Search Results for: heart

Posted: 17 Feb, 2019 | Author: Steve Nelson

Romans 2:13b-15 It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their heart, for their own conscience and thoughts […]

Posted: 16 Dec, 2018 | Author: Dove Cranson

Life is hard.  It is not what it was intended to be.  Because of the brokenness in this world, we all experience pain, loss, and suffering.  Grief is a path we must all walk through in this broken life.  It is a product of the broken world we live in.  When we are aware of […]

Posted: 22 Nov, 2018 | Author: John Houser

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. NIV Hebrews 11:6 offers a two-part solution to help us take steps toward faith and growth. Faith is rooted in our belief that God exists […]

Posted: 07 Oct, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. NIV11 You may have seen the famous poem “The Dash,” by Linda Ellis. It talks about how someday our tombstones will have two […]

Posted: 23 Sep, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

Proverbs 23:19 Listen, my son, and be wise, and set your heart on the right path. NIV11 Once, when I was a kid, my family went to church at a drive-in theater. My dad pulled up, put the speaker on his partially rolled-down window, and we quietly sat through the service. We were on vacation […]

Posted: 09 Sep, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be […]

Posted: 12 Aug, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

God doesn’t want to keep us in the dark. He is a loving father who wants to guide us down His good path. In this message we explore some of the ways he directs us and confirms His will. Download Handout: With blanks / Without blanks

Posted: 08 Aug, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

Our relationship with God is more than a list of dos and don’ts. God wants a deep, authentic, and committed relationship! He doesn’t want anything to get in the way of that. We’ll take a look at how that relates to this passage of Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 It is God’s will that you should […]

Posted: 03 Jun, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

[Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:7 NIV Is that the kind of love you desire? Sometimes instead of being “protected,” we get hurt by those we love. “Trust” is something that we value, but once that trust gets violated, it is hard to get it back. As long as […]

Posted: 18 Mar, 2018 | Author: Dove Cranson

God loves me.  He loves me deeply.  He loves me with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3).  He loves me because He is Love (1 John 4:8).  He loves me with a love that accepts me as I am (Romans 15:7).  Jesus loves me enough to give of Himself for me (1 John 3:16).  He loves […]

Posted: 25 Feb, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ESV In human relationships, when we assess someone’s love, we don’t just take their word for it. It is not enough. We consider a wide variety of factors. How have they treated us? How have […]

Posted: 04 Feb, 2018 | Author: Dove Cranson

There is a lot of information in this message.  First, Dove introduces a new series and explains why our hearts are so important in our lives and what God’s plan is for them.  He then explains the goals that we will be focusing on for the next 4 months, including instructions for a journaling exercise […]

Posted: 28 Jan, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

Jesus’ heart is that all the world would hear His message of hope and grace. Our call is to spread this message. We don’t need to feel guilty about how we’ve failed at this in the past, but it would be good to think about how we can take steps down this path so that […]

Posted: 10 Dec, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

Jesus gave instructions to be generous, promised blessings for our giving, and implied that giving impacts our hearts! Luke 6:38 [Jesus said, ] “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will […]

Posted: 26 Nov, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

What does it look like to follow Jesus? In this message, Steve uses the story of Ruth to illustrate the devotion of a follower of Jesus. Ruth's heart was to follow Naomi into a completely new life. When we become Christians, we do the same. Baptism is simply our first step at following Jesus lead […]

Posted: 12 Nov, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

To embrace God’s call to love others, we must commit ourselves to loving those who are difficult, inconvenient, and uncomfortable for us. God is not simply calling us to love those who give us the warm fuzzies, but to love the unfuzzy. Mark 12:29-31 “The most important [command],” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, […]

Posted: 05 Nov, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson

Jesus said his followers should teach other followers of Jesus to obey everything he commanded.  So what did Jesus command?  What are we supposed to obey and teach others to obey?  This talk looks at what Jesus said was the first and greatest commandment: to love God.  How can we love the infinite God of […]

Posted: 24 Sep, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson

As followers of Christ, we have been given a mission to bring the good news of Jesus to all of El Paso and beyond.  This message addresses why anyone would want to be a part of that mission and how they could be. Download Handout

Posted: 25 Jun, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson

In today’s episode we see that when a broken Sinner comes to Jesus, she is accepted and forgiven; and her heart of stone is changed into a heart of love.  Could we ourselves dare to be so vulnerable with God?  And could we be people who accept other people? Download

Posted: 09 Apr, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

Have you ever thought about the Day of Judgement—when Jesus addresses the masses of people who have lived since the beginning of the world? Will He be angry and condemning? Loving and compassionate? In this imagined account of Judgment Day, Jesus pours out his heart to those he loves—a jilted lover to those who rejected […]

Posted: 26 Mar, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson

Dove shares his conviction that the greatest aspiration in all of life is to know God.  God has sent his Son into the world to pay a price for us so that we can be with God.  Anyone who desires to come to God is welcomed into His family, through Christ.  In this relationship with […]

Posted: 19 Feb, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson

Dove shares about the opportunity to develop an ongoing, growing relationship with the living God.  He unpacks Jesus’ call in the beginning of Matthew chapter 6, to pray, give, and fast in secret—not for the approval of others but for God only.  When done with a desire to discover the heart of God, not just […]

Posted: 15 Jan, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

If God were to give you a special supernatural gift, what would you want? Would you like to speak in tongues? Know the deep mysteries of God? Heal the sick? Any of these gifts would be amazing, but there is something even more incredible. It’s love. 1 Corinthians 12-14 is the most extensive passage on […]

Posted: 01 Jan, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson

The greatest disciples throughout history, from Jesus’ Twelve all the way to modern-day martyrs, have something in common. They don’t care. They don’t care about what others think, about their own personal gain, or even about their own lives. This one commonly held attribute allows them to live with abandon and care about the things […]

Posted: 14 Aug, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson

When the people asked God, “Do you want us to keep fasting as we’ve done for 70 years,” God responded with, “You were doing that for ME?” It’s as if he was completely unaware of or indifferent toward all their spiritual activity. It makes you wonder about the spiritual things we do. Are they really […]

Posted: 07 Aug, 2016 | Author: Dove Cranson

The thing that matters more than anything else in the world is faith. The biblical David is a great example of someone who trusted God and God’s timing when his circumstances seemed to point to an easier course of action. In the long run, David’s faith was rewarded. We can follow God with that same […]

Posted: 31 Jul, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson

God has always loved people. People are the pinnacle of creation! We might think that we are too messed up for God to love us, but there are countless examples of God loving really messed up people. Throughout all of scripture, we see God trying to win the hearts of broken people. And we see […]

Posted: 24 Jul, 2016 | Author: Dove Cranson

God loves us passionately and wants a special place in our lives. He wants your heart given to Him and not to anyone or anything else. In this message Dove shares a powerful illustration that will help you understand the place God wants in your heart. Download Handout

Posted: 30 Jun, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson

The Bible is full of amazing teachings about God’s love for people and His relentless pursuit of their hearts. In the culmination of His plan, He gave His special son to die on the cross so that our sins could be paid for. It’s an amazing story, but only if it is true. There are […]

Posted: 26 Jun, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson

God’s not just after our obedience; he’s after our hearts! Do you ever feel guilty, dirty, and like you have nothing to offer to God? And then, to feel better, do you start doing things like going to church, reading the Bible, or giving money at church? An amazing illustration from Haggai helps us see […]