The Rock Church

Three Lessons Learned from Giving

From my title, I’ll bet some of you are thinking this is going to be about tithing, aren’t you? It’s funny what comes to our minds when our hearts are pricked just a little. By the way, it’s not about tithing, so please keep reading.

In Acts, Paul writes to the leaders in Ephesus and ends with this verse:

“’In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” — Acts 20:35

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico

Changed Hearts

To be honest, I am exhausted, tired and my brain is all over the place. To put one thought in front of another seems almost impossible. You get on social media and everyone is trying to sway you one way or another. You’re told you aren’t doing enough, you are doing too much, you aren’t saying the right thing…the list goes on. Those who are close to you might also be pushing you one way or the other. They might be telling you the same things you’re hearing from social media. What are you supposed to focus on right now — Covid-19, racism, immigration, environmental issues, police reform, or just getting through the day with your kids doing school at home (while you’re trying to work from home)?!

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico

Love One Another

“’So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.’” — John 13:34-35

This is one of the last things that Jesus said to His disciples. He told them to love one another and it would prove to the world that they were His disciples. He wants this for us, too.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico

Repeat and Teach

As humans, we are inherently distracted. Add to that, all of our day-to-day technology and communication — we are simply inundated with pings, pops, notifications and buzzes. It’s amazing that we retain any information at all!

At the end of John 21, Jesus asked Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” Peter replied “yes” and Jesus said, “then feed my lambs.” That interchange went on three separate times. If I was Peter, I would have been super irritated and certainly wouldn’t have taken it as a learning experience. I would have thought, “I heard you the first time, Jesus.” But Jesus, being all knowing, understands that we need to hear things a few times before they really sink in. What a wonderful example for us to learn from.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico

Make it a Habit

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” — Psalm 119:105

As the new year approaches, it’s natural to set goals — things we want to get better at or maybe stop doing. This verse really speaks to me in terms of that goal setting. Unless we have a planned path to walk, we won’t move in the right direction. If we can’t see where we are going, we’ll stumble around in the darkness.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico

Listen Like Paul

Have you ever been in a very stressful situation? One you didn’t like and wanted out of? Then you discovered there might be a way out of it but you’re not sure what to do?

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico

Stay on the Path

Yellowstone is such a beautiful place! Everywhere you look, there is something to discover. From the grand scale of the Teton Mountains to the different animals to smallest of the microorganisms living in the geysers.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico

Live in Fellowship

“They worshipped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity — all the while praying God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” — Acts 2:46-47

This formula for living (as Luke writes in Acts) is not any different than how we should live our lives today. Go to church on the weekend, share communion together, hang out after church, be in Small Groups, be generous to the community around us and to those within our church body. God will use these times to give us opportunities where we can share our stories and the love of Jesus. He will then save those around us!

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico

Be Kind

I hope you’ve been encouraged as you’ve read daily through the book of Proverbs (as we’re going through our Get Wisdom series)?! It has been so good to grab these little truths and apply them throughout the day. What a way to build a habit that is going to help us live godlier lives. 

One verse that recently stuck out to me was, “Your kindness will reward you, but your cruelty will destroy you.” — Proverbs 11:17 (NLT)

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico

Steps of Good

“How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” – Romans 10:15b

I recently came across this verse in a study I’m doing with my Small Group. It really challenged me because I saw it from a new and different perspective.

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Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico