The Rock Church

Light & Truth

It’s amazing how personal our God is! There are points in our lives when we have discouragement, times of doubt, times we question if God is really listening to us. Or, has He just tossed us aside? These thoughts are real and we can wonder if we are the only ones who think them?

Reading through the Psalms (Chapters 42 – 43, NLT), the Psalmist writes about how he is feeling doubt and discouragement. His enemy is all around him, taunting him; he is alone. He has the real sense that God has tossed him aside and isn’t answering his prayers.

(more…)

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

Traps

“If a bird sees a trap being set, it knows to stay away.” — Proverbs 1:17 (NLT)

I find a bit of irony in this verse. As human beings, most of us would say we are smarter than birds — that we can make better decisions for ourselves than birds can. But, it’s pretty clear from this verse that when a bird sees a trap being set, it knows to stay away. We’re not quite that smart.

(more…)

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

Thrill

I love the thrill of roller coasters. There is just something about them — the anticipation while I am waiting in line, the grinding and clanking sounds while I slowly move to the top, and then… the drop! I get butterflies in my stomach thinking about it. I usually go through the entire ride with a huge smile on my face. As it comes to the end, I get super pumped and want to do it all over again!

(more…)

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

Crying Out

“With every bone in my body I will praise Him: “LORD, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?” — Psalm 35:10

(more…)

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

Asking For Wisdom

“So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.” — Colossians 1:9-10

(more…)

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

The Dash

Death is interesting. It is the only thing we are guaranteed after we are born. We are not guaranteed a good life, a lot of money, success, or happiness. The only thing we know is that at some point in our lives, we’ll die. It’s good to talk about death and take some time to process it.

(more…)

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

Resurrection

This past weekend we celebrated Easter — the celebration of the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s a time to remember what Jesus did for us when He conquered death on the cross. You might still wonder, what is the significance of the Resurrection and what did it accomplish for us?

First, we can know that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ justifies us before God. In Romans 4:25 Paul writes… “Who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” Justification means, “the action of declaring or making righteous in the sight of God.” We can take great comfort in this truth. Because of our sinful nature we are separated from God and are not at all capable of a relationship with him (see more in Romans 6:28 and Isaiah 59:2). But, Jesus stepped in and took our punishment. He was the payment for our sins, something that we couldn’t do on our own!

(more…)

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

Rejoice

Recently, I have been living inside of the Psalms, reading them over and over again. I just love how David wrote down his thoughts so poetically.

One of the Psalms that really spoke to me, was Psalm 40. David expressed what I believe is a scenario we all tend to experience when we first get saved.

First, in verses 40:1-3, God pulls us out of our old life and gives us a new song, new life, gives us salvation. Then, in verses 40:4-10, there is that exciting feeling we have knowing all of the great things that God has done for us — we proclaim it to the world. Next, in verses 40:11-15, we see the critics, the skeptics, the haters of God. The ones who start to attack our new found life with Him! They try to destroy, humiliate and shame us for loving God.

(more…)

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

Peace & Joy

Recently, I was reading through the book of Philippians, and there were some simple verses that really spoke to me.

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others as significant as yourself.” (2:3)

(more…)

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

Set Apart

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to teach on John, Chapter 17; it is known as the High Priestly Prayer. I was able to take a closer look at not only who Jesus prayed to, but who and what He prayed for, and why He prayed. This chapter is full of rich truths and you can learn a good deal from them.

(more…)

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