The Rock Church

Misunderstood by The Rock Church

Every once in a while, I get myself into a situation where I know I’ve been misunderstood. There are also times when I realize that I’ve misunderstood what somebody was trying to tell me. Without a doubt, we all experience this, don’t we?

As I’ve thought about this, I’m struck by the story in Joshua 22 (verses 10-34). It’s an example of a misunderstanding that certainly could have ended in disaster. In fact, if one group of people hadn’t explained themselves to another group, there would have been a war.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: altar, Billy, billy johnson, body, bond, communicate, conflict, confusion, connect, connection, distortion, explain, false, Family, fight, gossip, Israelites, Jordan River, lies, misunderstnading, misunderstood, redemption, relationships, Resolution, slander, spirit, the rock church, trial, understand, unity, war

In the Midst by The Rock Church

In the midst of day-to-day life, it’s so easy to get caught up in our complaining and disputing world. At least for me, anyway. I’m as guilty as anyone. On the side, I prowl the headlines in an effort to get the scoop. As a pastor, I feel as though I ought to know (at least a little) of what’s going on. Then perhaps I won’t be caught off guard.

But, I can too easily enter the wormholes of bad information. And it influences my soul. Of course, this has probably never happened to any of you. However, on occasion, I’ve looked up from my phone, gasping for clarity. Then I ask myself, “Why am I even reading this?”

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: america, argue, blameless, build, build others up, choke, christ, complain, complaining, crooked, culture, fear, generation, harmless, headlines, information, Mac, midst, midts, mind, minds, News, perverse, Philippians, phone, politics, shine, smoke, Stars, Steve McInroy, the rock church, truth in love, Word, word of life, words, world, worrying

Times of Refreshing by The Rock Church

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” — Acts 3:19-20 (NIV)

In Acts 3, Peter performed a miracle—he healed a man who couldn’t walk. The crowd was amazed. However, Peter didn’t bask in the attention. Instead, he used that moment to speak hard truth with bold love.

He told the people to repent and turn to God. Their sins would be wiped away. Times of refreshing would come from the Lord. That hard truth wasn’t just for the people in that crowd. He meant it for all of us. It doesn’t matter if you’re 16 or 60. Maybe you’ve followed Jesus for decades. Perhaps you just recently surrendered to Him. Peter’s message still applies to you today.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: Acts, Acts 3, Apostle Peter, burden, clean, comfort, cycle, fall short, following Jesus, Free, freedom, gospel, Grace, Guilt, habit, habitual sin, invitation, jesus, love, mess up, peter, pure, pure heart, refresh, refreshing, relax, repent, repentance, run, Running, shame, sins, sins wiped out, steel, Steele, Steele Croswhite, the rock church, washed, weight, white

Electronics Fast by The Rock Church

“For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.” — Philippians 2:20-21

In April, my sons and I watched part of the Masters golf tournament. While watching, I realized something strange was happening; no one had a cell phone. The tournament had banned them from the event. The TV commentators even mentioned that people were really present in the moment.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: aware, cell phone, device, distracted, distraction, DTC, electronics, focus, jesus, Josh, Josh Whitney, loving, me time, needs, new person, no-phone policy, Paul, Philippians, phone, phones, present, screen time, screens, seek their own, selfish, teen conference, the rock church, timothy, unselfish, welfare, Whitney

Life-Changing Prayer by The Rock Church

Ephesians 3:14a (NIV84) “For this reason I kneel before the Father…”

Last Thursday, my wife (Mary) and I put our 20+ year-old furniture on the driveway with “FREE” signs attached. We then held hands and prayed, “Lord, have someone take these before the day is over.” Four hours later, a neighbor a few doors down claimed the well-worn couches for her daughter. Soon after, Mary and I held hands (again) and thanked the God who answers prayers!

