Our Goal Is Love

"We hold these truths to be self-evident." Most Americans can recite the line without thinking about it. But few have paused to deeply consider what our founding document actually declares. Fewer still have held these statements up against Scripture to determine just how unalienable these truths are. This week's message looks at that preamble directly. For 250 years, the promise of...

If God is all-loving and all-powerful, why does suffering exist? It's one of the oldest objections to faith, and atheist voices like Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens have built careers on it. But what if the very illustrations these thinkers use to argue against God actually point straight back to him? In this message, Pastor Major walks through Romans 8 and three unexpec...

When Sebastian Berhalter made the U.S. World Cup roster, his father, former USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter, wrote him a letter. As Sebastian read it on camera last week, he couldn't get through it without crying, undone by one line in particular: “I'm proud of you because of who you are, not because of what you accomplished.” That same kind of declaration echoes from centuries earlier, spok...

This season marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.  While we celebrate the birth of our nation on July 4th, if you remember your history, you know the founding was anything but swift or certain. In the early months of 1776, the delegates gathered in Philadelphia were deeply divided. Some colonies feared the consequences of a full break with England and preferred to pursu...

Sometime in the fourth century, a monk sat in the Egyptian desert and made a list of every way the human soul could go wrong. That list became the seven deadly sins, and for 1,500 years, through the fall of Rome, the Reformation, and two World Wars, theologians, poets, and pastors looked at those seven and said: that’s the whole map. That covers it. Until now.  A recent article by James Parker in...

Ella Langley recently made history as the first woman to hold the top two spots on the Hot Country Songs chart for multiple weeks — surpassing Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, who each did it for one. The song at number one was "Choosin' Texas." The song at number two was "Be Her." In the song, Langley paints a picture of the woman she wants to become — someone who isn't stu...

Baseball lost one of its giants this week. Bobby Cox—Hall of Famer, fourteen consecutive division titles, one World Series ring, and. . . 162 ejections—died Saturday at the age of eighty-four. Tributes poured in from players, coaches, and fans across the sport. But it was a single line from one ESPN commentator that caught my attention.  "I can absolutely see Bobby Cox kicking dirt on St. Pet...

Every parent carries a question they can never quite put down. What will my child be in the future, and how do I prepare them for whatever is waiting on the other side of our home? Any mother who loves their child has wrestled with the fear that they would somehow get in the way of their child achieving their full potential. If only we knew what that potential was, we would be better prepared. We...

This Sunday we wrap up our Axioms series with one of the most practical principles we've explored yet: Decisions are made in small groups and confirmed in large ones.  Every church has felt the tension that flows from the blessing of diversity. How do we honor the diversity of gifts, perspectives, and callings God has placed among us while still moving forward together with unity and purpose?...

This Sunday we continue our journey through Ephesians as Paul addresses an important question for our church—why do we exist. Paul’s answer, and the implications, will likely surprise you.  This is moving weekend for Kim and I. After two years of being in the area, we are finally able to put  down lasting roots. There’s something different about a permanent home. It’s not just a place you sleep, i...

We live in a culture absolutely obsessed with purpose. There are entire sections of Barnes & Noble dedicated to helping you find yours. Personality tests that tell you whether you're an INTJ or an Enneagram 4. TED talks with hundreds of millions of views asking the question — why are you here? And people are eating it up, because the hunger is real. Everybody wants to know that their life...

Our life is rooted in belief. The question is—whose? Most of us have never stopped long enough to ask where our deepest convictions actually came from. We inherited them. Absorbed them. And somewhere along the way, we stopped questioning whether they were actually true. Philosophers call these beliefs axioms. Self-evident truths. Propositions so foundational they need no proof, because everything...

"Have you been living under a rock?" That's essentially what two heartbroken travelers asked Jesus as they walked the dusty road to Emmaus together.  Of course, they had no idea it was him. As far as they were concerned, their hopes had been buried in a borrowed tomb three days earlier. The stranger walking beside them couldn't possibly understand what they'd been through...

Do you think your rap sheet is longer than mine? We all have one. It may not show up in a background check, but before a holy God, every single one of us has one. And this Sunday, we're going to look at the moment in history where two men with very real rap sheets came face to face with Jesus at the cross These two men at the cross were close. As close as anyone could be. They heard His voice...

Titles carry meaning and offer insight into the subject they describe. For example, a book titled “Learning to Speak Spanish” immediately informs the reader about its content and purpose. Similarly, a title provides valuable information and clues regarding its subject.  In the context of Jesus' crucifixion, it was customary during His time for a placard or title to be placed above the head of...

When your time comes, how would you prefer to “go”? For most of us, the answer is obvious. Quietly. Quickly. Painlessly. At a ripe old age. And in our own home, in our own bed.  But the truth is, unfortunately, we don't get to choose. But Jesus could. And he chose the cross. Not a quiet death. Not a peaceful exit. The most torturous, humiliating, public form of execution the ancient world eve...

God could have chosen any place on the planet to do his most important work. He owns it all. He created every mountain range, every coastline, every hilltop on earth. And yet, when you trace the major moments of his redemptive plan from Genesis to Golgotha, they all converge on one small plot of ground in the ancient Middle East. The same hill. The same threshing floor. Just yards away from the sa...

It’s a cardinal rule in parenting. Before you let your kids leave to visit friends. Before you say yes to a get-together. Before you commit to a gathering. One question must be asked. Always!  Who’s going to be there?  Why? Because you know the people who are present tells you everything about what’s taking place. This Sunday, we’re asking that same question about the most important moment in all...

Here's the thing about living in a place you know you're leaving: you stop investing in it the same way. You could redo the bathroom in a rental. It may need it. But you're not going to. It's not your home. Why pour time and money into something you're walking away from?  There's a freedom in knowing you're leaving this world. You stop obsessing over what won&apo...

Think about the logos you recognize without even trying. The golden arches. The swoosh. The plain bitten apple. The face of a simple mermaid on a green circle. You don't need words to know what those symbols mean. They carry a story, all compressed into a single image. Logos are powerful because they communicate instantly. A well-designed logo tells you who a company is, what they stand for,...

Ever notice how easy it is to lose focus? You start the day with clear priorities, then a notification pings, an email demands attention, a worry creeps in—and suddenly you're miles away from where you meant to be. It’s easy to lose focus. And if that’s true in our everyday life, you know it's true in our faith. This Sunday, Noah Lauridsen returns to CBC to continue our journey through H...

God didn’t design you for spiritual independence. He wired you for connection, because He knows what we often forget: spiritual drifting doesn’t happen in community. It happens in isolation. This Sunday we’re looking at one of Scripture’s most sobering warnings—and discovering why isolation is more dangerous than you think Following Jesus was never designed as an individual pursuit. God didn’t giv...

Have you ever upgraded your phone and wondered how you survived with the old one? The new version does everything the old one did—only faster, clearer, and with features you didn't know you needed. Going back feels unthinkable. In Hebrews 10, the author brings his argument to a climactic conclusion: Jesus is the better alternative to everything that came before. The old covenant, the priestho...

If you’re like me, you have lots of questions about the challenges of 2025. And even more about the challenges of next year. How will I manage this? What if things don’t improve? When will I catch a break? But underneath all those questions sits a bigger one: Why? Why is this happening? Why now? Why me? Even God’s most devoted followers wrestle with this question. The apostle Paul—who wrote much o...

Message from Major Dalton on December 21, 2025