Devotional

, ,

A New Season, Indeed (a word about masking and church life)

, ,

Sunday will mark the beginning of a new season, literally. It's the first day of spring, regardless of what the groundhog said on February 2nd. Every year I have to remind myself that the weather doesn't necessarily sync up with the calendar and no matter how many double-digit temperature days we have I still can't plant anything for two more months.

On Monday, a figurative new season will also begin: the end of mandatory masking in most places. This comes almost exactly two years after our first (awkward!) livestream service in 2020. Wow, it's been a long road. Unfortunately, COVID-19 hasn't disappeared but our province has decided that it is appropriate to make masks optional going forward.

We decided in March of 2020 that we would do our best to comply with the provincial and regional mandates in the spirit of Romans 13. While recognizing that we may have very different opinions and experiences surrounding what was asked of us in this time, the Board and Staff charted this course and have stuck with it. We have endeavoured to lead with consistency and grace through these past two years and I know I speak for all of us when I say thank you to each of you for showing so much understanding, patience, and flexibility.

And as I said, COVID is not a thing of the past. We are simply stepping into a new way of living with it and that will have its own new set of challenges.

I want you to hear my heart when it comes to masking at church in the coming weeks and months and let you know what my expectation is for the body of Christ in this new season.

Starting next Sunday (March 27th) masking will be optional. That means that if you are more comfortable wearing a mask in public settings, you are very welcome to wear a mask to the service. If you are more comfortable without your mask, you do not need to wear one. This is the simple attitude that I want each and every one of us to take.

There is an opportunity for the enemy to use this as a divisive issue. Some may wonder why anyone would ever wear a mask; some may wonder why anyone wouldn't. The door is open for judgment and I'm closing the door in my heart and asking you to do the same. In the spirit of 1 John 4:7-21, I want to concern myself with how to love you well and not with your masking choices.

It's my suspicion that you've already come to these conclusions on your own because this is how you have conducted yourselves throughout this pandemic. I often brag about you to other leaders and tell them how grateful I am for how you've modelled grace and compassion so well. Let's hold on to that, no matter what the temptation might be to divide and disrupt. We choose unity in Christ in our diversity.

Today the issue is masking, tomorrow it will undoubtedly be something else, some other thing we may disagree on, some new challenge that we'll have to face together. Regardless, we continue to pray for unity among us and that our differences would make us a beautiful reflection of the body of Christ and the power of the Spirit to connect us to Him.

In Christ,
Pastor Tracy

THIS SUNDAY

THE PASSION
The Anointing

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

, ,

Checking Your Work (another encouragement about the Word)

, ,

We have wood-carved sign in our dining room that Rob made on his CNC machine a few months ago. He was experimenting with this technique and how to paint the writing. This was the result. (Scroll for the photo!) The CNC file came from a provider online and it reads:

"By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established, through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." Proverbs 23:3-4

Beautiful, right? Except, that's not what Proverbs 23:3-4 says. Those verses actually say, "Do not crave [the ruler's] delicacies, for that food is deceptive. Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness."

Okay, so it's still the Word of God and it was obviously an innocent typo on the part of the creator of the CNC file. When we figured out the mistake (and after we laughed A LOT) Rob asked if I wanted to take it down and I said no. I think the mistake makes the quoted verse even richer and so the sign remains.

What do I mean by that? A couple of things:

  1. The wisdom, understanding and knowledge that we are looking to build our house on is found in searching the scriptures for everything we need and listening for the voice of the Spirit to bring them to our minds and hearts every day. And so...

  2. We can't rely on someone else to do this for us. We need to be students of the Word for ourselves. We can't assume that what someone says about the Bible is true. The disciple of Jesus is committed to the daily discipline of being in the Word and looking for truth.

Yeah, I know, that's a lot to read into a typo in a CNC design file. Still, I see it every day and I'm reminded of the need to check my work... does my life line up with the Word? Am I comparing my thoughts, attitudes, motives and activities with it? Does anything need to be confessed, set aside, picked up, aligned or surrendered?

At Freedom we talk about reading the Bible a lot. We do reading plans together, we study it in groups, we use it as an application for sermons - and you can expect us to keep doing these things. Today is another encouragement for you, disciple of Jesus, to keep going - keep being consistent in reading the scriptures and listening to the Spirit's voice. He will build your house and fill its rooms with rare and beautiful treasures.

