Branches Humboldt

HAVE YOU EVER known exactly what you should do - and done the opposite? Whether it's avoiding a difficult conversation, putting off something important, or resisting a step you know God is calling you to take, we've all experienced the tension between doing the right thing or running away from it. This Sunday we begin a brand-new series through the book of Jonah called Love That Won't...

EVERYONE is looking for three things: - A new beginning - A place to belong - A purpose worth living for This Sunday we'll see how those deepest longings are answered. After all we've learned in the "Faith Foundations" series about Jesus, belief, prayer, and God's guidance, we're asking one final question: "Now what?" What's the end-game here? What's the...

Father's Day is a day of mixed emotions. For some, it's a day of gratitude. For others, it's a reminder of loss, disappointment, absence, or pain. The Bible never assumes that every earthly father perfectly reflects God's heart, but we’re told that God can truly be the best father we could ever hope for. This Sunday, we tackle the questions; “How do I make the most of the rest of m...

Did you know that I (Justin) never thought I'd EVER be a pastor? It wasn't on my radar because for 20 years, I was rockin' out with my band, and touring the world! And the idea of planting and pastoring a church was the furthest thing from my mind... Isn't life a wild ride of twists and turns - uncertainty around every corner? No one has a crystal ball, no one can tell the future,...

WHAT'S UP with the Bible? Maybe you’ve wondered that before. Is it outdated? Is it actually trustworthy? Is it just a religious rulebook? Or could it be something more - and how would I find that out? This Sunday at Branches, we’ll zoom out, get 'meta' for a second; taking an honest look at one of the most influential books in human history, and why millions of people still believe God...

EVER FEEL WEIRD about prayer? Like, does anyone actually know if it’s working? This Sunday, we’re talking honestly about prayer; unanswered prayers, doubt, anxiety, silence, and why people still keep praying anyway. No fake certainty. No pretending life is easy. Just a real conversation about whether prayer is actually about more than getting what we want. Come explore how prayer can be more than...

HOW CAN I HAVE FAITH? Honestly… maybe you’ve asked that before. What if faith isn’t pretending your doubts don’t exist? What if it’s not blind belief, religious pressure, or “just trying harder”? This Memorial Weekend Sunday at Branches, we’re talking about how faith actually works - for skeptics, curious people, burned-out Christians, and anyone wondering if God might be closer than they think. W...

DID JESUS ACTUALLY have to die? Why? Why is there such a big deal about the cross, anyway? As our series Faith Foundations continues, we’re talking honestly about guilt, shame, brokenness, grace, and why the story of Jesus has resonated with people for 2,000 years. No churchy perfection stuff; just a real conversation about the human condition, sacrifice, forgiveness, and what it might mean for yo...

WE ALL HAVE IDEAS about how love is supposed to work. This Mother’s Day Sunday, we’ll reflect on a kind of love that moves toward us; the kind we might've experienced through a mom or a loved one - or hoped and longed for in our lives. The thing is; that's the kind of love that Jesus offers. And it comes with an invitation: not just to admire Him, but to respond to Him. We're all faced...

EVER CHASED SOMETHING that you were sure would satisfy - only to feel that quiet question in the back of your mind a few weeks later; “Is this it?” Whether you’re exploring faith with us through Alpha on Thursday nights, or you’ve been in church for years, we’re asking a deep question this Sunday: Why does life still feel empty, even when everything seems full? We’ll explore the possibility that w...

THE BIGGEST QUESTIONS are often so simple we miss their complexity. Jesus asks the most important questions of life, and this Sunday we dive into one that's basic on the surface but profound in its layers: "Do you want to get well?" It's a question posed to a paralyzed man in the fifth chapter of John - one who's been stuck for 38 years! Find out this Sunday what this ancient...

The Big Question from Jesus is not, "Do you agree with me?" or "Why did you do that?" or "What were you thinking?" It’s not a question about behavior; trying harder, being more consistent, proving yourself; or going to church, reading your Bible, being a “good person”, or even doing “good things for others”... It’s actually deeper; it’s about motive - and really about...

