The Rock Church

Wonderful Joy Ahead

“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.” — 1 Peter 1:6

The message Pastor Bill gave from our First Peter Series, Hope in Suffering, was a very timely reminder. A reminder that we will experience hardships in this life. But, as Peter challenged us, we need to look to the wonderful joy we have waiting ahead for us in heaven.

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

The Word of God

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow.” — Hebrews 4:12a (NLT)

Being in God’s Word is a beautiful thing. As we read the words He has given to us, as they wash over us, they start to transform us (if we let them). The imagery of His words being used as a powerful weapon is incredible. It severs because it’s designed to remove or kill those things in our lives that are hurting us, those around us, and/or our relationship with God.

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

Use Your Words Wisely

Research shows that we speak at least 7,000 words per day — some of us, even more. It’s easy to get ourselves in trouble with that quantity and believe me, I’m no stranger to it. This can be especially true when words come out of our mouths (or from a keyboard) on topics we care about.

Our passion, our pride and our words can fly out at an alarming rate. We go toe-to-toe with anyone who wants to step up to the plate. Once done with the argument, we might feel that we came out on top. As a result, we boast about our great words. However, in times like that, most of us spoke emotionally or in the flesh, not in the Spirit.

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

Overcome Evil With Good

The idea of overcoming evil with good has been on my mind lately — I’d like to share some of my thoughts with you. You know, when someone affects you in a negative way, it’s easy to spin your attitude into payback mode. You want to show those who offended (or hurt) you, that you can do the same thing to them. The easy way to deal with your enemies (real or perceived) is to bash, abuse, sue and slander them. You want to avenge the evil they have inflicted on you. But, the Bible is clear that this isn’t the way…

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

Three Lessons Learned from Giving

From my title, I’ll bet some of you are thinking this is going to be about tithing, aren’t you? It’s funny what comes to our minds when our hearts are pricked just a little. By the way, it’s not about tithing, so please keep reading.

In Acts, Paul writes to the leaders in Ephesus and ends with this verse:

“’In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” — Acts 20:35

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

Changed Hearts

To be honest, I am exhausted, tired and my brain is all over the place. To put one thought in front of another seems almost impossible. You get on social media and everyone is trying to sway you one way or another. You’re told you aren’t doing enough, you are doing too much, you aren’t saying the right thing…the list goes on. Those who are close to you might also be pushing you one way or the other. They might be telling you the same things you’re hearing from social media. What are you supposed to focus on right now — Covid-19, racism, immigration, environmental issues, police reform, or just getting through the day with your kids doing school at home (while you’re trying to work from home)?!

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

Love One Another

“’So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.’” — John 13:34-35

This is one of the last things that Jesus said to His disciples. He told them to love one another and it would prove to the world that they were His disciples. He wants this for us, too.

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

Repeat and Teach

As humans, we are inherently distracted. Add to that, all of our day-to-day technology and communication — we are simply inundated with pings, pops, notifications and buzzes. It’s amazing that we retain any information at all!

At the end of John 21, Jesus asked Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” Peter replied “yes” and Jesus said, “then feed my lambs.” That interchange went on three separate times. If I was Peter, I would have been super irritated and certainly wouldn’t have taken it as a learning experience. I would have thought, “I heard you the first time, Jesus.” But Jesus, being all knowing, understands that we need to hear things a few times before they really sink in. What a wonderful example for us to learn from.

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

Make it a Habit

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” — Psalm 119:105

As the new year approaches, it’s natural to set goals — things we want to get better at or maybe stop doing. This verse really speaks to me in terms of that goal setting. Unless we have a planned path to walk, we won’t move in the right direction. If we can’t see where we are going, we’ll stumble around in the darkness.

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

Listen Like Paul

Have you ever been in a very stressful situation? One you didn’t like and wanted out of? Then you discovered there might be a way out of it but you’re not sure what to do?

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