The Harbor

Throughout all of history people have asked this one big question: What is the meaning of life? In this series we have learned about finding meaning in many different aspects of life such as relationships, community, and money. But this message wraps it all up and gives you the overall BIG picture, THE reason we are here on this earth, and the answer can be found in the last words of Ecclesiastes,...

Life is short...very short. The Bible has many, many verses that talk about the brevity of our lives, like Psalm 39:4-5: LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered — how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath. So how should we engage...

King Solomon, who wrote the book we are studying in this series, Ecclesiastes, was most likely the wealthiest man to ever live. He had it all. Everything money could buy, he had it. And yet he writes this in Ecclesiastes 5:10-11, 15: “Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it...

One of the symptoms of a lack of real, true community is a feeling that everything is meaningless. True community doesn’t just provide us with connection, it can help us live with meaning. Why does community help us live with meaning? Watch this message, "Finding Meaning in Community", to learn how we are created for community, can be cared for in community, and can conquer with the help...

“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” This is how Solomon, the richest and wisest man to ever live starts his writings in the book of Ecclesiastes. This man had everything! He could do anything. People did whatever he asked. And yet he was unhappy, not finding meaning or contentment in anything under the sun. This sounds very depressing, so why would we want to s...

Everyone has a story to tell. We tell our stories to people every day, whether it's what we did over the weekend, or how we ended up in the city or job we have now, or even about the good deal we got on our car. We love to tell others our stories. In this, the last message of the Let's Go Fishin' series, you'll hear the stories of how four different people met Jesus and what di...

As Christians, our primary goal is to become more like Jesus. In John 13:3-7, Jesus led by example as He did something only the lowliest servant would do. He got down on His knees and washed the feet of His disciples. Jesus was over everything, yet nothing was beneath Him. As His followers, serving is not something we do, it’s part of who we are. Listen to this message to learn the things we need...

There are people all around us that don't know Jesus, yet do we see them? Do we see the opportunities we have to share His love and His promises? Paul tells us in Ephesians to make the most of every opportunity. We can’t always create the opportunity, but we can be ready to engage when one is before us. In this message, Pastor Jeff Maness shows us how to be ready to engage by redeeming the ti...

Leading someone to Jesus can be as easy as having a conversation, and an important part of a good conversation is listening well. This message will teach you what and who to listen to in evangelism and the five H's of being an active listener. It's a little more than just paying attention. It's all about really hearing someone's story. As Pastor Jeff's Big Idea says, &quot...

We know that as followers of Jesus, we are to be sharing the Gospel. But how do we begin? In this message, Pastor Jeff Maness begins with the first letter of the acrostic B.L.E.S.S., "Evangelism Begins with Prayer". Jeff explains not only what to pray and whom to pray for, but what prayer can do as he answers the Big Question, "In evangelism, how can prayer change me?" Referenc...

What do you think of when you hear the word evangelism? Some might think of going door to door, telling people about Jesus. Others might envision the street corner preacher, yelling through the megaphone, or secretly placing a Gospel pamphlet in a public place. The word itself causes anxiety in some and excitement for others. But what if we told you that evangelism is much simpler and more practic...

A good playlist of your favorite music is a helpful tool to have. A good playlist motivates, elevates, and encourages. When you don't feel like working out, it gets you moving. When you are working, it keeps you focused. But a playlist must be prearranged, so when you go into a situation, it's ready to go. And just like a playlist of your favorite music is a great tool to have, you need...

How do we know we are living in Christ? How do we show that we truly love Him? According to 1 John 2:5-6, it is by obeying God's word as Jesus did. Obedience is a daily choice that may require risk and sacrifice, but gets easier the more we connect with Jesus. Learn more in this message by Lead Pastor Dana Aaronson as he double dog dares us to choose to live our lives as Jesus did, in obedien...

We all go through times in life when we just can't seem to climb out of the pit. It may be a pit of depression, or of grief, anger, or bad habits. Many times we are in the pit because life has overwhelmed us. Watch this message by Pastor David Miller to find the best way to get out of your desolate pit. (Hint: It's not by trying harder!) David's notes are here: https://notes.subspla...

What does it mean to be asleep spiritually? In Ephesians 5, Paul gives a warning with a promise to his fellow Christ-followers not to be asleep, but to “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Some are asleep and don't even realize it. This could lead to dangerous consequences for themselves and those around them, definitely impeding their walk with Christ. A...

A memorial is something that keeps remembrance alive. Praise is a memorial. As much as it is us telling God how much we love Him, it also builds our faith by reminding us of all the things God has done, all the times He's been there for us. As we praise God, we can experience His power to keep our focus on Him and not on our problems. In praising, His power can set us free! And as we praise G...

Everyone has doubts about Jesus from time to time. Even His cousin, John the Baptist, the one who devoted his life to preparing the way for the Messiah, had doubts. And yet even though John doubted Jesus said, “of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist." But what do we do with our doubts? How do we handle them well? In this message, Pastor Jeff Maness gives us three th...

Doubts themselves aren’t wrong, but they can easily lead us astray. Doubting God can lead us to distrust Him, to disobeying Him, and to our destruction. But if we examine those areas in our lives, our doubts can finally lead us to full dependence on God.  As you listen to this message, pray and ask these questions: Distrust – “What areas of my life am I struggling to trust You the most?” Disobedie...

Baptism is a public expression of the inward work that Christ has done in our hearts. But it represents much more than that. Listen to this message, "What Does Baptism Represent?" to learn what baptism is all about. Jeff's notes: https://notes.subsplash.com/fill-in/view?page=3a_VL0puqz ________________________________________________________________ Like and subscribe so you don&apo...

One question that many ask is, "If God is real, especially if He’s loving, why would He allow so much evil, pain, and suffering?" This may be the most common question and most common critique of the Christian faith. It is such a relevant question in life and one that Senior Pastor Jeff Maness has an answer to in his message, "Evil, Pain, & Suffering". Jeff's notes are...

As Christians we look to the Bible for answers. But how can we know that the Bible is trustworthy? In this message, Senior Pastor Jeff Maness shows why there is abundant evidence that we can fully trust the Bible. Jeff's notes are here: https://notes.subsplash.com/fill-in/view?page=U4GJO6kI1 Unfortunately, in the 35 minutes we have for this message, we can only scratch the surface of this sub...

How can you believe in God when you can’t prove He exists? That is the Big Question in this second message of Doubters Welcome. Senior Pastor Jeff Maness challenges us to ask if there is any evidence of God or not, and if so, where does it lead? Jeff's notes are here: https://notes.subsplash.com/fill-in/view?page=MA1erR4kQ The messages in this series are about deep subjects and the short 30-3...

Everyone deals with doubt. Even the most faithful followers of Jesus experience doubt at some point in their life. How can Jesus be the only way to Heaven? What if the Bible can’t be trusted? Why is there so much evil, pain, and suffering in the world? Can you really prove God exists? Those are legitimate questions that have haunted humans for centuries and still haunt many of us today. So, the qu...

At the end of the Lord's Prayer Jesus says to pray, "And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one." Some translations add, "For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." (Matthew 6:13) In this last message from the Pray Like This series, Pastor Jeff Maness shows us that God’s power is available and accessible for those who be...

As we continue our study of The Lord's Prayer, we come to the verse that asks us to check our hearts, Matthew 6:12, "and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us." Living in relationship with God requires that we forgive those who have hurt us, but forgiveness is not always easy, especially if that person hurt us in a very deep way. It may give us a sort of comfor...