Checking my work,
Pastor Tracy

THIS SUNDAY

THE PASSION
The Questions

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

, ,

What is Lent? (hint: more than giving up coffee and chocolate)

, ,

This week's devotional is coming out a day earlier than usual. Why? Because today is an important day on the church calendar. It's the first day of Lent. Our church tradition doesn't always emphasize some of the key days on the liturgical Christian calendar but there is a lot of value in understanding why Christ-followers throughout the centuries have celebrated seasons as an important part of their faith journey.

I wanted to share a great article I found that simply introduces the idea of Lent and how it can help us to prepare our hearts for Easter. It's about much more than giving up coffee or chocolate for 40 days... it's about examining our hearts, recognizing our need for a Saviour and being ready to celebrate His sacrifice and triumph on Easter weekend.

Perhaps this can be something new and challenging in your journey into what's next in your spiritual life. Join us this Lenten season as we intentionally turn our attention toward the cross and the victory Jesus has won.

See you on Sunday,
Pastor Tracy

THIS SUNDAY

THE PASSION
The Clearing

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

DISCIPLE | The Supply

As we work through what the life of a disciple of Jesus looks like, you may be wondering... how am I ever going to do this? On Sunday, Pastor Del is going to talk about how we are supplied in this life.

One of the things he's going to point us toward is a set of resources that we have available on our website (and are adding too as often as possible). So I'd like to link them for you and remind you that they're there for you when you're ready for what's next.

If you head to www.freedomkw.com.com/next you'l find:

Life Transformation Courses

  • First Steps

  • Life in the Spirit

  • Learning to Serve

  • Learning to Lead

NEXT Courses

  • Produce

  • Everything You Need

  • Commands of Christ

  • Get Secure

  • Pentecostal Essentials

  • Explaining the Trinity

  • The Disciple of Jesus (coming June 2022)

NEXT Podcast

  • Everything You Need (8 episodes)

NEXT Resources

  • Webinar: Principles for Financial Success

  • Article: Do You Know God?

And hey, if there is something you'd like to learn or a resource you're looking for, let us know and we'll see how we can help.

See you on Sunday!
Pastor Tracy

THIS SUNDAY

THE DISCIPLE
The Supply

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

,

DISCIPLE | The Work (harps and halos?)

,

When I was a kid growing up in church, I used to hear the adults talking about heaven and what it was going to be like when we get there: streets of gold, crystal sea, mansions, no crying or pain or sorrow, worshiping Jesus forever… I mean, great. I like singing… but for eternity?

Confession: I was concerned. I love Jesus but won’t that get boring?

It was such a huge relief to me when I found out that harps and halos are not something scripture promises us for eternity. We will rest from our labour (won’t be tired all the time anymore!) but we will serve God and reign with Christ. We’ll have something meaningful to do, but it will be perfect and restful. I like the sound of that! (Note: I've also figured out that I have no idea what eternity will feel like because it's not something I can fully understand so even if we were hanging out and singing forever, boring wouldn't be a concept either!)

Idleness is not something that we are built for. Unfortunately, we often turn that into chronic busyness but finding our identity in what we do is also not how we were created.
The life of a disciple of Jesus has a similar tension: our salvation isn’t earned by what we do (or don’t do) but there isn’t a category for people who say they believe in Jesus and do nothing. So, what is the work of a disciple? If it's not to earn God's grace, what is it?

I'm looking forward to talking about this with you on Sunday. In the meantime, check out Ephesians 2:8-10, Ephesians 4:11-13, and James 2:14-25!

See you on Sunday,
Pastor Tracy

Wondering about the Greek word in our series graphic? Check this out!

THIS SUNDAY

THE DISCIPLE
The Work

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

,

DISCIPLE | The Habit (the best to-do list)

,

On Sunday we started our February series by literally getting to the heart of the matter... the fact that the life of a disciple of Jesus always starts with what's in your heart.

Whenever we talk about something more abstract (like, "the heart"), I'm always drawn to the next question... How can I make that happen in my everyday life? How can I take a concept and make it something that I can work on? We can't just be navel-gazing, we actually have to live this faith out somehow, right?

Right. And that's why the next step for a disciple of Jesus is to practice spiritual disciplines. These are things we do consistently that help to strengthen and deepen our faith so that we can live out the commands of Christ in practical ways day to day.

