The Rock Church

Patience and Seeking in Faith

“Don’t care how I want it now.” Veruca Salt sings these words while dancing in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. She also insists that she gets what she wants when she wants it. It’s easy to cringe at her horrible attitude. We tell ourselves we are certainly not like that. But on the whole, in our fast-paced world, patience is not something most of us have enough of.

Get Rich Quick! Lose Weight Fast! Get Instant Access! We all see a good deal of these types of headlines while scrolling on our phones. It’s everywhere — instant gratification in everything from communication to consuming movies to getting meals.

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

Remain

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” — John 15:4-5

I recently read through The One Year Bible and found these verses in John; they are perhaps among my favorites. These words come from our Savior Jesus. They remind me, quite simply, that “fruit” produced in our lives comes through abiding and resting in Him. 

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Do Not Fear

“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” — Isaiah 41:10 (NASB)

What an absolutely beautiful promise from our Father! 

When my oldest son was just a few years old, my family and I went to Lake Havasu for a boating trip. As we stopped in some coves while riding the boat, I took my son Abel into the water to swim with me. He had always been pretty hesitant when it came to water. After I put on my life jacket, I grabbed a floating swim noodle. Then, I picked up my cautious son (in his life jacket) and gently got into the lake. Abel safely floated in my arms with his head high above the water.  

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton

Bold as a Lion

“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” — Proverbs 28:1

Do you read the news? There is certainly a lot out there to cause worry and fear in my heart. So much is going on — from political unrest to droughts (and now flooding), shootings, economic news (inflation, the banking crisis, or interest rates), wars, rumors of wars, increasing wickedness, the love of many growing cold, etc. All that is happening locally, nationally, and globally naturally fills us with worry and fear.

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Hope in Hardship

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” — John 14:27 (NIV84)

A few weeks ago, I taught how to have hope in the midst of hardship. Many people told me that that message was precisely what they needed. I certainly needed to hear it, too! Life is always full of suffering, and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, Jesus promised, “In this world, you will have trouble.” (John 16:33b)

The reality of pain and suffering forces us to ask ourselves, “Where is my hope?” Jean-Paul Sartre, a well-known atheist, was agonizing over the thought of death. People heard him repeatedly say, “I know I shall die in hope…but hope needs a foundation!” I am eternally thankful to God for giving us a solid foundation on which we can have hope – even as we walk through the valley of death, difficulty, grief, and sorrow.

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Let it Snow!

I have a love/hate relationship with snow. The lovely song that Frank Sinatra made famous, “Let It Snow,” brings a certain whimsical set of emotions. Yes, the snow is beautiful! Yet, my back is aching, and driving is stressful. When pondering the statement “let it snow,” I can’t help but be reminded of the One (and only One) who controls the snow.

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Three Reasons to Delight in God’s Word Today

Is the Word of God something you take delight in?

I’ve recently been thinking quite a bit about the word “delight”. We are currently in a sermon series at church (through Psalm 119) called “Delighting In God’s Word.” I take delight in naps, cats, and iced Americanos. I take great pleasure in the joy of Disneyland with my wife and children. But the thought of delighting in God’s Word strikes a chord that goes much deeper. Of course, I enjoy the goodness of God in the good times. But what about the times when I need the promises of God to minister to me in a more profound way? How can I delight in God’s Word when walking through pain, suffering, and loss?

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Grafted

In his last published book, “The Excellency of a Broken Heart,” the great puritan author John Bunyan wrote:

“Conversion is not the smooth, easy-going process some men seem to think . . . . It is wounding work, of course, this breaking of the hearts, but without wounding there is no saving. . . . Where there is grafting there is a cutting. The scion must be let in with a wound; to stick it on to the outside or to tie it on with a string would be of no use. The heart must be set to heart and back to back, or there will be no sap from root to branch, and this, I say, must be done by a wound.”

Many blessings come with God’s gift of salvation. However, there are also many troubles and pains. There is the breaking down of our earthly bodies, the desires and temptations of our sinful flesh, and satan (the prowling lion) wishing to destroy us and ruin the joy and goodness in our lives. Additionally, hate and venom are directed toward us from a world the unregenerate part of us so longs to please. 

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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.

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Trust in Him at All Times

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” — Psalm 62:5-8

I’m not exactly sure what each of you is going through. But I know that, most likely, we are staring something in the face that brings us to a place of needing to trust Jesus. Perhaps in the past weeks (or in the coming weeks), you are wrestling with trusting Jesus. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton