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Community that doesn’t make sense When you look at the early Church from the outside, one thing stands out immediately—it was a community that didn’t make sense. These people were clearly together, but socially, they didn’t “match.” It wasn’t a club of the wealthy or the poor. It wasn’t just men or just women. It wasn’t only Jews or only Gentiles. They came from every part of the social spectrum, and yet they were glued together. That’s not accidental. From…
Should Christians Worry About AI? Artificial Intelligence is no longer a distant idea—it’s already shaping how we work, learn, communicate, and make decisions. It can write emails, create images, summarize books, predict patterns, and even “answer” spiritual questions. So it’s fair to ask: Should Christians worry about AI? The short answer is: Christians shouldn’t panic—but we should pay attention. Wisdom vs Intelligence To think clearly about AI, we need to define something the world constantly confuses: wisdom. AI can store…
The First Step to Embracing the Holy Spirit If you step back and look at the story Scripture is telling from beginning to end, one truth becomes clear: there is a problem humanity cannot solve on its own. There is a breach between Creator and creation—a relational chasm between God and mankind. And because of that divide, there’s a hard reality we often resist: we can only relate to God on God’s terms. That’s the first step to embracing the…
A vision for 2026 and beyond… The first Sunday of a new year naturally invites fresh energy, fresh goals, and fresh expectations. As we step into 2026, it’s tempting to focus only on what lies immediately ahead. But what if our vision stretched further? What if, instead of thinking only about this year, we lifted our eyes toward the next five? When we look toward 2030, we gain clarity. A long view helps us understand the strategic steps needed along…
God Can Use Anybody: The Call of Peter and Paul One of the most remarkable truths in Scripture is that a perfect, holy, all-powerful God chooses to do His work through imperfect, ordinary people. If we’re honest, it doesn’t make much sense. Why would a God who can do all things ever need help doing anything—and why would He come looking for help from us, the most inconsistent part of His creation? Yet this is the mystery and beauty of…
Often, the early church in Acts is idolized of the perfect example of what Jesus had in mind when He said He would build His church. But the truth is, the early church wasn’t perfect. In fact, Acts 15 shows us that from the very beginning, there were blockages—spiritual restrictions—that kept God’s love from flowing freely through His people. When the Church Debated Who Could Be Saved The church began in Jerusalem, among Jewish believers. Many assumed that Christianity was…
Seeking Spiritual Healing You can look fine on the outside and still be walking around with heart disease. Spiritually speaking, the same is true. Sometimes we don’t realize we’re in danger until we’re lying flat on our backs, forced to stop and examine what’s really going on inside. That’s what happened to Pastor Courtney during a recent health scare that led to open heart surgery—and in that vulnerable space, God began to speak. Not just about physical healing, but about…
Have you ever been FIRED from a job before? Maybe you’re thinking, “Court, please don’t remind me!” Or, maybe you are on the opposite extreme. Maybe you view being fired as something that is completely unthinkable for you. Or maybe you own your own business, and therefore, work holds a completely different framework for you. Nevertheless, there is always the possibility of being relieved of responsibility in some way. So, whether you have an actual boss, or just customers – there is accountability…
What if I told you that God wants you to be rich? I’m sure there would be a mixture of thoughts and feelings you might have in response to that statement! You might just roll your eyes at me, and think about the many unfortunate stories of churches taking advantage of people with promises that God will trade His wealth for their faith. I certainly understand that concern. However there is a perspective that recalibrates our understanding of God’s intention for…
Hello, Cumberland Family! Here’s a quick update on our renovation project: Window and glass installation in Building 100 is underway! Four of the six frames on the ground level require complete demolition due to the windows being modified with a brick infill. Water damage and some other great surprises were discovered once the frames were exposed. So prior to storefront installation, the window frames must be repaired and waterproofed. Once this is completed, the brick will be relaid, and you…