The Joy of Advent (Randy)

In this short Advent devotional, we explore how biblical joy is not found in perfect circumstances, but in recognizing God’s presence and grace given to us through Jesus at Christmas. It will be a chance to slow down, welcome Christ, and rediscover the joy grounded in God’s gift of grace.

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Closer to God: Living Generously (Chris)

Chris shares perspective from his book WISEgenerosity on how the five types of generosity (possessional, personal, social, emotional, relational) lead us towards faithful discipleship and being more like Christ in our lives.  You also will learn your own Generosity Personality Type as a way to better experience and express giving that is W.I.S.E.: Well-grounded, Inspired, Satisfying, and Effective.

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Closer to God: W.I.S.E. Generosity (Chris)

Drawing from his book WISEgenerosity, Chris leads us in considering how giving and altruism in all of their forms are essential virtues for full and faithful lives.  We are made to be generous because God is generous, and Christ modeled perfect generosity.  For us to experience the full transformational potential of generosity, it must be W.I.S.E.: Well-grounded, Inspired, Satisfying, and Effective.

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Closer to God: Living Generously (Randy)

In this lesson, we continue our Closer to God series by exploring generosity as a whole-life response to God’s love. Building on last week’s discussion of financial generosity, we’ll look at the beautiful story of Mary of Bethany anointing Jesus’ feet and discover how her bold act models seven forms of generosity: time, attention, wealth, talents, possessions, reputation, and comfort.

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Closer to God: The Grace of Generosity (Randy)

In this lesson, we explore how the gospel reshapes our relationship with money, possessions, and giving. Looking at Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler in Luke 18, we’ll examine why money holds such power in our lives, how it can subtly become an idol, and how true generosity can only flow from a heart transformed by Christ’s generosity toward us.

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Closer to God: Faithful and Grateful (Chris)

This week concludes the middle section of our series on grief, gratitude, and generosity by exploring the connection between faith and gratefulness.  We will contrast the world's view of gratitude and a Christian understanding.  We will consider the example of Jesus's mother Mary from the Bible.  We will outline methods for pursuing gratitude more fully in our own lives.  Ultimately, we will recognize the love of God expressed through the cross of Christ as the ultimate reason for thankfulness.

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Closer to God: Gratitude as Worship (Randy)

Continuing in our theme, Closer to God, tomorrow we’ll explore “Gratitude as Worship.” Our culture talks a lot about being thankful, but rarely directs that gratitude to God. Psalm 100 reminds us that true thanksgiving always leads to worship. We “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.” Join us as we learn how Jesus reorients our hearts from self-focus to genuine worship, where gratitude becomes an act of praise to the Giver of all good things.

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Closer to God: Gratitude and Hope (Chris)

Our series this season is exploring three universal parts of the human experience: grief, gratitude, and generosity.  This week, we will consider gratitude.  "Thanksgiving" is a constant theme in Scripture.  Like us, however, our forebears in faith were not always celebrating success and good fortune.  They faced adversity and difficulty, and yet maintained an attitude of appreciation for God.  We will reflect on their experiences and the lessons we can apply in our own lives. 

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The Seven Holy Feast Days (Bob Daffer)

Bob Daffer begins a two-part lesson on the Seven Holy Feast Days of the Lord and how they relate to Christ's first and second coming.

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Closer to God: The Gift of Gratitude (Randy)

In our Closer to God series, we contemplate “The Gift of Gratitude.” We’ll explore why gratitude is so challenging in our modern, self-focused world and why many people feel thankful without truly understanding whom they’re thanking. Scripture reminds us that gratitude is not just good manners or an abstract feeling, but rather a proper response to grace.

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Closer to God: Grieving Well (Chris)

Following up last week's program on "Lamenting," we will review examples of good grieving and not-so-good grieving from culture and the world.  We then will consider how the ultimate example of both grief and overcoming grief came through Christ and the cross.

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Closer to God: Lamentation (Chris)

We begin a new series called Closer to God: Pathways Through Grief, Gratitude, and Generosity. Each of these experiences is common to every human life. They touch our deepest joys and our deepest sorrows, and always force us to ask big questions of God: Where is he? What is he doing? How should I respond? In this series, we’ll see that in suffering, God meets us in the valley; in gratitude, he teaches us to see his hand in all things; and in generosity, he calls us to reflect his own heart.

This week continues our series (we neglected to record the first lesson). The Bible offers a special process for grieving known as “lamenting.”  We’ll explore what it means to lament and how doing so provides hope as we face suffering and sorrow.

