Last week we started studying the third characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit which is peace.  We used the story of Job to help us realize that whatever trouble we might face we can make it through and that our greatest loss in times of trouble is the loss of peace. Life is unbearable […]

Last week we discovered that we cannot experience the peace OF God until we have peace WITH God. Christ took on our sins and, in our place, He died on the cross to pay the penalty. His death purchased our peace with God. This week we are going to observe the nature of God’s peace […]

Last week we studied four portraits of peace—Jesus in the temple when he was 12 years old, Jesus feeding the 5,000, Jesus walking on the water, and Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.  These portraits showed us that Christ has perfect peace in ALONENESS, in PROVISION, in the STORM, in the WAIT, and in the TEARS.   […]

Last week we concluded our study on peace and learned that you receive peace with God by accepting His gift of grace on Calvary. The key to peace can be found in Romans 8:6 and the key to maintaining peace can be found in Philippians 4:6-7.    This week we are going to begin our study […]

Last week we began our study of the fourth quality of the fruit of the Spirit which is patience.  We learned two important Greek words, hupomone and makrothumia.  Both are vital in the life of a believer, but only one of them is a quality of the fruit of the Spirit.  We first focused on hupomone which is translated as perseverance and endurance […]

Last week we continued our study of the fourth quality of the fruit of the Spirit which is patience.  We discussed the story of Noah and God’s patience for 120 years before he sent the flood.  God kept hoping that people would turn to Him.   This week we are going to discuss the opposite of patience, which […]

Last week we learned that patience and judgment are opposite and impossible to do simultaneously. Through scripture, we studied 11 reasons why we must not judge others. This week we are going to discuss the mercy that inspires Biblical patience and overrides the temptation to judge. To prepare you may want to read Col 3:12-13, […]

Last time we met, we finished studying the fourth fruit of the Spirit with a great discussion about forgiveness. We were reminded that God’s word calls us to forgive and that unforgiveness keeps us from loving. This week we will begin discussing the fifth fruit which is kindness and goodness. To prepare you might want […]

Last week we studied the kindness or tender heart and nurturing Spirit of God toward Hagar and Ishmael and the nation of Israel. This week we look at the sixth fruit of the Spirit, goodness, which in Greek means benevolent and active goodness.  To prepare you might want to read Ephesians 2:1-10 and 1 Corinthians 12:7-11.  […]

Last week we studied the sixth fruit of the Sprit which is goodness and learned that God saved us through the death of his Son so we could do good works. God has chosen to do His work through us and, if we miss our ministry He has planned for us, we will miss our […]

The last time we met, we finished our study on the fifth and sixth fruit of the Spirit—kindness and goodness.  We learned that we cannot be trusted to do good works until the word of God does its good work in us.   This week we will be exploring the seventh quality of the fruit of the […]

Last week we learned that God expressed His faithfulness to us in Christ. And, Christ expressed His faithfulness to us in the Holy Spirit.  Only through His Spirit can we express our faithfulness to Him.   This week we will look at the faithfulness of God’s people.  To prepare read Hebrews 11:1-39 and Isaiah 55:8-9.  We are meeting […]

Last week we learned that a steadfast faith focuses on who God is and frees Him to show us what He can do.   This week we are going to discuss faith in action by studying the voyage of Paul in Acts 27.  To prepare read Act 27: 1 – Acts 28:10 and Romans 10:17.  We are […]

Last week we concluded or study on faithfulness. God is faithful and will always do what He promises. This week we start studying gentleness. To prepare read Acts 2:14-36 and Acts 9:1-16. We are meeting in the sanctuary, distancing, and wearing masks when necessary.

Last week we began studying the eighth quality of the fruit of the Spirit which is gentleness.  We learned that weakness and gentleness is the power and strength  created by submitting to God's will.  This week we will discuss the second aspect of gentleness which is humility.  To prepare read John 1:6-34. We are meeting […]

Last week we discussed the second aspect of gentleness which is humility and we read about John the Baptist who was a true example of the humble life.  We discussed how the hard part is not humbling ourselves before God but humbling ourselves before others.   This week we will discuss the third aspect of gentleness which […]

Last week we discussed the third aspect of gentleness which is teachability. A precious part of gentleness is being willing and anxious to learn, regardless of who He chooses as our unlikely teacher.    This week we will consider the final component of the fruit of the Spirit which is self-control.  Only through the self-control developed by […]

Last week we learned that the key to self-control is the refusal to allow our enemies to rule or hold us captive in any way.   This week we are going to study the problem of excess by looking at the life of Solomon; his obsession with money, position, and possessions, and the state of his […]

