Posted: 01 Oct, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson
We may not normally see things this way, but God clearly communicates that there are two types of people in the world. One group of people is cursed. The other is blessed. The great news is that God doesn’t want people to be in the cursed group. He wants us all to be in the […]
Read More...Posted: 19 Jul, 2020 | Author: Steve Nelson
As hard as the race may be, the finish line ends suffering and starts an amazing eternity. Understanding that the end is near helps us run well.
Read More...Posted: 25 Mar, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson
Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ESV Sometimes in the midst of difficulty we can feel like something must be wrong. We aren’t naive. We know life is hard; but we don’t expect it to be this hard. When we try to make […]
Read More...Posted: 26 Aug, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson
1 Peter 4:1-2 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. NIV11 Sometimes suffering is […]
Read More...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 […]
Read More...Posted: 22 Jan, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson
As we near the end of 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul reminds his audience what is of first importance: the gospel. The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ came and died for our sins, taking our place, and providing a way for us to have a relationship with God and to be with […]
Read More...Posted: 23 Aug, 2016 | Author: Tommy Tinajero
Tommy courageously shares his story of how an addiction to pornography threatened his walk with God, inner peace, and marriage. Most (if not all) of us can relate to such life-consuming struggles, but God doesn’t want that to be the end of the story. He can help us to be free and to fill our […]
Read More...Posted: 22 Aug, 2016 | Author: Joe Ortiz
Joe Ortiz tells the story of his son, Joey, who at ten months of age was diagnosed as having a seizure disorder. The ensuing months and years brought a lot of pain and hardship, but in the end, God met one of Joe’s deepest needs: to know God truly existed and cared. Download
Read More...Posted: 25 Aug, 2019 | Author: Dove Cranson
Sometimes life is impossible and overwhelming. Because God is with us, those times can refine us like gold into something beautiful.
Read More...Posted: 15 Sep, 2019 | Author: Steve Nelson
A counterintuitive approach to a fulfilling life is to live for God and spend your life loving his people. Then you can truly take hold of life!
Read More...Posted: 09 May, 2021 | Author: Steve Nelson
Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. NIV
Read More...Posted: 30 Jan, 2022 | Author: Steve Nelson
God's incomparably great power is available for us, but we must come to the end of ourselves and trust in him.
Read More...Posted: 25 Sep, 2022 | Author: Steve Nelson
Jesus wants us to be fishers of men, telling others the life changing message of grace and forgiveness at every opportunity!
Read More...Posted: 26 Mar, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson
A fundamental way to fix our eyes on the unseen is to be continually aware that God is with us. It is a great comfort to us in times of grief and loss when we are aware of God’s loving presence. It also gives us confidence to do things that are greater than ourselves when […]
Read More...Posted: 26 Feb, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson
We should never be surprised when we find ourselves discouraged or even despondent. After all, we live in terrible times. Yet God offers hope in the midst of our trials. Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” We can find life from God even […]
Read More...Posted: 14 May, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson
If you had to play a game of high-stakes chess, would you accept the advice of a grandmaster? Would you even go so far as to taking the advice of the grandmaster even when it seemed like it was going to cost you dearly? This is similar to our wrestle of faith. There are times […]
Read More...Posted: 16 May, 2015 | Author: Steve Nelson
As we continue our series through Philippians, we’re going to take a look at the place of suffering in a Christian’s life. Suffering is very real, not only in the sense of the persecuted church, but also in the sense of the day-to-day struggles and battles that we face regularly. These sufferings, in whatever form, […]
Read More...Posted: 02 Feb, 2020 | Author: Steve Nelson
In in times of struggle, it helps us to take heart when we remember the power, sovereignty, and compassion of God.
Read More...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 […]
Read More...Posted: 24 Nov, 2018 | Author: Dove Cranson
This message looks at the fear and anxiety that can be in all of our lives at times. It describes the process turning towards trust in an amazing and loving God. This process involves realizing the anxiety, giving it to God in honest, worshipful prayer, asking God for what we need and then trusting in […]
Read More...Posted: 14 Oct, 2018 | Author: Tom Schwieger
Do you ever feel out of place? Although we are still in the world, we don’t have to be of it. We don’t have to fit in and be just like everyone else. God has called us to a different lifestyle. Although that may make us feel out of place at times, the blessing is […]
Read More...Posted: 22 Jul, 2018 | Author: Dove Cranson
At times, it seems like the solution to the pain of life and the path to find happiness is to change our circumstances, our bodies, our habits, our relationships, our jobs, our pastimes, or at least change something. This message shows the potential to thrive wherever we are at in life—enjoying thankfulness for the little […]
Read More...Posted: 22 Apr, 2018 | Author: Dove Cranson
Just as El Paso brings blinding dust storms, we all walk through trials and “spiritual storms” in our lives. How can we stay anchored to God through those times? Download Handout
Read More...Posted: 17 Dec, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson
Many times Jesus gave the invitation to “come, follow me.” What would that mean for our own lives? Can we follow Him? Would Jesus love me if he really knew me? What would it cost us to follow Him? What would we gain? If we decide it is worth it, how can we truly follow […]
Read More...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 […]
Read More...Posted: 15 Oct, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson
Christians are not just messengers of God’s plan of mercy and forgiveness, but we are witnesses of how He has worked in our lives! Each of us has a story of how God saved, healed, or met us in some critical life event. In fact, if we stop to think about it, we likely have […]
Read More...Posted: 07 Oct, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson
Wouldn’t it be sad to have something really good and never share it with others? Having a relationship with God through Jesus is something worth sharing! Yet those conversations about our faith, although exciting, can at times be intimidating to initiate. This message shares a couple simple tools that can be used to begin conversations […]
Read More...Posted: 03 Sep, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson
We all find plenty to complain about, whether it is genuine hardships like sickness, suffering, and death, or it is the little stuff like having to eat the same thing for dinner that we had for lunch. As we see in the example of the Israelites (Numbers 11:1-6), complaining leads to misery, even in times […]
Read More...Posted: 29 Jan, 2017 | Author: Steve Nelson
The church in Corinth had serious issues that Paul addressed throughout 1 Corinthians. He spoke so strongly on at times that you might think his letter to them would have ended their relationship. Yet as he concluded his letter in chapter 16, instead of writing an it-was-nice-knowing-you ending to their relationship, he penned a very ordinary […]
Read More...Posted: 31 Oct, 2015 | Author: Dove Cranson
Dove’s message about repentance, both at the initial point of salvation and daily repentance in your walk as a new creation. “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” —Acts 3:19 Handout Disciple the Heart resource 2 – Repent – […]
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