On this Mother’s Day, we see God as the Mother to the motherless.  We all have experienced the feeling of loneliness, being misunderstood, and completely powerless to trek through life.  The Bible describes God as someone who is stubbornly by our side and irrationally loving towards us.  We want to make sure that we do not live outside of such love and care.  Today, we caution ourselves against the orphan-spirit and be rooted in the transformative power of our Father.

Where is your crown? Who is your prize? Where is your joy that will allow you to pick up your cross? This is not a new message! Remember, that was what Jesus asked in his sermon! Put them up there where death and desire and time and rot cannot touch.

Jesus uses the most important social institution of the time to explain how his followers should see each other: as a family. In the first century Jewish culture, kinship ties were of utmost importance and loyalty, where people's identities revolved around their family. For us as Christians, the church is a family, which can be quite messy, but where we grow spiritually, find accountability, and offer authentic loyalty.

The resurrection of Christ highlights God’s power that reigns over all things including death.  Death has a grip on us in such way that exposes our inability to combat or cope with it.  The resurrection empowers us to no longer fear what is considered the end for man.  It is imperative to understand while the cross signifies the atonement of our sins, it is the empty tomb that give us the ultimate victory over death and sin.

What is repentance? Why do we repent? Is it necessary for us to repent? Today, we

learn that repentance precedes transformation. It is quite difficult to face our own

mistakes and sins, and we are often tempted to leave not do anything, God beckons

us to repent and be filled with His grace. We will also look into the powerful scene

where David is let through the process of repentance.

What we believe about sex is what we believe about God.  In a chapter where Paul addresses sexual immorality of the Corinthians, he describes at length our need for understanding God’s intent of sex, and the dangers of having sex outside of marriage.  Today, we explore this difficult, yet necessary, topic as we desire to pursue holiness.

Text:  1 Corinthians 7:32-35

In lieu of our miniseries on marriage, we want to focus on those who are single.  We will learn that being single is not burdensome; it’s not a mere “sitting room” where you passively wait for marriage to happen.  You have the greatest blessing and the call of “getting more” of Jesus.  This call to be undividedly devoted to Jesus also applies for those that are married as we continue to celebrate and exemplify in marriage.

Gospel people are grateful people. Our gratitude is connected to our understanding of the Gospel. The more we see the riches and the depths of the Gospel, the more the practice of gratitude grows despite life's difficult circumstances. How does the Gospel make gratitude possible in all seasons of life: past, present, and future?

Today, we are launching a new ministry called Arches Ministry. During our talk, Pastor Scott and I will highlight the importance of family and how we want to support and grow with one another together. This is not exclusive to parents but should include married couples and even singles who someday hope to start a family of their own.

Moses’ life prefigures Israel’s journey as God’s chosen nation. It is important as well as helpful to learn of God’s dealing with Moses and Moses’ response to God in certain situations as that sets a precedence for the Israelites who are being led into the Promise land. We learn today that our stories and our journey with God have a tremendousimpact—our choices, our faith do matter significantly in the lives of other people. We want to be sure that we are fully surrendered and submitted before God’s leading in our lives.