We're going to get into them on Sunday - well, a few of them. There are lots to discover over a lifetime of serving Christ!

I'd love to hear from you on this one. Head over to our social channels (Facebook, Twitter, IG) and find today's post. It asks what spiritual discipline(s) you have found most beneficial in your walk with Jesus. Share your experience... you never know who it might help!

See you on Sunday,

Pastor Tracy

Wondering about the Greek word in our series graphic? Check this out!

This Sunday

THE DISCIPLE
The Habit

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

,

DISCIPLE | The Heart (let's start at the beginning, it's a very good place to start)

,

It's a new month and we have a new series coming at you on Sunday. To start 2022, we spent time constructing/reconstructing/renovating our faith. In other words, we were answering some of the most common objections to Christianity so that we have a firm foundation and understanding of what we believe and why we believe it. Also, my intention is to equip us to be able to share our faith with others. I trust January gave you some great construction materials.

I've been re-watching The West Wing lately and one of my favourite things is when President Bartlet finishes a task or makes a decision then turns to his staff and says, "What's next?" That's kind of the inspiration for our February series. When our faith is set on a solid foundation the next question we ask is, "So what? What's next? What do I do now?"

We're going to build some walls and rooms into our reconstructed faith this month and make sure we understand what it means to live out the faith that we have in Christ. What's first, what's next, what comes after that... What things should we be looking for in our lives if we are following Jesus?

First up (and always first) is the heart. It's not a checklist, it's learning to first and foremost check our hearts to find what motivates our thoughts, actions, and attitudes. We need to look for certain marks in our character before we talk about how that might look in our activities.

If you want to study ahead, take a look at 2 Corinthians 7:8-13 and James 5:13-16. These are the scriptures that are going to help us learn what heart of a disciple of Jesus looks like.

Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday,
Pastor Tracy

Wondering about the Greek word in our series graphic? Check this out!

This Sunday

THE DISCIPLE
The Heart

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

, ,

RECONSTRUCTION | Sharing Faith (it's 5th Sunday!)

, ,

It's 5th Sunday! This time around we're celebrating (as we usually do on 5th Sundays) and answering a question at the same time. The question is: should I talk about my faith? The celebration: hearing stories about how people have shared Jesus and found faith in Him. You are not going to want to miss a minute.

Pastor Erin will be leading us through the service and has another powerful resource for us as we construct/reconstruct/renovate our faith. Using some material from the Alpha Film Series, she will be equipping us with tools for sharing the life transformation that we've found in Christ... and the reason why we should.

To give you a head start, I've included the video from Alpha that she will be referencing as well as the transcript of the video (in case you prefer reading to watching). Take a few minutes to through this material and bookmark it for the future. Also consider if there is someone else who might benefit from it... and then go ahead and share it! Let's help to equip one another to share the incredible good news.

There are a few bonus items for you included in today's devo as well:

  1. YouVersion Link: February Reading Plan (Bible in a Year)

  2. Financial Update: December 2021

Scroll past the video to find those and enjoy. :)

Happy 5th Sunday!
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

RECONSTRUCTION
5th Sunday: Should I Talk About My Faith?

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

,

RECONSTRUCTION | Suffering

,

In case you're joining us for the first time this year, let me recap. (If you're not, scroll down for this week's Sunday prep video!)...

We're using Tim Keller's book Reason for God and it's companion study guide to give us an outline for our January series (called "Reconstruction") and it's a great place to start for a next step in your own learning and exploring.

Pastor will be bringing us this Sunday's message, "Good or Evil" and it's based off of session four of the guide and chapter two of the book. I encourage you to watch the session (here's a link for you or click below) and pick up a copy of the book if you can.

As you can imagine, there is much, much more to say about each of the topics we'll be discussing then we have time for on Sunday mornings. I encourage you go deeper and study more on each topic. They are all fascinating!

Praying for you as you go deeper,
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

RECONSTRUCTION
Suffering

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

,

RECONSTRUCTION | All The Rules (getting ready for Sunday)

,

In case you're joining us for the first time this year, let me recap. (If you're not, scroll down for this week's Sunday prep video!)...

We're starting the year with a series called Reconstruction. I want to address some of the main objections to the Christian faith and hope to accomplish a couple of things:

  1. Answer some of the most common questions about Christianity.

  2. Give believers who are struggling a solid foundation to build on.

  3. Equip the church with a basic understanding of apologetics (defending the faith) so that we will know how to talk about our faith in a non-defensive, relevant, informed way to the people in our lives.

