South Hills Church - Costa Mesa

When we begin to feel that life only has meaning, or that we only have worth, if we are loved and respected by a certain person or group, we’re facing the idol of approval. We want affirmation, love and relationships so much that we sacrifice our independence. The desire to be loved is healthy and natural, but for the problem for the person with the approval idol is that they are not ultimately sa...

What we would define as success or influence, may be the idol of power in disguise. It’s not even primarily about winning as much as the fear of losing – of humiliation. People with an unhealthy pursuit of power often cause others to feel used or manipulated, because their relationships are built on what others can bring them or do for them to increase their position. Jesus called us to a very dif...

It’s becoming all-too-common for our politician, platform or party of choice to not be in power. People have always believed the right political power will save them, but how can we make sure that people in power don’t determine our level of personal peace? How can we hold on to hope when it feels like it’s all falling apart?

It’s easy to feel like our Christian values are under assault and that we need to fight to protect them. But while we’re hoping to beat the opposition and change people’s minds, Jesus is calling us to pray for our enemies while he changes their hearts. All-to-often, we’re louder about our political beliefs than we are about our spiritual beliefs; shouting our politics and whispering our faith. Scr...

How can they claim to be a Christian, but vote that way? How could they possibly think that person is the right choice? My faith is why I’m a Republican! Wait…your faith is why you’re a Democrat? Maybe things aren’t as cut and dry as we think they are. Could it be that we’ve edited Jesus to fit neatly within our political framework? And more importantly, have we lost sight of the very thing he was...

It seems that all of life is a battle between good and evil. It only makes sense that we, as Christians, are the good guys – right? We see sin, brokenness and evil all around us, and we want to make it stop! Obviously God is on our side, right? This week we’ll look at the importance of having “rightly ordered loves” and avoiding the temptation to recruit Jesus for our own goals.

We might expect God to speak through a Bible verse, worship lyric, or sermon quote. These things feel sanctified, sacred, safe. But where else might we find the voice of God? What about a romance novel, superhero comic, R rated movie, or explicit song? Should we look for God in these places or avoid them altogether? Are there certain things God never speaks through? Is it possible for something to...

Most of us aren’t great at stillness. We’re always on-the-go, multitasking, earbuds in, distractedly doing one thing while worrying about not having time for the next. A lot of us can’t stand silence. Even more of us can’t sit still. Our lives are busy and noisy, our minds even more so. Ever have someone nudge you and ask, “Did you hear me?” And you wanted to say, “yes”, but you were so distracted...

If you’ve ever visited a place where you don’t speak the language, having a reliable interpreter is a lifesaver. You need someone to translate what’s being said into words you can understand. But everyone’s who’s gotten a message through an interpreter has also wondered, “Is that really what the other person said?” Trusting someone to translate takes a lot of faith—because what if they get it wron...

Some people say the Bible is the ‘Word of God’; like it’s somehow His way of speaking to us. But it wasn’t written to us. It was written to people who lived a really long time ago, in another part of the world, and spoke different languages. And yet, some people read this ancient book and say things like, “that spoke to me” or “that was just for me”. What does that mean? How does God use all these...

We all know stories or have seen documentaries about people who claim to have heard from God. Most of them weren’t just convinced God wanted them to know something, but DO something, and the ‘somethings’ are all over the place—adopt a baby, launch a non-profit, fight an addiction, pass a law, start a commune, or bomb a building. Most of us have our fair share of suspicion. Did God really tell thes...

Everyone eventually asks themselves, “What do I do with my life?” And a lot of the cultural answers to this question don’t end up being all that satisfying. We all know people who have made lots of money, acquired lots of power, and had lots of sex, but feel hollow and unhappy. It turns out, humans aren’t content to simply be alive, we want something to live for. The obvious Christian answer might...

