By Ellis White, Senior Pastor There’s a reason we keep coming back to the story behind the songs at Christmas. These carols aren’t sentimental leftovers from another era. They are testimonies. They were written because something happened. Something that could not stay quiet. One of the clearest examples is “Go, Tell It on the Mountain”. […]
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Looking at Jesus, Looking at Each Other
By Cara Taylor, Director of Outreach Last Sunday I was surprised by grief mixed with joy. Many of you stepped up to my husband and me to receive communion. Person after person, I looked into your faces and gave you a piece of bread and said, “The body of Christ, broken for you.” Waves of […]
Let the Carols Lead Us to Christ
By Jesse Yi-Gray, Director of Music Going into my first Christmas season as a married man, I knew there was one conversation my wife and I needed to have that wasn’t covered in our pre-marital counseling. Whispers of Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé, advertisements for Starbucks seasonal drinks, December worship planning meetings getting added to my calendar all […]
What Are You Waiting For?
By Julie Hawkins, Pastor of Ministry The day after Thanksgiving always feels like a crossroads. Half of us are still in a turkey haze, grazing through Tupperware full of leftovers. The other half are already hauling boxes of Christmas decor out of the garage, decking halls like it’s our job. Half of us are hesitant […]
A Whisper of Revival in the UK
By Ellis White, Senior Pastor I wish you could have heard the way her college pastor told the story—slowly, gently, still moved by what God had done. A young female student in Oxford had grown up in the occult. Her health was unraveling. Her life felt fragmented and empty. She was searching for meaning anywhere […]
Feeling Lonely at Church?
By Jenna Arnold, Director of Digital Outreach I’ve attended church my whole life, and there have been seasons of belonging—and seasons of deep loneliness. One of the biggest differences between those seasons, I eventually realized, was me. I remember one Sunday sitting in church feeling transparent, like no one would have noticed if I’d disappeared. […]
Where is God When I’m Hurting?
By Cara Taylor, Director of Outreach Dark mornings, soggy skies, holidays approaching. This time of year can bring up the blues and also call us to cozy togetherness. The celebrations and the shopping are supposed to spread the love. But sometimes they just make the loneliness and anxiety ache more. Even when we put our […]
Why Worship Songs Repeat Themselves
By Ellis White, Senior Pastor If you’ve spent any time in church recently, you might have noticed something about newer worship songs: they tend to repeat themselves. Sometimes it’s a line sung several times in a row. Sometimes it’s a chorus that returns again and again. And if you grew up singing hymns that told […]
Loving Across the Spiritual Aisle
By Carie GordyCommunications Coordinator Being married to someone who believes differently can feel both beautiful and challenging. On one hand, you get to see the world through someone else’s eyes. On the other, it takes intention and patience to make sure your differences don’t turn into distance. One of the biggest lessons is learning to listen […]
Why We Sing to God, Not Just About God
By Ellis White, Senior Pastor If you’ve been around church for a while, you’ve probably noticed that the songs our younger generation sing today sound a bit different from the ones we grew up with. Some are louder. Some repeat more. Some feel more like personal prayers than corporate declarations. And maybe, if you’re honest, […]