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Have you ever stopped to consider what truly ignites your passion? Many of us pour tremendous energy into hobbies, sports, entertainment, and countless other pursuits—yet something deeper calls us to examine what we're genuinely "on fire" for.

This powerful message challenges us to look beyond our temporary enthusiasms to discover what drives us at our core. Just as ancient travelers always carried fire for survival, we need spiritual fire to thrive in our faith journey. But unlike physical flames that eventually die out, the fire of God within us can burn eternally—if we tend to it properly.

Drawing from Paul's encouragement to Timothy to "fan into flame the gift of God," we explore how a vibrant spiritual life requires the same elements as a physical fire: fuel, oxygen, and a spark. The Holy Spirit works as that divine breath, igniting our small embers of faith into powerful flames that transform not only our lives but the lives of those around us. We discover that God hasn't equipped us with a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and self-control—everything we need to live with passion and purpose.

Many believers experience seasons where their spiritual fire dims to barely glowing embers. Perhaps you've felt this too—going through religious motions while missing the vibrant connection with God you once enjoyed. This message offers practical wisdom for rekindling that flame through intentional communion with the Holy Spirit, who Jesus promised would dwell with us and in us as our helper and guide.

The beautiful promise remains: God's steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness extends to all generations. As you listen, you'll be challenged to examine what might be smothering your spiritual fire and encouraged to embrace the transformative power of a heart truly ablaze for God. Are you ready to reignite what matters most?

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What does it mean to truly love God with everything you have? Dr. Scott Martin tackles this fundamental question as he shares his remarkable life journey from an orphaned boy in inner-city Phoenix to a missionary spanning four decades across the world.

Scott's story begins in adversity – losing his mother at age eight, never knowing his biological father, and living with his grandmother in challenging circumstances. Yet through the love of a church family who eventually adopted him, Scott discovered his purpose in Christ. This transformation set him on a path that would lead him to minister on university campuses, plant churches in Central Asia, lead national campus ministries, and now embark on a new mission to Iceland in what he calls the "fourth quarter" of his ministry life.

At the heart of Scott's message are what he terms "the two greats" – the Great Commandment to love God completely and love others sacrificially, and the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. He emphasizes that the primary verb in the Great Commission isn't "go" but "make disciples" – a crucial distinction that shapes how we understand our mission as believers. Through powerful stories from his work in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, Scott demonstrates how God orchestrates divine appointments when we follow His leading.

Perhaps most compelling is Scott's account of his calling to Iceland – a nation that has never experienced a Christian awakening in its 1100+ year history, where 99.8% of college-age citizens don't believe in God. Through multiple prophetic confirmations, including discovering that a key Icelandic couple they're meant to disciple were former students in their ministry, Scott and his wife Crystal have witnessed God's supernatural preparation for this new chapter.

Are you living as a person of purpose, destiny, and vision? Scott challenges us to evaluate how completely we love God and how willing we are to follow wherever He leads – because our obedience today could be the divine appointment someone else needs to find their eternal destiny.

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What if the physical bags we carry are a perfect metaphor for our spiritual journey? Pastor Celeste reveals this striking parallel in her Mother's Day message, taking us from the carefree days of a small clutch to the overflowing reality of a mom bag.

Remember when you first embraced faith? Your spiritual bag was light—filled only with prayer, joy, peace, and praise. You easily cast your burdens on the Lord because you truly believed Psalm 55:22: "Cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you." But somewhere along the way, something changed.

Like the woman who transitions from a small purse to a medium-sized bag after marriage, we begin taking on burdens that aren't ours to carry. We pick up offenses for others. We stress about situations we can't control. We harbor hurts from years ago. Our spiritual bags become so heavy that we struggle to move forward in our faith journey.

"You are trying to fix problems that you cannot fix," Pastor Celeste explains. "It is not for you to fix, it is for Him." This powerful reminder echoes Jesus's invitation in Matthew 11:28-30 to take His yoke instead—a yoke that's easy and a burden that's light.

