How Did Religious Leaders Miss Jesus?

Christmas is amazing.  Do you know what makes Christmas amazing?  It’s the story of God who brought heaven down to earth.  There is a reason this entire season just feels different.  It’s the God story.  It’s incredible to think about.  Here is what scripture says. 16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 God did not send . . . Read More »

The Danger Of Greed Is How Much Farther It Reaches Than Our Pocket Books

We have been in an awesome conversation this year called Rise Up & Stand Firm.  I’m thinking that at this point, if you have been walking with us, you are seeing just how significant this series is and also how personal and relevant this is to our lives.  I know it has meant a lot to me on a personal level, because we are talking about standing up as the people that God created us to be in . . . Read More »

The God Who Invites You Into Heaven

Sunday The teaching series we are in is about surrender.  Sam was right last week when he said, this series couldn’t be more perfect for the days we are living in.  Surrender is the only way to find everything you are looking for in life. Jesus said: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your . . . Read More »

This Story Should Change The Way You View Christianity

We are talking about what it looks like to surrender to God and do life God’s way.  We are using baseball as an analogy.  Home base represents surrendering to God. Scripture teaches, Everything, absolutely everything… got started in him and finds its purpose in him.  MSG Colossians1:20 This is what we call the great God reality: Life is about God and what He is doing.  That also means that life is not about us and what we want.  . . . Read More »

The Idol of Money

The one sentence overview of the Sermon on the Mount would be: God sent Jesus to establish His kingdom in our hearts. The whole point of this sermon is the transformation of our hearts. I just warn you though; God’s kingdom is radically different than the kingdom, the culture, we live in. In the first part of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5, Jesus explains how God’s kingdom changes us from the inside out. He talks about . . . Read More »

Keeping Your Focus

I have to tell you, I have really enjoyed this series so far.  We kicked off 2018, and our church with this idea of making a commitment to being different in 2018 and beyond.  So by now you are probably picking up on the idea that here at MRC we want you to be engaging God in such a way that you are different from your encounter with Him.  That is a really big deal to us, because life change means . . . Read More »

Why Fuss At All? – Jesus

This past summer, we got a dog. I like to refer to her as a nine pound pooper. My family likes to call her Daisy. I was against getting the dog, and of course, the family of women I live with, was all for it. My daughter helped me by creating a chart. The chart showed me that if we buy the dog, over time, my happiness scale would go up. It was a very well done chart, . . . Read More »

Worship…a moment vs a Lifestyle

You know there are moments in my life when I’m really aware of God.  How about you?  There are moments in my life when I am full of worship for Him.  For me I am so focused on Him in those moments looking at the sunrise or the sunset.  It’s like I can feel God tapping me on the shoulder and saying “Hey Sam…look at what I have done.”  And it always amazes me.  Often times when I . . . Read More »

Money & God: we make it weird

This week I was reading 1 John 1. This is what hit me, verse 6. We are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. NLT 1 John 1:6 You’re lying! You’re lying if you say you love God, have a relationship with God, and continue to make decisions to lead you to stumble into spiritual darkness. It reminded me of Romans when it . . . Read More »