4/15/12 – Week 1 – Faith Under Pressure

Tonight we are kicking off a new series entitled, “Pressure” and each week we are going to look at a different kind of pressure that you and I will face… Pressure // by: todd veleber

4/15/12 – Week 1 – Faith Under Pressure

Tonight we are kicking off a new series entitled, “Pressure” and each week we are going to look at a different kind of pressure that you and I will face in our lives and look to God’s Word for the ability and strength to stand strong.  And you guys can help me and the other leaders as we teach this series, so let me start out by asking you guys a question.  What are some of the bigger pressures that you are facing in your life as a middle school student?  Continue Reading

MS Series// By: Todd Veleber

2/12/12 – Week 1 – God’s Original Design

It’s the month of love… in fact, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner… * Click Here to view the questions our middle school students asked during this sermon series.

MS Series// By: Todd Veleber

2/12/12 – Week 1 – God’s Original Design

It’s the month of love… in fact, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and so we are going to use the next few weeks to talk about love… and relationships, dating and sex.  There is no doubt that there is quite a bit of confusion when it comes to these topics.  And the problem is not a lack of information… it’s just trying to figure out what is the correct information.  And so my big goal for you in this series is not just to present information, but I really hope that you will engage and even dialogue with me each week.  Now, I have plenty to say and could spend and hour each week just talking and still not have enough time to share all God says.  But I want this series to be a conversation where we can learn together.  Read More

2/19/12 – Week 2 – Guy Talk/Girl Talk

In case you never thought of it before, let me tell you something huge tonight… guys and girls are different.  I’m going to share with you some of the stereotypical differences between guys and girls tonight.  Now, I understand that these are stereotypes.  Some of you will come up to me and go “Oh, that’s not me.” And I will go, yeah, okay, sure!  But this isn’t for 100% of guys and 100% of girls, but I think you will find that these are pretty true.  They are pretty true because most have been proven true since God created Adam and Eve.  And I think that is a great place to start.  God created us with differences.  Look at what the Bible says in Genesis 1:27 Read More

2/26/12 – Week 3 – Dating not Mating

Tonight we are talking all about dating and relating. We hear a lot about sex and a lot about marriage. And the Bible is pretty clear about sex and it’s pretty clear about marriage. But the Bible isn’t very clear about dating. You don’t hear a lot in the Bible how Mary and Joseph kind of got together and hung out and walked in the fields together and had picnics. We just know they’re together. The Bible’s not really clear on it. So I’m going to try to shed a little light on what the Bible talks about honoring each other and how it talks a little how we can become closer together in a dating relationship although it may not only be specific about dating. Read More

3/4/12 – Week 4 – Straight Talk About Sex 

Tonight my goal is really simple.  I just want to shoot straight with you and tell you what God’s Word has to say about sex.  We’ve talked about love and dating and relationships over the past few weeks, but now we’re going to jump right in and talk about something that is being talked about all the time in some form or fashion.  Chances are you don’t even realize but sex is on the radio, on TV, in movies, on the internet and even used in advertising.  But did you also know that sex can be found in the Bible?  And if it can be found there – then that is where we want to go. Read More

3/11/12 – Week 5 – How Far is Too Far?

The question everyone wants to know is, “How far is too far?”  That’s the number one question I’m asked whenever I teach a series like this one.  A lot of times people will say, “I understand what the Bible says, that you shouldn’t have sex until you’re married, but how far is too far?”  When we ask this question, let me tell you what this question does.  When you ask, “How far is too far?” you treat sex as a game.  How far can I go?  If I know that I can’t score, what else can I do?”  If there’s anything we’ve been talking about in this series it’s that God has a great design, plan and purpose for love, dating and sex and that none of them are a game to play. Read More

I told you I would share a bit of what God taught me while on Sabbatical and one of those areas He really pushed in to my heart was regarding my communication with Him.  We know… 1/18/12 – Week 1 – A Call to Prayer

I told you I would share a bit of what God taught me while on Sabbatical and one of those areas He really pushed in to my heart was regarding my communication with Him.  We know this as prayer.  Here’s the short story – I really enjoy reading the Bible.  In fact, I really enjoy reading the Bible and all kinds of other Christian books and books on ministry.  And I would rather read than pray.  And so even though I’ve always been consistent in meeting the Lord in the mornings, a lot of my time with Him centered around reading His Word.  Not bad, I guess, other than this tug on my heart to pray – and pray more.   Continue Reading

