“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you… 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” — Philippians 1:3,5
As we have been studying Philippians together as a church, this one word at the beginning of the letter really captured my heart: partnership.
(more…)Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
In my previous posts, I have written about the passing of my father and my journey with Jesus through grief. This is my latest entry into that collection. Maybe one day you will find these posts a source of comfort, too.
October 23 marked five years since the day my father went into cardiac arrest while driving us home from work. It was a moment that not only changed my life but also rerouted how my brain navigates grief, pain, and loss.
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“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)
Peter had just performed a miracle—healing a man who couldn’t walk. The crowd was obviously amazed. But Peter didn’t take the credit. Instead, he pointed people to Jesus. Additionally, he told them to repent and turn to God.
(more…)Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
There is nothing quite like being astounded by Jesus. Obviously, Jesus is always amazing, but sometimes, in our faith journey, He occasionally orchestrates something genuinely astounding.
In July, The Rock Church Youth Group attended our annual DTC (Discipleship Training Camp) in Colorado. It was a tremendous few days where our young men and women played tons of games, sang songs, and laughed with friends. What is more, they learned the biblical roadmap for godly manhood and womanhood. For this particular DTC, the men and women were in two separate camps — about an hour away from each other.
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“In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.” — Ephesians 6:16
Paul used this metaphor to represent the Christian’s faith and belief in God. This shield unquestionably extinguishes all (not just some) of the flaming darts the evil one shoots at you.
Just as a physical shield protects a warrior in battle, so, too, the Shield of Faith protects us from the devil’s spiritual attacks. It’s a shield that deflects the lies, temptations, and fears, as well as the doubts that Satan throws at us.
(more…)Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico
One of the more frustrating things for me in life is not being able to fall asleep. I don’t often have trouble with this, but I have gone through spells of it. Sometimes, it happens when I first get in bed. Other times, it’s when I wake up in the middle of the night (and can’t fall back to sleep). Instead of finding rest, my mind races, thinking about all there is to worry about in life.
In the still of the night, it’s so easy to reflect on those things that scare us or give us anxiety. Or, perhaps we go through items on the to-do list that we missed that day. Health, relationships, finances, parenting, news of war, what does the future hold? Admittedly, it can all feel paralyzing.
(more…)Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton