Foothills Alliance Church | Video

Breathing Room - 1 Cor. 6:19-20: Over the past three weekends we’ve focused on finding margin or capacity in our spiritual, emotional and relational lives, and this weekend we will conclude this series as we focus on physical wellness. Rarely do we examine how we take care of our bodies — or “temples” if we use Paul’s language. This weekend Stan Wiens, a longtime friend and Alliance Pastor, will t...

Breathing Room - Romans 12:3-21: A few weeks ago I had the privilege of speaking to our senior adults at their luncheon, and what a remarkable group of people they are! We are so blessed to learn with and from them all. During the event, one thing I highlighted was the kind of old guy I wanted to grow into. I made a list ⁠— which was really helpful, you might want to try it! ⁠— that included thing...

Breathing Room - Romans 12:1-2 / Phil 4:8-9: As John Mark Comer has said, “Our emotions are not a good barometer of the presence of God.” Emotions are part of the human experience. Whether you’re an “F” or “T” personality type on Myers Briggs, or an Enneagram type two or type eight, these emotions are a very real part of your life. For some, it seems like your emotions are in the driver’s seat. Fo...

Breathing Room - Matthew 6:33-34: Winston Churchill has been acknowledged for saying, “The world is run by tired people.” Whether he said it or not, it certainly appears to be true. So often, we feel we lack margin or capacity in life. We’re tired of being tired. One person phrased it this way: “My brain says, ‘Let’s do something awesome today,’ while my body responds with, ‘Don’t listen to that f...

By Design - Acts 1:1-8: In many ways, the true measure of a person's character is reflected best in how they respond to the needs of others. A Jesus-centered heart not only notices the needs of others, it seeks to respond any way it can. In a world filled with indifference and intolerance, we need to be a people who see and act. This fourth part of our church's vision statement – to serve the worl...

By Design - Gal 5:13-15: No one told me that a common responsibility of being a pastor is being requested to write letters of reference for individuals. I'm sure I must average two a week! Most of you make it very easy for me and I thank you for that - for those of you who don't make it easy … get your act together!! (just kidding – mostly!) I wrote a note this morning for someone and was able to...

By Design - Gal 6:1-10: We've launched a new design; a new image (logo) to remind us that we are on a Transforming Journey of Knowing God, Loving Others, Reaching Neighbors and Serving the World. Scripture reminds us that when we Know God we are given the gift of Loving Others. This weekend we will consider some practical ways from Galatians 6:1-11 that can help us move beyond the concept of Lovin...

By Design - Gal 5:16-25: I'm old enough to remember Calgary's skyline before the Calgary Tower was built. At the time, the tallest building was a round Sheraton Hotel that was 8 floors high. When the tower arrived it literally “towered” over the entire downtown! Today, unless you have the perfect sightline, you can barely see the thing. I love the design of many of our downtown towers. They displa...

Our Stories Pt. 2: My Story with Addiction One thing I keep learning about life is that although past circumstances shape us, often for the worse, it doesn’t mean you can’t change, find victory and hope with God’s help. I have struggled with addiction / alcoholism for over half my life and it almost robbed me of life itself. Through a lot of hard work, honesty, support groups and divine interventi...

Our Stories Pt. 2: My Story with Taking Risks Are you the type of person who would jump out of an airplane (with a parachute!)? Or are airplanes strictly designed to enter and exit when the wheels are firmly on the tarmac? Each of us has a unique capacity for acceptable risk and necessary security. As we all know, life doesn’t happen the way we imagined, rather we all face twists and turns, uncert...

Our Stories Pt. 2: My Story with a New Country Many of us have moved at least once in our lifetime. But while some of us have moved houses within the same city, others have made huge transitions to new countries, cultures, and languages. These transitions, both big and small, can have a huge impact on our lives. This weekend we will hear Tony and June’s story about making the transition to Canada...

Our Stories Pt. 2: My Story with Alzheimer's It’s a question that I’ve heard asked multiple times amongst my generation: “If I had to lose my physical abilities or my mental capacity as I age, which would I choose?” Obviously, we’d all like to keep both (to whatever degree we currently have them!) but reality shows us that this isn’t always the case. Almost universally, the answer to the question...

