The Rock Church

Survival of the Fittest vs. God Provides? by The Rock Church

The other day, I found a dead bird. Consequently, it got me thinking. In 1859, Charles Darwin wrote “On the Origin of Species.” He talked about limited resources and survival of the fittest. Basically, Darwin decided there were limited natural resources, like food or water. On this basis, he theorized that these limited resources led to competition (survival of the fittest) in the natural world.

In one sense, Darwin was right. As Christians, we certainly know that creation is cursed (Romans 8:20-22). This is self-evident in the death and disease we see around us. However, Darwin approached this question of resources from a naturalistic (godless) perspective. In his worldview, there was never a Creator who provided for His creation.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: ask, atheism, bird, Charles Darwin, cry, cry out, Darwin, Darwinism, death, Does God care, feed, food, God cares, Job, Job 38, Josh, Josh Whitney, Luke 12, natural, nature, needs, pray, provide, provision, psalm, psalm 104, psalm 147, rain, ravens, reap, Science, season, Sow, survival, survival of the fittest, survivla, Thankful, the rock church

The Purpose of Life by The Rock Church

“For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days they pass through like a shadow? Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?” – Ecclesiastes 6:12 (NIV).

Let’s be honest. Life without purpose can certainly feel empty. I believe that with all my heart. Maybe you’ve felt that weight, too?

Dr. Viktor E. Frankl was a Jewish psychiatrist who survived Nazi concentration camps. He wrote a powerful book called “Man’s Search for Meaning.” In it, he makes two unforgettable statements:

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: Auschwitz, baby, Bill, Bill Young, delight, Dr. Viktor E. Frankl, Ecclesiastes, empty, Eternal, eternity, Fathers, Future, glorify, glory, God the Father, happiness, Jewish, joy, live, mans search for meaning, meaning, meaning of life, parent, Peace, pleasure, Purpose, real, Rock, suicide, the rock church, the why, what am I living for, whats the point, why

Too Great For Me To Understand by Caleb Yetton

“Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!” — Psalm 139:6

Psalm 139 is definitely one of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible. The picture that David paints of God’s goodness and closeness is so comforting. It is nearly impossible to read those words and not feel God’s love. Without a doubt, it truly is too great for me to understand!

Do you feel like God is distant? Maybe you feel like He doesn’t understand you? Then, I would encourage you to read Psalm 139 and let His Truth change those thoughts. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton
Tags: alone, bad, caleb, caleb yetton, child, Child of God, Children, clean, close, comfort, costly, dark, darkness, depression, dirty, does God love me, forgiven, God is near, hidden, hide, identity, is God distant, Jesus I cant hide from you, light, lonely, loved, Loved Me At My Worst, Music, new, new in Christ, precious, psalm, psalm 139, Rock, rock church, secret, seen, sin, sinful, the rock church, The Rock Music, ugly, understand, understanding, unserdtanding, value, valued, yagar, yāqar

The Rock Church Campout by Brent Kendall

We are going camping the weekend of June 6-8 and you are invited to join us!! We have reserved Anderson Cove Campground and hope to see you there! The campground has a 300-person maximum. Don’t miss out on this terrific opportunity to hang out with family and friends. Sign up today!

Although Anderson Cove allows dogs, we do NOT allow dogs in the three group sites we occupy.

Scheduled activities for the weekend include:

• Kid’s Games
• Campfire Worship (Friday/Saturday)
• Corn Hole Tournament
• Boat Rides on Saturday
• Sunday Worship/Church Service
• Baptisms

There will also be a free coffee bar every morning (it doesn’t get much better than that)! We’d love for you to join us and if you have any questions, please call Nate Beldock at 801.874.6113.

There WILL be regular church services at our building that weekend. Kid’s Rock will be limited to just Nursery and Toddlers. So, if you have a child between the grades of Pre-K and 5th, they will be sitting in the sanctuary with you during the service.

