This past Sunday, we had Steven Gilliam bring part 3 to our Generosity series. He and his family are apart of Studio. He is an entrepreneur, business owner and he also has a degree of Master of Arts in Biblical & Theological Studies. Steven taught from 2 Corinthians 9:6-15. In verse 6 and 7: "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not...

We are in the second week of our four week “Generosity” series. Our hope is to grow as followers of Jesus; in His ways, words and values. We also long to grow in the heart and spirit of generosity as this will impact our ability to steward well and walk in faith. Pastor Candace shared from Matthew 10 that Jesus sends out the 12 disciples and He instructs them in verse 7-8: "As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those...

We kicked off our “Generosity” series this Sunday. Pastor Eric posed the question “What is your relationship with money?” Knowing that each of us have our own upbringings and life experiences which essentially shape and form our relationship with money. Here are some questions we went over on Sunday to help you move towards a clear idea of your relationship with money: Is it one where fear is the motivator?Do you have a perspective of money where it is wrong to have it or is there an amount...

Just as we see in nature through each season, we, as people and followers of Jesus also aim to continue to grow and become all that God created us for. As humans we recognize our design to be in relationship and connection. One thing that we can do to grow and expand ourselves is to become better communicators and better listeners. James 1:19-20 encourages us as we navigate trials: "My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to...

Pastor Eric took us on a journey involving two people in the story of Jesus and his journey to his death and resurrection: Nicodemus and Mary. Two very different people and yet they both had these moments with Jesus that essentially changed their entire lives. One was apart of the religious establishment which made the decision to crucify him and the other sold her body for a living. Here we see how Jesus was able to touch two very different people and because he rose from the dead he...

This past Sunday was Palm Sunday. As we kicked off Holy Week and started our journey towards Good Friday and Easter, we wanted to take a moment to immerse ourselves into the story of Jesus coming into Jerusalem riding on a donkey while palm branches were being waved. One of the dynamics of this moment is the people gathered for the Passover, organized a parade, a party, a celebration for the Messiah. For them they were expecting him to become their King. They had no idea he was about to...

A Echo Chamber is an enclosed space where sound reverberates / an environment in which a person encounters only beliefs or opinions that coincide with their own, so that their existing views are reinforced and alternative ideas are not considered. We create these places as they are comfortable and are re-assuring. However if we want to truly mature as humans we must exit the echo chambers and commit to a life of building something that is very hard to build - Personal Character. Pastor Eric...

Pastor Eric took us on a journey that was raw, provoking and invited us into something bigger than all of us combined. He shared his own personal journey of being in the church and reminded us that “church” was God’s idea and not man’s idea.  History has proven that all the forces of humanity have still not been able to hinder the message of Jesus, in fact the more persecution it faces has only caused the message of Jesus to expand and grow.  He spent some time talking about the reality that...

This past Sunday, Pastor Candace shared out of the book of Proverbs. One of the key words in the book of proverbs is wisdom: “the ability to live life skillfully.” in Proverbs chapter 2:1-6 NKJV it reads: "My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding,  If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden...

Pastor Rheva talked to us about the Power of the Word. In Hebrews 4:12 it reads: For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. She shared how the word can Change Us, Cure Us, and Comfort Us. It also is living, its active and its always moving. Nothing can pierce us to the core of who we are more than the Word of God. At...

In the final week of the Life of Daniel series we recognized we are chosen by God. We are a people who are a part of the Kingdom that was promised to Daniel in chapter 7. This talk was to help us all realize who we are and as well to help us mitigate the shadow sides of being chosen. Pastor Eric uses a framework from Erwin McManus: Design, Calling and Character. Design pushes you you forward, Calling pulls you and Character is up to you to develop. If you don't have the character necessary to...

This past Sunday we continued our Life of Daniel series. In part 4, Eric spent some time unpacking Daniel 6 and the famous story of Daniel and the Lions Den. Even though it is a familiar story for some it is also a gold mine for us as humans living in the culture we live in.  We learn that Daniel at this point has now been in Babylonian captivity for just over 60 years. He has risen to be one of the top three leaders in the empire. He is serving King Darius and it was his faithfulness to God...

This week we continued our LIfe of Daniel series. Our goal in this series is to do a study on the Life of Daniel to gain understanding of God’s view of humanity and his invitation to participate in his mission on earth. To also be able to walk away understanding how Daniel was able to be and to lead in a culture that did not have a Christian worldview and remain devoted to God.  Pastor Eric took us through Daniel 3 and the moment between King Nebuchadnezzer and Shadrach, Meschach and...