The image of being yoked with Jesus is beautiful. In biblical times, a young ox would be paired with a seasoned ox to learn how to plow. The experienced animal would bear most of the weight and guide the younger one. This is exactly what Jesus offers us—not a burden-free life, but a shared load with the One strong enough to carry it.

Ready to clean out your spiritual bag? It's time to return to the necessities: prayer, joy, peace, and praise. Leave the rest at Jesus's feet. What are you carrying today that was never yours to bear?

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What are you carrying that's weighing you down? In this powerful message on spiritual readiness, we explore the concept of "everyday carry" from a biblical perspective. While some of us meticulously prepare go-bags and survival kits for physical emergencies, we often neglect the more essential preparation of our hearts and minds.

The challenge many of us face isn't about lacking equipment but operating from a place of fear rather than faith. When fear motivates our preparation, we miss the freedom God intends. Through personal stories and scriptural truth, we discover how Jesus calls us to carry our cross daily – not as a burden, but as an alignment with His purposes that brings unexpected freedom.

Drawing from Philippians 4, we unpack Paul's powerful declaration: "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." This isn't about superhuman abilities but about finding supernatural contentment and strength regardless of circumstances. The beloved words of Psalm 23 remind us that even in the valley of death's shadow, God's presence transforms our experience entirely.

Many of us are carrying stones of past mistakes, broken promises, painful words spoken over us, and recurring sins. These weigh us down unnecessarily when Christ offers something much lighter: "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." True spiritual readiness means trading our heavy rocks for His light burden and walking in the freedom only Jesus provides.

Ready to lighten your load? Join us for this life-changing journey toward carrying what truly matters. Whether you're a longtime follower or just exploring faith, you'll discover practical ways to be spiritually prepared for whatever comes your way.

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What do you carry with you every day? Keys, wallet, phone—these items help us feel prepared for whatever the day might bring. But what about spiritual preparation?

Our new series "Everyday Carry" opens with a thought-provoking message about the armor of God and how we prepare ourselves spiritually for daily battles. Through a humorous story about accidentally bringing a pocket knife through airport security in Europe, we're reminded that we can carry all the right physical tools and still be spiritually unprepared.

Jesus challenges us in Luke 9 to "take up your cross daily and follow me"—emphasizing that spiritual readiness is a daily commitment, not a weekend activity. When we're caught unprepared spiritually, we're vulnerable to attacks that could have been prevented.

The armor of God in Ephesians 6 provides a powerful framework for spiritual preparedness: the belt of truth that anchors us in honesty, the breastplate of righteousness that protects our heart while keeping it open to God and others, shoes of peace that carry God's presence wherever we walk, the shield of faith that blocks spiritual attacks, the helmet of salvation that gives us the mind of Christ, and the sword of the Spirit—God's Word—that becomes our weapon against darkness.

Most compelling is the realization that while we might forget our physical tools, our spiritual armor should never be left behind. Faith becomes our currency in God's kingdom, blocking attacks of doubt, fear and anxiety. The peace of God doesn't just rest within us but goes before us into our homes, workplaces, and relationships.

Are you fully equipped for today's spiritual battles? The greatest thing you can carry isn't something that fits in your pocket—it's the presence and protection of God that goes with you everywhere. Join us as we learn to be spiritually prepared every single day.

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The resurrection of Jesus isn't just a historical event—it's the cornerstone of our faith and the source of transformative power in our lives today. Pastor J opens his heart with raw vulnerability, sharing how he drifted from his faith despite growing up in church. When bitterness took root, he pursued his own path until a horrific car accident on a California freeway became his wake-up call. Hanging between life and death, his face split open and bleeding, J cried out to Jesus—suddenly aware he wasn't ready to meet God.

That near-death experience revealed a profound truth that echoes through this Easter message: God isn't finished with you yet. No matter your mistakes, your regrets, or how far you've wandered, resurrection power offers a fresh start and a new identity. "You are not your mistakes," Pastor J declares. "You are a child of God."

