Flagstone Church of Christ

We've had to obey rules at different times in our lives - house rules, traffic laws, workplace policies, etc. But have we kept all of those rules perfectly all the time? Probably not. If I try to determine my value based on how good of a rule-follower I am, I'm setting myself up for major disappointment, because I'm never going to perfectly follow all the rules all the time. In Galatia...

Everyone likes a good story. We like to see how different characters and events are woven together, and we appreciate a strong storyline that runs through the story itself from beginning to end. However many of us fail to see scripture as a story. We might see a collection of stories, or we might only see a list of rules and regulations. But we often miss the fact that scripture itself is a story...

Peter gets personal! In these verses we see Paul give a defense for his ministry and the gospel that the Galatians have set aside. He shares of a moment where he even rebuked the apotle Peter in a spicy argument giving way to one of the most famous verses in the letter: Galatians 2:20.

Many of us don't like boundaries and guardrails. We don't enjoy being given limitations or having rules dictated to us. So it's only natural for many of us to be uncomfortable with what we perceive as "regulations" in scripture. It causes to have a negative view of God's guidelines for our lives and to balk at "being told what to do." But the boundaries God sets...

Many of us have had to deal with our own measure of disappointments - plans that fell through, promises that were broken, expectations that led to let-downs. Enough disappointing experiences can cause us to become cynical and to think that there's nothing worth really believing in. But when it comes to God's Word, we find something we can trust because the promises made in scripture are pr...

People are often either like thermostats or thermometers. Thermometers are constantly changing with whatever the temperature of the room is. People who consistently change their opinions based on whom they are currently listening to are "thermometers." But thermostats stay consistent; they actually affect the temperature of the room. People who know what they believe and are able to infl...

It seems that our society as a whole has become convinced there is nothing in our culture that is absolutely true. There's no black and white - only gray. There's no absolute right and wrong - there's just "my truth" and "your truth." There's nothing that's actually real - everything is fake or "staged." It makes it difficult to believe that there...

When the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863, there were many former slaves who didn't know what to do with their newly-granted freedom. Some even returned to enslavement because they were so uncomfortable being "free." A similar spiritual struggle was taking place centuries ago with new Christians in Galatia - they had been set free through Christ but had no idea how to live in that newl...

Maybe I've never actually read the Bible before. Maybe I've read bits and pieces but never really let the words sink in. Maybe I used to read it often, but now it's a book I rarely pick up. No matter what your past experience with God's Word has been, we invite you to join us on a journey to revisit scripture (or maybe dive in for the first time) as we discover why the words of this ancient book a...

We all have past mistakes and failures, words we wish we wouldn't have said, and choices we wish we wouldn't have made. We deal with enough guilt and regret on our own, but that burden can be made even heavier when someone we're connected to continues to bring it up. Whether it's a friend or a family member, when that person consistently reminds me of my shortcomings, that's a warning sign that so...

God's people followed 70 years of captivity with 20 years of half-hearted devotion and effort. God had allowed His people to suffer the consequences of centuries of sin and injustice, and almost immediately they were returning to old habits. So God used Zechariah to let His people know how He felt about their attitudes and actions.

Almost every relationship has its share of disagreements, conflicts, and misunderstandings. However, when it seems like every time I try to have a conversation with this particular friend or co-worker or family member the end result is an argument, or when one of us seems to never really listen to the other, those are red flags. Those are warning signs that something in this relationship needs to...

How I feel about myself is vitally important to my well-being. When someone else's words or actions consistently cause me to feel bad about myself, that can have a devastating effect on my self-esteem...especially if that person is a friend or even a family member. How can hits to my emotional health serve as warning signs in my relationships? And what can I do when someone I'm connected to contin...

What do grasshoppers, farm tools, and the Holy Spirit have in common? A prophet named Joel. We don't know a lot of about the man himself, but Joel has some powerful truths to share in his short book of prophecy.

"Red flags" serve as warning signs. A burger restaurant that serves "bargain sushi"? That's a red flag. A used car dealer that says, "This vehicle has only been in two previous accidents"? That's a red flag. But what about red flags in relationships? Whether it's in a friendship, a dating relationship, or a marriage, we need to pay attention to red flags that may be warning us that there is someth...

Our church family has a lot of great things going on and a lot of great new possibilities on the horizon. In order to continue to fulfill our mission, we need to have a solid number of committed volunteers. And yet sometimes I allow priorities and comfort zones and past experiences keep me from choosing to help serve at church. But what if I chose to stop making excuses for why I can't volunteer?...

How do I react when something bad happens to someone else? What if I feel like that person really deserved their misfortune? This is one of the principles addressed in the book of Obadiah. Even though it's the shortest book in the Old Testament, we're going to discover that it contains some relevant truths that still apply to us today.

The mission of the Flagstone church is to reach out, connect, and serve. That "reaching out" part is difficult sometimes though. I may not know how to reach out, how to initiate a conversation, how to help. So instead of trying to reach out when the opportunity arises, I simply make an excuse for why I'm not able to. So how do I get out of that habit? How do I get better at helping people in my co...

Whether it's my relationship with my spouse, my kids, my parents, or my siblings, there are times when that relationship is strained, hurting, maybe even broken. For many of us, instead of trying to address whatever the issue might be and trying to find healing, we simply make excuses for why that relationship might be dysfunctional without actually choosing to do anything about it. But what would...

"I'm too busy." "It's been too long." "It's not a big deal." If we made those kinds of excuses for why we're disconnected from our spouse or someone we're dating or our kids, it would be heartbreaking for that person. And yet many of us make the same kind of excuses for why we don't choose a relationship with God or why we don't stay in a close connection with Him. So why does it matter whether or...

Most of us know the frustration of setting goals for ourselves in different aspects of our lives and then failing to stay committed to achieving those goals. Often we find a variety of excuses to justify why we fall short of what we set out to accomplish. What if, instead of making excuses, I chose to follow through on the things I know I need to do? What would happen if I kept trying again instea...

It's Christmas Day - a day when we open presents and empty stockings and ooh and ahh over the gifts we receive and the gifts we give others. Today is also a day to be reminded of the greatest gift that has been offered to all mankind - the gift of grace. But what exactly is this "grace" that's been given to me? And why does it matter that God wants me to experience it? Let's discover together why...

When you were a kid did you ever ask Santa for a gift you really wanted...only to be disappointed on Christmas morning when that was the one gift that wasn't under the tree? We can feel the same way about God sometimes when He doesn't give us what we think we need or maybe even think we deserve. We start to lose that sense of expectation. We start to lose our trust in Him to keep His promises. We...

We don't know very much about Micah's personal life, and the book dedicated to his prophecy isn't very lengthy. But the messages he shared and the challenges he set still resonate with God's people some 1,300 years later.

A recent survey revealed that 60% of Americans feel like their mental health is negatively impacted by the holidays. This is supposed to be the "season to be jolly," but instead many of us feel this is the "season" to be stressed. Supposedly one of the things we celebrate this time of year is "peace on earth," but if I'm being honest, I may be struggling to find peace this Christmas. Is peace real...