The Rock Church

Calmed My Soul

“O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.” — Psalm 131:1

Is your life stressing you out right now? Is it the political situation? Maybe it’s the anxiety of paying your bills while preparing for the holidays? Maybe you worry about your work or the economy? Life has a way of causing us stress all of the time. Sickness, finances, holidays, family, and work can all add to our anxiety. When I read this Psalm the other day, however, I was encouraged.

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Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Matt Scribner

Bright Friday

“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” — 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NIV)

Black Friday will be here in just a few days. I’m sure many of you are eagerly anticipating the thrill of the hunt … for the perfect cheap gift! But, as this special day approaches, I’m reminded of another Black Friday back on November 28, 2008. In a New York City Wal-Mart store, a 34-year-old Wal-Mart employee was crushed to death. A crowd waiting to get into the store got out of control. Hundreds of people bull-rushed through the doors. Wal-Mart employees had to scramble on top of vending machines to get out of the way. Employees were on the intercom pleading with people to leave the store. They begged people to clear the area saying, “Please, our friend is dying.” And you know what people said back to them? “We’ve waited all night. We’re not leaving.” According to retail store risk assessment consultants, incidents like this can be prevented by proper safety precautions.

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Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin

Creation

Do you ever feel like it’s hard to talk to people about God because you can’t think of a simple way to start the conversation? There’s actually a great “lead-in” (and one that is easily overlooked). We admire it on a daily basis, or at least we should. We live in a world where the Creation itself speaks to the divinity of God.

Paul wrote to the Romans, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” — Romans 1:19-20 (ESV)

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Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico

The Dash

Death is interesting. It is the only thing we are guaranteed after we are born. We are not guaranteed a good life, a lot of money, success, or happiness. The only thing we know is that at some point in our lives, we’ll die. It’s good to talk about death and take some time to process it.

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Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico

A Christmas Tea

We’d be delighted to have you join us at our women’s Christmas Tea, as we celebrate the gift of Jesus and spend some very special time together. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to get dressed up a bit, enjoy a delicious selection of foods (and tea, of course), a little Christmas music, and hear the Good News of the Gospel.

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Posted in Events, The Rock Women by The Rock Church

Suffering

“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.” — John 12:27

These were Jesus’ words before He was betrayed and crucified. If anyone knows about suffering, it’s Jesus. His suffering was foretold all the way back to the book of Genesis. Isaiah 53 calls Him the “Man of Sorrows”.

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Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin