its subplot of feeling isolated through the holidays.  This lesson focused on the Immanuel God, or God with us, even as we experience holidays that don’t live up to our expectations and are a potential source of pain.  What can Jesus say to a Blue Christmas?

Gods gift to save a fragile world just happened to be a fragile baby.

God wants each and every one of us to have a wonderful life.

Isaiah promised a savior would come to offer an undeniable peace for impossible times.

The hope that God sent to us is real and it has a name.

Fear is real and fear is a barrier to becoming generous. The fear of not having enough. But God's faithfulness to provide is stronger than our fear of not having enough.

One of the greatest barriers to generosity is fear. But in the story of Joseph of Arimathea we see how generosity helped him overcome his fears.

Listen today as we explore the story of Zacchaeus. The grace Jesus gives changes how people give. A changed life changes lives.

The Fruits of the Spirit are something God wants FROM us. But have you ever thought that they are also something God wants FOR us.  Listen to the last message in the series to find out.

Patience means that we live by faith knowing that God will act with goodness and kindness. Patience is an act of deep faith.

Soil matters! Fruit trees produce more fruit and sweeter fruit depending on the quality of the soil. The same is true for spiritual fruit such as love, joy, and peace. Listen this week as Pastor Mark discusses the soils we can plant ourselves in where God seems to do God’s best work producing fruit in us.

Jesus promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead and empower every Christian (Acts 2:8).  However, as Paul points out in Galatians 5, there is a constant battle between the Holy Spirit and our own sinful desires.  Paul introduces the fruit of the spirit to help Christians identify the evidence of the Holy Spirit in their lives with the nine “fruit” (attributes) he outlines in this passage that all Christians should be producing in their lives.  As we give the Holy Spirit more control of our lives, the Spirit shapes us to be more like Jesus and rid our lives of the evil things in our sinful nature.

Difficult people are less difficult to love when we forgive them. 

If we fill our buckets with love, patience, etc we can actually become loving and patient. And then we can pour love and patience on the people in need.

Take the next step. You can play it safe and fly 2000 feet above the highest mountain, or you can learn to be a better pilot and fly through the valleys. We become better neighbors and love people better when we fly with them through the valley’s rather than play it safe and stay clear of their struggles. Playing it safe doesn’t help us grow. Being brave means our trust in God grows, our need for God grows. God is with us in the valley, growing our faith in Him. We don’t need to have every step through the valley planned, we just need to be ready to take the next step.

If we are called to love everybody always how do we love the person who lives under a cloud of shame? Do we remind them of what they did the mistakes they made? the decisions they regret? Or is there a better way? Listen to this weeks message as we learn how Jesus dealt with the shame Peter felt for denying even knowing who Jesus was in Jesus’ most dire hour.

Hospitals, organizations, and even laws are named after the Good Samaritan. Why? Because the story of the Good Samaritan is a story about a person who was known for loving others. What do you want to be known for? Someday someone will give your eulogy and it will be based on what you are known for. You won’t be there to edit it, but you still have time to influence it.

How did it get to the point where working 7 days a week is common and answering emails and texts while on vacation is expected. Even though we know, “that all work and know play makes Jack (and Jill) dull,” we fined less and less time to rest and play. Does our play and rest matter to God? It does! And would you like to know why? Because you matter to God. Listen to this week’s message on the value of adopting a Sabbath lifestyle.

Whose work matters more to God? The African Missionary serving in Mozambique or the Starbucks Barista working in Gurnee? The Youth Group that plays soccer with under-resourced children in Guatemala. Or the youth playing football with each other at Warren High School? Everyone wants their work to matter to someone. This week we explore how it matters to God.

Jesus says to deny ourselves and pick up our cross. In today's message we explore exactly what that means and the implications for us who choose to follow Jesus.

Follow Jesus and learn something you never knew. You already have what you need to do what Jesus wants you to do. We don't have to fit to follow.

