Branches Humboldt

WHEN IT ALMOST FAILED... Every great dream or grand plan will face challenges and opposition. The question isn't "if", it's "when". What do you do when things get really tough - when you feel like it's too much and giving up starts to sound like the only option? For Nehemiah, his passion project faced a critical moment where he not only worried it wouldn't get d...

ARE YOU READY??? Have you felt the nudge to try something new, to make a difference around you with some practical action? What if you’ve gone through some of those steps we talked about last week; you’ve seen the vision (the need), you’ve been honest about your part of the problem (confession), and then you’ve got this deep conviction (a courageous heart) to do something about it…Have you been wa...

HAVE YOU EVER ...had an idea to try something new? Create a new way forward? To help others? To grow yourself? To find PURPOSE? “Live Your Passion”? Don’t we all want to do something with our life that really counts? What if we could be ALL IN, whole-hearted, every day, on a mission that makes a difference in the world? We kick off our fall season with a new series called "ALL IN", looki...

B.L.E.S.S. (B)egin with Prayer (L)isten with Care (E)at Together (S)erve in Love (S)hare Your Story How did we do? Have you had a chance to bless some people in your life this summer? Have you been blessed by someone in a special way? Which one of these five everyday practices resonates with you most? In our LAST Sunday of the BLESS series, we hear from Heidi Fox, Letitia Yund, and SK Montiel as w...

Can I get a witness???...that's when you shout back, "Yaaahhhh!!!" Sometimes it's not that easy, though - to talk about our faith. There are so many fears and distraction that get in the way of sharing the good news of grace with those around us. What are some of the things that hold you back? In Acts 1:8, Jesus leaves His friends with some final, powerful words; "But you wi...

Can I get a witness??? ...that's when you shout back, "Yaaahhhh!!!" Sometimes it's not that easy, though - to talk about our faith. There are so many fears and distraction that get in the way of sharing the good news of grace with those around us. What are some of the things that hold you back? This Sunday, we took our entire gathering out for Beach Church! We tackled some of the...

WE'VE BEEN CHALLENGING one another to identify the people and the places we’ve been called to BLESS. To practice reaching out to those around us by beginning with prayer, listening with care, eating together, and now this Sunday, Mike and Ella Price help us look at the power of SERVING. And living out this practice is an “as you go” kind of thing. It’s about a posture of readiness that doesn’t...

WE ARE A CULTURE that is serious about our food. In fact, our very own Miguel Montiel was a top chicken-wing eater at Six-Rivers Brewery's contest this year! We love just about everything that has to do with food. But here’s where we’re headed on Sunday: we believe that eating is actually one of the best ways to carry out the Jesus mission! Jesus modeled the power of a shared meal and how impo...

"BEING HEARD is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable.” (David W. Augsburger) Can you relate to this? Listening to people – really hearing and understanding what they are saying – is a critical expression of love. So how do we make sure we aren’t mishearing? As we continue in our series of outreach and care to the community around us - finding...

ARE YOU the "prayin' type"? Does it come natural to you, or is praying kind of a struggle? Jesus was definitely the "prayin' type", as every step and turn of his life was surrounded by prayer. He prayed all night before choosing his 12 disciples! He also prayed some passionate prayers the night before he chose to complete his mission of sacrifice and suffering for us. H...

DO YOU WANT TO Be happy? Feel fulfilled in life? Experiencing these feelings is not about getting the right stuff; it's about giving the right stuff. The kind of community begun in Acts was a generous, courageous one, and we want to be a passionate, sold-out, bold family of faith like that; a community that is always leaning outward, on the move, reaching out (like the big Redwood branches aro...

ARE YOU READY...for THREE generations of Foxes??! This Sunday is Father's Day, and what better way to reflect on the day together than to have the esteemed Dr. Larry Fox, his son Justin Fox, and Justin's son Brennan Fox all together in one place??? Join us for a fun, memorable, extra-special time together as Justin, his dad, and his son share from Luke 15:11-32 and unpack the "Parable...