1/25/12 – Week 2 – The Movement of Prayer

In Scripture we see a lot of talk about prayer, yet there seems to be so much confusion about it in our churches today! Honestly, some of the confusion is understandable: in dealing with prayer, we are dealing with the realm of mystery.  So there’s always going to be a sense of the unknown—we will never fully understand what is happening in prayer. But we can at least make some connections in Scripture, looking for commonalties or patterns. Here is one that I have found to be of tremendous help: the movement of prayer in Scripture appears to be from wrestling to surrender. Continue Reading

2/1/12 – Week 3 – Theology of Prayer: Jesus as Mediator

Have you ever wondered why we end our prayers with, “in Jesus’ name…”? Believe it or not, there is incredible significance to those words. But more important than just the words themselves is the idea behind it all. There is a truth that lies within that radically transforms our prayer lives when we grasp it.  Before we jump into that we must go back a bit. Back to the Old Testament. Are you familiar with the office of the High Priest in the Old Testament?  Continue Reading

2/8/12 – Week 4 – Theology of Prayer: Spirit as Intercessor

Perhaps one of the most overlooked characters in the Biblical narrative: the Holy Sprit. And yet he plays such a pivotal role. We often don’t talk about him much either because we don’t understand him or we are fearful of the subject.  Who is the Holy Spirit? Simply put: he is God. He is equal with God the Father and God the Son, and is to be worshipped as such.  He’s all over the pages of Scripture. Often his presence is felt more than directly spoken of—but there’s no getting around it: if we don’t understand the person of the Holy Spirit, we are missing out on a large part of the Christian story. Continue Reading

2/15/12 – Week 5 – Theology of Prayer: God as Father

Many times when we are praying to God, the idea of God being our Father is perhaps one of the last things that enters our minds. We often think of him as harsh, against us; or perhaps compassionate or charitable. But our Father? Can we even get our minds around such a notion?   Yet when Jesus prays and teaches us to pray—this is of utmost priority. The very foundation of prayer itself. Maybe we’ve been missing out on a deep prayer life because we don’t get this. Continue Reading

2/22/12 – Week 6 – Praying Scripture: The Lord’s Prayer

I am going to try and convince you of the idea of praying Scripture. I would go as far to say that it is essential in unlocking a full and powerful prayer life. But most of the time, we think of reading Scripture as one thing, praying as another. The thought of combining the two disciplines might feel a little strange to us at first  There are a few key places in Scripture that hint at this idea of praying God’s word. They don’t shout it or even say it directly. But all combined, they make a strong argument for its usefulness in the Christian life. Continue Reading

1/15/12 – Week 1 – It’s Not What You Think

Where do you go when you feel like the gas gauge on your life shows “E”?  Or when your spiritually battery is running low?  If you were here last week, you’ll remember… ms series//By: Todd Veleber

1/15/12 – Week 1 – It’s Not What You Think

Where do you go when you feel like the gas gauge on your life shows “E”?  Or when your spiritually battery is running low?  If you were here last week, you’ll remember that we talked about “Bulls-eye Living” and said in a nutshell that God created you with a purpose and your goal is to find your satisfaction and identity in Christ and to glorify Him in all that you do.  And I bet most of you would agree with that and may even say that you are living that way.
But what happens when you get disconnected from God as your source of power?  How do you get recharged?  Continue Reading

1/23/12 – Week 2 – It’s Easier Than You Think

So we started this series last week with the hope of learning what does it mean to live in connection with Jesus Christ.  If you follow Him, I’m sure you would say two things: 1. It is important to you to have a relationship with Jesus and communicate with Him regularly and 2. You try really hard at that connection, but don’t feel like you have much success.
As I told you last week, I am definitely speaking out of my own personal struggles, failures and even successes in this area.  It’s been a lifelong journey for me to try to understand how to walk in faith and live in connection with my Savior Jesus Christ.  And that desire for connection for me has come out of a joy and happiness in my Savior – who He is and what He has done for me and not some sort of duty. Continue Reading

1/29/12 – Week 3 – It’s Bigger Than You Think

So let’s jump right in tonight.  We are wrapping up this series called “Refuel” where the big idea has been that God not only created and loves you, but He desires to have a relationship with you.  And the God of the universe doesn’t want a distant relationship with you, but he wants an up-close, spiritual, and intimate relationship. You and I can have that and be filled with him. We can be spiritually refueled all the time because the presence of God is right here. Continue Reading

By: Todd Veleber

1/8/12 – Week 1

Here’s what I know about being an athlete, dancer, being super-smart, being in good shape and the list could go on and on.  It takes a lot of time, energy, discipline, and dedication.  Playing any sport… MS Wildlife Series

By: Todd Veleber

1/8/12 – Week 1

Here’s what I know about being an athlete, dancer, being super-smart, being in good shape and the list could go on and on.  It takes a lot of time, energy, discipline, and dedication.  Playing any sport or doing anything worthwhile in life is really tough.  But even in the midst of all that is required, people continue to train and play.

