This week Pastor Keith will be preaching on Gluttony at the 9:45 service. Pastor Laura will be preaching at the traditional services.

Gluttony is not just a sin that involves eating- it is any appetite that is out of control. We'll talk about how to control your appetite instead of letting it control you.

Lost in Candy Land

This week Pastor Keith will be preaching on Gluttony at the 9:45 service. Pastor Laura will be preaching at the traditional services.

Gluttony is not just a sin that involves eating- it is any appetite that is out of control. We'll talk about how to control your appetite instead of letting it control you.

Greed is *not* good
This clip from the movie Wall Street has become one of the most infamous takes on greed of our time. It's no surprise that God's view of greed is different than Mr. Gekko's. This week we'll talk about the hole greed puts us in, how to get out, and the joy of generosity.

For more info, check out the study guide below and feel free to forward this to friends who might be interested.

Study Guide
1. "The only reason a great many American families don't own an elephant is that they have never been offered an elephant for a dollar down and easy weekly payments." -Mad Magazine. A humorous take on a serious problem. What do Jesus' words in Luke 12:15 have to say to you about the elephants you are tempted to make a payment plan for? What does Jesus say leads to abundant life?

2. Read Luke 12:15-21 (a continuation from yesterday). Look around- where have you seen people tearing down their barns to build bigger ones? How can we faithfully plan for the future (retirement, kids' college...) without making "bigger barns" our legacy?

3. Read Matthew 6:19-21. Look at the past 15 years of your life. What did you once consider "luxury" which is now a "necessity?" Spend some time answering this question- do you possess what you own, or does it possess you?

4. Paul, a seasoned leader, writes several letters to Timothy, a young leader. Read 1 Tim. 6:10. What does Paul say is the root of all evil? Is it money or the love of it? What's the difference? Why does the latter lead to sorrow? Why do we have to choose between loving God or loving money? What makes it impossible to do both?

4. A Native American proverb tells of a grandfather talking to his young grandson. He tells the boy he has two wolves inside of him struggling with each other. The first is the wolf of peace, love and kindness. The other wolf is fear, greed and hatred. "Which wolf will win, grandfather?" asks the boy. "Whichever I feed," replies the grandfather. Jesus said, "I came that they might have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10), yet greed has us looking for life in our possessions. Which side are you feeding?

5. Now, for the antidote. Read Proverbs 11:24-25. How does giving refresh you? Think of a time this was particularly true. In what way have you seen that generosity leads to having more, not less?

"The Sin of Covetousness"
By Senior Pastor Keith Wyatt

Luke 12:13-21 (New International Version)

The Parable of the Rich Fool

13Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."
14Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 15Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

16And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'

18"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '

20"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

21"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

Sloth...

This week is actually on sloth. Sloth is...actually, I'm tired of explaining it. I think I'll just let you figure it out. (get it?)

For more info, check out the study guide below and feel free to forward this to friends who might be interested.

Study Guide
1. How would you define sloth? And don't say this:
Some call sloth laziness, but I think apathy is closer to the truth. When have you known you should respond, but done nothing instead? What, do you think, was the result, for you and for others?

"The Sin of Sloth (Accidie)"
By Senior Pastor Keith Wyatt

Revelation 3:14-22 (New International Version)

To the Church in Laodicea

14"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Anger sneaks up on all of us. We find ourselves muttering when a driver pulls out in front of us, seething when that nosy person tells us yet again how to live our lives, or slamming down the phone when a telemarketer interrupts dinner.

Is feeling angry a sin? What does God have to say about anger and my response? And what should I do when I'm angry? We'll talk about all this, and the one type of anger God would love to see more of, this Sunday.

For more info, check out the study guide below and feel free to forward this to friends who might be interested.

Study Guide

1. What has made you angry this week, today? What generally pushes your buttons? What do you do when you are angry- what normally comes next? How do you imagine God feels about your response to anger? Pray to respond in ways that honor him today.

