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

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

Childcare for European Missionaries’ Children by The Rock Church

Yesterday and today have been spent fine-tuning our plans for the mission trip. Our mission isn’t what most people picture when they hear “mission trip.” It isn’t directly evangelistic in nature, nor is it building houses, or providing medical care. Instead, we are providing childcare for European missionaries’ children while they enjoy a conference.

It is an annual event that most of these “third culture” kids look forward to. It is the only time they have to spend with kids in a similar situation to theirs. Not to mention, with just a larger group of English-speaking Christian kids. 

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

Travel to Croatia and Trust the Holy Spirit by The Rock Church

“You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do….. 5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.” — Psalm 139:3,5

Our team, 17 of us from Salt Lake City and seven from Colorado, embarked on this past Thursday afternoon. A five-hour delay in Salt Lake caused us to miss our connection in Paris. We heard the news on the 10-hour flight across the Atlantic that our team would have to be split up. One group went from Paris to Vienna, another from Paris to Frankfurt. After factoring in customs and even longer layovers, it was hard not to feel disheartened. 

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