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: answer, answered prayer, apostle paul, Apostles, Bill, Bill Young, bless, blessing, bold, bow, call out, christ, delight, empty yourself, Ephesians, Ephesians 4, Family, filled, full, full life, give, given, grasp, grow, growth, Holy Spirit, how to pray, inner being, kneel, limitless, love, meet needs, needs, new leaf, open hands, Paul, position, posture, power, pray, Prayer, prayer life, prostrate, provision, Rich, riches, root, sanctification, sanctified, speak, spirit, spiritual, strength, the gospel, the rock church, transform, trust, want

Saved to Be Loved Forever by Caleb Yetton

“[God] raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” — Ephesians 2:6-7 

This verse is undeniably fantastic! I’d encourage you to meditate on it specifically this week. Just think about this glorious future you have in Christ in Heaven. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton
Tags: after life, caleb, caleb yetton, christ, Ephesians, Eternal, eternal life, eternity, Father, forever, Future, God, God's wrath, Grace, Heaven, Heavenly, hell, Home, Hope, inheritance, John Piper, kind, kindness, life, love, loved, meaning of life, mystery, PIper, places, safe, safety, salvation, the point, the rock church, Trinity, when you die, wrath, yetton

Rescued By Grace Alone by The Rock Church

We all love that feeling of accomplishment. Knowing we’ve put in some hard work and can see the good results. It’s true whether it’s a big win or just a job well done. Feeling good about our achievements (and even a little pat on our own back) is totally fine in many parts of life. But, when it comes to our salvation, the Bible makes it crystal clear. There’s absolutely nothing we contribute that gives us any room for our boasting. 

The Latin phrase “Sola Gratia” (Grace Alone) often captures this core truth. It means our salvation is entirely a gift of God’s amazing grace. It’s certainly not a reward for anything we’ve done.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: accomplishment, aid, boast, Brian, Bryan, Bryan D. Edwards, bryan edwards, Change, drown, gift, Grace, great, how deep the Fathers love for us, live, pride, prideful, rescue, salvation, save, saved, sola gratia, the rock church, titanic, transform, Works

Sharing Love in Hard Places: A Mission to the Landfill Community by The Rock Church

Before our visit, I tried to imagine what life is like for the Roma families living in the landfill. A place surrounded by trash. A place where hunger and struggle are daily realities. My heart ached knowing we were about to witness conditions so different from our own.

To prepare, we made over 100 sandwiches and assembled essential kits for the children. Our mission was to share the love of Christ. We led a Vacation Bible School centered on Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Posted in Missions, News by The Rock Church
Tags: Church, europe, europe missions, God's plan, gospel, Isaiah, joy, landfill, mission trip, missions, News blog update, none of this, on mission, Peace, Purpose, rock mission, Romania, romania team, service, the rock church, the rock missions, trc, Update

Breaking Walls by Tony D'Amico

Admittedly, the news cycle loves walls—border walls, paywalls, and also social-media echo chambers. Two thousand years ago, Paul wrote about one of history’s most infamous walls: a five-foot stone balustrade in Herod’s temple. It warned Gentiles, “Enter and die.” In Ephesians (2:14-18), he stunned his readers with the headline: “Christ has destroyed the dividing wall of hostility.” In fact, the claim still shatters our walls today.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico
Tags: alien, alienated, balustrade, barriers, border, boundary, Class, divide, dividing, Ephesians, Free, freedom, Herod, hostility, near, obstacle, Peace, politics, prison, prisoner, Race, segregation, separation, social media, temple, the rock church, Tony, tony damico, wall, walls

None of This is Random: Trusting God’s Plan on This Mission Trip by The Rock Church

At 3 a.m., I was awakened by three taps on my shoulder and saw a hand pointing to the window. I looked out and saw one of the most beautiful, star-filled skies I have ever witnessed. None of this is here by accident. It felt like God was trying to show me something.

Days later, during my quiet time, I read Isaiah 40:26, “Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of His might and because He is strong in power, not one is missing.” This verse hit me.

Posted in Missions, News by The Rock Church
Tags: blog update, Church, europe, europe missions, God's plan, gospel, Isaiah, joy, mission trip, none of this, on mission, Peace, Purpose, rock mission, Romania, romania team, the rock church, the rock missions, trc, Update