Sermons Ordinary Faith

Life isn’t a game. But, a game can prepare you to win in life. Discipline, focus, and drive make teams successful. These same skills give players and coaches a process and identity that never stops paying dividends. Today, we’ll discover how to give yourself THE Trophy!

The book of Ruth is a profound story about the hardship of Naomi and her daughter-in-law, the Moabitess Ruth. Ruth and Naomi have suffered through famine and familial death. Both women are widowed and childless, and Naomi is past child bearing age. In other words, they are in serious trouble. Naomi believes that God has turned His back on her so she names herself Bitter. But through the hard work of Naomi and Ruth, and a few “coincidences," their bitter lives are turned around.

We continue to choose the knowledge of right and wrong, only to stand exposed before God. Pleading for forgiveness and trying to acquire it. Yet never experiencing freedom, victory, or holiness.The resurrection of Jesus ends Adam’s terrible choice and reintroduces us to the Tree of Life and reconnects us to the Father.

We continue to choose the knowledge of right and wrong, only to stand exposed before God. Pleading for forgiveness and trying to acquire it. Yet never experiencing freedom, victory, or holiness. The resurrection of Jesus ends Adam’s terrible choice and reintroduces us to the Tree of Life and reconnects us to the Father.

We continue to choose the knowledge of right and wrong, only to stand exposed before God. Pleading for forgiveness and trying to acquire it. Yet never experiencing freedom, victory, or holiness. The resurrection of Jesus ends Adam’s terrible choice and reintroduces us to the Tree of Life and reconnects us to the Father.

The introduction to Matthew uses the story of the Exodus and the Exile to show Jesus as the conquering Messianic King. He has come to save the world from exile, defeat tyrants, and take back the promised land. But the Sermon on the Mount reframes that picture. Jesus is the Conquering King but the front line of His conquest is our heart.

The Art of Leaning In… We treat waiting like a spiritual waiting room—stale coffee, old magazines, and a lot of boredom. But in the Kingdom, waiting isn't passive; it’s aggressive. It’s the process of binding our weakness to God’s strength. In the finale of our Beautiful Things series, we’re looking at the story of Mary and Martha to discover the "One Thing" that changes everything. If you’ve been feeling like a "leaky bucket" lately, come learn the difference between the hustle of the world and the rhythm of the Vine.

When someone gives, it is a beautiful thing. We have all stood witness to the gifts of time, wisdom, and financial sacrifice that have made the salvation or success of another person possible. Service and sacrifice are the foundation of Jesus’ Church.

Men and Women working together in a committed relationship, that is a beautiful thing. It is one of heaven’s clearest examples of what it looks like to mutually invest in each other for greater joy and satisfaction. God has used these relationships again and again to bring His heart, will, and kindness into the world.

We have made a fundamental mistake. Because so many of our life transformations are birthed in seasons of deep pain, we’ve assumed that repentance IS the pain. We’ve turned “Repent!” into a religious threat—a shame spiral where we have to feel bad enough for long enough before God stops being angry.

We have made a fundamental mistake. Because so many of our life transformations are birthed in seasons of deep pain, we’ve assumed that repentance IS the pain. We’ve turned “Repent!” into a religious threat—a shame spiral where we have to feel bad enough for long enough before God stops being angry.

As Ordinary Faith prepares to move into Abundant Grace Ministries’ building it is useful to ask the question, “what is a Church?” No matter what tradition you come from, they all agree that the Church is both the local congregation of believers and universal family of God regardless of location. As we move into AGM’s building we must remember that, although many things about our traditions are different (and our differences are important!) We are more united in Christ as The Church, than we are separated by our differences as AGM or OF.

With God, all things are possible. You do not have to surrender to the circumstances you are experiencing. You can embrace a tomorrow filled with possibilities. Hope is your inheritance, not fear.

God is Love, and we were created to live best with Love as our basic operating system. But, what does it mean to Love and Be Loved? Let’s explore the meaning and application of Love as a way of living today.

 Last week we turned down the noise. This week we change the angle. How do you choose to see your life? The picture only gets clear when you stop looking at life from a horizontal, earthly perspective and embrace a vertical, heavenly perspective. You are seated with and in Christ at the right hand of God, right now.

Do you have clarity for the coming year? Do you know your identity as God’s child? Have you embraced your Kingdom purpose? Or, does your vision feel pixelated and your motivation nonexistent.

To have hope and joy you have to have a vision for the future that you can pursue in the present. As Christians we have an incorruptible hope because we know that the Kingdom of God is breaking into the present. We can have hope during pain and suffering because our hope is a commission to bring the glory of the next world into the brokenness of this one.

Jesus, the Prince of Peace, invites us into vulnerability—not to expose our wounds, but to heal them and set us free. His healing restores us to God and others. Jesus came…

Mary’s story teaches us that the joyous and sometimes traumatic breaking of God’s Story into our own is worth the disruption. Her faith and surrender in the Christmas narrative shows how God uses ordinary people for extraordinary purposes.

The story of the wise men is a story of taking the time to find God.