The Rock Church

The Paths We Pave

Proverbs 5:21-23 gives us a sober reminder: “For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes.”

Think about the truth of that verse for a second. Without a doubt, we live in a world where it’s all too easy to curate a perfect image on social media. An absolutely perfect outward appearance. In fact, we edit our feeds and filter our photos. Along with that, we keep a smile on our faces and make our lives look picture-perfect. It happens not only online but also in real life. But, even if we fool our followers and neighbors, God isn’t deceived. He sees everything. Because of this, no filter, highlight reel, or act we put on for others can hide the truth from Him. We’ve exposed our motivations, mistakes, and struggles to the One who examines every step we take.

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

But Let the One Who Boasts…

“This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.” — Jeremiah 9:23-24

Without a doubt, we live in a culture full of boasting, don’t we? There is no need to go further than our phones, computers, news feeds, billboards, television, radio (or even our mirrors) to see how prevalent boasting is.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church

Radical Transformation

In Galatians (Chapter 1), Paul wrote about the radical change that happened to him. Plus, it only could have occurred through the revelation given to him by Jesus Christ. His incredible change shocked him completely. In fact, he basically had to hang out (for three years) with a fellow brother to process it all.

Before his life changed, I think that perhaps much of what he did was to look good in front of others and please them. I believe this because he eventually wrote (multiple times) that his drastic change, new identity, and Gospel didn’t come from man.

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

Third Culture Reality: A Metaphor for the Christian Life

 “Lord, through all the generations you have been our home!” — Psalm 90:1

Our team had a full day with the European missionary kids. The older kids (12-19) had a hike, devotional, polar plunge in the Adriatic, rock climbing, board games, and a night game of kick the can. For kids 11 and under, they went swimming, played tag, looked at tide pools, skipped rocks, did an obstacle course, watched a movie, and played video games. It was a full day that hopefully gave their parents essential rest.

Posted in Missions, News by The Rock Church

Grief is an Oversized T-Shirt

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

What Would Your Nickname Be?

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

What Do You Want?

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” — Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV84)

We recently asked our kids for Christmas gift ideas. Some of them went above and beyond the call of duty. They sent us their “Wish List” from Amazon! Welcome to the technology age. This electronic wish list certainly proved to be very helpful. Specifically, it showed us that our kids took our request seriously; they knew what they wanted. I think God wants us to have the same heart attitude.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin

Transformed

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” —  2 Corinthians 5:17

I recently gave a message called “The Transforming One.” In it, I talked about the importance of accurately understanding our identity in Christ. I can’t stress that enough. The Bible says in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (NKJV) Who I think I am, absolutely affects what I do. For this reason, there is power in understanding our God-given identity. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin

Be Defined by Good Habits

Author F.M. Alexander said, “People don’t define their futures, they decide their habits, and their habits decide their future.”

We all have habits. They range from the mundane (like brushing our teeth or what we listen to on our way to work) to practicing an instrument or creating art. Habits can be amoral, while others can be sinful. Whatever type it is, it will affect you (positively or negatively).

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

God’s Doing

I’ve been reading a book called “A Body of Divinity.” It was written in 1692 by a Puritan named Thomas Watson (I love the Puritans). 

The chapter on the covenant of grace explains how much better it is to have that covenant than the previous covenant of works. He said something that I had to re-read a few times. Then I had to stop and think about it for a little while. I oftentimes have to do that because his excellent illustrations of truth and significant points about God’s Word challenge me. This particular point encouraged me so much that I wanted to share it with you.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin