By Pastor Stephen Hess – One of the things you will notice if you look at the Apostle Paul’s lists of spiritual gifts in the New Testament (Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:7-10, 27-31) is that he never mentions the gift of prayer. This is not because Paul thought prayer was unimportant, but because he didn’t […]
discipleship, prayer, sermon series, small groups, spiritual disciplinesBy Pastor Stephen Hess – Back in 2010, one of the top movies of the year was a film called “Inception.” The story is about a thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology. Eventually he is given the daunting task of planting an idea into the mind of a CEO by […]
culture, gender, marriage, sermon series, sexualityBy Pastor Stephen Hess – What does it mean to be a Christian? That may seem like a simple question but in our modern society the word “Christian” has become increasingly confused and can mean different things to different people. Some people think being a Christian means believing certain things. They assume that if you […]
discipleship, sermon series, small groupsBy Pastor Stephen Hess – Throughout the centuries, the Book of Psalms has been a place in Scripture to which Christians have continually turned for comfort and encouragement. One of the things that makes the Psalms so rich is that they reflect the full range of human emotions. The great church father Athanasius of Alexandria […]
psalms, sermon seriesBy Pastor Stephen Hess – The top selling book on the topic of pregnancy for the last few decades has been a book called What to Expect When You’re Expecting. As of last year, it was estimated that 93% of expectant mothers who read a pregnancy guide consulted this book and over 22 million copies […]
advent, christmas, sermon seriesBy Pastor Stephen Hess – I remember learning in elementary school that there are several things every plant needs to grow. Five of these things include: Sunlight, soil, water, air, and space. While having these things does not guarantee that a plant will survive (most plants also need proper maintenance and temperature control) it is […]
sanctification, sermon seriesBy Pastor Stephen Hess – This Advent Season we are starting an exciting journey together as we begin a sermon series on the Gospel of John. Each of the four Gospels highlights unique aspects of the character, teaching, and ministry Jesus. Each Gospel writer had particular truths that he wanted us to see. Near the […]
gospel of john, sermon seriesBy Pastor Stephen Hess – When Jesus called his disciples, the first command he gave to them was, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). Clearly Jesus understood sharing the gospel to be a central part of what it means to be a disciple. Yet most of us, if we […]
evangelism, sermon seriesBy Pastor Stephen Hess – Sometimes when we read the Bible it is easy to forget that the saints of Scripture were people just like us. For example, when we read about the prophet Elijah performing miracles, raising the dead, and calling down fire from heaven, we can begin to think of Elijah as some […]
elijah, sermon seriesBy Pastor Stephen Hess – Every single one of us at some point in our lives will experience conflict in our relationships. No one enjoys relational conflict, but occasionally it seems to rear its ugly head in virtually every sphere of life. You see it take place in families, in friendships, in churches, in workplaces, […]
relationships, sermon series