BLESS: Begin with Prayer

BLESS: Share Your Story

This past Sunday, Pastor Chris Millar taught the final S in the BLESS series, Share Your Story, reminding us that when the good news of Jesus becomes the best news in our lives, we will share it with others. Looking at Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well in John 4, we saw how one person’s encounter with Jesus led many others to believe. Like the woman who went and told her town about Jesus, we are invited to share the best news with those God has placed around us.

BLESS: Service

This past Sunday, Pastor Aaron Sanders taught the first S in the BLESS series, Service, reminding us that service is sacrificial love for the glory of God and the good of others. From Galatians 6:2–5, we were reminded of the difference between burdens that are too heavy to carry alone and the personal responsibilities each of us are called to carry. Like the friends who brought the paralytic to Jesus, we are invited to lovingly step into the burdens of others, willing to be inconvenienced for their good, while still honoring the responsibility God has given each person.

BLESS: Eat Together

This past Sunday, Pastor Trey Etter shared how Jesus’ dinner invitation to Levi in Luke 5:27–32 turns the ordinary table into a powerful tool for relational ministry. By intentionally focusing on the E in our BLESS series—Eating together—we see Jesus model a radical hospitality that avoids demanding people clean up before they can belong, or accepting them with no expectation of heart transformation. Instead, Jesus extends an immediate welcome and a call to repentance simultaneously. As sent ambassadors, we have the opportunity to turn ordinary meals into meaningful moments of ministry and connection

BLESS: Listen

Today, we hear from Pastor Chris Millar as he focuses on listening, the second rhythm of the BLESS model. Walking through the Road to Emmaus in Luke 24, we see how Jesus beautifully modeled a ministry of proximity, patience, and thoughtful questions. Instead of rushing to fix the disciples' grief or immediately revealing His identity, He invited them to share their own story. By genuinely listening to the pain, doubts, and confusion of those around us, we cultivate the trust needed to share the gospel. Listening to others ultimately sets the table for them to hear about the unique Lordship of Jesus.

BLESS: Begin with Prayer

This past Sunday, Pastor Chris Millar launched our summer series, BLESS, by looking at our very first habit: Begin with Prayer. Walking through Jesus’ ministry in Luke and the early church in Acts, we see that real mission is always birthed in prayer. It’s not just a religious chore; it’s a posture of gospel dependency that aligns our hearts with God's heart for the lost. When we couple a devotion to God’s Word with consistent prayer, we guard ourselves against cold moralism. True prayer turns our hearts inside out, transforming how we love and pursue those close to us but far from God.