The Rock Church

The Power of God by The Rock Church

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.” — Ephesians 3:20

We take power and electricity for granted. That is to say, I do. I didn’t realize how dependent I am on the power till this past May. 

It was a typical Wednesday morning. And then suddenly, the power went off and on three times. Next, it was partially on, and eventually only certain rooms worked! I called Rocky Mountain Power, and a repairman showed up. He discovered that something had killed one of the two main lines to the house.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: 2 Peter, conduit, Corinthians, dependent, electrician, electricity, equipped, fix, go to God, help, Josh, Josh Whitney, lean on the Lord, line, need, needy, peter, power, repair, repairman, Rocky Mountain POwer, strive, the rock church, timothy, volt, weak, weakness

Freedom Isn’t Free by The Rock Church

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then…” — Galatians 5:1

Over the years, I’ve for sure become something of a history nerd. (Some of you already knew that.) I’ve had the privilege of walking the corridors of Independence Hall in Philadelphia and standing on Lexington Green where someone fired the “shot heard round the world.” Along with that, I’ve traced Boston’s Freedom Trail and explored the fields of Gettysburg. Not once, but twice. Each visit reminded me of the same truth: freedom always comes at a cost.

No one accidentally becomes free.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: america, battle, battlefield, Bill, Bill Young, Boston’s Freedom Trail, colossians, death, declaration of Independence, die for, fight, forgiveness, Free, freedom, freedom of forgiveness, galatians, Gettysburg, historic, history, independence, Lexington Green, nation, set free, shot heard round the world, spiritual, the rock church, war

Salt and Light by Caleb Yetton

My oldest son and I recently attended DTC (our M28 Alliance conference for high schoolers) in Ft. Collins, Colorado. This year’s topic was evangelism – specifically, proclaiming the Gospel without shame. Thank you to all of you who helped raise funds for this conference during the Youth Group Bake Sale on Easter weekend!

Along with many hours of fellowship and fun, a number of tremendous pastors taught, and various M28 youth bands led worship. Some very helpful workshops equipped the teens with practical tools for evangelism. We also spent time going into the surrounding cities to practice engaging people in Gospel conversations and church invites. 

It was an encouraging few days to be around so many youth and their parents, talking about the Kingdom of God. And it was also refreshing getting our minds focused on the importance and beauty of the Gospel. It is indeed the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton
Tags: bring, caleb, caleb yetton, Colorado, conference, dark, DTC, evangelism, fort Collins, Go, good news, gospel, Highschool, jesus, light, M28 Alliance, Matthew, Matthew 5, near, Outreach, power, Power of God, reach, reveal, salt, salty, salvation, sharing your faith, the rock church, truth, win, Witness, world, yetton

Pursuing Like Jesus by The Rock Church

There have been many times in my life where I’ve been tempted to give up on someone.

I’m sure you’ve been there before, too.

You’ve watched someone make the same bad decisions over and over. Also, you’ve prayed for them and had hard conversations with them. As well as serving them over and over. And yet… nothing good seems to come from it. 

They keep jumping back into the same mistakes. Maybe they have started to avoid you. Perhaps they don’t respond anymore. Or they have flat out disappeared.  

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: Brian, Bryan, Bryan D Edwards, bryan edwards, challenge, complaining, discomfort, distant, dont give up, Edwards, endurance, every morning, fainthearted, give up, gospel, his strength, i came to call sinners, jesus, lamentations, long suffering, long-suffering, love, meeting, mercy, Patience, pursuit, purue, sick, sinners, steadfast, steady, the energy he provides, the rock church, unsteady, weak

The Difference is the Soil by Tony D'Amico

Have you ever heard something that you knew was true, but it still didn’t really change you?

Maybe it was a sermon, a conversation, or a verse? Perhaps a moment where God was clearly trying to get your attention? You understood it. Also, you may have even agreed with it. But a few days later, life kept moving, distractions crept back in, and nothing really took root.

That is what makes Jesus’ parable in Mark 4:1–20 so personal.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico
Tags: atttention, awaken, bear fruit, breaking ground, Change, choke, condition, crowded, desire, die, distraction, entertainment, farmer, grow, hard, hard heart, heart, heart condition, lasting fruit, Mark, Mark 4, meditate, money, no room for Jesus, no time for God, open, open heart, parable of the soils, Parables, receive, receive God's word, resentful, reshape, revive, riches, rocky soil, root, seed, shallow, shape, sink in, soak, soften, soil types, Sow, sower, success, surrender, the rock church, Tony, tony damico, truth, wealth, weeds, Word, word of GOd

4th Service Coming This Fall by The Rock Church

Have you heard we’re starting a 4th Service this fall? It’s true, and we couldn’t be more excited!