What do you really want? Not the quick answer, but the honest one beneath the surface... In this Sunday's message from our new series "Life’s Biggest Questions", we’ll look at a moment in John 1 where Jesus turns to a group of curious followers and asks a question He’s still asking today: “What do you want?” It’s a question that cuts through our assumptions about success, purpose, an...

LIFE is full of questions... What's my purpose? Will this plan work out? Will I ever find true love? What's for lunch? We all wonder at the mysteries around us. We’re all searching for something... What are you looking for most? This Easter Sunday, we'll wrestle with two of life's biggest questions - asked by angels at an empty tomb and later by Jesus himself. And our answers to th...

THE UNEXPECTED surprises us - every time. * ok, ould that be an official quote I just made up? Is it soooo simple and obvious that it might just be profound?? haha! The truth is life is full of surprises. And in our Scripture passage this Sunday (one of the biggest moments in the Bible), everyone experienced the unexpected. It was a parade that turned into a funeral march, and a celebration that m...

"HOPE BEGINS in the dark." - Anne Lamott When we’re in seasons of darkness and despair, we can often think; Is there anything that could bring this back to life? And there’s so much in our world to despair about these days - it's got many of us asking; is there any hope? Psalm 130 opens with this honest prayer: “Help, God—I’ve hit rock bottom! …hear my cry for help! Listen hard! Open...

We live in a culture of IMAGE. We spend our lives polishing our "look"; the impressive resume, the glossy social media posts, our latest fit, even the "I’m fine" mask at church. But deep down, there’s a darkness we can't quite navigate. We feel like we’re stumbling in the "valley of the shadow" (like Psalm 23 says), trying to look like we know the way when we’re a...

HOPE comes in many forms. And it can seem scarce when you're wandering in the desert not knowing if or when you will arrive at your destination; or when you feel shunned by your community; or when your community is not listening to God’s voice. But hope can surprise us, too; water in the desert, "living water" at a well, encountering a person who changes your life, knowing a God who has created ev...

A JOURNEY often has a sense of adventure and uncertainty to it. Are you someone who likes the security of a plan and a good map - are you one of those rare folks who thrive in the risk of it all? Abraham was prompted by God to gather his entire family, everything he owned, and take a major leap into the unknown. Most of us like knowing what's around the corner, but we rarely get that luxury. L...

How often are we tempted to think a certain thing, behavior, or experience will enhance our lives, make things better, soothe the ache, or help us escape, when the opposite ends up being true; we feel worse - guilty and full of shame. And we hide. We hide from others, and from God - but there's a better way. It can seem scary and vulnerable to be honest about our failings or shortcomings, but...

"IF YOU WANT TO GO FAST go alone. If you want to go far, go together." This African proverb rings true in so many ways, yet we're still tempted to abandon the slow, messy process of doing life "with others". The need for speed draws all of us impatient people off track. We’ve all been frustrated by the slowness of a group sometimes, right? Anyone try to wrangle a big family...

IN IT'S TIME... Drew Small shares, "I can relate to the struggle. Sometimes life is great. Sometimes it is rough. But everything will pass. I’ve been in some pretty dark places in my life, in my younger years, where it didn’t feel like there was hope. I could not find joy, and there was never peace. But those times came to pass..." If you've had questions about seasons in your li...

Last week, we looked at how the King in Ecclesiastes decided to explore all the enjoyment that life could offer - he “had it all” - and now in this next section, we’ll see how he decides to take a different approach; actually get serious, study hard, find a good job, and be responsible with life to see if that can bring purpose. It’s the "American dream" isn’t it; study hard, get into a...

WHAT WOULD YOU DO if you had all the money in the world? Every resource at your fingertips? Every experience ready and waiting for you? What would it be like to truly "have it all"? Wouldn't that be a major step toward figuring out life, living on purpose, and finding true meaning? Thankfully for us, someone has already tried it, lived it, and is telling the tale! The second chapter...

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS sometimes feel like trying to grab smoke. We make big plans, set some goals, create a chart or two, but somehow it ends up slipping through our fingers. Things usually don't turn out to be quite what we imagined. We all come to the new year with hopes, dreams, relational, financial, physical, even spiritual goals, and yet disappointment and failed expectations lurk around...