Sermons

Today, we want to talk about how to “thrive” in our community. Irvine is a great city to live in, but it can be hard to live here too. To “thrive” as a follower of God, we have to make sure that we haven’t been seduced by the trappings of this world and lose our…

The church cannot be the church ONLY in Irvine, or any other specific community, until it is FIRST the church “of the world”. The scripture has a big YES toward the world, but ALSO a big NO to the world. This week we’re going to look at what that YES and NO entails, and talk…

Why do we berate ourselves with self-loathing or contempt? Despite what some say, it’s NOT because we have a poor self-image or a painful past.  It is something deeper.  This week we are going to explore this issue and some other hard questions like: Why are we so stung by contempt from others? Why do…

Last week we looked at how shame works. Then we began to see how God acts in dealing with our shame.  This week we’ll take a look at our only two options in dealing with shame. Most importantly how worldly shame leads us into an unhelpful spiral of anger and rage, but how Godly shame…

Shame is a monster. It beats us over the head with embarrassment, contempt, and ridicule. We try to be more positive, try harder, do better, and become a better person, but month after month, year after year, shame holds its sword over our head, ready to strike over any misstep or misdeed. Why drives shame? What…

Despair is a downward cycle made up of 4 parts: I know what I need, but I can’t get it, God won’t give it, and it may never come.  How does God meet us in our despair? How does He help us reverse this deadly spiral? Psalm 77