Seneca Community Church Messages

There is nothing so poisonous as gossip. And it doesn't have to be untrue to be considered gossip. When was the last time you discovered you were the subject of gossip? How did it make you feel? What where you able to do about it? How long did it take for you to get past it? After thinking about these questions, how does it impact your thoughts and feelings regarding participating in gossip? Hope you can join us for our last installment of "Can't Touch This" - Part 16: Say What? Together, we are going to try to figure out what to say about gossip!

When you go to a Chinese buffet, no matter how stuffed you are, do you eat the fortune cookie, or at least open it? Most of the little proverbs are outrageous and obvious, yet sometimes they are spot on with what someone is facing. Some Christians wonder, since a fortune implies special prophetic knowledge, whether it is wrong to read fortune cookies. I think we can agree that would be overthinking a fun and silly moment especially when the proverb seems like a prophetic pronouncement. Even then, none of us take it seriously. Yet, when it comes to horoscopes, most of us are not so carefree. It is a matter of conscience. How do you determine for yourself the difference between something like a fortune cookie and a horoscope? That is what we will be unpacking this week in our second to last installment of "Can't Touch This!" - Part 15: Fortune Cookies, Yoga, and Other Things.

To say, "My Body, My Choice" is a "Can't Touch This!" subject is most likely an understatement. So why in the world would we talk about this hot potato? The simple reason is that we need to know what a Christ follower's response should be and how to respond. Also, we might also find out that many Christ followers (none of us of course) apply their response to others while skipping the application to themselves.

Message presented by Mike Others from Wycliff Translators.

Have you ever had a question so hard you wouldn’t even say it out loud? Or a doubt so big you didn’t feel like you could share it—especially at church? We'll tackle one of those tough questions (Why did God let it happen?) together in our message, "Ever Wonder Why?"

We are right in the middle of high school graduation season, and with graduations come graduation parties! Some are excited about that and some not so much. There can be an awkwardness to parties where you don't know anyone. Sometimes in those situations it is almost like people look through you, like you aren't even there. You can be alone, even though you are with a bunch of people. You may feel like you aren't even seen. In a month or so, the grad party scene will start to die down, but that feeling of not being seen might not. Not being seen can carry over into a lot of life, even church life. The great news is, when it comes to God, we are never not seen. He says to each one of us "I see you!" In this message, we will unpack what it means for us that God sees us. If you have the chance, prepare by reading 1 Samuel 16:1-13 (page 194 in an SCC chair rack Bible).

"I'll do it by my own!" Have you ever heard a young child say that? Have you ever said or thought that yourself? Where does that come from? That self-sufficiency can be sign of strength and responsibility but can also become a blind spot. For King Saul. his independent spirit reflected an inner problem of fear that has its roots in his spiritual life. Join us as we wrestle with Saul's challenge and what it means for us today. If you have the chance, prepare by reading 1 Samuel 15:1-35 (page 193 in an SCC chair rack Bible).

How do your choices impact the check-out process at your favorite grocery store? Have you changed lines, thinking you were getting to a faster one, only to find it was slower? How many times have you changed lines before giving up? How about in traffic (same questions, different scenario)? In this message, we are going look at how the choices we make, even ones we don't think are that big a deal, end up making us as we look at 1 Samuel 14:24-52 (if you have the chance, prepare by reading the passage ahead of time (page 193 in the chair rack Bible from SCC).

6/04/2023 - Seeking - Part 13: Everyone's a Winner by Dave Spencer

What did it mean when your Mom or Dad said maybe? What did you hear when they said maybe? What does a maybe mean when you say it? What is at stake when a maybe conveys uncertainty? Join us for the next installment of Seeking: Hope for the Future King. as we see that even when there are things we don't know about the future, our faith can help us move forward with confidence. If you have the chance, prepare by reading 1 Samuel 13:6-14:15 (page 191 in the chair rack Bible from SCC).

Think back to the last time you played (or watched kids play) Follow the Leader. Why do kids love to play follow the leader? How does it make them feel? What does playing follow the leader teach kids? Do teenagers and adults usually like to play follow the leader? Why does it begin to lose its appeal? Why does it become harder to follow a leader as we get older? Join us for the next installment of Seeking: Hope for the Future King, as we investigate the implications of following Christ on our lives. If you have the chance, prepare by reading 1 Samuel 13:1-15 (page 190 in the chair rack Bible from SCC if you have one).

When was the last time you said “I told you so” to someone? What were the circumstances? When was the last time someone said “I told you so” to you? How did you react or respond to the statement? This Sunday, we will see how Samuel basically told the people "I told you so" and had the credibility to have the people listen. Whatever side of "I told you so" we are on, this installment of Seeking will be an encouragement for all of us to experience endings that are better than beginnings. If you have the chance, prepare by reading 1 Samuel 12:1-25 (page 190 in the chair rack Bible from SCC if you have one).

What were some of the things that you feared as a child? How did they show up in the way you approached your young life? Have any of them showed up in your adult life even though they are not always logical?  Hope you can join us as we continue our message series, Seeking: Hope for the Future King, with Part 9: The Crown, as we see how King Saul sadly allowed fear and his weaknesses to define his life and how we can overcome our weaknesses with God in our lives.

Has God ever called you to face a "Stop" or a "Detour" from the plans you thought you had? How did you respond? Join us as Herman Sagastume shares a message about God's call on our lives and being "Prepared to Stop." He will also share a mission update from Healthy Niños Honduras. Get a head start on the message by reading about God's call on Abram's life in Genesis 12:1-5.

What was the last important thing you couldn’t find? I bet that thing wasn't a donkey! How much energy did you exert trying to find it (your donkey)? What happened? Join us for Seeking Part 8: Finding Donkeys - God's Work in the Ordinary. As Samuel seeks a king, we will discover how God works in the big things, but especially in the ordinary. Take a few moments to familiarize yourself with 1 Samuel 9:1-24 NIV (page 188 in the chair rack Bible from SCC if you have one).

Deep down, we all have a craving for security in our lives. Usually, we look around at what everyone else is doing and what they have and try to imitate them. The desire to have what others have or to imitate them can get a Christ-follower into trouble! Sometimes our solutions will actually take security from us. We have to be careful what we ask for! Join us as we see how God's answer is always best and how following the true King is the best way to find security. If you have the chance, prepare by reading 1 Samuel 8:1-22 NIV (page 188 in the chair rack Bible from SCC if you have one).

Being "just okay" is not okay! Being just okay about something is a sign that you aren't really confident in or with it. Just okay is not okay when it applies to your car's brakes, your taxes, your surgeon, your airplane pilot, and the best-used-by date for something you are about to eat. It also applies in the most important way to the ability to be more than okay with what happened that first Easter, Resurrection Sunday, when nobody expected no body.

4/07/23 - Good Friday by Dave Spencer

4/02/23 - Palm Sunday by Dave Spencer

How can you tell if someone is really sorry? How do you know when you are really sorry? When have you used “sorry” only as a way to get someone of your back? When does being sorry show itself to be repentance? Join us as we unpack how course change can effect our SEEKING: Hope for the Future King. If you have the chance, prepare by reading 1 Samuel 7:2-17.