Thrive Harbor

The most dramatic moment in Abraham's life is when God asks him to sacrifice Isaac, his beloved son. But at the last minute, God spares Isaac and substitutes an animal instead. In this message, Tim Cedarland, Thrive's director emeritus, looks at what Genesis 22 teaches about trust, obedience, and God's provision.

It's been said that all of our problems in life come from lack of belief in the goodness of God. When God made a promise to Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son in their old age, it sounded too good to be true—but then He fulfilled it! In this message, Joe Schneider, one of Thrive's board members, looks at the miraculous birth of Isaac in Genesis 21 and what it shows us about the r...

God often uses us in spite of us, and Abraham was no exception. In this message, Michael Bouterse, director of Thrive Harbor, unpacks Abraham's blunder with Abimelech and how the gospel gives us the power to be faithful witnesses to the world around us. Scripture passages cited (or alluded to) in this message include Genesis 12:10-20; 13:18; 18:1; 20; 22:1-19; 50:20; Galatians 3:9; Matthew 6:3...

When you become a Christian, God changes you from the inside out and makes you new. But how should we relate to old people and patterns as we live out this new life? In this message, Michael Bouterse, director of Thrive Harbor, explores what Genesis 19 says about how God's people should relate to the world. Only as Christians maintain their distinctiveness from the world can they actually serv...

What would it be like to meet God? In Genesis 18, Abraham finds out. Through his encounter with God, Abraham learns that God desires to meet with His people, that He is a righteous judge, and that He at the same time delights to show mercy. This message was given by Tim Guenther of Thrive Harbor. Scripture passages cited (or alluded to) in this message include Genesis 18; Exodus 33:20; Psalm 19:1;...

God is a promise-making and a promise-keeping God. In this message, Cedric van Duyn, pastor of Anthem Church , explores some of the ways the promises God made to Abraham in Genesis 17 echo in the New Testament.

In Hebrews 6:12 we read that "faith and patience inherit the promises”—or in other words, trusting in God means waiting. In this message Jake Chambers, pastor of Local Church , looks to the story of Abram and Sarah in Genesis 16 to unpack the messy and frequently painful fallout of taking matters into our own hands when we feel God isn't coming through for us—but also God's incredible patience wit...

One of the most significant moments of Abraham's life happens in Genesis 15. God made an agreement with Abraham called a covenant—and He promised him He would fulfill it no matter what. In this message, Conner Dill, a member of Thrive Harbor, explains why the covenant with Abraham is so earth-shaking and how it reveals to us the character of God.

No one follows God in a vacuum. For Abram, his walk with God was lived out against the tough backdrop of paganism, cross-cultural experiences, and—in Genesis 14—Middle Eastern politics. In this message, Dustin Polley, director of Thrive Kitsap , expounds the story of Abram defeating a coalition of kings who had taken his nephew captive.

God promised to bless Abram, and for him that blessing included material riches. But God had to teach Abram how to have riches without getting attached to them, a lesson he learned one day when he and his nephew Lot got into a little dispute over real estate. This message was given by Tim Guenther, a member of Thrive Harbor.

Three of the world's great religions trace their roots back to Abraham. But who was he and why is he so significant? In this message, Peter Churness, pastor of One Hope Church , introduces us to this central figure in the biblical story.

The Bible says that God is a righteous judge. He gives us over to what we ask for and uses judgment to restrain evil. But He always provides a way of escape—much as He did for Noah and his family in the days of the flood. In this message, Tim Cedarland, Thrive's director emeritus, shows how the story of Noah points to the salvation Jesus offers us from the judgment still to come.

At the Tower of Babel, humanity marshaled their creative powers to rival the Creator. What began as an expression of human pride became a monument to human folly, and a pointer to the better way of Jesus, the one who ascended through descending and ruled through serving. This message was given by Michael Bouterse, director of Thrive Harbor. Scripture passages cited (or alluded to) in this message...

Genesis 5:1 and Matthew 1:1 summarize the Old and New Testaments. The former is the "book of the generations of Adam," whereas the latter is the "book of the generations of Jesus Christ." And in Genesis 5 we see that Adam's book consistently, repeatedly ends in death. Only with the arrival of Jesus is death swallowed up by life. This message was given by Eric Lundquist, a special guest speaker.

Richard & Laura Wilson spent decades of their lives serving God in Venezuela. In this message, they share about how God called each of them to that work and how we can lean in to saying “yes” to God’s call on each of our lives. We apologize that due to a technical problem there is a slight interruption in the audio at approximately the 5-minute mark.

Jesus said that His disciples are the light of the world. In this message, Tim Guenther, one of Thrive Harbor's leaders, shares about his recent trip to Cambodia and how his time there showed how God's people can walk out their calling to shine Christ's light around the world. Scripture passages cited (or alluded to) in this message include Ephesians 2:10; Matthew 5:14-16; 6:22; 26:13;...

At the end of the Bible, we see people from every ethnic family on earth worshipping God. In this talk, Tyler Pease, Regional Director for Perspectives USA , shows from Scripture that God's heart is for all people groups to know Him. This can only happen if His people go to the ends of the earth with the gospel, hence why missions is so important.

During their long journey through the desert, the Israelites learned that God is a faithful provider. In this message, Michael Bouterse, director of Thrive Harbor, teaches on Exodus 16 and what it says about God’s provision in our lives. Scripture passages cited (or alluded to) in this message include Exodus 3:1; 1 Samuel 23:14; Matthew 4:1; Revelation 12:6; Hosea 2:14; Jeremiah 2:2; Proverbs 30:7...

For the final night of Thrive's series on "Sexuality Redeemed," Michael Bouterse, director of Thrive Harbor, explores the hidden enemy beneath so many of our sexual addictions and struggles: shame. Shame over sexual sin done by us or to us wants to sabotage our souls, but through the cross of Christ and the body of Christ, we can know freedom from shame. Scripture passages cited (or...

We invited Thrivers to submit questions for a live Q&A panel as part of our Sexuality Redeemed series.

Our sexuality is part of God's very good design. But in a fallen world, this area of our lives is often deeply haunted by pain, sin, and shame. In this talk, Michael Bouterse, director of Thrive Harbor, teaches on our sexuality and the ways that we find health, hope, and healing for our sexual stories. Scripture passages cited (or alluded to) in this message include Luke 15:17-24, 30; Romans 6:6;...

Jake Chambers, pastor of Local Church , shares out of Romans 12:1-2 for the first Thrive night of 2025, challenging us to use the start of a new year to put off bad habits and pursue godly habits.

Christmas celebrates God's profound entrance into our world in the person of Jesus—the Maker of the universe come as a helpless, vulnerable baby. In this last Thrive message of 2024, Conner Dill offers a reflection on the Christmas story. Scripture passages cited in this message include Matthew 1:18-24; 2:1-14; and Luke 1:26-38; 2:1-20.

One of the first things humanity does after the fall is to build a city. Why? In this message, Michael Bouterse, director of Thrive Harbor, looks at how Cain's city and descendants gives us a pattern for how all of us operate as sinners in a fallen world, desperately seeking hope and security through our own ingenuity and strength. Scripture passages cited (or alluded to) in this message include G...

What is the way of Jesus and what is the way of the world? In this talk Bill Bowers teaches on the difference between American culture and the kingdom of God, challenging God's people to move toward the values of the kingdom. Based in Puyallup, WA, Bill leads Pursuing More , a ministry dedicated to true transformation and growth in intimate relationship with God.