The Gospel of Mark (Ch. 3)

Guest preacher Deborah McCreary led us through the first six verses of Mark 3, inviting us to consider how Jesus might be asking us to take a bold step of obedience.

The Gospel of Mark (Ch. 2)

If we’re honest, we often work hard to maintain the status quo. And yet, when we look at Jesus of Nazareth, he seems to be disrupting the status quo. Regularly. What might that mean for our lives? We consider Mark 2 and that question together.

The Gospel of Mark (Ch. 1)

We begin our 16 week journey through the Gospel of Mark in Chapter 1, focusing especially on the 1st half of the chapter.

Advent: The Light Breaks through the Darkness

“And Mary treasured all of these things in her heart.” Mary was present to the moment for sure. How can we be fully present, even in the midst of the hustle and bustle of this Christmas season?

The Two Halves of Life (11.10.19)

Paul’s conversion story in Acts 26 can teach us a lot about spiritual growth. What will we do when we’re faced with something that won’t change? Will we double down or will we surrender, creating space for God’s spirit to work in us? “Growth rarely happens when the ego runs the show.”

The Two Halves of Life (10.13.19)


Today we began a new series in which we will take 7 weeks to consider the two halves of life. Together we’ll consider the journey the Scriptures show us is possible – an adventure we’re all meant to live. Listen here for the introduction to this series.

Refocus (10.2.19)

Today we wrap up our “Refocus” series. Listen as we explore how empathy plays an important role in everything we do.

Refocus: Shape (9.22.19)

Jesus lived his life with the intention of giving away his power and authority. Do we live the same way? As a church, we are wrestling with this too. How will we (1) shape the next generation by sharing life, (2) shape the next generation through intentional times of development, and (3) give away our authority and power?

Refocus: Embrace (9.15.19)

When we watch how Jesus lived — the way we operated in the world, we begin to notice that he repeatedly demonstrated an openness to others, not dismissal; he extended belonging, not judgement and he offered embrace, not distance.

Refocus: Grow (9.8.19)

It is so easy to lose sight of what matters most. That’s true for individuals and churches. For four weeks we’re refocusing on four things we’ve said matter deeply to us. First up: GROW. This call to “become like Christ in everything” (Ephesians 4:4) is where it all begins. By knowing our true selves we know God – and by knowing God, we know our true selves.

This is My Story: Racism (9.1.19)

Chris continued his series on racism today. For the past 3 weeks, we have been having an honest and challenging discussion on racism. Listen here for the 3rd sermon in that series. Also, see below for a list of resources to step further into this conversation.

Watch: PBS: Slavery by Another Name, 13th, Brian Stevenson (google his name + HBO), Blackish, 12 Years a Slave

Read: White Awake by Daniel Hill, White Fragility by Robin Diangelo, Tears We Cannot Stop by Michael Eric Dyson, Can I Get a Witness? Prophetic Voices of African American Women edited by Marcia Y. Riggs, Autobiographies of: Ida B. Wells (Crusade for Justice), Frederick Douglas, MLK, James Cone, Howard Thurman

Listen (podcasts): Code Switch – The Return of Race Science (July 10), Chicago’s Red Summer (July 17) and We’re Going to Start a Dialogue (Feb. 7); Revisionist History – Good Old Boys (July 11)

Follow: Christina Cleveland (@CSCleve), Ally Henny (@thearmchaircom), Austin Channing Brown (@austinchanning), Yasmin Yonis (@YasminYonis), Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill)

Resource for families: http://www.raceconscious.org/

This is My Story (8.18.19)

We return to our “This is My story” series. For the next 3 weeks, Chris will share with us about his experience at Calvin Seminary, attending a week-long seminar on racism. We will hear stories of African Americans, whose stories we may not have heard before. And we will wrestle with the impact of ‘dis-remembering’ our history.

Atonement: Scapegoat Mechanism (8.11.19)

Chris and Josh Vis ended this series talking about the Scapegoat Mechanism Theory of Atonement. Listen here to learn more about that and to find out why we’ve been digging into these different theories over the last 3 weeks.