As you can imagine, there is much, much more to say about each of the topics we'll be discussing then we have time for on Sunday mornings. I encourage you go deeper and study more on each topic. They are all fascinating!

We're using Tim Keller's book Reason for God and it's companion study guide to give us an outline for this series and it's a great place to start for a next step in your own learning and exploring.

Sunday's message, "Law or Grace" is based off of session three of the guide and chapter three of the book. I encourage you to watch the session (here's a link for you or click below) and pick up a copy of the book if you can.

As always, I'm looking forward to Sunday!
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

RECONSTRUCTION
Law or Grace

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

,

RECONSTRUCTION | One Way to God (getting ready for Sunday)

,

In case you missed it on Sunday, we're starting the year with a series called Reconstruction. I want to address some of the main objections to the Christian faith and hope to accomplish a couple of things:

  1. Answer some of the most common questions about Christianity.

  2. Give believers who are struggling a solid foundation to build on.

  3. Equip the church with a basic understanding of apologetics (defending the faith) so that we will know how to talk about our faith in a non-defensive, relevant, informed way to the people in our lives.

As you can imagine, there is much, much more to say about each of the topics we'll be discussing then we have time for on Sunday mornings. I encourage you go deeper and study more on each topic. They are all fascinating!

We're using Tim Keller's book Reason for God and it's companion study guide to give us an outline for this series and it's a great place to start for a next step in your own learning and exploring.

Sunday's message, "Narrow or Wide" is based off of session two of the guide and chapter one of the book. I encourage you to watch the session (here's a link for you or click below) and pick up a copy of the book if you can.

Let's dig in together again on Sunday!
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

RECONSTRUCTION
Narrow or Wide

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

,

RECONSTRUCTION | The Bible (getting ready for Sunday)

,

Everywhere I turn I hear the term “deconstruction.” Do you know about this? It refers to someone taking apart their faith and the things they have believed for a long time – particularly those who grew up in church, particularly those in Evangelical circles. They are deconstructing their faith and finding another way to live or something else to believe.

On one hand, I encourage the process, especially for anyone who grows up in the church. If your faith is a matter of your family tradition or culture, it’s vital that you get down to the heart of it and find out what you really believe for yourself.

On the other hand, I have yet to hear a story of deconstruction that isn’t informed by a wound that the person has experienced in the church. They have been hurt or been taught something that doesn’t work or isn’t loving or merciful or they have seen a leader fall morally, ethically or spiritually, or they have seen hypocrisy in their home growing up. All of these are real hurts and need to be reckoned with, to be certain… but I haven’t heard of someone looking for Jesus and finding him wanting. The story is that they couldn’t find Jesus in the middle of the rest of it.

So we're starting the year with a series called Reconstruction. I’m not trying to be cheeky (though, you know, don’t put it past me), I wanted to address some of the main objections to the Christian faith and hope to accomplish a couple of things:

  1. Answer some of the most common questions about Christianity.

  2. Give believers who are struggling a solid foundation to build on.

  3. Equip the church with a basic understanding of apologetics (defending the faith) so that we will know how to talk about our faith in a non-defensive, relevant, informed way to the people in our lives.

It doesn’t matter what category you put yourself in, I want you to know something… I don’t know all the answers but I invite the questions and have seen faith in Jesus stand up to every question I’ve asked so far. I encourage you to take that same posture: hearts open, ears listening, minds active.

I've been using Tim Keller's book Reason for God and it's companion study guide to give us an outline for this series. Sunday's message, "Truth or Fiction" is based off of session one of the guide and chapter seven of the book. I encourage you to watch the session (here's a link for you) and pick up a copy of the book if you can.

I'm looking forward to starting this new season with you... see you on Sunday!

Happy New Year!
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

RECONSTRUCTION
Truth or Fiction

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

, ,

Advent | Christ (prayers and readings for the weeks of Christmas)

, ,

And here we are, ready to celebrate Christmas, the Advent of Christ. The waiting is over and He has come. He is Immanuel, God with us.

Our plans for this week will all look a little different. We all celebrate with our own traditions and preferences. We might be making changes again this year as the pandemic continues to present challenges. But whatever you're doing, be intentional about gathering around the nativity story and the miracle of the coming of Christ because friends, it changed everything.

