Search Results for: time

Posted: 20 Jan, 2019 | Author: Steve Nelson

John 12:24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. In 2004, a college student came up with the idea to steal a book of Audubon’s bird illustrations from his school library. It […]

Posted: 25 Nov, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

Hebrews 5:12-14 …Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the […]

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 […]

Posted: 21 Oct, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble. Proverbs 4:18-19 ESV In our early 20s, a friend and I explored Spring Cave in northwestern Colorado. Within a […]

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 […]

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: 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 […]

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 […]

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: 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

Posted: 01 Apr, 2018 | Author: Steve Nelson

1 Corinthians 5:7b For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. NIV The Passover is a celebration commemorating the last of the Egyptian plagues, when the judgement of God “passed over” the homes that had lamb’s blood on the door frames. In a similar way, Jesus, the Lamb of God, shed his blood so that […]

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 […]

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: 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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Posted: 14 May, 2017 | Author: Dove Cranson

What would it be like to host Jesus and some of his friends for dinner? What preparations would you make?  During dinner would you be busy doing things or would you just sit there and listen to Jesus?  This is the situation of Martha and Mary who hosted Jesus many years ago.  Mary “sat at […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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: 18 Dec, 2016 | Author: Dove Cranson

Even though it is easy to lose sight of the original purpose, traditions start with the intent of helping us remember significant truths. This year, take the time to remember what God has done for you and find the light of Jesus in the midst of darkness and personal brokenness. Download    

Posted: 29 May, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson

It’s one thing to follow God when God asks something easy of us, but it is another thing to follow God when we have a completely different plan that we think is easier or better. To help us make good choices in these situations it is helpful to understand how we think. We need to […]

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 […]

Posted: 06 Mar, 2016 | Author: John Houser

In this message, John Houser talks about the importance of working through offense and conflict within the church. God wants the church to be united, and in order to do that we must be prepared to deal with the internal conflicts that will arise over time. “I have given them the glory that you gave […]

Posted: 03 Jan, 2016 | Author: Steve Nelson

Each of us has our own unique path in life, but suffering is not unknown to any of us. Not only do we have past hurts, but we have a span of life looming in front of us which is undoubtedly seasoned with unknown types and intensities of grief. In this message, Steve shares some […]

Posted: 20 Dec, 2015 | Author: John Houser

Merry Christmas from the Rio! In this message John Houser speaks about the joy of giving. The more we give, the less time we spend with out stuff. And less time you spend with something, the less you love it. And the less you love the things of the world, the easier it is to love […]

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 – […]

Posted: 16 Aug, 2015 | Author: Steve Nelson

In this message, Pastor Steve speaks about the life of Paul and draws out some important lessons we can learn from his life. “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” – Philippians 4:9   Download Handout: […]