People train and compete for variety of reasons.  They value the reward of participation.  They enjoy the benefits of competition.  They like the company of their teammates.  And the thrill of winning is a “rush” that’s difficult to explain.  But people mainly train and compete because there is a goal.  There is something to accomplish. Continue Reading

11/6/11 – Week 1

Was there ever a time you’ve had to give up? This usually sounds like a bad thing. But you know what? Scripture tells us we’re called to give up…are you… Surrender// MS Series // Mikey Puckett

11/6/11 – Week 1

Was there ever a time you’ve had to give up? This usually sounds like a bad thing. But you know what? Scripture tells us we’re called to give up…are you ready for this??  Our lives.  The big word for this in the Bible is “Surrender.” But what does that even mean? We’re gonna be spending the next 5 weeks talking about this idea of surrender. Continue Reading

11/13/11 – Week 2

One of my good friends would constantly suck his thumb.  He would suck on his thumb so much that it started to look deformed.  His parents ended up every day painting his thumb with nail polish so it tasted disgusting when he tried to suck on it.  My friend made his thumb sucking habit into an idol.  Continue Reading

11/20/11 – Week 3

Do you guys have moments in your life that you want to hide?  Do you have moments in life where you just want to run away or where you have run away?  Why do you do this?  Why do you run away and hide?    Continue Reading

12/4/11 – Week 4

There is a battle going on between our flesh and our Spirit; a battle between our sinful nature and our life in Christ.  Are you willing to surrender the loves in your life that come before God?   Continue Reading 

12/11/11 – Week 5

Surrender is a big word for giving up, letting go, losing control. And here’s the big idea for this series: When we give up our lives, we end up finding TRUE LIFE. Jesus says this very thing in Matthew 16:25.   Continue Reading

11/2/11- Week 1

For a lot of people, the idea of spiritual warfare can be pretty scary. Most of that fear comes from the fact that we just don’t know very much about… HS Series//by: Joel Piedt & Randy VanWingerden

11/2/11- Week 1

For a lot of people, the idea of spiritual warfare can be pretty scary. Most of that fear comes from the fact that we just don’t know very much about it. So we don’t want to talk about it or learn about it. We keep away from it, which only serves to sustain our fear!!  So we need to move forward in confidence and see what God’s Word saysContinue Reading  

11/9/11- Week 2

So last week we talked about our spirits, and how they make up the essence of who we are. Pretty simple concept. God’s Spirit But this week let’s consider a more mysterious idea: God’s Spirit. Scripture speaks of God’s Spirit as being vital in creation (Gen 1), and essential to who God is (1 Cor. 2:11).  In the same way that only you truly understand and know your deepest thoughts, the same is true with the Spirit of God. Continue Reading   

11/16/11- Week 3

So far we’ve given a general overview of Spiritual Warfare, and last week we talked about the Holy Spirit. Now tonight we’re gonna be getting into some unfamiliar territory: the enemy.  Now this may be a little uncomfortable to us, and even a little scary. But the truth is, Scripture has no qualms talking about hard issues like this. All throughout the Bible we very clearly see that we have a spiritual opponent, called Satan,   Continue Reading  

11/30/11- Week 4

Sometimes the concept of spiritual warfare is so much for us to handle—we just don’t know what to do with it. So we don’t even think about it. Or we imagine that it doesn’t pertain to us. Or that we are somehow immune to it.  Continue Reading  

12/7/11- Week 5

Jesus says some pretty crazy things in Scripture. Most of the time, honestly, I just don’t get it. Here are two examples of verses I struggled for a while. John 10:3,5 & John 16:23-24. What do these things mean?  How could I possibly come to understand and tell the difference between God’s voice and the enemy’s voice? Continue Reading

10/16/11 – Week 1 – Weird in a God Way

I think if most of us are being honest, one of the values we all hold is to fit in.  We all want to be “normal.”  None of us… MS series// by: Todd Veleber

10/16/11 – Week 1 – Weird in a God Way

I think if most of us are being honest, one of the values we all hold is to fit in.  We all want to be “normal.”  None of us want to be odd or different.  None of us walk into a room hoping not to fit in.  I know I really struggled with this when I was your age and even into high school and college.  I was really driven by trying to be normal.  And I knew that as a Christian I was called to be different, but I didn’t want to be too different you know.  No one wants to be that radical, weird Christian Read More

