From the First Note: The Journey of a Musician A Morning of Encouragement & Worship with Minister of Music Andy Riggs. Join us for a very special music-filled worship celebration. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ7As8a4DYg

Our own Rhonda Tamulonis brings a message of love, reflecting upon Valentine's Day. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUQy-2R72Dk

Life can be exhausting! All the effort it takes to get ahead, keep up, and move up can wear us down. Even with good self-care and the best of Christian intentions, it really can feel like we live in a rat race. With concern for ourselves, our families, our jobs, our relationships, our security, and our well-being, it is hard to find a moment - much less a place - of rest, belonging, and safety. But indeed, there is such a place. At the table with Jesus everyone has a place, everyone is loved, and everyone can rest easy. Jesus has gifted us his table as a place of welcome, acceptance and renewal, and he invites all of us to join him there. Feeling worn out, stressed, or alone? Come to the table of Jesus. All are welcome, and all means all. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoPD2lPmZcQ

How To Do Hard Things: Together Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in the Chapel and Online Sometimes we avoid doing hard things because we get overwhelmed by the magnitude and scope of the thing. We convince ourselves that there is no way we can do all things that are required to complete the task. And especially when God calls us to a God-sized task, we are sure we can't do it! But we forget that as members of the Body of Christ (the Church) we are not called to do everything - only those things that God has specifically crafted and equipped us to do. God has crafted and equipped others to do the things we can't do, so that together, we can do hard things! Wondering how to do hard things? 1. Discover what God wants you to do and lean into God's strength, gifts, and purposes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G730s4lc-ds&t=1352s 2. Step outside of your comfort zone. That's where you will find God and God's best for you and the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na2XVOumBIM 3. Don't try to do everything. Do those things that only you can do and let others do what only they can do. God has it all worked out! Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhTesHJbTMY

We all have a comfort zone. What’s your comfort zone? We don’t want to worry about making ends meet, we want to have enough food, clothes, and conveniences to make life, well – comfortable. And we don't want to have hard conversations, face conflict, or work too hard, either. While there is nothing inherently wrong with pursuing security, peace of mind, or well-being, we sometimes place our comfort above the hard things God calls us to do. So what do we do when our desire for comfort bumps headlong into God's call to do hard things? We have to step outside our comfort zones. Wondering how to do hard things? 1. Discover what God wants you to do and lean into God's strength, gifts, and purposes. (See message of January 5, 2025) 2. Step outside of your comfort zone. That's where you will find God and God's best for you and the world. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na2XVOumBIM

Ever heard the rumor, “You can do anything you set your mind to!”? Spoiler Alert: It’s not true. At least not literally. No matter how badly we want to run 100 mph, or read a language we've never learned, or stay awake for 30 days straight, we simply cannot do these things. But we can do hard things, and some things that are seemingly impossible. It's a matter of what those things are and who is providing the impetus, power, and resources to do those hard things. Our own wild dreams that defy physical limits are not the hard things we can do. But when God calls us to do hard things, we can trust that God will supply all we need to get them done. Wondering how to do hard things? 1. Discover what God wants you to do and lean into God's strength, gifts, and purposes. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G730s4lc-ds

If your smart phone is new enough, you have a photo feature titled "portrait." When you use this feature, the item in the foreground comes into focus while everything else becomes a bit blurry. This highlights the selected item and shows it in a new way. In this season when we return to the familiar story of Jesus' birth, we are invited to see the story - and the world around us - with a different lens... one that helps us see everything in a new way. This season we are invited to use a lens that highlights the holy all around us. This year we are invited to see that all of life is pregnant with Christ... not just Mary in a story from long ago. This year may we discover that everyone and everything is capable of bursting forth with goodness and grace, that everything reflects the sacred. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgP2m5z-IQQ

What is the scariest thing you've ever done? And not in the way of haunted houses and spooky walks in the woods at night. But in the way of making big life decisions, stepping into situations with uncertain outcomes, and entering into unknown ventures. How did you gather the courage and confidence to do these things? How did you decide that these were good and right choices? Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, faced a big unknown in taking the pregnant Mary as his wife. In choosing God's peace over his fear, he was able to do this really hard thing. And we can do the same when we choose sacred knowing over fearful not-knowing. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF79DH2mkAA

In these last days of the Christmas season, many of us rush to get all of the special "experiences"... experienced. We want to drive and see the Christmas lights. We want to get in one more special Christmas concert. How about the visit to Santa? And of course, the many visits 'home' - whether that be grandparents', parents', or some other special persons' homes. And all of this hustle and bustle is filled with the hope that in these particular places, we might experience some of the magic of the holidays. But what if the 'magic' of this season is not to be found in a geographic location, but in the less glitzy spaces of our hearts where we've carved out some room for sacred? Maybe the magic of the holidays isn't to be found in a particular place, but in the spaces where we make room for the Christ child. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muhvS92zzNc

The goodwill of the Christmas Season seems to soften our edges and make us more gentle and generous in many ways. We might drop some coins in the red buckets as we go in and out of stores. We might buy a gift for an underserved child. We might even make some year-end donations to causes we care about. But how might we carry this goodwill and generosity into all areas of our lives and the other eleven months of the year? Maybe if we refocus the lens of our hearts to see all people as God's beloved, we might discover that every person, in every season, reflects the sacred and is indeed worthy of respect, acceptance, love, and grace - always. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhD236Ww5Ao