Horizons Community Church Lincoln

God's grace is always available for us (before we even know it). Ephesians 2:8-10 - NIV 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  https://horizons.church/events/agre...

Whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction so that we could have hope through endurance and through the encouragement of the scriptures. (Romans 15:4 CEB) https://horizons.church/events/agree-to-disagree/

“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” ― St. Augustine  Learning what agree to disagree really means by diving into what the Bible says and how we can adjust our view of what is most important.

What is it about the end that makes us, at times, anxious or fearful? We fear because of conspiracy theories, false depictions of hell from art, taking scripture out of its context and repeating it without understanding what's actually going on. As we wrap up our series on the Endgame, we will see the hope in the end. But the hope in the end comes with urgency for us to stay focused on our goals.

Prabin will share about Bethel and his leadership role at the children's home and school. Pastor Prabin is also the leader and organizer of the church in India that is growing to make life-changing differences in the people, bringing them the story of Jesus.

What does the Lord your God require of YOU?  37 Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” - Matthew 22:36-40  8 He has...

What do you think of when you think of the end game now? The end game and movies and shows. The end game is full of action and violence and chaos. Think of Game of Thrones or Hunger Games or The Avengers. The end game is the final stages. https://horizons.church/events/the-endgame/

The third rule John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, calls 'Attending upon the Ordinances of God'. I can understand why the author, Bishop Job, of the Three Simple Rules, changed it from Attending… to simply: staying in love with God. BUT I also think that 'staying in love' with God makes it sound too easy. It's really not enough to SAY 'I am a Christian' and it's way more than just sayi...

Last week we started our sermon series, Three Simple Rules. Rule one: Do No Harm. Rule 2: Do Good. Rule 3: Stay in Love with God. Last weekend’s focus was “do no harm”… we need to be on guard. We need to take a hard look at what are actions (and inactions) and our words could be doing to others. This week “do good.”

Three Simple Rules for the New Year. Based on John Wesley's Three Simple Rules: Do No Harm, Do Good, Stay in Love with God.  How do my words, actions (and INACTIONS) harm others? Doing good is universal. Is doing a little good enough? There are so many obstacles in the way of doing the work to staying in love with God. How do we remove those obstacles? How do we love God with our heart, mind,...

2023 is going to be hard. It will be full of twists and turn, but because Jesus came to earth and shed his blood and gave his life, we get to have an internal relationship with a God that never changes and is always faithful!  https://horizons.church/events/specials/

There was no shame. There was no blame, there was no condemnation, just unconditional love. And you know my father was not God, but he showed me what God was like that day. When we come to God with our sin, our brokenness, our failure,our pain and our hurt, God says, "Welcome Home." And that invitation is open to you.

If you are looking for a place, if you feel like the inn or guestroom is full- it's not. There's a place for you here. Even if you feel like you are standing at the wrong door with your luggage (or maybe baggage… ) it's okay; you are still welcome. Because here at Horizons, we focus on the gift of Jesus' love. A gift from God. A way for us to have peace. A way for us to belong. A way for us to hav...

Christmas Season is upon us... But what would it mean if we skipped Christmas? What if we didn't worry about all the presents, treats, Santa and reindeer? Who needs Christmas?  We are in the third week of Advent (how does that happen? Time goes by so fast). But I remember Advent traditions from growing up in the church. Do you ever go down the path of remembering the "good ole days"  Joi...

We are in the third week of Advent (how does that happen? Time goes by so fast). But I remember Advent traditions from when I was growing up in the church. Do you ever go down the path of remembering the "good ole days"

Busyness. I like to call it Hurry sickness. We worship busyness. We call it positive things, productive, driven, multi tasker, efficient. But in reality it is an Addiction to the adrenaline that comes from being busy. - Who Needs Christmas?

"I waited patiently; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rook and gave me a firm place to stand." - Psalm 40:1    Who Needs Christmas?

Today, we will go further and talk about how God calls all of us. God's love is for all of us, even the least of these. It goes all the way back to Abraham's covenant with God. God told Abraham that he would be a blessing for all nations, not just the nation of Israel but for all nations, all families. So, if God blessed all people by sending Jesus, who exactly is Jesus calling us to serve- is it...

Pastor John taught the scripture many of us heard in Sunday School as children. The miracle of the feeding of the 5000 men! It was always one of my favorite miracles of Jesus, but it was not until I was an adult that I listened to the command from Jesus “you feed them.”  Often we assume someone else will take care of it when we see someone in need. And, as we often feel inadequate. It happens...

May the peace that comes from God move you this week to be a better coworker for God. May you find joy in sharing the peace so that others may find Christ. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

We Give to the mission by investing in hope.  If you are a financial person -you know the power of investments. You know the market has ups and downs, but those foundational, good investments will always return a yield. Jesus is that type of investment. We build together on the foundation of Jesus. We bring what we can- bringing what’s in our hearts.  Giving is a spiritual practice. It’s...

From Mark Twain's autobiography. It says, there is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn, and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely, but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the...

Life is not always easy; in fact, it is really challenging and very messy at times. But whether or not you are going through one of those difficult times, focusing on the foundations helps us move through life easier. I know from personal experience that when I lose my focus and wander from my daily prayer and devotional time, I start to feel stressed and out of control. I also sometimes know that...

Pastor John’s teaching was based on Galatians 6:2 “Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Are there 3-5 people in your life you would be willing to carry the burden for if they need it? Can you think of 3-5 people in your life that can carry your burdens if you are in need? Part of the reason for the church is to provide a space to encourage each other on our spirit...

I have, at times, written my entire sermon on my phone. Just on the little keyboard on my screen. And that is because of a little tool called Autocorrect- it's such a helpful tool until it's not. There's a whole website dedicated to autocorrecting fails. There are some that are pretty funny…