Sin is NOT a popular topic. But the good news is the guilt we feel when our sin is revealed is just one confession away from experiencing God’s grace.

Ever wondered why some people seem so brave. There is a fine line between bravery and stupidity. Stupid people challenge their giants without any idea of the outcome. Brave people have enough history to know the outcome may not be what they want, but they choose to move forward anyway. The fine line that separates bravery from stupidity is faith, faith knowing that the God who was with them when they faced challenges in the past will be with them when we face them today.

God wants us to be like Gideon - listening for His call on our lives, trusting in Him enough to put aside our fears, and know that He will never let us down.

Learning from Esther how to be “right time, right place, and do the right thing” kind of people. Having the courage to do what God calls us to do right when God calls us to do it.

We speak of throwing up personal walls to prevent being drawn into views or perspectives that might breach our personal space or challenge our emotions.

We speak of building fences so that neighbors do not encroach on our privacy. We create gates so that our neighborhood is safe from the intrusion of outsiders.

This week we learn from Jonah how to tear down the walls that divide us.

Like the Israelites who commemorated God's goodness by stacking stones, always stop to commemorate the times God has been good to you. Never forget to stack some stones.

Change is inevitable in life but no matter what changes we may face, we can trust that God is always with us.

When we are gripped with fear, God grabs our attention with good news.

For Joy!'s vision for the future to become reality we need Jesus' help in the present to see people the way He does.

The world still needs heroes. God provides the armor we need to fight against the injustices in our world and the enemies that attack us.

This sermon explores the passages in the Bible that have left the divorced out in the cold, the victims of scripture misuse, left feeling worthless. Our hope is that by gaining a better understanding of the text that we will see God’s actually intent and heart behind the story being told.

This week we focus on the scriptures that make life difficult for women.

This week we examine some of the scriptures that make being part of a church difficult.

Today's message focuses on how good Christians used scripture to justify slavery.

On Easter we remember that nothing can stop heaven from releasing hope into the world.

Love, according to Jesus, has everything to do with serving others, even in the most detestable work. This is the manner of love he taught his disciples in John 13, on a night when he understandably might have chosen a different path for himself. Right before he was crucified, Jesus shunned the power that was rightfully his; instead, he chose to perform a demeaning task for the benefit of his disciples. My hope is to explore what it means to humble ourselves and serve the people in our world.

On the first Palm Sunday, as they lined the streets greeting Jesus' arrival, they shouted "Save Us!" They wanted a king to save them. He turned out not to be the king they wanted, but the king they needed. And so do we!

Scripture says to trust God with all that we are. And we can because God is trustworthy, but sometimes we miss it. Listen and learn how God demonstrates his trustworthiness to us.

In the darkest moments when all hope seems lost we can still remember God's faithfulness.

When we are going through trials, we have asked God our questions,  we have listened for God’s response, we have prayed for God to intervene, and then we... WAIT!  As human beings, most of us do a poor job of waiting.  We are anxious and want our answers or action NOW, but God doesn’t work on our timetable.  He calls us to wait with faith in the knowledge that He always keeps His promises, and His timing is always right!

In difficult time, it is perfectly ok to ask God the tough questions. Asking God questions isn’t a lack of faith. When we ask God the tough questions we still believe that even though God has not answered yet, God will. And after all those tough questions are asked, it’s time for us to do something evermore difficult. Stop talking and start listening. Hope in the darkness begins when we are willing to ask God the tough questions. Hope in the darkness continues when we choose to stop talking and start listening.

When going through through difficult circumstances, it’s ok to go to God with our questions and doubts.

An exploration into the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. featuring an interview with civil rights lawyer Aurie Pennick.

The two Luthers made a difference in the world. Two great men the world will always remember. Listen today as we explore the calling of these two great men and maybe even discover our own calling along the way.

The question we’re asking today is “Can I know God personally?” But, how can you know someone personally who is no longer here in person? Listen as we wrestle with this difficult, but probably most important question that we could ask.