The Rock Church

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

The Beatitudes

I’ve found a lot of wisdom and comfort in the Beatitudes lately. If you’re not sure what the Beatitudes are, they’re eight little proverbs that Jesus used as an introduction to His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, Chapter 5.

I think one of the reasons they’ve been so encouraging to me is because there is no circumstance in which these truths should or shouldn’t be applied. These eight gold mines (that our King and friend Jesus teaches us) are timeless, incredibly practical and able to be applied to all areas of our lives. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin

Loving My Neighbors

It’s with a deep conviction that I’ve been thinking a lot about loving my neighbors. The Bible is crystal clear on this point; the onus of obedience is on me. Here is one of just many verses on loving your neighbors (I love how James quotes from the Old Testament and refers to it as the royal law).

“Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” — James 2:8 (NLT)

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin

The Rock Church Reopening Announcement

Hello, Rock Church! The pastors asked me to update you on the status of The Rock Church Reopening. Many of you have been asking, and we have some great news. We are planning on reopening our church building to the public on the weekend of June 20 & 21! 

As a result of our reopening, I’d like to share some of the changes you can expect when you arrive back in our building. Above all, our heart is to honor Jesus and keep our flock safe by heeding some basic social distancing guidelines from our state, federal and medical leaders. Keeping that in mind, here are just a few of the restrictions we’ll implement: (Note: These new guidelines are only temporary until we can be confident we may move ahead safely.)

Posted in News, Statements by The Rock Church

God is Preparing a Room for His Children + NEWS

I want to tell you about an unseen blessing that is going on right now. During this crisis, our Children’s Director, Phil Hahn, has taken advantage of this time to remodel some classrooms for the children of The Rock Church. Similarly, God is preparing a room in Heaven for us — His children. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor, News by The Rock Church

The Lord is Near to His People

I want to encourage you today with something we see over and over in the Bible. The Lord is near to His people. Throughout time and during all sorts of difficulties, that has remained true. 

Psalm 145:18-19 says “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.” That is a beautiful truth!

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin

A King of Their Own Creation + What’s Happening

Recently, during one of our weekend services, we looked at The Triumphant Entry in Mark 11. The Jewish people had their own timeline for when the Messiah should save them from the Romans. They tried making a King of their own creation.

Likewise, we can do the same thing, right? We have our own timeline for how we want life to return to normal. It can be easy to get angry — even at the King — when things don’t go the way we want them to during this time. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor, News by The Rock Church

Persistent in Prayer + What’s Happening

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a woman in our church who wanted to be baptized (even with everything going on around us). She was persistent in her request and not to be deterred. 

Consequently, we baptized her and it was so much fun! She had such joy obeying Jesus in this way. We were overjoyed to grant her request. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor, News, Uncategorized by The Rock Church

Forgiveness

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” — Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV 84)

Forgiveness always sounds good — at least in theory. We are told in Colossians 3:13 to, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” But, how do we do that? And, what happens when we get hurt by someone and have difficulty forgiving? How can we practically forgive those who have hurt us?

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin

Our Identity in the Love of Jesus

I was recently reminded of a teaching I heard about the disciple, John. When John refers to himself, as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” we see where John found his identity. Likewise, we can be encouraged that ours can be found there, too. 

There are countless ways that we can label ourselves. Even in saying we are “lovers of Jesus” we can put so much of the onus on our effort. As a result, we miss the mark. Instead, Christian, may we find our identity in the love of Jesus. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton