Pre-Service 7-22-2018 - Commit Your Way to the Lord

Today the sermon passage comes from Psalm 37. Take a moment to read the first seven verses. You can click here to access them online.

Verse 4 says that if we trust in God, delight in Him and He will give us the desires of our heart. Reflect on that verse. Consider these questions.

• What are the desires of your heart?
• Are the desires worldly or spiritual?
• What does it mean to take delight in the Lord?
• How do you make a habit of delighting in the Lord?

The Psalm continues with many contrasts between godly and wicked living. The sermon today will focus on following after God and taking His lead. 

• Where has God been leading you lately?
• Where do you think God is leading us as a church?
• Think of a time you followed God's lead. What testimony could you give of His faithfulness?

Pre-Service 7-15-2018 - Light of my salvation

We are studying through the Psalms this summer. This morning's sermon will be based on Psalm 27. Click here to read the Psalm.

Some questions for reflection:

• What do you think David meant by God being his light and his salvation?
• What other verses come to mind about the light?
• Verses 4 and 5 talk about the one thing David would ask of God. What was that one thing? 
• What has been your heart's desire the past week?
• Which other parts of this Psalm were meaningful to you as you read it?

Pre-Service 7-8-2018 - For His Name

As we continue in our series from the Book of Psalms, today's message will be on the most well known and loved of them all, Psalm 23.

Pastor Todd will focus on a section from the first part of the chapter:

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside quiet waters,

He refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

for His name’s sake.

Some questions for reflection as you prepare for worship today:

• How does God lead us?
• Where has He led you in the past and did you follow?
• Where is He leading you now and are you following?

Pre-Service 6-17-2018 - Who May Dwell?

This morning's sermon will be from Psalm 15. Pastor Todd is continuing his series through the Psalms. You can read the passage by clicking here.

In those verses, David describes a very high standard for those who can come before God. The point of the sermon is that we can only be that righteous through our faith in Christ. Here is one verse from the song we will close with:

No guilt in life

No fear in death

This is the power

Of Christ in me

Questions to consider:

• What does it mean to dwell in God's sacred tent or His holy mountain? Are these things figurative? Were they phrases only for the ancient Israelites?
• Of all the things listed in Psalm 15, which standard is hardest for you to live up to?
• What recent story can you tell about living right because of the power of Christ in you?

Pre-Service 6-10-2018 - How Majestic Is Your Name

Today we will look at Psalm 8 as we continue our study of Psalms through the summer. Click here to read it.

The Psalm starts and ends with praise to God for His majestic name. We will focus on that theme for most of the songs in the service this morning. Here are some other verses to meditate on as we prepare for the service:

• Exodus 3:13,14
• Isaiah 9:6,7
• Philippians 2:9-11

Pre-Service June 3, 2018 - Blessed Is the One

Pastor Todd will begin a series on the Psalms. For this morning, we will be using Psalm 1 as the main text. Click here to read it.

What does it mean to meditate on the Word? John Piper explains it this way:

"The word "meditation" in Hebrew means basically to speak or to mutter. When this is done in the heart it is called musing or meditation. So meditating on the Word of God day and night means to speak to yourself the Word of God day and night and to speak to yourself about it." (See the full article here.)

We could take that to mean we go over the Word again and again, thinking deeply about it. It might also mean that we memorize it, so we can do this at any time.

Read the passage from Psalm 1 again and consider two things:

• What are some things the blessed person does according to this Psalm?
• What does the Psalm say the results of this person's actions will be?

Pre-Service 5-20-2018 - Fellowship

This morning Pastor Todd will continue the series of Doing Life Together. We will focus on the idea of fellowship with Christ and each other.

Read 1 John 1:6-7.

John speaks of fellowship with Christ and "living out the truth" as one thing and then "walking in darkness" as the other choice. As imperfect people we probably fluctuate between those two extremes throughout our daily lives.

Think back over the past week. What moments stand out? Were those moments closer to living out the truth or walking in darkness?

We will use this old hymn as part of our song service. Reflect on the words as we prepare for worship. Make it your honest prayer to God.

Once earthly joy I craved

Sought peace and rest

Now Thee alone I seek

Give what is best

This all my prayer shall be

More love, oh Christ to Thee

More love to Thee

More love to Thee