Church in the Valley Alhambra

If we’re not careful, our minds can become consumed with worry and anxiety over all of our problems, future decisions or unsettled challenges. God has given us the top priority (Kingdom First), which guides our focus, and He has also provided a strategy for how to deal with the worries of tomorrow.

Our use of God’s resources is an expression of His rule over our lives. The grip of greed and materialism is strong and the only way to break free is to continually grow in generosity.

God to provide, He’s a good Father, who gives good gifts and guidance to His children. Jesus commands us to “ask, seek, knock” and promises that the Father hears and is concerned.

How we see ourselves really matters! Our identity shapes much of our outlook and activity. When we look in the mirror, who do we see? When others see us or interact with us, what impact is made? God has called us salt and light, and the world desperately needs us to encounter this part of our identity.

Can you imagine if people were trustworthy and could be counted on to straighten out the damage they do to others? Our ability to relate long term is critical since we live so much out in platoons of people.

Since God has given leadership to specific people of His choosing in each arena, a good follower accepts this and works under the leader to help him/her to accomplish God’s purpose.

A godly leader uses their authority and influence in a way that blesses their followers as they direct them to accomplish the mission.

God gives authority to whomever He chooses (1 Chronicles 29:11-12). It is through this authority that He chooses to work to accomplish His purpose in the arenas of life (government, church, home, other institutions). He works through authority and not around it.

The Plant of the Apes genre is built on the premise that humans will be overtaken by apes and evolution ultimately wins. While many movies can devalue humanity for a variety of reasons, when you dig into the Scriptures, humans have a unique role on the earth that no other animal has. We are made in the image of God and because of this we have a purpose and destiny that provides hope despite our sh...

Whenever we face trouble or pressure that is beyond us—we have to choose where we place our trust and dependence. We can choose to depend on ourselves (in effort and/or understanding) or we can choose to remember that our hope and help comes from God.

Unity and Cohesion are key for any unit/team to get anything accomplished. Any high performance team must have cohesion to function effectively. Without unity, plans fail and relationships deteriorate.

We don’t get do-overs in life, but we can choose a key characteristic that allows us to learn from whatever we face: Teachability.

When we have experienced hurt and/or betrayal, our attitude and response can shape the future of our life, for better or worse. If we choose revenge, we go down a dangerous path where we distance ourselves from God and others. Bitterness causes real damage that can derail one’s life.

God doesn’t want his people to be isolated from the world or infiltrated by it – he wants us to be insulated from cultural ideas and values that will translate into harmful attitudes and actions.

Church in the Valley

Men don’t just appear in our society. There is a maturing process that develops a man and shapes his perspective and approach to life. Boys need heroes and models who will help guide them, coach them, provide experiences that will challenge them, and ultimately call them forward as men.

The first family was given a focus (aka: The Great Mandate) and within this came the opportunity to have a generational impact. The Great Mandate sets the agenda for family life and involves taking dominion and multiplying.

In a world where everyone is “entitled” to doing whatever makes them “happy,” the Scriptures presents a different role that people can have with one another as they decide to be God’s instrument for change to occur.

To truly change, we must choose faith and repentance to begin the new spiritual life God has for us. However, to continue to grow and overcome the challenges and obstacles of life, faith and repentance are still vital for our spiritual formation.

We all long for change because humanity is broken and our current situation is lacking the kind of life God intended for us (because of the Fall and sin is real). However, the gospel is truly good news because, through Jesus, we can experience redemption and the power to change.

He wants us to learn how to draw the truths and principles for living out of the Bible. One of God’s purposes for the Bible is that we learn how to hear what God is saying to us and draw His instruction for our lives out of it.

God made us to know, love and serve Him. He is our rightful ruler and He chooses to rule over our lives through the truth and wisdom of His Word, the Bible. God’s word is the “instrument of Christ’s Lordship over His followers” – so every idea about God, thought, action and word should be measured, tested and corrected by the Bible.

One of the major mental blocks to getting into the Bible is the myth that it is difficult to understand and must be interpreted by “experts”. It’s the privilege of Christ followers to get into the word of God and hear God speak directly to them.

Nobody would know the truth about God or be able to relate to Him in a personal way if He didn’t choose to make Himself known. The Bible is the record of God’s self-disclosure – through it we come to know God and can learn His ways. This means we should make it a priority to get into it and understand it.

In a culture, streams of thought develop and define what the people in that culture consider normal. People are pulled by this current of thought to adopt the perspectives and values of the society at large. We must learn to respond wisely to the "informal" settings in which the mainstream flows.