Our Stories Pt. 2: My Story with Loneliness Have you ever felt indescribably alone? That seems like a rhetorical question. No matter what age, gender, race, or occupation, loneliness is a part of the human experience. Whether you have been able to identify it or not, something is off. There was a time when humanity shared perfect community with God and with others. Sin enters the picture and all o...

Our Stories Pt. 2: My Story with Anxiety Anxiety. Without having to think too hard, we can all recount numerous examples of when we’ve experienced this kind of inner turmoil that causes our hearts to race, our palms to sweat and our minds to obsess. Regardless of your age or social status, anxiety can affect us all – in fact, Dr. Gary Collins (a Christian psychologist) calls it “the most pervasive...

Our Stories Pt. 2 - Matthew 11:28-30: Burnout. Tragically this relatively recent health concern is not a stranger to many of us. Maybe not the “paralyzing can't go to work” expression, but the sense of being overwhelmed and under-resourced is far too familiar. A recent study a friend shared with me reveals that 76% of men experience burnout and, shockingly, 88% of women acknowledge struggling with...

Our Stories Pt. 2 - Matthew 11:1-6: My Story with Doubt There are a lot of things I doubt in this life; that miracle diets work, that the weather forecast will be right, that a toddler can sleep through the night. Yet when it comes to my faith, am I “allowed” to doubt? Is it okay to have real questions? This weekend we are going to journey with John the Baptist to discover how his doubts can help...

Our Stories Pt. 2 - Lamentations 3:19-24: My Story with Divorce Our Stories Part II Sequels seldom match the original. This summer looks to be an exception! Over the next couple of months, we will be venturing into Our Stories Part Two. Much of Scripture is given to us in a narrative (story) format. Jesus' go–to teaching method was stories. This is for good reason because stories capture and intri...

Thy Kingdom Come - Matthew 28:16-20: Kids are out of school… the sun is shining… Canada Day is on the horizon… artists are busy painting storefronts to look stampede-ish… it must be summer! I'm a big fan of summer and all that potential that it carries for rest, renewal and personal growth. This is the last weekend of our Thy Kingdom Come teaching series and I will end focusing on our mission and...

Thy Kingdom Come - Matthew 3:13-17: This weekend we get to visit the initial moment that launched Jesus' public ministry – his baptism. The circumstances around it are incredibly interesting, and we'll take a little time to consider them, but the real impact of the account are connected to the words the Father spoke to Him: they are words of confirmation, words of consolation, and words that we al...

Thy Kingdom Come - Matthew 11:25-30: The pace of life is faster and getting faster. Stress, fatigue and burnout are common ailments with devastating results. Work, life and yes – sometimes even the church – compound together to leave us tired, worn out and living with the sad reality that we need more than a fourth cup of (freshly roasted and ground!) coffee to make it through the day. Jesus spoke...

Thy Kingdom Come - Matthew 10:1-20: The Avengers. This record-breaking movie franchise is about a special group of individuals who have all acquired some kind of super-human ability in order to save the world. What if I told you that you too are meant to be an Avenger? That power from another dimension is available for you to access? That God is inviting you to partner with Him in extending His Ki...

Thy Kingdom Come - Matthew 24:14-30: Truth or Consequences". It was a really bad television show I remember watching as a kid. But even bad TV can resemble real life. In life, we either embrace truth or face the consequences. Our Kingdom parable this weekend is all about the choices we make in life in regard to what we love and how we serve. It's a simple story with a powerful legacy. It will serv...

Thy Kingdom Come - Matthew 13:44-46: “All In” is a phrase more often associated with gambling than with Kingdom living, but there is much we can learn from it! My Dad always taught me to do nothing half-hearted in life because you will always be disappointed with the result. What is true in virtually every arena of life is equally true in the spiritual realm. Too often, we lean into God only a lit...

Thy Kingdom Come - Matthew 13:1-23: When was the last time you asked yourself the question “How's my soul”? You have a soul. You might feel broken, you might feel full, or maybe you feel completely empty. Jesus has something to say about you and to you. The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13… go and read it!) is like a biblical “personality-soul” test. We're going to take a good look at our souls an...

Thy Kingdom Come - Matthew 5:1-10: Francis Schaeffer was a brilliant theologian with a missional heart who shaped much of my emerging faith foundation. One of his great books was called, How Then Shall We Live? It essentially talks about all that Jesus has done for us and then causes reflection on our response to that. One of my favorite Schaeffer quotes is: “Our relationships with each other are...