Here are a couple of ideas for you...

I'm so glad that we get to gather twice this week - Christmas Eve at 6pm and Sunday morning at 10am. What a beautiful season we're in.

Merry Christmas!
Pastor Tracy

PS - Take a look at our Christmas Eve page for all the information about our service, how to participate and how to invite someone to join you!

This Sunday

SEASON OF HOPE: Secure in the Future
When You See An End, He is the Beginning

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

, ,

Advent | Joy (prayers and readings for the weeks of Advent)

, ,

And now, for the fourth Sunday of Advent. We have one more opportunity as we gather this weekend to bring our attention back to the longing and expectancy of the Jewish people as they waited for the Messiah (which reminds us how desperately we also need a Saviour). We have one more chance to let that point us to the coming of that very Messiah and the fulfillment of the promise that He really would come (which reminds us to be looking and waiting expectantly for His second coming). This is an incredible season and it's an honour to be able to observe this season with you all!

To help us celebrate, I've again provided a prayer and some readings (Old Testament, New Testament, Gospel and Psalm) that I have gone back to many times over the years and find helpful.

Advent Readings & Prayers: Week 4

As we did in our service last Sunday, we will pause to pray the prayer together, so I encourage you to read it over before Sunday.

This Sunday's Advent theme is joy and I'll be teaching from the end of Matthew 24 with the reminder that when we find ourselves waiting, He is faithful.

With joy,
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

SEASON OF HOPE: Secure in the Future
When You See Waiting, He is Faithful

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

, ,

Advent | Peace (prayers and readings for the weeks of Advent)

, ,

We are getting ready for the third Sunday of Advent and again, the chance to bring our attention back to the longing and expectancy of the Jewish people as they waited for the Messiah, which reminds us how desperately we also need a Saviour. It continues to point us to the coming of that very Messiah and the fulfillment of the promise that He really would come, which reminds us to be looking and waiting expectantly for His second coming. This is an incredible season.

To help us celebrate, I've again provided a prayer and some readings (Old Testament, New Testament, Gospel and Psalm) that I have gone back to many times over the years and find helpful.

Advent Readings & Prayers: Week 3

As we did in our service last Sunday, we will pause to pray the prayer together, so I encourage you to read it over before Sunday.

This Sunday's Advent theme is peace and I'll be teaching from Matthew 24 with the reminder that when we see chaos all around us, He is peace.

With Christ's perfect peace,
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

SEASON OF HOPE: Secure in the Future
When You See Chaos, He is Peace

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

, , ,

Advent | Love (prayers and readings for the weeks of Advent)

, , ,

Sunday marks the second Sunday of Advent and again, the chance to bring our attention back to the longing and expectancy of the Jewish people as they waited for the Messiah, which reminds us how desperately we also need a Saviour. It continues to point us to the coming of that very Messiah and the fulfillment of the promise that He really would come, which reminds us to be looking and waiting expectantly for His second coming. I trust you're enjoying the beauty of this season.

To help us celebrate, I've again provided a prayer and some readings (Old Testament, New Testament, Gospel and Psalm) that I have gone back to many times over the years and find helpful.

Advent Readings & Prayers: Week 2

As we did in our service last Sunday, we will pause to pray the prayer together, so I encourage you to read it over before Sunday.

This Sunday's Advent theme is love. How appropriate as we think about the motivation for the coming of Christ - at Christmas and again at His second coming. Let that rest in your heart this week!

In Christ's love,
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

SEASON OF HOPE: Secure in the Future
When You See Darkness, He is Light

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

,

Advent | Hope (prayers and readings for the weeks of Advent)

,

The season of Advent is a double feature. It brings our attention back to the longing and expectancy of the Jewish people as they waited for the Messiah, which reminds us how desperately we also need a Saviour. It also points to the coming of that very Messiah and the fulfillment of the promise that He really would come, which reminds us to be looking and waiting expectantly for His second coming. It's truly a beautiful season.

Sunday marks the first day of Advent this year and around the church we are getting ready. We intentionally make changes to our decor and sermon series to mark the day. We use these external markers to remind us that we're in a new season. We also mark this date because we are all well aware of how (I hate to say it...) busy December is and how quickly our attention gets drawn away from the miracle of the birth of Christ and the hope, love, joy and peace that we are invited to participate in because of Him.

