The Rock Church

Thank You!

I want to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone who volunteered and participated in our Missions Gala. It was a huge success in so many ways. Not only did we reach our goal of raising over $20,000 (specifically for our missions), but God went above and beyond our expectations. He revealed Himself in so many ways — both in and through the people of The Rock Church.

I have been thinking about and meditating on this verse a lot lately. I saw it in action during the preparation for and participation in our Missions Gala. 

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The Disgrace of Pride

I am so proud. I don’t want to be. Sometimes I don’t mean to be. But, if I’m honest with my heart, I am so proud. More often than not, I feel like I’m right or I’m entitled to something I desire. Many times, I find myself drifting into thoughts like, “If it were up to me I would….” 

Have you ever slowed down enough to examine your own heart and the areas of pride you might be holding onto? Ask yourself and the Holy Spirit, “Where in my life is there un-checked pride?” Ask your closest friends, family or spouse, “Do you sense pride in me, and if so, where?”

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Fortified Tower

“The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” — Proverbs 18:10

Last year, my wife and I stayed in a hotel that had a large concrete wall directly behind it. The wall was massive. It was 10 to 20 feet high and was made of thick, reinforced concrete.

Basically, the view out our window was a giant concrete wall. Not a very visually appealing thing to look at during our stay. And the wall ran the entire length of the hotel. 

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Celebrate

“But we had to celebrate and be glad….” — Luke 15:32a

I’ve recently been reading the Old Testament and it made me realize the importance of throwing a party. Really! Listen to these verses: 

“Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month.” — Leviticus 23:41

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Content with Daily Bread

“…give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” — Proverbs 30:8b-9

Going through the book of Proverbs in our Get Wisdom series has been a real blessing to me. I was especially encouraged (and challenged) by our recent messages on money (Money Wise and Matter of Honor). If you missed those messages I invite you to watch them this week. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton

A Divine Time Out

“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” — 1 John 5:14

Happy Wednesday to you, friends. How is your week going so far? I know for many of you, you’ve got this week under control and everything is going off without a hitch. For others, you are so far behind that you’ve been looking for a reset button since yesterday. Wherever you may be, I want to encourage you and give you three reasons to stop and take a DIVINE TIME OUT. Stop everything you are doing for a moment and simply PRAY.

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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

Hard Work and Time

A few summers ago, my family and I stayed with one of my wife’s relatives on an Ohio farm. It was a rather large farm at over one hundred acres. Early one morning, the kids were out playing in the yard and the farmer asked if we wanted to take the kids for a tractor ride while he fertilized the crops. When it came time for my daughter and me to go on the tractor, I talked to the farmer about how long he’d already been out in his field that morning. We talked about how much work goes into farming a lucrative crop, some of the problems that a farmer faces with planting too early or too late, etc. It was clear to me that the success of that man’s farm was proportional to the time and work he put into it. 

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Trust in the Lord

Trust in the Lord. An easy thing to say and read but not always an easy thing to do.

As a young man, I had a baseball glove that I was very dependent on. Without it, I felt like I couldn’t take the field. When I first bought the glove, however, I didn’t realize how much it would help me. It was stiff and seemed clunky when I tried to field a ball. In fact, I was ready to give up on it and get another one because I had such trouble with it. Eventually, after oiling it and tying a ball in it when I slept (and using it over and over again), it transformed my game. Honestly, it seemed like I was able to stop or grab any baseball that came close to me. I was phenomenal (at least in my own mind) and I loved to play the game whenever I could.

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Fearless

“But all who listen to me will live in peace untroubled by fear of harm.” — Proverbs 1:33

There is a way to live that leads to harm, fear and restlessness. Most of the time this is a result of listening to ourselves, lies or negative influences. When we find ourselves with a pit in our stomachs and a tinge of fear rattling our emotions, we should ask ourselves, “Who am I listening to?” 

The GREAT news, however, is what the Word of God gives us in the book of Proverbs. Those who listen to Jesus, His wisdom and The Holy Spirit, live in PEACE without FEAR! 

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