10/30/11 – Week 3 – Weird is Better

We are in the third week of a series I’m calling “Weird” where our big ideas has been this: If you want what normal people have, do what normal people do. If you want what few people have, do what few people do!  We’ve been talking about a God kind of weird, because normal isn’t working Read More

Jonah: God’s Mercy is Relentless//HS Series// by: Todd Veleber

10/12/11 – Week 1 – The Jonah in the Mirror

I think most of us have relegated Jonah to being a kid’s story that you hear about in Sunday School, but the truth… –

Jonah: God’s Mercy is Relentless//HS Series// by: Todd Veleber

10/12/11 – Week 1 – The Jonah in the Mirror

I think most of us have relegated Jonah to being a kid’s story that you hear about in Sunday School, but the truth is, it’s a powerful story about a rebellious prophet and God’s relentless mercy that pursues him and captures him each step of the way.  I have a feeling most of you will identify with Jonah on some level with your own heart and journey, but more than identify with Jonah, my hope and desire is that you would see the God of Jonah – the same God who loves you and pursues you with His mercy Read More

10/19/11 – Week 2 – A Prayer in the Darkness

What do you do when you find yourself in the middle of a crisis?  What are your first thoughts?  Who do you typically turn to first?  How you answer those questions reveals quite a bit about your faith and relationship with God. Read More

10/26/11 – Week 3 – God’s Mercy is Relentless

It is such a great feeling when I rest in the reality that God is going to accomplish what He wants to accomplish.  This oftentimes happens (and I pray more so than not) with my willing participation.  But God is God and He will accomplish what He wants even if I’m not willing.  He is that loving. Read More

MS Series

9/11/11 – Week 1 – Good vs. Bad Fear

We talked about how fear is simply a part of life.  God equipped us with it so we would be wise enough to protect ourselves from the unexpected.  So… by: Todd Veleber

MS Series

9/11/11 – Week 1 – Good vs. Bad Fear

We talked about how fear is simply a part of life.  God equipped us with it so we would be wise enough to protect ourselves from the unexpected.  So fear can be good, but fear can also be bad.  Life can be risky and it is therefore filled with opportunities or reasons to fear or have anxiety.  When I use the word fear, I mean all levels of fear from general apprehension and worry to dread and terror.  Fear starts out when we are very young with fears of things like darkness, monsters, etc. and it continues into our teenage years with fears of things like rejection, humiliation and failure.  Adulthood is also filled with possible fears Continue Reading

9/18/11 – Week 2 – From Fear to Faith

We talked about the fact that we all have fears.  Every one of us, no matter how old you are, how young you are, how tough you are, how insecure you are, have fears. Maybe your fear is that your parents are going through a tough time and you fear they’re getting a divorce.  Maybe you fear the relationship that you’re in is not going to last.  Maybe you have fears about your future.  Maybe you have fears about losing a friend that’s headed in the wrong direction.  Maybe some of you have fears about being caught for something you did.  We all have fears Continue Reading

9/25/11 – Week 3 – Falling Forward

We are in our third week of this series I’m calling “kNOw Fear” and we’ve been talking about fears that we all face in life.  And the big idea has been that God is a good God who can be trusted, but when we fear we are taking our eyes off Him and looking only at ourselves.  Tonight I want to talk to you about a very common fear – the fear of failure.  We all know this one right? I’m not sure I will make the team, so I’m not going to try out.  I really wanted to meet them, but I wasn’t sure they would like me.  I was going to try __________ but I was too scared. Continue Reading

10/2/11 – Week 4 – Rejected

Today we’re talking about the fear of rejection.  I think there’s a big difference between the fear of failure and the fear of rejection.  Both fears are very real but the fear of failure focuses on my performance – what I do.  Then there is the fear of rejection that focuses on me as a person – who I am.  So we’ve got what I do and who I am.  I think this fear of rejection peaks during the teenage years.  Continue Reading
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10/9/11 – Week 5 – Commitaphobic

Well we are going to wrap up our “kNOw Fear” series tonight.  So far we’ve talked a lot about fear and how our relationship from God can free us from fear.  The big idea has been that when our eyes are on ourselves or our circumstances that it is easy to fear, but when we keep our eyes on God and His promises to us, then we can live in freedom.  Tonight we are going to talk about a very common fear that many of us face and that is our fear of commitment. Continue Reading