To help you truly celebrate the coming of Christ and to look to His second coming, I'm going to provide a prayer and some readings (Old Testament, New Testament, Gospel and Psalm) that I have gone back to many times over the years and find helpful.

Advent Readings & Prayers: Week 1

We will pause in each service during Advent to pray the prayer together, so I encourage you to read it over before Sunday.

We also have a YouVersion reading plan for Advent starting on Sunday. It would be great to read scripture with you over the next few weeks so click the link below for the invitation to the plan.

This Sunday's Advent theme is hope. How very fitting for this Season of Hope we are in as a church. I'm really looking forward to sharing these next few weeks with all of you.

With hope,
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

SEASON OF HOPE: Secure in the Future
When You See Death, He is Life

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

,

Your Turn: Winning With Worship (november mini-series | part three)

,

This week Rob is taking us through a couple of incredible biblical narratives: Paul & Silas in Acts 16 and Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20. In both cases, choosing to worship in the middle of an impossible situation was key to their victory.

So, just like the last two weeks, I am going to be asking you to respond to the question I'm posing in this email. My goal is to add our voices together to help one another with the practical applications of the lessons. Are you ready for one more? Let's do it!

This week...

What is a song of worship that has helped, strengthened or encouraged you?

You don't have to share the circumstances or details unless you want to - you can just tell us the name of the song. Share as much or as little as you'd like. On Sunday, I hope to have a chance to sing a few of these songs and share your stories along with them!

Thank you for being a part of connecting with God and each other. I'm looking forward to hearing from you this week again.

Together in Christ,
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

SEASON OF HOPE: Overcoming the Present
Winning With Worship

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

,

Your Turn: Witness That Wins (november mini-series | part two)

,

This week we're looking at 1 Timothy 4 and how Paul tells Timothy to "watch your life and doctrine closely." The interesting thing about this book of the Bible, as well as 2 Timothy and Titus, is that the advice is being given to a young pastor but the whole congregation gets to listen in.

There’s something extra and very exciting for this service… we're going to have a special guest help us to apply this teaching in a cross-cultural way and to our everyday lives as well. I will be interviewing Jeremy Feller, our mission partner in Ethiopia, at the end of the message and will have a chance to ask him your questions (as well as mine!).

Just like last week, I am going to be asking you to respond to the questions I'm posing in this email. My goal is to add our voices together to help one another with the practical applications of the lessons. Are you ready? Let's do it!

This week...

Share the best piece of wisdom you've been given in your life.

AND/OR

What is a question you'd like to ask Jeremy Feller, our mission partner in Ethiopia?

You don't have to share the circumstances or details unless you want to. You can just respond with the wise words you were given. Share as much or as little as you'd like. On Sunday, I'll read them out loud and we'll all have a chance to learn from what you learned!

Thank you for being a part of connecting with God and each other. I'm looking forward to hearing from you this week and in the weeks to come.

Together in Christ,
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

SEASON OF HOPE: Overcoming the Present
Winning With Witness

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.

,

Your Turn: Scriptures That Speak (november mini-series | part one)

,

This month, I'm inviting you to be a part of the Sunday message. No, not someone else - you!

We're beginning our November series with a look at Luke 4 and how Jesus "won" by knowing the scriptures. So, does that still work? Does it work for us?

All month long I am going to be asking you to respond to this devo. My goal is to add our voices together to help one another with the practical applications of the lessons. Are you in? Let's do it

This week...

Share a scripture that has helped you with a difficult decision, strengthened you to overcome a struggle or has spoken deeply to your life.

You don't have to share the circumstances or details unless you want to. You can just respond with the chapter and verse(s). Share as much or as little as you'd like. On Sunday, we will be reading these scriptures out loud and not sharing the stories (unless I specifically ask your permission).

Thank you for being a part of connecting with God and each other. I'm looking forward to hearing from you this week and in the weeks to come.

Together in Christ,
Pastor Tracy

This Sunday

SEASON OF HOPE: Overcoming the Present
Winning With The Word

Join us for our IN-PERSON SERVICES OR
LIVESTREAM on Sunday!

10:00 - Live Service & Kids Church (+YouTube Live)
9:00 - Kids Church Online (Freedom Kids FB Group)

Follow along with the message on YouVersion.