Back to the Basics (Page 2)

It’s so easy to get lost in the fine details that you miss the big point of following Jesus in a complicated world. When James, Jesus’s half-brother and one-time skeptic, sat down to write a letter to Jewish Christians scattered across the known world, he wanted to get back to the basics and talk about real-world issues. His letter is filled with pithy sayings and practical applications of faith in Jesus that Christians in 21st Century America need to hear and obey. We hope you join us for this series and get “back to the basics” of following Jesus with us!

Learning To Appreciate The Law

January 19, 2025
Pastor Toby Locke
Bible
James

Sometimes it’s hard to appreciate God’s Law, especially when it points out your flaws and makes you feel guilty. Those of us who follow Jesus, though, can learn to appreciate it for its many virtues. Join us this morning as we try to understand, with James’s help, why we should learn to appreciate God’s Law.

Playing The Judge

January 12, 2025
Pastor Toby Locke
Bible
James

As Christians, we are commanded to not play favorites even though showing partiality is SO easy to do. Join us this morning in James 2:1-9 as we take a look at James’s explanation of what showing favoritism reveals about our hearts.

Religion…As It SHOULD Be

It’s hard to know how to feel about the word “religion” – is it a good word? A bad one? As you might expect, James has thoughts on the subject. Join us today as we explore James’s teaching about “religion,” both what it should look like and what it shouldn’t.

Just DO it!

Many of us assume that because we’ve disciplined ourselves to hear God’s Word that we’ve done enough, but James disagrees. Join us this morning as we discuss the relationship between hearing, doing, and self-deception.

Tend The Garden Of Your Heart

Our heart is a garden that it is our responsibility to tend carefully. What we allow to grow there will determine in large measure whether or not we ever are able to live in sync with God’s standards of moral uprightness. Join us this morning as we seek James’s guidance about how to tend the…

Anger Management

If our goal is an “upright” life that God can bless, then we have got to deal with our instinct to react to injustice with anger and rage. Join us this morning as we explore what God’s Word has to say about how to “manage” our anger.

A Roadmap for Real Change

A good “campaign pitch” combines a compelling vision of the future with common sense policies that help make that vision a reality. Join us this morning as James makes a “pitch” of his own designed to inspire us to take common-sense steps towards a future more desirable than any political leader can provide.