Church in the Valley Alhambra

Since people live forever, our accomplishments on earth find their place of importance compared to the privilege of knowing Christ and doing His work on earth.

It’s important to realize the way we choose to build our lives will be judged by the Lord. Since we are made to live forever, how should that weigh into our decision-making matrix, and how does it impact my life’s direction and the investment of my time, treasure and talent?

As we relate to our family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and acquaintances…we must keep in mind that people are not “throw-aways”, they last forever.

The most important decision we make in this life is whether we will accept Christ and follow Him as Lord. Everything else we do is shaped by this choice. The Bible shows us that we will spend forever with God in heaven or separated from Him in hell – this is the backdrop of our lives.

A Restart is offered to everyone!

The Christmas story presents many aspects of uncertainty as Jesus’ birth was predicted and as He was born.

Comparison is a trap that can limit our contentment and at Christmastime it’s easy to get caught in the undertow of wishing you were in someone else’s shoes or compare where you are to where you wish you were.

Demands tend to increase exponentially during the Holidays. We can become overwhelmed by the demands of expectations, pressures, and people. If we’re not careful, the demands can take away from the joy of the moment.

Small towns take on identifying characteristics – some are friendly and hospitable to one another and outsiders and some are not. Love and hospitality are key marks of a Kingdom community.

Relationships are easily fragmented in communities. Feuds develop that last for decades in small towns. When there is conflict in the church, we must respond in the right way so we can experience and show the world how to handle it God’s way.

The heroes of the town shape the ideals of the community and help to form a community mindset of what’s most important. In the church, the leaders are to be held to a strict standard of character, followers are to focus on making it a joy for their leaders, and godly cooperation helps the community fulfill its purpose.

God intends for Christ followers to get connected, to stay connected and use their energy and abilities for the common good. There are many churches to choose from in a given area so we must take initiative to connect to a local church, stay connected and then work for the common good of the church’s people and mission.

A community is made up of people who live within its borders and a common identity develops from growing up in it and being a part of the life of the small town. In the church community, we’re born into the family/community when we are “born again” in Jesus. We have a common identity in Him and live within the boundaries He sets for life.

The need and desire community is connected to the way God made us. He made us in His image. He is a relational God, He experiences community within His own being (in the trinity), and he made us to live in community.

It would seem that if we just had a little more money, our problems in life would be solved. Our current financial situation rarely seems to be enough, so we are often tempted to scan for more.

Mundane responsibilities year after year seem to threaten the sweet life. Joy comes as a gift when we set our hearts to please God as we faithfully pursue our responsibilitie

We all would love to experience a life of peace and harmony, but nothing destroys our happiness as quickly as relational conflict. When conflict erupts, we have two choices. We can either be robbed of our joy or do the hard work of making peace.

The cultural American Dream involves achieving a higher and higher level status and importance. The way to get ahead seems like it should come through pushing our way through the crowd or stepping on others along the way, but Choosing humility brings God’s blessing and exalting.

Being a part of God’s mission to help people come to know Christ is the most fulfilling thing we can be a part of…Everything else we give ourselves to is too small. God’s desire is to bring His salvation to the ends of the world.

Telling others about Christ is the focal point of the church. This is what being a missionary is all about. However, we are not meant to be a Lone Ranger missionary. God wants us to team together to tell, bring, and show Christ’s love to those around us.

We tend to think in “us” and “them” categories in life and this can distance ourselves from people who are not like us. The same distance can exist with Christians. However, to be effective in evangelism we must learn from Jesus who bridged the distance with people and spent time with “them.”

Everyday Missionaries carry secrets the world needs to know. We carry the secret things of God. Christians cannot keep these secrets to ourselves—we must be faithful to tell them to others because God has entrusted these secrets to all who follow Him.

We'll show the value of serving from God’s perspective and how the most important in His Kingdom are servants.

Our tithe is a percentage that represents the whole of our wealth (and life). When we give a portion of our income, we acknowledge God’s rightful place in our lives.

The Word of God is both a “level” and “compass” for our lives. When we gauge our words and actions by Scripture, we can bring them in line to be straight (or level) and pleasing to God and also points to true north orienting us to God’s will as we face daily conversations and challenges.