January 29, 2011
Randy Christian
Spiritual growth often focuses on love. People from many faiths and belief systems understand this. Love is of extreme importance. But obedience? Is it really important? Doesn’t it infringe on our own freedom–which we believe is of highest importance? What is the link between love and obedience?
January 22, 2011
Randy Christian
To walk in the light isn’t a matter of one step. It is a decision to follow Jesus and live as he wants us to and has told us to. Spiritual growth doesn’t happen in the darkness. The truth is, the only way to follow Jesus is to walk in the light.
January 15, 2011
Randy Christian
The last living Apostle wrote a letter to all who follow Jesus. He spoke with authority and with clarity, and we said some things we need to hear. He spoke of those who say they follow Jesus and those who don’t. He explained that the Christian life is one of continued practice and growth. So, we begin our study of what it is to practice Jesus with an understanding of The Word of Life.
January 8, 2011
Randy Christian
Spiritual growth is simple. There are things God has created us to have in our lives, and if we do, we grow. Simple. So why don’t we? Perhaps it is because we don’t understand that those things aren’t just “church things”–that they are related to our marriage and family life, our relationships with co-workers and success in our work, our emotions and how we handle them. No one who practices the essentials fails to grow–and no one who fails to practice them grows.
January 1, 2011
The scriptures say that, when we come to the Lord, we are a new creation. But what then? Even after we know Jesus we still fail, we still muddy ourselves with our own sin. Even then, renewal is available to us. On the first day of 2012 we will worship together and submit to our Lord–and we start the new year as new creations once again.
December 25, 2011
Randy Christian
On December 18th, the teaching centered around some “family business” at NOCC. This will not be uploaded but any member or regular attender may contact the church office for a CD of the teaching.
December 11, 2011
Randy Christian
The Christmas tree graces almost every home, office and public area by the time Christmas comes around. It is one of the most common of the Christmas decorations. It’s connection to Christmas is …well, what is it’s connection to Christmas? Join us as we look at the honored Christmas tree and answer that question!
December 4, 2011
Randy Christian
Every year the coming of Christmas is accompanied by so many people climbing up ladders and hanging lights on their houses. Some hang a few strands, others blanket their houses with them. But what do these lights have to do with Christmas? Christmas lights are more than a tradition–they remind us of key elements of the Christmas story. Or do they? Join us as we explore how Christmas decorations add or detract to our focus on the real meaning of Christmas.
Due to technical difficulties we won’t be able to post the audio for this sermon.
November 27, 2011
Randy Christian
Everyone wants to be happy, right? But is happiness always good? Does happiness always lead to, well… happiness? Can happiness be hard to handle? Is happiness the same as joy? Join us this Sunday as we look to the Bible for answers to a question many don’t bother to ask, but we all need to know: “How do we handle happiness?”
November 20, 2011
Randy Christian
Everyone experiences anger, but not everyone understands where it comes from. Anger is a secondary emotion which means it stems from another source. Fear, Pain or Frustration can all lead to anger, and we all experience each one of them! So how do we deal with our anger and frustration? Join us as we find the answers in the scriptures!
November 13, 2011
Randy Christian
Like fear, pain comes in all sizes and can pop up at the most inconvenient times. It can annoy us or immobilize us. It can come from impersonal forces or from places very close. It can be physical, emotional, relational or spiritual. And like fear, it can be conquered and even made to serve God’s purposes. How can followers of Jesus faithfully handle pain? Join us as we look into the Word of God for the answers!
November 6, 2011
Randy Christian
Fear is one of the most common and powerful emotions. From general uneasiness to phobias fear can nag us, haunt us, demoralize and even defeat us–if we let it. But fear doesn’t have to have this power over us. In fact, it can even be turned into a positive force in our lives. Join us as we look at what the Bible tells us about conquering fear and turning it to good!
October 30, 2011
Randy Christian
Someone once said that in life, we fill ourselves, then bump into people and slosh out on them. The question is: with what do we fill ourselves? Do we slosh on people? None of this is accidental–we decide what we fill ourselves with and who we “slosh” on!
October 23, 2011
Randy Christian
Are you willing to get your hands dirty? The “correct” answer to that question is obvious–but it isn’t always true. Whether we’re willing to get dirty depends on how we get there, what the “dirt” is, who has it. The question is, how dirty does Jesus want us to get, and is there a place where we say “no more dirt”?