The END of Acts...or is it really the end? It turns out, this is one of those great books that invites us to step into the unfolding story and create the next chapter together! As our series "Origin Story" comes to a close, though, we reflect on what God has been stirring up in us - what He's been challenging us with through the epic book of Acts. Where's the story headed for you...

Cliffhangers! Love 'em or hate 'em, they're the reason we keep coming back. Binge watching your favorite show is so tempting because we all have a deep desire to know the end of the story. We want closure. We want it all wrapped up in the end. But a life of faith is not like that at all. Our path toward God is a journey. The book of Acts doesn't wrap up with a tidy bow; it leaves u...

"Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!" Could this lyric from Psalm 43 be relevant for us today? Where are you feeling discouraged or sad? Are there circumstances in your life that cause you to feel trapped, or at a dead-end? I'm sure Paul and Silas felt just like that as they were beaten and thrown int...

The internet and technology have brought the world “closer” together, yet why do we still often feel so far apart - from each other? It turns out that only God has the real power to unite people across cultures, and we see it happening in big ways in the book of Acts! This boundary-crossing, culture-clashing, line-blurring work of God's Spirit starts at Pentecost in the 2nd chapter and continu...

MOTHER'S DAY...and Saul??? What does his miraculous encounter with Jesus in Acts 9 have to do with our thankfulness and appreciation for the care-givers in our lives? Could there be a connection in there somewhere? Do you think Saul's mom was praying for him all along? How about us - how do we trust God with the care and nurturing of our loved ones? What about the nurturing of our own live...

SO MANY STORIES "God works in mysterious ways." He surprises us around every corner, and after spending time in Acts 1-8, its seems He's always been doing that! The book of Acts invites us to not merely be spectators in the epic story of God, but to actually step in as  participants  in the grand mission of redemption. This Sunday, we'll hear from three voices in our community (E...

THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET REAL Where is God in suffering? Why do bad things happen to good people? These are some of the deepest questions of the human soul. Pain shapes us. The ancient Greek poet Hesiod (c. 700 BC) wrote:... ”But before the road of Excellence the immortal gods have placed sweat. And the way to it is long and steep and rough at first. But when one arrives at the summit, then it is e...

Challenges must be faced in every hero's journey. Nobody truly lives, truly grows, without trials, without opposition. Have you faced some big challenges? Have you felt like giving up? You're not alone. The first faith community formed in Acts 2, starts off with a bang and has an (initially) positive, wide-ranging impact. But it's not a "Utopia" story; it's a real story....

Have you noticed that there are moments when "heaven" seems to break into our earthly reality - when we get a glimpse of the divine in our every-day? These might be often brief for us; like the beauty of nature or the innocent smile of a child, but this was the kind of experience (in a more dramatic, supernatural way) that God used to catapult the early Church into a world-changing movem...

So, RESURRECTION! But then what? Our story, the Church’s origin-story, began around a table...Have you ever had some good, life-changing conversations over a meal, around a table? Sometimes it’s not even what’s said exactly - it’s almost more like a feeling, a rich, colorful memory. In the days after Jesus rose from the grave, He had many conversations with His followers, imparting last words of a...

Have you ever had that feeling of just wanting to get out of town? To just hit the road and start over? It's that feeling of promise, of hope, that something ahead could somehow be better than what's behind. And this is the message of God's grace during Easter. Paul says this in Romans 6:3 (MS) “We’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there...

In the steps of Jesus... This "Palm Sunday', we follow the steps of Jesus as He begins to make His mission clear. Miguel Montiel takes time to consider His actions with us as Jesus expresses His passion for others in Matthew 21. His steps begin to take Him toward the cross - the moment He gives His life, making a way for us to be forgiven friends of God. We had our own "palm branches...

In the steps of St. Patrick... This Sunday, Saint Patricks Day, we take time in our gatherings to consider what being "on mission" really means. We'll see and hear from an outreach team on mission in Niger and also get to know a local outreach team right here at Cal Poly! Sundays - Arcata Veterans Hall - 9 & 11 AM