2. Paul tells angry believers what to do in Ephesians 4:26. He's quoting an earlier scripture. Can you tell from the footnotes which that is? What do these two scriptures reveal about the feeling of anger? Is it a sin, or does the sin come later? When have you sinned because of anger? When have you been angry without sinning?

3. Psalm 37:8 tells us to "refrain" and "turn away" from anger. What kinds of actions turn us towards anger? What specific things help you turn away? What evil has been the result of refusing to turn away from anger in your life?

4. Psalm 137 is a very angry psalm. Why is this in the Bible? What place does anger have in scripture? This psalm was written in exile- the Jewish people were captives in Babylon. In what way does that help you understand their song? If you wrote an angry psalm, what would it be about?

5. John 2:13-17 tells of Jesus driving merchants out of the temple with a whip. In Matthew 23, he chastises religious leaders, and in Matthew 21:18-19, a fig tree withers under his curse. What commonality do you see in Jesus' anger? How is it like and unlike what makes you angry? Jesus lived without sin, yet was clearly angry in these cases. What's the difference between his anger and sinful anger?

"Sin of Anger"
By Senior Pastor Keith Wyatt

It sure must be nice...
We all compare ourselves to others. But too often those comparisons don't inspire us to emulate that fine person, but to wish they were brought low. That's the sin of envy, the yuckiest, ugliest and meanest of the 7 Deadly Sins. Though we are all guilty of this sin, there are several antidotes that can keep it from putting black spots on our souls. We'll talk about them on Sunday.

For more info, check out the study guide below and feel free to forward this to friends who might be interested.

Study Guide

1. Gore Vidal once said, "When a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies." In what ways do you know what he means? What are you most likely to envy?

2.Proverbs 14:30 says "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." Do you think envy has physical side affects? Does contentment? Pray for contentment today. Whenever you are tempted to envy another, seek to be content in what you already have.

3.The Pharisees turned Jesus over to be crucified out of envy (Matthew 27:18). What are some other instances of envy in the Bible? Where do they lead?

4. Romans 12:15 teaches us to "rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." Envy often switches this rule. We rejoice when people mourn and mourn when they rejoice. Pray for God's help and grace to celebrate sincerely in another's joy.

5. 1 Peter 2:1 charges us to get rid of envy. How might you do that?

"The Sin of Envy"
By Senior Pastor, Keith Wyatt

"Pride: Humble Pie is Still a Meal"
By Associate Pastor Laura Heikes

I prefer chocolate, pecan, even pumpkin to humble pie...

This week we're beginning a series on the Seven Deadly Sins, which I often think of as the 7 Daily Sins because they are so common in our lives. And we'll start at the traditional beginning of the list, with pride, the root of them all.

Pride- the reason most of us are "above average" drivers and why our kids are way more intelligent than their peers. Did you know that pride is the only deadly sin with a good side? Do you know how to use humility to strike sinful pride a mighty blow? We'll discuss all this and more on Sunday.

For more info, check out the study guide below and feel free to forward this to friends who might be interested.

Study Guide

1. Can you name the 7 Deadly Sins? As you reflect on this list, how do these compare to the 10 commandments? What commonality can you find? Which do you struggle with most? Least?

2. Proverbs 16:18 says "Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall." When has pride caused you to fall? Why do you think it often leads to destruction?

3. Some pride is healthy. Look up 2 Cor 7:4 and Galatians 6:4. What kinds of pride are mentioned here? What kind of pride is healthy (list a few examples) and how is that different from the sinful pride we should avoid?

4. In Matthew 11:29, how does Jesus describe himself? How do these attributes affect us, his followers- that is, what can we find in him because of this? What does it mean to say our Savior, our God, is humble?

5. Ephesians 4:2 contains instructions on how Christians should treat each other. How should we behave? Too often, believers act in other ways. How could allow these attributes to characterize your behavior to a greater extent this week?

"The Sin of Pride"
By Senior Pastor Keith Wyatt

Luke 18:9-14 (New International Version)

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about[a] himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
13"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

"Happy Ending"
By Associate Pastor Laura Heikes

"A Story on Three Levels"
By Associate Pastor Harold Sassman

By Associate Pastor Harold Sassman.