The Rock Church

What God has Prepared by The Rock Church

“However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.”— 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (NIV)

I recently taught on a section of verses from Romans 8. As a result, it got me thinking about Heaven. We are told in Colossians 3:1-2 to get our minds and hearts on Heaven and not be fixed on earthy things. As I tried to apply that verse, I was reminded of a Christmas at our home many years ago.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: Bill Young, C.S. Lewis, Christmas, colossians, Corinthinas, CS Lewis, desire, eternity, Gifts, happiness, Heaven, Home, hungry, longing, made for, Mere Christianity, origins, Purpose, Romans, satisfaction, satisfied, surprise, the rock church, unhappy, unsatisfied, wait, waiting, whats the point?

Grief is an Oversized T-Shirt by The Rock Church

Yesterday (October 23) marked three years since my father passed away. In previous posts, I have shared some of the things the Lord has guided me through so far on this path of grief. With that in mind, today will be the latest entry into that diary.

But first, a story. As children, my brother and I would oftentimes get our dad a t-shirt for his birthday. We’d get ones with his favorite rock bands on them. I always wanted to wear them to school, but they were obviously too big for me. However, as I got older, I began to grow into the shirts that once drowned me as a child. Today, I still have most of my dad’s shirts. You’ve probably seen me wear many of them often. 

These memories have me reflecting on this thought:

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: anxiety, Bryan D. Edwards, bryan edwards, close, clothed in Christ, clothing, comfort, Corinthians, darkness, depression, empathy, Galations, grief, grow, growth, heavy metal, hebrews, identity, image, Isaiah, jesus, Loneliness, loss, pain, Philippians, sadness, sympathy, the rock church, trial

What Would Your Nickname Be? by The Rock Church

The dads in our amazing Youth Group teach each week’s lessons. This year, they’ve been covering several character sketches of men and women from the Bible. We’ve learned about both good and bad character from them.

In turn, I taught on the character of Barnabas. I’ll ask you the same question I asked the youth and their parents.

“Based on what those around you know about you and see in your life, what would your nickname be? What are you known for?”

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church
Tags: billy johnson, character, deeds, encouragement, grow, Holy Spirit, identity, nickname, Paul, reputation, sanctification, sin, speech, terms, the rock cchurch, Youth group

Rocktoberfest 2023 by The Rock Church

Who wants to spend Halloween “just trick-or-treating” when you can have WAY more fun at Rocktoberfest! You’re not going to want to miss this action-packed evening at The Rock Church, where you can grab your Cheap Halloween Contacts and dive into a world of spooky festivities! Transform into your favorite character and join us for a night of unforgettable thrills and chills.

Posted in Events, News by The Rock Church
Tags: bouncy castles, candy, costumes, Draper, fall festival, family event, festival, free event, halloween, rocktoberfest, the rock church, trc, trick or treat, Utah

Better by admin

I meet people all the time who are looking for something better. I often cringe when a new visitor at our church will “go off” about another church they’ve visited. For instance, they complain about the pastor having green teeth (or something like that). If the opportunity presents itself (and I often try to make it present itself), I recommend they talk to that pastor about the green teeth situation. They certainly need to work it out.   

Let’s face it, looking down on others (and belittling them) is an easy trap to fall into. It’s like stepping in dog doo-doo without realizing it. Maybe it’s human nature to want to make ourselves look better by making others look bad. Admittedly, I catch myself doing it all the time. This behavior usually manifests itself into gossip. We think people should be all put together, like us — ha!

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Tags: 2 Corinthians, appearance, arguments, complaining, conflict, discontent, disdain, Ephesians, gossip, haughty, humble, humility, hypocrisy, hypocrite, Mac, manipulate, mask, Philippians, pride, prideful, reconciliation, relationships, selfishness, slander, Steve McInroy, talk, teeth, the rock church

Straight to the Heart by admin

^“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” — Isaiah 41:10

I recently turned these verses into the most ridiculous-sounding song.

Imagine the corniest-sounding game show theme song ever. Okay, you’re now almost close to the tone of this silly tune. Don’t sing with a sweet-sounding voice. Instead, it should be loud and (dare I say) as annoying as possible.

I’ve been reading through Isaiah in my quiet times. While doing so, I’ve deeply appreciated the truth in this promise from the Lord.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin
Tags: armor of God, Christian life, grow, hebrews, Isaiah, memorization, psalm, psalm 119, song, soul, Steele Croswhite, strength, sword, the rock church, the word, timothy, tool

East Troublesome Fire by admin

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” — Ecclesiastes 4:9

Some of my family and I hiked to Fern Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park this summer. It was a beautiful hike, and we had a fantastic time. I had been curious to hike to Fern Lake, given that a terrible fire had destroyed it three years ago. It was appropriately named the East Troublesome Fire. Additionally, the fire burned 193,000 acres (making it the second-largest fire in Colorado history). 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin
Tags: alone, aspens, connection, depression, desolate, doubt, Ecclesiastes, encouragement, Family, fellowship, fire, forest, grief, grow, Josh Whitney, Loneliness, pain, suffering, suicide, the rock church, tools, trials, trouble

Sin Magnet by admin

“The flesh wars against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh.” — Galatians 5:17

I recently watched a short video on demagnetizing powerful, permanent magnets. One technique heated the magnet to a very high temperature — as high as 1390 degrees! The heat caused the electrons to spin. Then, they realigned within the heart of the metal. As a result, the magnetism of the whole object decreased. Voila!

Furthermore, did you know that our flesh is just like a sin magnet? Sin undeniably draws us. To put it another way, our eyes, hands, feet, thoughts, and words get us into trouble. I’ve counseled in heartbreaking situations with people. They were situations where people were specifically struggling (and losing) the battle with addictions of the flesh. Alcohol, drugs, and porn are very powerful sins. In such cases, people may need a reliable treatment center. The team at Carrara luxury rehab centers ensures that every client receives tailored support, leading to lasting recovery. Offering a comprehensive approach to addiction treatment, Carrara combines luxury with expert care.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin
Tags: addiction, alcohol, Change, desire, drugs, flesh, Galations, Guilt, hot, magnet, Matthew, metal, passion, porn, sanctification, shame, sin, spiritual warfare, the rock church, turn, want, war

Credited by Caleb Yetton

“David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.’” — Romans 4:6-8

Grace is indeed a gift we could never earn. At the same time, our sin has given us an incredible debt before God. And no amount of good works could pay our debt. But the truth is that the Believer is given a credited righteousness straight from Jesus. The word “credited” (in the Bible) is a financial term for transferring a balance to our account — more specifically, a negative account.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton
Tags: account, balance, caleb yetton, debt, finances, forgiveness, Good Works, gospel, Grace, King David, mercy, money, owe, righteousness, Romans, the rock church, titus

A Hunger for True Bread by admin

“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” –John 6:35 

I love bread. When I am not eating it, I am for sure thinking about when I will eat it again. Additionally, I am very blessed because my wife knows how to bake fantastic bread, and does it a lot! Lately, there have been days where we don’t have just one or two, but sometimes THREE, fresh, hot loaves of bread to partake of throughout the day. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin
Tags: bread, bread of life, broken, Bryan D. Edwards, bryan edwards, Christ's body, craving, daily, filled, food, healthy, hunger, John, loaves, nourish, satisfaction, social media, the rock church, thirst