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Christ in the Old Testament (Bob Daffer)

Bob Daffer led us in a special lesson called "Christ in the Old Testament: A Study of Prophecy, Mysteries Hidden in Scripture, and the Full Gospel of Jesus Christ," beginning with the very first word of Genesis.

We do not have a recording, but you can find his resources below.

Christ in the Old Testament teacher notes
Jewish Feast Day Schedule
Birisheet Prophecy

Following the Way: Resurrection Love (Chris)

This is the final lesson in our "Following the Way" series.  Just before his crucifixion, Jesus told his followers that loving each other as he loved them was his last and main commandment.  Christ then delivered perfect examples of love in seven episodes between his resurrection and ascension.  We will explore each as inspirations for our own discipleship.

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Following the Way: Resurrection and Life (Randy)

This first Sunday after Easter, we explore how the resurrection of Jesus isn’t just a historical event to believe in — it’s a living reality that transforms how we walk through life today. Through Scripture and discussion, we learn to follow the Risen Christ in faith that trusts, hope that endures, and new life that boldly loves.

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Following the Way: The Path to Easter (Chris)

For Palm Sunday, our "Following the Way" series traces the steps of Jesus over the week that led him to the cross.  What can we learn about Christ, about God, and about our own call to discipleship?

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Following the Way: Following Love (Randy)

This lesson exploress how following the Way of Jesus means embodying love--sacrificial, active, and transformative. Using 1 Corinthians and Jesus' life and death as guides, the lesson challenges us to reflect on God's love in our lives and community, remembering that true discipleship is shaped by our response to God's love above all else. 

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Following the Way: Kingdom Winning (Chris)

In this Lenten season of preparation for Easter, we reflect on Jesus' life and leadership.  Following the will of his Father, Christ chose to be a different kind of king with a very different kingdom from any that the world ever had seen before.  We reflect on what that kingdom is and how we are called to be part of it.

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Following the Way: Following the Light (Randy)

In this lesson, we dive into what it means to live as light in the Lord. Drawing from Ephesians 5 and Jesus’ words in Matthew 5, we explore how our identity has been transformed from darkness to light, and how that changes not only how we live, but also how we impact the world around us. We’ll also reflect on how Jesus—our true Light—empowers us to live lives that shine with goodness, truth, and grace.

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Following the Way: Icon of the Way (Chris)

We may take the cross for granted as the symbol of Christianity, but it represents the true person of Jesus and the full essence of his redeeming mission.  In this session of "Following the Way," we will consider the nature of the cross, the meaning of the cross, and the power of the cross to transform lives -- including our own.

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Following the Way: The 5Ps of Following the Way (Randy)

In this lesson, we continue "Following the Way" by exploring five key aspects of discipleship—Path, Person, People, Program, and Power—and how they shape our faith. We’ll reflect on how Christianity is not so much a religion with rules to follow as it is a relationship to enjoy.

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Following the Way: Instructions from Jesus in Matthew (Chris)

This lesson, “Christ’s Own Teachings About Following Him,” continues our exploration of our theme this season, Following the Way. Chris will explore seven points in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus takes aside his disciples and gives them direct instructions on how they are to behave.  We will explore these fundamental teachings and consider how they apply to us as we look to Follow the Way of Christ.

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Following the Way: The Way of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew (Chris)

We continue our series, “Following the Way” with a lesson from Chris called “The Way of Jesus.” The Gospel of Matthew connects God's plan for humanity from creation with the fulfillment of that story in the person of Jesus of Nazareth -- the Christ / the Messiah / the Savior of the World.  This week, we will follow the path of Jesus and will consider how his life demonstrated how we can and should "Follow the Way."

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Following the Way: Following Jesus (Randy)

In this lesson, we explore what it means to follow Jesus and how following him transforms every aspect of our lives. First, Jesus calls us to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily which challenges the cultural focus on self-fulfillment and shows us how our true identity is found in him. Second, Jesus teaches that following Him must take priority over everything else. Finally, we’ll explore how experiencing Jesus’ sacrificial love on the cross transforms our hearts, giving us the strength to follow him fully.

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Following the Way: Who is in Charge of Your Life? (Chris)

Chris kicked off the new year with a lesson called, “Following the Way: Who is in Charge of Your Life?” When Christ recruited his disciples, he did so with a simple command: "Follow me."  After his resurrection, the growing Jesus movement self-identified as "Followers of the Way" -- HIS way.  Our series this spring will explore what it means to follow Jesus and to experience true life transformation.  We will start by asking a fundamental question, who is in charge of our lives?

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