How To Kill A Giant

This is a great week to discuss a growth goal with each of your group members during prayer time. As you set a goal you can discuss it with each other throughout the trimester to help each of you progress in your faith. You can find a list of growth goals in the discussion guides below.

2018.09.22 - Drew Karschner - "The Chosen One" Part 2 of 6 of the The Chosen One Series Many of us want to be a giant slayer. We want to be David in the battle against Goliath. But most of us aren’t willing to watch sheep to prepare for the battle. The truth is, most battles we face are not won on the battlefield, they are won way before the battle begins. David teaches us how we can prepare for the battle so we are ready to face the giants in life. 1 Samuel 17

The Chosen One

Included below are Week 1 details to cover with your group, like the group agreement, volunteer schedules, and overview of how groups work to help new people get acquainted with group. The notes also include the sermon discussion questions for this week.

2018.09.16 - Drew Karschner - "The Chosen One" Part 1 of 6 of the The Chosen One Series David is one of the greatest heroes of the Bible. He was given the title “a man after God’s own heart.” But that doesn’t mean he didn’t face trials, deal with struggles, and make poor choices. All through his journey we find portraits of people who chose him, encouraged him, tried to kill him, and ultimately pushed him to God’s purpose for his life. 1 Samuel 16

Small Church

2018.09.09 - Drew Karschner - "Small Church" Part 1 of 1 of the Small Church Series It can be easy to feel lost in the crowd at a growing church, or to feel like no one even notices you. As our church grows larger, the more intentional we have to be at making it feel smaller. We are resetting expectations for Community Groups and helping people explore and join authentic biblical community. Genesis 2:18

Under Pressure

2018.09.02 - Aaron Hixson - "Under Pressure" Part 5 of the "In Other Words" series. How do you perform when the pressure's on? The process of growing spiritually can be a daunting thing. The pressure "be more like Jesus" can feel like it's never-ending and impossible. Today's word is all about spiritual growth and how to handle life when the pressure builds. 2 Corinthians 3:18

Incarnation

2018.08.26 - Nate Miller - "Incarnation" Part 4 of the "In Other Words" series. In this message we will unpack 2 very important truths about Jesus that help us understand and appreciate the incarnation. Jesus' example is also a reminder and challenge to us for how we are called to live. The way up is down! Philippians 2:5-11

Know-It-All

2018.08.19 - Nate Logan - "Know-It-All" Part 3 of the "In Other Words" series. We don't have everything figured out. Throughout our lives, we are constantly learning and discovering new information. But God is unique, and one of his attributes is omniscience. He knows everything, and this has profound implications for our lives. 1 John 3:19-21

You Break It, You Buy It

2018.08.12 - Scott Bixby - "You Break It, You Buy It" Part 2 of the "In Other Words" series. This talk examines multiple visual illustrations God gave his people in the Old & New Testaments as reminders of their atonement. Somebodies gotta pay for all our wrongs. We broke it. He fixed it and provided us with visual reminders of his fix! Leviticus 16

Salvation

2018.08.04 - Aaron Hixson - "Salvation" Part 1 of the "In Other Words" series. Have you ever heard about someone "getting saved" and wondered what that even means? I mean, saved from what? Salvation is a word that's used A LOT in church, but it's hard to know if people really grasp its significance. In this talk, we explore not only what the word MEANS, but more importantly, what it means FOR US. Acts 16:30-31

The Power of Song

2018.07.29 - Nathan Bantle - "The Power of Song" Part 5 of the "Songs of Summer" series. The Psalms were the worship songs for Israel during King David’s day and Jesus referenced these Psalms more than any other book in the Old Testament. He referenced them when He was being hated without cause, when preparing for His betrayal, and when He was dying on the cross. Just as Jesus used the worship songs of His day during His deepest and darkest moments in the same way we too can use the worship songs of our day. Music can impress truths about God into our hearts like nothing else can. Psalm 22:1

A Song For The Discouraged

2018.07.22 - Matt Snyder - "A Song for the Discouraged" Part 4 of the "Songs of Summer" series. Why is this world so messed up? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do good things happen to bad people? We all face these questions at points in our lives, and often the answers we get don't quite seem to cut it. Maybe there's a better answer to those questions. Psalm 73

