New Life Community Church, Atwater, CA

Series “Unfinished Business” Part 1 “Priceless” Ephesians 3:14-19

We hope for a fresh start when we turn the page to a new year, but often find things tend to remain the same. We yearn to be more emotionally and spiritually whole, but we often feel stuck in old patterns or bad habits. Today we begin a series designed to help us along the path to God’s view of a healthier you. 

3 Hallmarks of Health 

1.________________________ 

2.________________________ 

3.________________________   (from Health Me Healthy Us-Parrott & Parrott) 

“A Crisis in Confidence” Titus 3

In the events at the nations capitol this week brought into clear focus the division we are enduring, and the potential destructiveness such divisiveness can lead to. Sometimes it is hard to know what to believe, and sometimes it is easy to get caught up in a flow that takes us beyond where our confidence should remain. The Bible is not silent on navigating controversial times, on where our trust must lie and how we are to respond. 

Hello 2021 Philippians 4:4-7

It’s a New Year! Out with the Old, In with the New! Has there been a year that you’ve been happier to see close than 2020? Still the thought lingers, what difference does the turning of a calendar page make? With so much of our circumstances well beyond our control, what can we do to make 2021 a happier New Year? 

Philippians 4 Exercise:
Left: : “Things That Are Bringing Me Joy.” 

                                 Right: “Things That Are Causing Me Anxiety. 

“Don’t look Back, You are Commissioned!” Philippians 3:13-16

Don’t look back! Like the Apostle Paul, we must “forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead”. This year has been different in our lives, personal and global. Our message to the world has to be even clearer as we come into the New Year. Just as Moses commissioned Joshua, we are “commissioned” to go! 

“Love that shines in the darkness" #4 Luke 1: 67-80

Moving toward Christmas 2020 has been unlike any other year. The division, suspicion, isolation and fear of this year have created a somber pall over our lives. Yet the whole of the Christmas story and specifically the “song Zechariah” reveals the true nature of God and gives us direction for our everyday journey. 

“Getting Ready for Christmas” #3 “Joy of the presents or His Presence?” Luke 1:39-56

Moving toward Christmas 2020 has been unlike any other year. The division, suspicion, isolation and fear of this year have created a somber pall over our lives. Yet the whole of the Christmas story and specifically the “song of Mary” reminds us that there is Joy. The joy of Christmas is not in the festivities or the presents, but in the presence of the God who took on flesh and now dwells in our hearts. 

New Advent Series “Getting Ready for Christmas” #2 “Peace in the Midst of the Storm”

We live in an anxious world, battered by uncertainty and insecurities. Words of assurance or hope are often met with that skeptical inner voice “don’t be silly, that can’t/won’t happen.” Today, before we get to the birth of Jesus, we are given a glimpse into the heart and life of Mary. Her story reveals one who confronted with the clamoring of uncertainty yet finds the peace that drowns out the noise. These weeks before Christmas are about more than finding the perfect gift, rather it’s about finding that place of peace. 

“Getting Ready for Christmas” #1 “Hope when Life goes awry” Luke 1:5-25

The season of Advent (4 weeks prior to Christmas) was not designed to kick off our Christmas shopping season, but to prepare the hearts of Christ followers for Jesus birth. Before we get to the birth of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel we find people and events that help set the stage for His arrival. In our haste we often rush past them to the manger scene, but if we slow down, we’ll find they guide us to a profound truth: there is hope! 

Teach us to Pray (part 5) “The remedy for an anxious heart” Philippians 4:6-7

We live in anxious times. The level of anxiety seems to heighten by the day, we feel unable to stop its spread. Yet anxiety has always been a plague on humanity, with its ability to steal our peace in the present and hope for the future. Philippians 4 offers us the “vaccine” for the anxiety epidemic. 

Teach us to Pray (part 4) “Praying to Win” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Many pray and yet still find that path they walk littered with obstacles. We question “why” only to find we have an adversary. But we need not be defeated by the truth, the good news is that God has already provided the weapon to win in the struggle against the devil; prayer.