There are few things as painful as feeling like nobody gets you and there’s no one you can turn to. We are meant and made for relationships—with each other and with God. The people part can be difficult but is somewhat intuitive. But a lot of us don’t think of God as relational. And to be fair, through most of human history, He wasn’t. For the most part, people didn’t walk and talk with God. They...

Ever felt like there was something between you and someone else? Like something was off between you. Maybe you weren’t even sure what it was, but it was clear there was something there. Almost every relationship has these moments. But it wasn’t meant to be that way. Something happened in the story of humanity that got between us and each other, us and God, us and ourselves, God and His creation. S...

Knowing where you came from brings into focus who you really are and how you got that way. Our culture is interested in this, maybe more than ever. When we meet people, we impulsively ask them where they’re from. We love movies that revolve around the origin story of a character. We map our family trees. We ship our spit off to companies to tell us the ancestry of our genetic code. When you open t...

We’ve all seen stories of people doing things we thought were impossible. They made a massive change, turned their lives around, overcame an addiction, or overturned an entire industry. The reason we’re in awe of these people is that most seem to come from humble beginnings. We’re not impressed that they did something they ought to be able to do, we’re impressed they did something we weren’t sure...

How can two people with similar skill sets look at the same situation and come to vastly different conclusions? It would make sense that both would have the same shot at success. But we’ve all seen prepared people fail, and those nobody would bet on succeed. Is it pure luck? Is it circumstantial? Or is there something happening on the inside of them that’s influencing what’s happening on the outsi...

The plot of most inspirational stories boils down to someone with everything stacked against them, who, through sheer will and determination, conquer seemingly insurmountable odds & rise to the top. We love the self-made success story. There’s just one catch: that’s not how it works. No one who survives, overcomes, or achieves anything unbelievable does so by themselves. We’re social creatures...

When there’s something we can’t seem to make ourselves do or stick to, we assume it’s because we lack inspiration. We go on the hunt for an uplifting story, an encouraging word, or motivational quote to get us going. But all of us have things we feel inspired to do but never quite get around to. Is it that we don’t want it bad enough, aren’t focused, or don’t quite see its significance? But some o...

Almost everyone’s heard the statement, “God is love.” If that’s true, why do so many of His followers seem so unloving? How important is it to reflect the god you believe in? Are most Christians just hypocrites, or are they a reflection of who they think God is—condescending, self-protecting, and punishing? Is Christianity about you living a certain way or you getting everyone else to live a certa...

Christians are nice enough, as long as you fall in line, fit the mold, and don’t ask too many questions. But if you have your doubts or disagree with someone in authority, you’re out. Does having faith mean playing along with everything you’re told & keeping your mouth shut? Is God as annoyed with our lack of certainty as other Christians seem to be? Is what you say you believe more important...

Christians have a reputation for getting cornered by a logical argument, responding by quoting a cryptic Bible verse, and then celebrating as if they won the fight. Is that what the Bible’s for? Is quoting Scripture some sort of untouchable trump card? Are there certain situations where ancient instructions don’t make sense in our modern context? If so, which ones? Are we even allowed to ask that...

What does help look like? It may be most recognizable in the flashing lights of a tow truck, or the sirens of a fire engine, or maybe even in the red swimsuit of a lifeguard. But what if we don’t know what we’re looking for? Would you even recognize help if it was standing in front of you? The Easter story is full of twists and turns - not the least of which is that Jesus’ followers didn’t even re...

There’s not a person around who would claim that the world is perfect. In fact, with social media and the 24-hour news cycle, we are over-informed of the issues, problems and challenges both locally and globally. War, politics, the environment, education, and the general fabric of society: God, won’t you please fix it? This same thing was shouted at a parade 2000 years ago, so what does it mean fo...

We get that it’s a good thing to be a giver. Maybe generosity is even a goal of yours. But where do you draw what lines? If you gave everything away—you’d end up naked and penniless, living on the streets. That can’t be what God wants. You don’t want to be a miser either. How do you know what to give and what to keep? There are needs and needy people everywhere. What do you say YES and NO to? How...