11|28 Community Church

Glenn Derby is an author and former NFL player with a story that reminds us that God's love is greater than our greatest failures. Angry as a child, a teen alcoholic, searching for approval and acceptance Glenn took out his anger on the field and on those closest to him. Broken relationships and reckless living brought Glenn to a breaking point where he came to understand the love of Jesus.

Have you ever wondered if God can restore what you've lost? Wonder if God doesn't simply bring us back to where we were, He moves us forward into something even greater? In Part 3 of our RE series, Mike explores the incredible promise that God makes after the years that seem wasted. If you've drifted in your faith, settled for an ordinary life that doesn't revolve around God, o...

"God isn't asking for a performance, He's asking for your heart." Most of us can point to the best days of our lives, a graduation, wedding, new job, championship victory, or major milestone. But given enough time, even those moments begin to fade. The people of God discover that the things they depended on can disappear overnight. Joel issues a powerful invitation: return to t...

"You can't experience renewal if you refuse to remember." Wonder if today is the most important day of your life? In this message from Joel 1, Pastor Mike Francisco explores God's invitation to remember what has been broken, lost, or neglected; not so we remain stuck in the past, but so we can experience true healing and renewal. Through the biblical practice of lament, we lear...

Pastor Ed Cook, of Revive LTC in Milwaukee, shares a powerful message about "the drift" that happens in the life of a Christian. He calls us to be changed and transformed through the Spiritual Factory Reset of being reborn again.

"If you live for their approval, you'll die by their opinion." Living for people’s approval is exhausting but living with God’s approval is freeing. Pastor Mike Francisco reminded us that you don’t have to earn what God has already given. In fact, God doesn't see things the way you see them, God looks at the heart.

"Offense is an event but bitterness is a decision" Offense can be unavoidable… but staying offended is choice that ultimately determines our trajectory and health. On Mother’s Day Colleen explored the power of forgiveness and how holding onto hurt only holds us back. Freedom begins when we choose to release what we’ve been carrying.

"Control is a cheap substitute for trust." Mike talked about worry, while exploring Jesus' words from Matthew 6, and our natural response to try and control outcomes. We saw that surrender isn’t losing it’s learning to trust God with what we were never meant to carry. The tighter we grip, the more we miss what God is doing.

"God's not asking for adequacy, He's looking for availability." God never asked Moses to be enough, He simply asked him to trust. Our inadequacy doesn’t push God away; it creates space for His power to show up. If you’ve been holding back because you don’t feel ready or capable, this is your reminder: God isn’t looking for your perfection, just your availability. What step migh...

"Christ restores the least and sends them to reach the lost." After denying Jesus three times while Jesus was on trial, Peter carried deep shame and regret. Something we’ve all experienced in life. Jesus didn’t just forgive Peter; He also gave him purpose. “Feed my sheep,” Jesus told him, inviting Peter into the mission of the kingdom. Our failures don’t disqualify us they become part of...

"The risen Christ still seeks the lost" Two discouraged disciples walked away from Jerusalem. The risen Jesus met them, listened to them, and blew their minds. Even when we feel lost or confused, Jesus still comes looking for us.

"Jesus came for the least and lost and the cross has no power over Christ" Easter begins on the cross where Jesus was crucified between two criminals, mocked by crowds, and seemingly abandoned. What looked like defeat was actually the clearest picture of God’s love for humanity. The climax of Scripture is at the empty tomb on Easter morning when Jesus proves he is the Christ, and no one...

"The Kingdom of Jesus begins where the world stops looking" The crowds expected a conquering king who would overthrow Rome and restore national power. Instead, Jesus arrived on a humble colt, surrounded by ordinary people and welcomed by those society often overlooked. From the very beginning, Jesus showed that His kingdom operates differently than the kingdoms of this world.

"Hope isn't fleeting when it's rooted in the person of love"  As Mike wrapped up our Built Different series, we saw how Haggai points beyond his present moment to the future overthrow of evil, and fulfillment of God’s promise. We have the benefit of knowing that Jesus was and is the true and better King they were waiting for, the Messiah who defeats sin, death, and the grip of...

"The right thing with the wrong heart blocks the blessing." Mike continued in Haggai on Sunday. Following his earlier encouragement with a clear call to repent and return to faithfulness. God invites His people not just to keep building, but to examine their hearts and realign their lives with Him. Haggai shares a parable to illustrate a powerful truth: obedience leads to blessing, while...

“Don’t give up, God keeps his promises” On Sunday Mike returned to the book of Haggai, where the rebuilt temple seemed small and unimpressive, especially compared to the glorious temple built under Solomon. The new build didn’t meet expectations, and discouragement was beginning to erode the people’s morale. Through Haggai, God reminded them of His promises about the future Kingdom and assured the...

“Start doing the hard right thing” On Sunday Mike turned to the book of Haggai, where God confronts His people about misplaced priorities. After returning to Jerusalem from decades of exile in Babylon, they slipped back into old patterns, focusing their time, money, and energy on building comfortable homes while the Temple remained in ruins. Through Haggai, God challenges them to examine what come...

“We don’t invite God into our relationships, we build them around Him” Pastors Mike and Colleen journeyed with Abram and Sarai through several chapters of Genesis. Their relationship was filled with twists and turns, ups and downs, betrayal, hurt, lies, trust, longevity, and God’s faithfulness. They journeyed the full spectrum of human love together. Building relationships around God is easier sai...

"Obedience flows from being loved" Grace is an opportunity to submit, not a “get out of jail free” card. God says, “I have loved you”... and Jesus follows this up in John saying “if you love me, keep my commands”. When we experience the fullness and depth of God’s grace for us, we will be compelled to keep his commands. In other words, our obedience flows from being loved by God. If you’...

"Our "stuff" competes for God's place in our heart." It's easy to think that we're blessed when we have more stuff, when actually to Blessing = More God, not more stuff. Mike continued the journey through the book of Malachi with the famous chapter 3 section talking about tithes and offerings. He broke down the history behind the words Malachi used and compared t...

Return to me. It's not just God's plea, it's his desire. In Malachi's time, God's people had fallen away. They remembered what God had done for their ancestors but God felt distant or not even there for this generation. They were casual, maybe even filled with unbelief, and they didn't realize how they'd fallen away or disconnected from God. God continues to invi...

Pastor Mike Francisco unpacks Malachi 2:17 - 3:5 and its application for us today. Malachi says you have wearied God with your words; your insincere prayers and mechanical worship. In keeping it simple Mike said that we cannot claim to love God while continuing to sound like the world. Something's got to change.

“Start honoring God by honoring others” Pastor Mike Francisco gave us a really hard truth on Sunday: we can’t claim faithfulness to God while being unfaithful to people. We cannot compartmentalize our Sunday morning worship from our midday Monday interactions. Ultimately, integrity isn’t just about morals, it’s about being whole and undivided. So how we treat our spouses, families, friends, cowork...

“How you treat God determines your experience of Him” Pastor Mike Francisco opens up a new series by asking the hard question… “how did you do at honoring God last year”? Most of us probably didn’t do as well as we would have hoped. If we’re honest with ourselves, we probably only honored God in ways that were convenient and comfortable. Similarly, Malachi, the prophet, spoke to God’s people about...

Pastors Mike and Colleen Francisco remind us that Christmas is a story of journey, light, and grace. It's a story of humble beginnings. A story of the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, Immanuel; born not in a palace, but in a stable. A signal that this King and His kingdom will be different. Shepherds saw heaven break into the night sky. Wise men followed a star. Promises spoken centuries e...