The Rock Church

Filled with Joy and Gelato

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

Radiance of Resurrection

“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” — Matthew 28:6

Could Easter be more than colored eggs, chocolate, and bunny rabbits? What if it is much, much more? Perhaps it’s a true story about the life and death of a man named Jesus (who really did rise from the dead)? That is to say, what if Jesus is truly alive right now? This truth might just change your life.

Last weekend, we witnessed how the truth about the radiance of Jesus’ Resurrection changed lives. It was one of our largest attended weekend services ever. On top of that, close to 70 people responded to the Gospel message!  

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church

Ephesians Sermon Series

A Study of the Book of Ephesians

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, ⁸ which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹ making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ ¹⁰ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth. — Ephesians 1:7-10

Posted in News, Series by The Rock Church

The Coming Harvest

I recently had the privilege of teaching on Galatians (6:6-10) at our weekend services. I entitled the talk “The Harvest and the Fire.”

There is surely so much rich truth packed in all of these verses. But one of my favorite ones is verse nine. It says this:

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9 

Sometimes, it’s hard to live our Christian faith in a consistent way. It’s often tempting to give up or give in to sin. But this verse reminds us that the Lord is in charge of the harvest. Additionally, we will reap a wonderful harvest of good (at the proper time) if we don’t give up.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church

Uncut Stones

“At that time Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, “an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings.” — Joshua 8:30-31

While studying the book of Joshua this year, these verses caught my eye. Why would God command the Israelites to create an altar of uncut stones? Perhaps there is a reason it matters? Nonetheless, if the Israelites wanted to have a nice altar for God, why would He care?

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church

From Darkness to Light: Easter’s Promise

Easter at The Rock Church

Our world sits in darkness. We carry the weight of sin, which leaves us lost, isolated, and hopeless. Every day, we see the effects of a lost world needing hope. Hearts are weighed down by despair, and souls are longing for something greater. But there is Good News: Light has broken through the darkness.

Posted in News, Series by The Rock Church

Understanding God’s Purposes

“The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me.” — Psalm 138:8 (NIV84)

“For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep…” — Acts 13:36 (NIV84)

Life can oftentimes feel confusing. Even after being a Christian leader for over 40 years, I still find myself asking, “God, what are you doing?” or “God, what do you want ME to do?” Without question, I’m someone who likes to plan. And not having clarity on these questions (especially concerning our church’s direction) can be unsettling. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church

Wait and Pray

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.” — Psalm 62:5-7

Reading through Psalm 62 recently was convicting for me. In particular, verse five stood out to me. In my opinion, our world (myself included) doesn’t like to be silent — especially when something bothers us. Because of this, we text or call friends to complain about the lousy customer experience we just had at a store. We also hop on social media to tell the world our opinion about the news story of the day. Without a doubt, we sure love to make our views heard. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton

Gentleness

The world we live in today is certainly not known for being very gentle. This week, I watched a guy lose his mind on another dude when he took his parking spot. I also heard a guy blow up on his kids in the grocery store. And then this morning (as I write this), I have already scrolled through dozens of brutal comments of ruthless outrage about the political division in our country. (Many coming from my own brothers and sisters in Christ!)

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church

Find Wisdom

“Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.” — Proverbs 3:13-15

We find joy and understanding in wisdom. It’s also more profitable than gold and silver. And it’s more precious than rubies — NOTHING compares.

But where do we find this wisdom (spoken about in these proverbs)?

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