Sermons
The Advent of Grace
In 2005, a badly damaged painting appeared at a small auction in New Orleans. It was darkened by years of grime. Cracked. Covered over with heavy-handed touch-ups from previous restorations. To most people, it looked tired and unimpressive—certainly not special. Experts believed it was just a copy of a much more famous work—a valiant attempt... Read More →
How Does Salvation Work?
I want to tell you the story of a man named Barry. Barry was an engineer in Los Angeles. Then he lost his job. Then his home. The rest of his worldly possessions followed shortly thereafter. Drugs became an escape, and then an addiction—a chain that bound him to this new reality. Eventually Barry took... Read More →
What is my Inheritance as a Christian?
There’s an old story about a small kingdom perched high on a mountain—though “mountain” may be generous. It was really a hill, just high enough to lift its people above the valley below. From that height they could see every road and river that ran through the farmland spread beneath them. The mountain folk lived... Read More →
What Does It Mean to Be a Christian?
Gary turned 40 in 1964, and like every other man of his generation, his attention was captured that spring by the launch of the Ford Mustang. It was magical — the roar of that V8 driving 2,500 pounds of pure Americana, 271 horsepower, and a 4-speed manual transmission. He wanted it desperately, but he couldn’t afford... Read More →
Reclaiming the Wilderness
I wanted to start by sharing with you the tale of an idiot—an idiot who threw away everything: his education, his career, his home. An idiot who did so in spite of good counsel, stern admonition, and even full-throated rebuke. An idiot who pursued his own destruction with reckless abandon, somehow believing it was a good... Read More →
Freedom in Christ
Opening Story I want to start this morning with a story about a single mom. She grew up in a small town, moved away to a big city in another country when she grew up, married a man, had a baby… then it all fell apart. Divorced, isolated, unemployed. She moved back home to be... Read More →
Justified by Faith
Opening Illustration & Setup Once upon a time in a land far, far away… The globe stands at the precipice of war. The world is watching, the people are holding their collective breath. One man, a power-hungry autocrat who thinks his nation has been cheated, wronged by the nations around him and the world at... Read More →
Saved to Sent
Hook Anyone else remember writing “papers” in high school? I remember getting an assignment to write like 3 page or 5 pages on whatever-it-was and just sweating… like, how am I supposed to write so much!? This is insanity! No human being could accomplish this feat! Then I went to college and my term paper... Read More →
A Simple Invitation
HOOK [Welcome everyone // Introduce yourself // Hand out Bibles] Who here is an introvert? [Raise hands] I, too, am an introvert, and if you are like me, you probably didn’t raise your hand out of fear that someone might see you… and… want to talk to you about it—that’s the kind of introvert I... Read More →
Living with Purpose and Perseverance
Hook Good morning, church! My name is Conrad, and I’m one of the pastors here. If you need a Bible throw your hand in the air and our of our Serve Team members will make sure you get one. Go ahead and turn to the book of Hebrews. And while you’re finding the book of... Read More →
Godly Sorrow vs Worldly Sorrow
[INTRO YOURSELF] [ANNOUNCEMENT: ONE SERVICE NEXT SUNDAY] [HAND OUT BIBLES] HOOK It might surprise you to learn that I was not a very good student in high school… that probably why I ended up in Bible College rather than a real school. Anyway, one class stood out above the others in my grade school career.... Read More →
Batman, Barbie, and Jesus
Hook Good morning all, my name is Conrad and I am one of the pastors here. If you need a Bible to follow along in our Bible study this morning, put your hands in the air and one of our ushers will make sure you get one. I have long said that my two favourite... Read More →