The Everything Song

2018.07.15 - Mark Nelson - "The Everything Song" Part 3 of the "Songs of Summer" series What happens when one sermon tries to cover everything? Find out why making sense of it all helps us better understand each part of our lives in a way that equips us to navigate our daily choices. Psalm 24

Earth Song

2018.07.08 - Aaron Hixson - "EarthSong" Part 2 of the "Songs of Summer" series. How does God talk to us? Does He talk to us? For most of us, it can seem like God is a man of few words. But what if He's saying more than we realize, and His voice is coming from an unexpected place? In this Psalm, we'll unpack the voice of God and see how we can hear Him in our everyday life. Psalm 19

A Song For Our Good

2018.07.01 - Joshua Horn - "A Song for Our Good" Part 1 of the "Songs of Summer" series Psalm 146 declares that God is beyond space and time, yet he also cares about those who are hurting, even down to our everyday problems. But how do we reconcile this with the pain and suffering we see every day on the news? Could we be missing something about God's methods for addressing the pain in our world? Psalm 146

IOU

2018.06.17 - Nate Miller- "IOU" Part 3 of the "Triggered" series "IOU" That's how we typically think of forgiveness. "I owe you. I'll pay you back later." But what if that's not right? What if there's a different, better meaning? If we are going to be able to live at peace with others in relationships we have to understand what forgiveness truly means. Ephesians 4: 29-32

Danger

2018.06.17 - Drew Karschner - "Danger!" Part 2 of the "Triggered" series Most of the conflicts we experience are rooted in anger. Anger can lead us and our relationships to places we don’t want to go. But how do we deal with those situations when our anger surfaces? We must learn that anger is not wrong, but if it is untamed it can be destructive. Ephesians 4

Peace > War

2018.06.10 - Drew Karschner - "Peace > War" Part 1 of the "Triggered" series Since we are all in relationships we have all experienced conflict. In a moment of conflict we all have a choice to learn and grow from it or let it destroy our relationship. One way we can grow from conflict is by letting go of being right. Perhaps fighting for the relationship is more important than fighting for your side of the argument. Ephesians 4

Utter Devotion

2018.06.03 - Drew Karschner - "Utter Devotion" Part 5 of the "Sacred Rhythms" series Prayer is one of the most powerful tools God has given us, yet few of us treat it that way. We often pray when we need or want something, but prayer hasn’t become a part of our everyday lives. But the Bible says the rhythm of prayer should never stop. It should be something we are constantly interacting with. So how do we make prayer a real part of our daily lives? Daniel 6

That Special Place

2018.05.27 - Drew Karschner - "That Special Place" Part 4 of the "Sacred Rhythms" series We live in a culture that claims that business is best. Many people work sunup to sundown and take very few breaks. But that type of lifestyle can only last for so long and it will leave many of us burned out. From the beginning, the God of creation set the priority for the rhythm of rest. The question is, are we choosing to live the same way? Genesis 2

Living Sacrifice

This is the last week of the Community Group trimester. This is a great week to share a meal together as you wrap up the trimester.

Make sure to share with your group what your summer plans are and have your group fill out an end of the Trimester Feedback form so you can learn ways to help make your group more effective in the fall.

2018.05.20 - Drew Karschner - "Living Sacrifice" Part 3 of the "Sacred Rhythms" series When many people hear the word worship, they simplify it to singing a few songs before a message in church on a Sunday morning. But God defines worship at a much deeper level. In God’s eyes, worship has nothing to do with an activity, but everything to do with the posture of our hearts. Romans 12:1

Gifted

2018.05.13 - Aaron Hixson - "Gifted" Part 2 of the "Sacred Rhythms" series It seems like our culture is obsessed with "changing the world," whatever that means. Yet for most of us, we're too busy trying to stay alive to worry about fixing global problems. But what if it turned out that each one of us possesses something that is VITAL to the future success of God's mission on earth? And what if we kept that power to ourselves? This Sacred Rhythm is all about discovering our unique capacity and how holding it back might just be stealing from the church. 1 Peter 4:10