The tires on our vehicles need to have lead weights strategically placed on them to keep the tire balanced, because unbalanced tires will wear out much quicker. When it comes to living life, maintaining balance is one of the biggest challenges we will face. We all deal with multiple pressure points in life: spouses, children, aging parents, work, extended family, finances, and our health, to mention a few. They all place demands on our time, energy and resources, and if we don’t keep them in balance we will wear out much sooner than we should. Society is forgetting the fourth commandment God gave Moses on Mount Sinai, “keep the sabbath holy . . . work six days and on the seventh day rest from your labors.” Many people view this commandment as a burden, unnecessary or no longer applicable because we are no longer bound by the Old Testament Law. However, the principle of the Sabbath rest is timeless and is still very much needed for life in 2022. Correctly understanding and applying the Sabbath law is critical to maintaining the balance in life we all need. Join us this Sunday for a timely Labor Day Weekend message Keeping Balance in a Pressure Filled World.

In the center of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is the famous painting by Michelangelo of God’s finger reaching from heaven and touching Adam’s finger. This painting represents the creation of man by God and in his attempt to give meaning to the fact that man is created in the image of God, Michelangelo portrayed man to physically look like God. While this is a beautiful painting, bearing the image of God does not refer to a physical likeness to God. So if it’s not a physical likeness, how are we bearing the image of God? Furthermore, what does image bearing look like in a fallen, sinful world? Join us this Sunday as we consider Genesis 1 and what are the implications of Bearing the Image of God. The life you live is of greater value than you ever could imagine.

In the Star Wars movie “The Empire Strikes Back” there is the renowned scene where the main character and protagonist, Luke Skywalker, is fighting Darth Vader, the antagonist, in a life and death lightsaber battle. Luke passionately accuses Darth Vader of killing his father when Vader responds with those famous words “No, I am your father!” In a moment of time Luke’s world is turned upside down because he has discovered that the origin of his life was from the most evil person he knew. That moment is the climax in the Star Wars saga because discovering who he really was provided the foundation for Luke to reach his ultimate fulfillment. The same is true for us as human beings. What we believe about our origins will have a profound effect on what our purpose for living is, how we view ourselves and relate to others. Genesis 1 records that our origins are from God and we are created in His image. But what does it mean to be created in His image? Join us this Sunday as we unpack Genesis 1 and how our design points to the designer.

Psalm 118:24 “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Scripture reminds us to “. . . make the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Eph 5:16b). Many people miss the significance of the present day because they are so focused on either the past or the future. The devil wants Christians to miss opportunities to serve God by the evil of regret from the past or worry about the future. Psalm 118:24 is a powerful verse that reveals the magnitude of each day as an opportunity to discover true joy and significance for life. Are you consumed with confusing emotions from your past? Does anxiety cripple you about what might be in the future? God offers salvation from both our past and the future by receiving the blessing of “this day” as a gift from Him. This short verse is packed with meaning and dynamic application for our lives – Join us this Sunday and see how each day is “A Day Like No Other.”

Nearsightedness is an eye condition whereby a person cannot see things well at a distance but can clearly see things that are close to them. Perhaps you or someone you know is nearsighted and has to use corrective lenses to see things at a distance clearly. Without corrective lenses a nearsighted person will have difficulty seeing signs, buildings, landscapes and even other people that are far away. Children that are nearsighted often struggle in school because they can’t see what the teacher is writing on a board for the entire class. 

The christian can be plagued by a similar affliction; Spiritual Nearsightedness. In 1 Peter 1:8-11 the Apostle Peter talks about this. He warns that if the believer is not consistently growing in the seven areas we considered last week in verses 5-7 that person is nearsighted, becoming ineffective and unproductive for the Kingdom of God. A nearsighted believer is one that focuses primarily on the things that are near them and only directly affect their lives. Consequently, they miss seeing the bigger picture of what God is doing in His Kingdom. But there is good news! In the same way an eye doctor can prescribe corrective lenses, Peter prescribes a path to correcting spiritual nearsightedness. Join us this Sunday as we  discover “Kingdom Vision.”