Messages by Brent Clark (Page 19)
The Essentials
Pastors Brent and Ryan discuss how in order to determine the essentials we have to start by acknowledging not everything is black and white and following Jesus means being okay with living with some mystery and tension in the Bible. Discussion Questions Thinking about your spiritual upbringing, were you raised with many or few essential beliefs? How has your understanding of what is essential changed over the years? How open are you to differing views in your beliefs? Are you…
Hitting the Wall
Pastor Brent Clark looks at how when we follow Jesus, we can sometimes hit a spiritual wall that leaves us feeling empty and that God has left us, but we can endure and push through the wall.
Restoring Healthy Spiritual Rhythms
Pastor Brent looks at how not all changes made during the pandemic have been bad and give us a new opportunity to establish healthy spiritual rhythms in our lives. Discussion Questions What are the spiritual disciplines you need to cultivate to keep connected to God? What are the practices of self-care you need to attend to your body and nurture your soul? What are the gifts, passions, and burdens within you that God wants you to express for the blessing…
Restoring the Foundation
Pastors Brent and Ryan take a look back at 2020 and encourage the church to begin looking forward to 2021 and how they can restore their foundations.
Best. Christmas. Ever. The Presents
Pastor Brent looks at the greatest gift we’ve been given but also how God has given his children much, much more.
The Christmas Light
Pastor Brent traces the importance of light from the beginning to the end of the biblical narrative and how Christmas is a reminder of the light of Jesus that has dawned to overcome the darkness.
The Christmas Tree
Pastors Brent and Ryan look at the Christmas Tree and how the tree of life points us to the Best. Christmas. Ever.
Fall Clean-Up
Pastor Brent looks at Psalm 32 and how this is a good time to do a little soul searching and some fall clean-up in our lives.
Unpause Celebration
Pastors Brent and Ryan talk about the importance of celebration and how even in difficult circumstances we can find reasons to celebrate. Discussion Questions How might the world’s opinion of Christians be different if Christians were better known for genuine celebration? If you haven’t already, take a moment to really reflect on what God has done in your life in 2020 and give him thanks for it all. What can you do in your daily / weekly habits to be…
Knowing God Through Obedience
Pastor Brent looks at 1 John to see the important role obedience plays in our ability to truly know and experience God. Discussion Questions Are you more compliant or strong-willed? How easy is it for you to obey when someone asks (or requires) something of you? Why do you think this is? How have you tried to substitute other things, like religious activity or legalism for obedience to God? Is God calling you to obedience in some area of your…
Get Out of the Boat
Pastor Brent looks at how the pandemic has made everyone a little more risk-averse but how it is always risky following Jesus. From Matthew 14 and the story of Peter walking on water with Jesus. Discussion Questions How risk averse are you? What do you think contributes to this? Of the list of obstacles that hold us back from exercising our faith, what one or two are the greatest obstacles for you? Is there something you feel God is calling…
Listening to God
Pastors Brent and Ryan discuss how God has spoken to his people in the past and how part of unpausing our lives today is learning to listen to God as he speaks to us today. Discussion Questions Take a moment to reflect on what it means that the God of the universe wants to speak to you. What has been your biggest barrier to hearing God speak to you? What action can you take to be prepared to hear God…