Arbor Church

Little by little, we have squeezed more into our days until we’re overwhelmed. What is the better way forward when we feel so rushed and hurried – and so disappointed in the pace and intensity that has encroached upon our schedules – that we don’t have time to do what really matters? Sometimes, the greatest enemy to the life you want may be the life you’re living.

Ryan opens our new series A Better Way Forward with some tough, uncomfortable questions … that you probably wouldn’t expect to hear from the pulpit right after the new year. If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ve probably felt at times that Christianity isn’t actually working. How can we move forward in the way of Jesus in those times?

Ryan closes our The Way in a Manger series with a special Christmas Eve message about Jesus, the Light of the World.

Ryan continues opens our Advent series The Way in a Manger with a message about gifts, giving, receiving, anger, fear, our way, our wills, and the great love God has for us.

Ryan opens our Advent series The Way in a Manger (it sounds kind of like “away in a manger” … get it?) with a message about faith, fear, angels, disgusting shepherds, betrothed lovers, unexpected pregnancies, and God’s peace.

Nevertheless, you did well to share with me in my trouble …And my God will supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4. Ryan closes our Resilient Joy series at the end of Philippians, which – as it turns out – is really just an extremely loquacious thank-you letter for the generosity of the church at Philippi, and shares 7 reasons that giving is good.

I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing. – Philippians 4. Today, Bryan leads us through Paul’s famous passage on contentment, and reveals Paul’s answer to the question: how can today be enough?

I appeal to Euodia and to Syntyche to agree in the Lord … Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! Let everyone see your gentleness. – Philippians 4. Today, we look at a conflict that’s often passed over when we read this book, and how Paul admonishes us to shape our response. Will conflict cause us to run away from resilient joy – or will we become more deeply rooted in it?

But our citizenship is in heaven—and we also eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. – Philippians 3:20. Today, Ryan brings his passport to church, and a tale of two kingdoms: the kingdom of this world, the kingdom of Heaven, and what it means for us to live in each one.

Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! To write this again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. – Philippians 3. This week, Alison leads us through the opening of Philippians 3, and Paul’s extraordinary comparison of his extensive accomplishments and credentials to … well … poop. PARENTAL ADVISORY This episode of our podcast contains scatological humor.

On October 30th 2022, we lost power during our 10:00am service, so to make up for it we recorded an audio only version after the fact. We hope this is beneficial and helpful with your study of Philippians and Resilient Joy.

Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had… – Philippians 2. Today, Ryan teaches through the first part of Philippians 2 and about the resilient joy that can be found in humility, or, as C.S. Lewis put it: not thinking less of yourself, but thinking about yo...

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. – Paul, Philippians 1:21. Today, Scott Hetherington unpacks this passage as we continue our journey through Philippians 1, and helps us understand how these conflicting desires were, paradoxically, part of Paul’s reason for joy in awful circumstances.

We continue our time in Philippians Chapter 1 trying to understand how Paul was able to experience joy despite being in prison and experiencing what is, objectively, a pretty rough life. Did he just try to pretend that all the evil that happened to him was good? Or was there something deeper going on?

If there’s a word that describes our collective spirits in 2021 and 2022, it might be languishing . This week, Ryan opens a new series on Philippians in which we’ll explore what it means to have joy beyond circumstance and “happiness”.

Ryan concludes our Better Together series with a message on the invitational life of Jesus – from the woman at the well to Zaccheus the tax collector – and his call to be not just his followers but also fishers of people.

Bryan continues our Better Together series with a message drawn from the community in which Jesus participated, and the community enjoyed by the early church in Acts. If Jesus needs it… we need it!

If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. – John 13:14. Today, Ryan begins a three-part Better Together series with a message about serving, from John 13 and 1 Corinthians 12.

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye”? – Matthew 7:1-4. Today, Rya...

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” – Matthew 5:38–39. This is one of the most challenging teachings Jesus gives us in the Sermon on the Mount. Did the One who flipped tables in the temple really suggest that we should lie down and...

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” – Matthew 5:13. Pastor Ryan unpacks the rich meaning of this familiar passage: what salt and light tell us about who we are, how Jesus sees us, and our role in the world in which we temporarily reside.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. – Matthew 5:9. Ryan opens our new Summer on the Mount series with a message on peacemaking in our divisive and polarized times – not peacekilling, or even peacekeeping, but literally doing the hard work of making peace , as believers and as a church body.

No one likes uncertainty, but adversity and uncertainty go hand in hand with following Jesus. In his first message as Arbor’s lead pastor, Pastor Ryan explains why this is so, using examples from the Scripture, his own life, and Arbor’s past.

We send off Cliff with Alison giving the word from the book of Ezra and how change can be viewed differently from each person and their experiences. *Note: We apologize in advance for Alison’s audio missing from the beginning portion of the stream/video message. The audio podcast will have the complete message from the beginning.

We continue our summer series with Pastor Cliffs last message with us at Arbor as he leaves us with a message from the story of Moses and how what we have in life is Gods to use.