Through powerful scripture passages from John and Luke, we journey from humanity's separation from God to the empty tomb where angels proclaimed, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen!" This resurrection transforms everything—making us new creations, not just improved versions of our old selves.

The message culminates in a moving invitation to experience this resurrection power personally. Whether accepting Christ for the first time or recommitting to follow Him wholeheartedly, dozens respond to the call to say "yes" to Jesus. Because when we understand what happened that first Easter morning, we can't help but run toward the open arms of the One who conquered death for us.

What area of your life needs resurrection power today? God is waiting to make all things new.

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The triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday reveals a profound spiritual truth—we can declare His victory even before we see it manifest in our circumstances. As the crowd laid palm branches and personal cloaks before Jesus, they were making powerful declarations about His worth and identity as the promised Messiah.

Those palm fronds weren't just convenient decorations; in the scorching Middle Eastern climate, they represented precious shade. By cutting and laying them down, people demonstrated that Jesus was worth more than their comfort. Similarly, their cloaks represented social status and personal identity—laying these down showed a willingness to surrender everything for Christ. These weren't empty gestures but heartfelt expressions of worship flowing from deep conviction about who Jesus was.

This Palm Sunday message challenges us to examine what we're declaring through our worship. Are we lifting high the name of Jesus with the same enthusiasm we show for sports teams or entertainment? Are we making declarative statements about His victory over our circumstances, regardless of what we can currently see? The crowd's cries of "Hosanna to the Son of David" recognized Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy, even though they didn't fully understand the spiritual nature of His kingdom.

The cleansing of the temple further illustrates how Jesus makes room for holy purposes. By driving out those who had commercialized worship, He created space for healing the blind and lame. Similarly, He wants to clear away anything in our lives that hinders His work of restoration and transformation. When we align our hearts with His purposes, we position ourselves to experience His blessing and provision in supernatural ways.

Ready to declare Christ's victory over every area of your life? Join us for Holy Week services including Good Friday reflections and Easter Sunday celebrations. Let's proclaim together that Jesus is Lord over every circumstance, every challenge, and every broken place in our world.

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What happens when God disrupts your vision and redirects your focus to places no one wants to go? Mark and Dalene Good share their remarkable 30-year journey as missionaries, from Bangladesh to France and now to the overlooked Benelux region of Europe.

These veteran church planters take us through a spiritual eye exam, challenging us to develop the three dimensions of spiritual vision: eyesight (seeing what God sees), insight (feeling what God feels), and foresight (knowing what to do about it). Through powerful stories like Clara, a trafficked woman who experienced God's intervention when a client tried to strangle her, and Julie, a skeptical French student who eventually asked to study the Bible, we glimpse the spiritual hunger beneath Europe's secular exterior.

The spiritual crisis in Europe is more severe than most realize. In France, where secularism was born, faith in God has been replaced with faith in self, leading to epidemic levels of mental health struggles. "We were never designed to be God," Mark explains. "We were never designed to wear the weight of having to be God in our lives, and it's literally crushing people to death." In Luxembourg, merely 0.25% of the population knows Jesus, while Belgium's Dutch-speaking region has only 40 small churches averaging 15 people each, mostly led by aging pastors with no successors.

This message parallels Paul's vision in Acts 16, where a Macedonian man begged him to "come over and help us." Just as Macedonia was an overlooked military buffer zone in Paul's day, Benelux occupies a similar position today – overrun in wars, not a destination anyone chooses, yet desperately in need of the gospel. If we could hear Europeans' spiritual cry, Mark suggests, it would be "an SOS with two exclamation points."

What barriers is God asking you to cross? Whether it's praying more intentionally for unreached peoples, giving sacrificially to missions, or stepping out in faith to share Christ with a neighbor, the Goods' testimony reminds us that when we obey God's redirections, He provides everything we need for the journey.

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