Posted in Events by Brent Kendall

Pray Them Deeper by The Rock Church

“For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him…” — Ephesians 1:15-17

These verses recently gripped me as I read Ephesians. The Apostle Paul hears that the faith of the people in this church is strong. Their love for one another is obviously the real deal. Everything is definitely GREAT! But then, instead of moving on with a quick, spiritual high-five, Paul presses in. He tells them precisely what he’s praying for them.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: apostle, apostle paul, Bryan, Bryan D. Edwards, bryan edwards, disciple, discipleship, encourage, Ephesians, faith, fan into flame, Father, fire, grow, growth, Holy Spirit, imitate, intercede, intercession, jesus, love, mediate, Paul, Prayer, praying, spur on, the Lords work, work

Feeling Stuck? by Tony D'Amico

Sometimes, following Jesus is hard, really hard. It can feel like you’re running a marathon uphill with ankle weights on. And you’d rather cruise down a smoothly paved street on a skateboard.

You know what I’m talking about. There are seasons we go through. Even though you read your Bible consistently, it feels like it’s going in one ear and out the other. Granted, church has amazing worship, but your heart’s not in it. Your mind is all over the place. Yes, you love Jesus yet feel bored, tired, or even numb. And ultimately, you just feel spiritually stuck.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico
Tags: bible, bible reading, bored, carry a cross, Change, clarity, confused, difficult, doubt, fake, frustrated, genuine, grow, growth, happy, hard, how to change, jesus, motions, new, new life, numb, pray out loud, Prayer, real, small group, stagnant, stuck, the rock church, tired, Tonay Damico, Tony, tony damico

Lost and Found by The Rock Church

Most everyone has a lost and found story. I have far too many. And at this stage of my life, even my car tends to get lost. Thank God for the key fob. Also, here’s to the lost phone feature (to assist in finding misplaced phones). Once, I even traced my lost phone back to a rest stop in southern Utah (in a futile attempt to retrieve it). 

Most of the time, there are two parts to our lost and found stories. For a start, there’s the hopelessness of not knowing where to look. Next comes the relief of finally finding what we’re looking for.

My favorite lost and found story is the “Parable of the Lost Son,” found in Luke (Chapter 15). It’s probably because I can personally relate to it on several levels. The young man receives an early inheritance and squanders it on reckless and loose living. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: celebration, compassion, embraced, Father, found, Grace, Hope, lost, love, mercy, past, rejoice, relief, restored, returned, Running, stories, story

Filled with Joy and Gelato by The Rock Church

Our final day with the missionary kids was yesterday (Saturday). The day was filled with fun, faith and farewells. It’s hard to believe the trip is coming to a close.

A majority of the time was spent all together – younger and older – singing, signing T-shirts & journals, and walking along the shore to find a new beach spot.

For at least three hours, kids hung out in the sunshine and swam. Many chatted and goofed off while tossing a football or receiving henna tattoos. We concluded our afternoon the same way we did last year – by getting gelato with all the kids.

Posted in Missions by The Rock Church
Tags: Croatia, Croatia Team, GCE, jesus, joy, missionary, missions, salvation, still, stillness, the rock church, waves

Take Courage — Free Day With the Kids by The Rock Church

“But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” – Matthew 14:27

Today, for our mission, we had the kids from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. Most days, the parents meet with their kids for meals. Today, however,  they had the gift of an entire day with no responsibility. It was a long, hectic privilege to serve this way. 

Posted in Missions, News by The Rock Church
Tags: childcare, courage, Croatia, europe, europian missionaries, faith, God, Holy Spirit, mission work, missionary, missions, take courage, travel, trust, Vrsar, witnesses, work

Discovering God’s Presence in Missionary Life by The Rock Church

Yesterday and today have been spent fine-tuning our plans for the mission trip. Our mission isn’t what Wednesday was — our first full day of the official mission. We met as a large group to map out the agenda, worship, and pray together. After that, kids 10 and under began the day with swimming. 

The teenagers went out on a city trek to visit the Cathedral of St. Martin. We also took them to the top of the bell tower. Once there, you could see all of downtown Vrsar, as well as the many islands out in the Adriatic Sea. It was beautiful. Following that, Steele gave these missionary teens a quick teaching on Psalm 90. They listened with enthusiasm as Steele related this Psalm of Moses to their own lives.

Posted in Missions, News by The Rock Church
Tags: childcare, Croatia, europe, europian missionaries, God, Holy Spirit, life, mission work, missionary, missions, travel, trust, Vrsar, witnesses, work