This week Pastor Candace called us to a place to recognize God is drawing near to us and our response to him is one of great importance.  God is calling us to a place of purity. In Ephesians 4:27 it reads "and give no opportunity to the devil." Our encouragement to each one of us is to walk in humility and allow God to purify our hearts and minds. There are places God wants to take us which requires us to shed things that will hold us back. For more info you can go to our website and also...

In part 2, Pastor Eric walked us through Daniel 2. and we began to see Daniel walk in his gifting and skills with dreams and interpretation. We also see God's love for humanity in placing Daniel alongside a pagan king who has a troubling dream. We see God's love for humanity in saving the lives of magicians and sorcerers. We see the importance of being in culture by the timing of Daniel being in close proximity to the King. We also learned there are spiritual skills and gifts that God gives...

He was alive over 2500 years ago. He was the leader of Magicians and Sorcerers, an advisor to foreign kings, a governor in a pagan society....and all the while he worshipped and followed one God. Pastor Eric kicks off a study of looking into the life of Daniel. We learn he was involuntarily deported into a polytheistic culture to learn the language, custom and the ways of life in Babylon. He quickly rose to becoming governor and eventually stood in the King's Court. Our goal is to learn how...

As we wrap up 2023, Pastor Eric shared about how we long for new beginnings and fresh starts. There are times in our life we need a "reset". He challenged us to not dismiss or move on from what happened in our lives this past year but rather acknowledge and recognize what took place so we can embrace the idea that nothing goes to waste. If we choose this approach then all of our experiences and moments become building blocks for the future. They become a foundation for 2024. In Eccl. 3:11 it...

As we move through life, each environment we create or step into shapes and forms us. Each of these spaces often has unwritten limitations or boundaries. You learn where the lines are and where they exist. Whether it be your work, school, home, or your third place. If you choose to exist, whether you want to or not, in these environments you have to in many ways accept these limitations or boundaries in order to be able to function and get along in it. Limitations and boundaries can be really...

In this week’s talk Pastor Eric shared about how the birth of Jesus is a moment in the larger story of what God is writing. What’s really remarkable is to see all the hints and clues that pointed to the birth of Jesus and what we would do for humanity, but did you know he would live in exile the first two years of his life? In Matthew 2:13 we read, Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee...

"If everything is beautiful in its own time then there is a purpose in what is happening today". Pastor Joezel shared from Eccl. 3:10-12 and encouraged us to realize when we get lost in trying to comprehend what life is or what life is not, to not lose sight of what life can be. God is the one who gives you the capacity to dream and we also have not seen everything with our own eyes and in this lies the beauty and mystery of eternity being placed in our hearts> For more info you can go to...

As we start the Christmas Season of celebrating the birth of Jesus. Let's take a look at how Jesus entry into this world was the hope of all humanity. You can tell the health of a human soul by its ability to hope. You can tell the strength of a human soul by it’s ability to hope in the middle of darkness. One of the great challenges of being human is to remain hopeful. What do you do when you have lost hope or even lost the ability to hope? How do we get on in this life and hold onto...

An experiment was done in the 90’s in a man-made climate controlled dome named the Biosphere 2. It was a research tool so they could create any climate needed for testing. Even to this day it is still the largest closed ecological system ever created. It has a rainforest, ocean w/ coral reef, savannah, fog desert and wetlands. In the attempt to understand how to live in outer space they made quite a few discoveries along the way. One of the most profound discoveries made by the scientists had...

This past Sunday, Candace shared the final part in our series “Strong Faith, Contagious Hope, and Enduring Love”. She spoke to the role that we all play in elevating those around us and contributing into the spaces where we live. God never meant for blessings to stop with us, but that we are to be salt and light wherever we go. In Proverbs 11:10-11 it says, When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy. Through the blessing of the upright a...

In this weeks talk, Pastor Eric challenged us that we need to rethink how and to walk out a more dynamic approach to our cities. An approach that goes beyond what benefits us personally and begins to lean into what benefits a city. Cities are organisms that move and have life. Humans build cities. Humans design cities. Humans shape cities. We collectively create the culture within cities. This very thing we build is also what shapes us. In Part 5 to our Strong Faith, Contagious Hope and...