Tonight we’re going to be kicking off a series entitled Stand Strong. I am very much indebted to Francis Chan for the theme of this series; much of its direction comes from a teaching series he did called Courageous. The key verse for this series come from Joshua 1:9 “Be strong and courageous. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” We have to take courage, because as believers, we live in a hostile land. That’s why the Bible tells us that we’re called and exiles

Uncovering Happiness: Finding Happiness in a Messed Up World – 3. Meekness and Righteousness Matthew 5:5-6 New International Version (NIV) 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. So we are in the third week of our series; “Uncovering Happiness”. We have been asking the question if it is at all possible for us to actually be happy in this world? And we discovered in the beat

First Things First – How the World Came to Be 15. But God Remembered Noah: Hope for Those Who Feel Forgotten Genesis 8: 1 It’s hard to imagine any “action” greater than a worldwide flood. These details are placed in the Bible for a reason. The Lord wants us to know what happened and how it happened, step by step. Here’s a brief summary of those details: · Noah entered the ark when he was 600 years 2 months and 10 days old · 7 days later the rain began to fall · The rain fell

Uncovering Happiness 2. Poverty and mourning Matthew 5:1-12 Matthew 5:1-12New International Version (NIV) Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount 5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. The Beatitudes He said: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for t

First Things First – How the World Came to Be 14. Noah's Ark: A Picture of Salvation (2) Genesis 6: 14 - 22 A growing number of scientists believe that geological evidence indicates our world has undergone a catastrophic flood. This is causing them to question whether or not the biblical account of Noah’s ark could be true. Many people are rereading the Biblical description of the Ark to see if such a vessel could fulfill its designated purpose in light of present day knowled

Uncovering Happiness – Finding Happiness in a messed up world –Understanding happiness Matthew 5:3-12 Matthew 5:3-12New International Version (NIV) 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, f

First Things First – How the World Came to Be 13. Noah's Ark: A Picture of Salvation (1) Genesis 6: 9 – 13, 22 The story of Noah and the Ark is more popular than ever before. Even people who don’t know the Bible and never come to church know about Noah, his big boat, and all those animals coming in 2 by 2. 2 giraffes. 2 lions. 2 snails inching forward slowly. 2 rabbits. 2 parrots. Even 2 skunks! Most people know about the great flood and how the boat floated until the waters