Flagstone Church of Christ

The Bible consistently calls God's people to experience joy. Over and over different authors in scripture talk about rejoicing and celebrating God's blessings and God's presence...and that's a good thing! But sometimes I don't feel very joyful. There are days when I'm hurting or I'm tired or I've lost something or someone that meant a lot to me - there are days when...

There are seemingly countless phobias that affect millions of people worldwide. There are constantly fear and anxiety-inducing situations many of us deal with on a regular basis. Then we read scriptures that say "do not fear" and "don't be afraid," and we feel guilty because we actually are afraid. So is it wrong to feel anxious? Is it wrong to feel fear? And what do I do w...

Recent surveys indicate that a majority of Americans believe the country is angrier now than a generation ago. We seem to allow our angry feelings to influence our words and our actions than maybe people in our culture used to. But anger is just a natural emotion, isn't it? Don't I have the right to get angry about things that really bother me? While most of our feelings are natural respon...

Studies have shown how important it is for human beings to have a sense of belonging, to have a community that they feel like they're a part of. This makes sense because from the very beginning, God designed us for relationships. We're supposed to have connections with others; we're supposed to have a sense of community with each other, especially those of us who are followers of Jesus...

40% of Americans say they feel a deep sense of peace on at least a weekly basis. Yet the United States ranks in the top 5 of most stressed countries in the world. We seem to be a people who crave peace yet find difficulty in achieving it. But peace is something that scripture says Jesus came to give and something that God calls His followers to. So how do I find God's peace, and how do I get b...

"Holy" is one of those churchy-sounding words that gets tossed around a lot, especially in Christian circles. For many of us, when we call something "holy," we're saying that it holds special significance and meaning, most importantly to God. But is that it? Is that all that holiness is about? What if I had a deeper understanding of what it meant to be holy? Would that chan...

Many of us have experienced what it's like to not be picked. We didn't get picked when choosing teams on the playground; the person we wanted to date chose someone else; the promotion we were hoping for went to a co-worker. It can be confusing and even hurtful to not be chosen. The good news is God has chosen each one of us to experience His grace. He has chosen each one of us to have the...

Throughout scripture we see God calling certain people for certain purposes. He saw certain individuals where they were and chose them to accomplish particular tasks or share specific messages. This "calling" helped provide direction and purpose to the action being taken. But does God still do that today? Does God actually have a calling for me? And if so, what is it?

God doesn’t wait for polished people—He calls the bold, the broken, and the imperfect. Through the life of Peter, we’ll explore how raw, impulsive faith—when surrendered to Jesus—becomes the foundation of a powerful calling. This is a message for anyone who feels unqualified, overlooked, or uncertain about their purpose. God isn't looking for perfection. He's looking for your yes.

Multiple times in scripture we see Jesus' so-called enemies plotting to discredit Him, arrest Him, even have Him killed. It wasn't only Jesus who was having His life threatened though. One of His followers named Lazarus was a thorn in the side of Jesus' opponents as well - so much so that they plotted to take his life too. What can Lazarus' story teach me about sharing my faith sto...

Most of us like to feel like we're in control. We try to make sure things go the way we want them to, or we at least try to avoid things that may be difficult or hurtful. But then life happens - we experience hardship, frustration, disappointment. And when we can't fix it ourselves, we look to God to fix it for us. But we often want to dictate to Him what it is he does for us, even though...

Some before-and-after stories are positive and inspiring, and some are negative and heartbreaking. While some people experience changes in their lives that bring them more success or comfort or better relationships, other people experience changes that create disharmony and heartache, especially when they make hurtful and self-destructive choices. The story in scripture about a man named Demas is...

Pet names, nicknames, "handles" - there are a lot of different labels we wear and a variety of names people call us by. Often those names are based on character traits or at least the way other people see or feel about us. There's a man in scripture named John who had a very unique nickname - one that described his character and had come to define him as a person. But then John exper...

We love “before and after” stories, especially stories of people who experience some kind of significant change in their lives. It’s fascinating to see the distinct differences in what a person used to look like or act like before that transformation took place and what that person’s life looks like now. The Bible is full of “before and after” stories, and we’re going to dive into some of them and...

We may believe there is a Holy Spirit. We may believe that the Holy Spirit is still active in our world and in our lives. But even if we have an understanding of what the Holy Spirit does, how do we know He’s actually doing it? How do I grow in my awareness of the Holy Spirit’s presence and action?

Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity, and that the Holy Spirit is living in all of us who have put our faith in Jesus and become children of God. But what does the Holy Spirit actually do? Is He just an idle presence, or does He take a more active role in my life? If I want to stay in connection with the Spirit, it's important for me to understand and acknowledge what...

What is the Holy Spirit? Is it a force? Is it a ghost? Is it my conscience? Is it some kind of nebulous, supernatural energy? The Holy Spirit is talked about throughout scripture, and yet the Holy Spirit is something (or someone) many Christians know very little about. For the next few weeks at Flagstone, we're going to dive into the mystery of Holy Spirit and discover the amazing blessings th...

We often think of worship as something we do in private devotional times or when we're together with other Christians. It's the singing and praying and scripture-reading that we do to remind ourselves of God's goodness and to give Him honor and praise for His blessings. But what if worship is something that stretches beyond what I do in a church building? What if worship actually has m...

Some churches take communion every Sunday; some take communion once a month; some on certain special occasions. Some churches use one cup; some use several. Some churches only have certain church leaders distribute communion elements; some let anyone function as a communion server. So which way is the right way to participate in communion? And maybe more importantly, why do we even observe communi...

We praise athletes for their performance on the field, and we praise actors for their performance on the big screen. When someone does something that we are amazed by or thankful for, we express that emotion through words and actions of praise. But what about praise for God? Do we allow His actions to move us to praise Him for what He's done? And is there a right way and a wrong way to give Go...

Search through scripture, and you’ll find a variety of methods people used to engage in worshipping God. Over the last few centuries churches have united and divided themselves over various worship practices, trying to determine what is the “right way” to worship. For the next several weeks at Flagstone we are going to rediscover worship. We are going to remind ourselves, or maybe learn for the fi...

Throughout the Bible we see God being worshipped in a variety of ways - sacrificing animals, presenting crops, singing songs, and more. Some methods of worship were very ritualistic; some were less formal. But as we look through the history of God's people worshipping Him, we find some core principles that those worship methods have in common and some challenging questions that all of God'...

Search through scripture, and you’ll find a variety of methods people used to engage in worshipping God. Over the last few centuries churches have united and divided themselves over various worship practices, trying to determine what is the “right way” to worship. For the next several weeks at Flagstone we are going to rediscover worship. We are going to remind ourselves, or maybe learn for the fi...

There was a moment 2000 years ago that changed everything – a moment when fear was defeated, when guilt was crushed, when death was conquered. But when the stone was rolled away and Jesus walked out of the tomb that used to hold His lifeless body, in that moment we received forgiveness and peace and hope. And we invite you to come discover and celebrate that with us at Flagstone this Easter.

Sometimes the things that we feel called by God to do seem relatively easy, or at least they don't make us very uncomfortable. But sometimes God challenges us through His Word or through His Spirit or even through certain circumstances to take actions and make decisions that stretch us and push us beyond our comfort zones. But what if that's not what I really want to experience? What if I...