TFH Oakland

During a time of heightened racial and political tension, it is easy to take sides or to feel like you have to.  In the Book of Acts, God reveals to Peter a vision of what the church is to look like, a vision that breaks traditional ideologies and customs of not associating with anyone who wasn't Jewish.  But Peter obeys God and takes a step towards a flagless church that does not wave for an...

In 1 Chronicles, the Ammonites pick a fight they can't afford.  How many times have we picked a fight that wasn't worth fighting because we were reacting out of our emotions, insecurity, or the need to be right?  Join us today as we begin our Pick a Fight series and Pastor Jules speaks on picking the right kind of fight in which we fight for one another rather than against.

What is keeping you from plugging into your church community?  God created us for relationships; there's no way around it, yet we have tried to skirt our need for others by putting up walls.  We pretend that all we need is God, we try to impress others by showing a certain side of us rather than the whole authentic us, we go on the defense, and take an interest only in ourselves.  Join us tod...

What is worthwhile and what is wasted?  We are often quick to judge accidents and things gone wrong as wasted time.  We are often quick to judge people in moments of derailment rather than as opportunities for God's grace and love.  In the story of Mary breaking the alabaster jar of expensive perfume and pouring it out onto Jesus' head, what everyone saw as wasteful, Jesus highlighted th...

If you're living in a fog of uncertainty and feeling overwhelmed, it might be time to check your boundaries because allowing our boundaries to be bent and broken, not knowing what to say no to, will cause us to say yes to the wrong things.  It is a constant battle living in a world that teaches the opposite of what the Lord does, but when we step up and say no to the things that need to be ke...

Deep in our hearts, we seek an unshakeable joy that withstands all circumstances.  The easiest way seems to pursue our passions and all that looks good, but the consequence of running after idols is a sadistic cycle of dissatisfaction.  Apart from God, there is no good thing.  Join us as we begin our Degrees series, and Pastor Jules speaks on the wisdom of pursuing "Third Degree Joy" and...

As Christians, we know what it looks like to be a good Christian.  But as Jesus asked, what good is it to clean the outside of the cup if the inside is dirty?  The Pharisees cared more about their outer appearance and how the world perceived them rather than bearing good fruit in their lives.  What we are able to produce in our lives is a counterfeit of the real thing, which only God can produce....

With the right kind of support, plants thrive and bear fruit.  Do you feel stuck or as if your growth has been stunted?  There was a man who lay paralyzed and was healed because of the friends he had-- friends who carried him to see Jesus and ripped a hole through the roof to get to him, in a house that was overflowing with people.  We need family and community, we need consistent encounters with...

Fruitility What are you expecting from God?  If you are expecting miracles but not seeing fruit in your own life, it might be a sign that there are areas that need to be pruned-- areas that are hindering the flow of growth.  It could be that we are putting our energy into the wrong things, quitting prematurely, or not confronting the compromise in our lives.  Whatever it is, God is calling us to a...

One thing that we see plenty of is complaining.  In the story of Miriam, we notice how she begins with a heart of praise but eventually gets caught up in a culture of comparison and complaining.  The consequence is leprosy and a place outside of the community.  Don't let yourself fall into the pattern of complaining because it will hinder you from moving forward into the plans God has for you...

You are significant.  What you do and don't do matter-- even the smallest decisions you make, so it makes a difference of who or what informs our actions.  What would it look like to extend our reach to the things that align with God and not allow critique or crisis to stop us from moving forward?  Jesus was berated by religious leaders for picking wheat and healing a man on the Sabbath, but...

You Can't Cancel We do not serve a God we can control.  So when we walk through hell or high waters, do we still walk with a God whose plans we might not understand, trusting in who He is?  Or do we walk away offended, looking for comfort and familiarity in something else?  Join us as we begin the Hell or High Waters series and Pastor Jules preaches on what it means to truly follow Jesus in s...

How many of us have felt this way- that we are barely making it by the skin of our teeth.  This might be a sign that we are trying to do life on our own, which God did not intend for us.  What He intends is for us to live in community, in family, with people who love us enough to bear our burdens and whose burdens we can help bear.  Join us as we continue our FMLY series and Pastor Jules preaches...

Walking in relationship with others is an art that Jesus exemplified on earth.  It might be tempting to rush a relationship, end a relationship prematurely, or sustain one that shouldn't be sustained.  What God teaches us is that relationships take time, require us to grow and change, and demand maintenance if it is worth it.  Join us as we continue our FMLY series and Pastor Jules speaks on...

Just as an open wound can never heal unless it is properly stitched up, a broken relationship cannot be restored unless there is closure. Closure isn't just in romantic relationships but is in the loss of someone and unforeseen tragedies.  It's the act of engaging in resolution or resolve no matter how painful.  Too often do we refuse to initiate closure, unaware of the damage that this...

Though we know firsthand the impact of other's words, we are careless with our own.  In the book of James, we read about the power of the tongue and how it can steer the course of our lives.  So many of us want to be influencers but don't take responsibility for the influence we have.  God is urging us to cut ties to words of death that have been spoken over us and tether us to our past...

When living in community,  a certain fear arises- How honest or close can I be?  Will I be understood?  God's intention is to bring freedom in our lives, but we often lock ourselves in the room with the very thing we think we are running away from.  Fear distances us from God and from others by creating shame and an instinct to cover ourselves up.  What God wants to do is reveal the broken pl...

Growing Through Chaos. We can either walk through chaos or grow through chaos.  How do we grow through chaos?  It depends on our level of maturity, attitude, and a willingness to change.  Join us as we continue our Start. Stop. Repeat series and study a passage in 1 Corinthians to see what Paul says about how we can grow through chaos. 

Finding Consistency in the Midst of Chaos. As disciples of Christ, God calls us not to mirror the chaos of life but to be steady and consistent, living from a certainty of knowing who we are as kingdom people and what our motivation is. Join us as Pastor Jules continues the Start Stop Repeat series and shares three areas we can be consistent in to build our confidence a nd how to create consistenc...

In a culture that emphasizes results as a sign of success, there is a tendency to to get into a frenzy to keep going and going.  It is God's design for us to STOP in order to recover, evaluate, and catch what God has for us.  Also, when we stop, we are able to step back and enjoy what we've created and worked on, the way God set aside the Sabbath day to enjoy all that He had created. Joi...

As we begin the new year, we get excited at the chance to begin a new and start what we might've failed to do in the last year.  As Jesus exemplified when he got baptized and received His Father's blessing, we must know who we are before stepping into our call.  When we don't know who God is and who we are to Him, it is easy to compromise the perfect promises He has for us.  When we...