Last week, during our study of Solomon, we learned that God gives wealth and possessions and only God can enable us to enjoy them.   This week we end our study of the fruit of the Spirit and will discuss how to practice all we’ve learned on a day-to-day basis.  To prepare read Psalm 63, Psalm 5:3, […]

Last week we finished our study on the fruit of the Spirit and were given a guide on how to practice all we’ve learned on a day-to-day basis.   This week we will be introduced to our new study on “Missing Pieces:  Real Hope When Life Doesn’t Make Sense” authored by Jennifer Rothschild. To prepare, read Habakkuk (Ha […]

Last week we were introduced to our new study by looking at the book of Habakkuk who asked God many questions—the missing pieces that helped him know God. This week we will answer the question “God, do you care?”  To prepare read Mark 4:35-39, Jeremiah 18:1-6, and 2 Kings 6:15-20.  We are meeting in the sanctuary, […]

Last week we learned that God’s apparent inactivity may be His way of showing compassion to protect us; that the best way to approach God is as an inquirer not as an accuser; that God may choose not to act in order to give us time to acknowledge our sin or seek Him; that sometimes […]

Last week we discovered that our God is just, not fair.  We may not always understand His motives, but He is faithful to His word.  He is just in the way He responds to each of us.   This week we will answer the question “God, are you there?” We often feel alone and abandoned by God and […]

Last week we contemplated the question, “God, are you there?”  We discussed the idea that God is like air.  Air is everywhere in our lives, and it is what we need for survival.  It is also something we all have in common no matter our language or skin color.   This week we will discuss God’s awareness of us […]

Last week we learned that God is indeed aware of us, knows us, and regards us with value worthy of our attention.   This week we ask the question, God, do you hear prayer?  To prepare read 1 John 5:14-15, Mark 14:35-36, and Matthew 7:7  We are meeting in the sanctuary, distancing, and wearing masks when necessary.

Last week we learned that God’s ultimate answer to our prayers is the good gift of the Holy Spirit.  He is the affirmation that God is with us.  Because of the Holy Spirit, we know God listens to us, hears our concerns, and answers with what is best for us.   This week we ask the questions, God, […]

This week we begin a new study on the man and book called James. James forces us to face the implications of faith. Join us for this study and be inspired to put your faith into action. We are meeting in the sanctuary, distancing, and wearing masks when necessary.

To begin our study of James, we learned about family life with Jesus, James, their parents, and siblings.  We also learned that the power of the resurrection made James and his brothers believers when they weren’t before.  We also found out that James, Peter, and John were considered the pillars of the new church.   This week we […]

Last week we discussed words that free us.  We learned that anger affects the manifestation of the Spirit in us; that there is a difference between talking and doing good works; what James’ idea of pure and undefiled religion is; that discrimination shows we are guided by wrong motives; and that loving our neighbor as ourselves […]

Last week we discussed the relationship between faith and works.  We learned that it is by our works that our faith is perfected. This week we will discuss drawing closer to God.  To prepare read James 4:1-3, James 4:6-9, Romans 2:1-2, and James 4:13-17.  We are meeting in the sanctuary, distancing, and wearing masks when necessary.

Last week we learned the importance of asking God to help us sort out the desire for things we don’t have; we learned the importance of friendships; we learned that God gives greater grace and we receive that by submitting to Him; we learned that people who walk in the Spirit judge “things” not people; […]

Last week we discussed making room in our lives for love and obedience by being more aware of the concept of getting and giving.  If you ‘get’ something use it or get rid of it; if you ‘receive’ something (money, goods, etc.) you should give away something you already have. We discussed the importance of learning […]

This week we are starting a new study based on the book by Margaret Feinberg entitled, “The Sacred Echo”.  Often when God speaks, He will say the same thing through a sermon, a passage of Scripture, a chance conversation, or an unexpected encounter.  When we begin looking for these sacred echoes, we are better able to recognize […]

Last week we began our study on The Sacred Echo, by Margaret Feinberg.  We learned about the importance of prayer in order to 'hear' when God speaks to us.  We also learned that a list of petitions is helpful in praying and those suggested included to bless, protect, redeem, heal, restore, reconcile, renew, guide, and forgive.   This week […]

The last time we met, we discovered that God wants us to not only know His love, but also experience it.     This week we will talk about repetitive prayer, like the Lord’s Prayer, and why God needs to hear it again and again. 

Last week we talked about the importance of not being distracted but keeping our focus during our daily prayer time, and that we might be better listeners of God if we begin our pray time by talking honestly to Him.   This week we are going to discuss the difficulty in waiting for God’s answers to […]

Last week we discussed the importance of waiting for God to do His work.  We learned that while we wait,  He blesses us, strengthens us, and renews us.  This week we will discuss things we can do to make a scripture passage or God's voice more understandable for us.