Over the past several months, we’ve been incredibly encouraged to see God continue to bring more people to The Rock Church. Our current three weekend services are consistently close to capacity, and it’s been amazing to watch our church family grow. As we look ahead, we want to create more opportunities for people to attend, invite friends and family, and experience everything God is doing in our church.

Posted in News by The Rock Church
Tags: 4 services, 4th service, Church, Draper, new service, News, rock church, Salt Lake City, service, Services, the rock, the rock church, trc, Utah

Through the Mud by The Rock Church

As you know, living in Utah provides many opportunities for adventure. So, a few weeks ago, my kids and I went on a little hike up to one of the reservoirs near our house. AllTrails told us the hike covered about a mile and a half round-trip. However, we decided to step it up a notch. We went around the reservoir on a lightly used trail. Looking back, I’m pretty sure it was just a game trail.

We came to the river, and we pressed on.
The path got a bit narrower, and we pressed on.
Then the path started to get muddy, and we pressed on.
Finally, the path got extremely muddy, but we pressed on.

Before we knew it, we were using sticks and rocks to keep out of the mud. Cutting up to the real trail or turning around was always an option. We were never in danger, but we wanted to keep going for the adventure of it. Knowing the mud had to end at some point gave us hope.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: adventure, alltrails, Billy, billy johnson, canyon, clothed, clothes, dirt, dirty, dressed, eternity, filthy, hike, hiking, John, John 16, Joshua, Matthew, Matthew 7, mud, narrow, narrow way, outdoors, path, Purpose, righteousness, road, sin, smile, take heart, the rock church, Thrill, Zecharaiah

The Greatest Pardon Ever Offered by The Rock Church

Every once in a while, history gives us a story so powerful that it almost sounds like someone made it up.

In 1830, a court sentenced a man named George Wilson to death for robbing the U.S. Mail and taking a man’s life. Before Wilson’s execution, however, President Andrew Jackson did something extraordinary. He signed a full presidential pardon.

Even so, George Wilson did the unthinkable.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: 1830, Bill, Bill Young, Chief JUstice, child, children of God, criminal, death, death sentence, execution, forgive, forgiveness, forgiveness of sins, George Wilson, how do I get to heaven, it is finished, jesus paid it all, Jesus' work, john 1, John Marshall, justice, pardon, president, President Andrew Jackson, presidential pardon, prison, Propitiation, Romans, Romans 8, story, substitutionary atonement, Supreme court, the rock church, U.S. Mail, Works, Young

Jesus People by The Rock Church

I recently had a chance to close our Philippians series with a message entitled “Jesus People.”

As Paul closed this incredible letter, he left us with what seemed like a simple farewell. But it was so much more. It was a reminder of who we are and how we’re called to live.

First and foremost, we belong to Jesus. Before others define us by our careers, accomplishments, successes, or failures, they recognize us as people who belong to Him. We don’t earn our identity. On the contrary, God gives us our identity through His grace.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: accomplishments, address, belong, belonging, career, Christian life, community, confident, Connected, fail, failure, goals, grow, his people, Home, identity, jesus, Jesus People, mine, Purpose, Secure, security, small group, steel, Steele, Steele Croswhite, the rock church, who am i

Solar Eclipses by The Rock Church

“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” — Colossians 1:16

We are about to begin our study of Colossians (July 11 & 12). In the opening chapter, Paul describes Jesus Christ as the Creator of all things. The Sun, Moon, and stars are a marvelous part of His Creation. And certainly one of the most fascinating examples of that Creation is a total solar eclipse.

My family and I witnessed a total solar eclipse in a field outside Rexburg, Idaho, on August 21, 2017. It was undeniably astonishing.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: accident, chance, colossians, creation, creator, declare the glory, earth, Eclipse, evolution, Flood, for him, genesis, glory, heavenly bodies, heavens, invisible, Josh, Josh Whitney, math, Psalm 19, solar, solar ecplise, space, Stars, sun, the rock church, through him, visible