Shows
Highrock ChurchSermon | Fear of the Lord (Matthew 10)What does it mean to fear God—and why would the Bible call that a good thing? Pastor Richard Lee takes us from the heights of the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the gravitational center of our spiritual universe, challenging everything we assume about fear, danger, and reverence. Could it be that the only rational fear... is the fear that reorders everything else?· ·👉🏻 Check out other Highrock sermons: https://tinyurl.com/3rdw4x8n👉🏻 Check out Highrock's 15-min daily devotionals: https://tinyurl.com/38d4aryd2025-06-2226 min
Highrock ChurchSermon | Does God Ever Change His Mind?What if God does change His mind? And what if your free will isn't as free as you think? Pastor Taylor Burgoyne dives headfirst into two theological juggernauts - divine sovereignty and human choice - and explores whether our desire for a God who never changes might actually keep us from seeing the God who’s far more dynamic and responsive than we imagined.· ·👉🏻 Check out other Highrock sermons: https://tinyurl.com/3rdw4x8n👉🏻 Check out Highrock's 15-min daily devotionals: https://tinyurl.com/38d4aryd2025-06-1730 min
Highrock ChurchSermon | Why does God allow disability? (Luke 5)What if the real wonder of Luke 5 isn’t just a healed body—and what does it reveal about the question, ‘Why does God allow disability?’ Drawing on personal ‘conversion points’—from Jacob’s wrestle with God to her own experience parenting a child with Down syndrome—Meghan unpacks biblical community, cultural barriers, and what it really means for the Christians to be “whole and holy.”· ·👉🏻 Check out other Highrock sermons: https://tinyurl.com/3rdw4x8n👉🏻 Check out Highrock's 15-min daily devotionals: https://tinyurl.com/38d4aryd2025-06-0828 min
Highrock ChurchSermon | Does God Have a Plan for My Life? (Romans 12)How do we know what God wants us to do - especially when the stakes are high and the options unclear? Pastor Dave Swaim explores one of the most common and complicated questions Christians face: Does God have a specific plan for my life, and how can I figure it out?From childhood choices to major life decisions, we often long for divine clarity. But is God's will a secret blueprint we must discover - or something more profound and freeing? This message offers wisdom for navigating uncertainty, avoiding spiritual manipulation, and learning to walk humbly with...2025-06-0132 min
Highrock ChurchSermon | Where are the Miracles? (Mark 2)“Where are the miracles?” It’s a question born of both skepticism and hope - one the Bible wrestles with more than you might think. In this episode, Pastor John Mury explores what miracles really are, why they’ve always been rare, and how their true power may lie in what they point to, not what they fix.· ·👉🏻 Check out other Highrock sermons: https://tinyurl.com/3rdw4x8n👉🏻 Check out Highrock's 15-min daily devotionals: https://tinyurl.com/38d4aryd2025-05-2526 min
Highrock ChurchSermon | Free for Life (Ephesians 4)Why bother going to church?Is church just a spiritual pick-me-up, a Sunday habit, or something far more? In this sermon, Pastor Richard Lee challenges us to rethink not only why we show up to church, but how we show up - and what might be missing when we don't. If you've ever felt like a spectator in your own faith, this one's for you. · ·👉🏻 Check out other Highrock sermons: https://tinyurl.com/3rdw4x8n👉🏻 Check out Highrock's 15-min daily devotionals: https://tinyurl.com/38d4aryd2025-05-1826 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | No King But Caesar? (John 19:8-16)When Pilate considers that Jesus might be more than human, it strikes him with fear. Even so, he is even more afraid of Caesar. The religious leaders are no different, saying to Pilate, "We have no king but Caesar!" Who determines what is right in our lives? Who sets the priorities? Do we bend our will for the approval of the crowds, to satisfy the demands of those in power or the demands of our own comfort, pleasure, or security? Or does God alone sit on the throne?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one...2025-04-1814 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Loving Opposition (John 19:1-7)How do we respond to those who oppose and betray us? The Roman guards took delight in their cruelty to Jesus. Pilate simply wanted to wash his hands of it all. But Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, though they would soon abandon him. He also washed the feet of Judas, who would soon betray him. And Jesus then told them to love one another as Jesus had loved. We can and should oppose those who practice dehumanization and cruelty, but always out of love -- including love for the offender.Looking for a previous devo...2025-04-1714 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | What is Truth? (John 18:33-40)Daily Devo | What is Truth? (John 18:33-40)The Roman governor Pilate takes Jesus inside for a private conversation. Pilate asks Jesus two questions: "What have you done?" and "What is truth?" Pilate is looking for a way to get himself and Jesus out of this situation but Jesus' isn't helping. In the end, he offers Jesus of Nazareth to the crowds, but they call for Jesus Barabbas instead -- someone who was much more willing to use political force and violence.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:2025-04-1614 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Who's In Charge Around Here? (John 18:28-32)The Jewish leaders know they are not in charge as they do not have the legal power to execute Jesus. They go to the Roman governor, Pilate, who alone has the power to have Jesus killed. But is Pilate truly in charge? He is in a weaker position than most realized. In the end, they are all moving according to the plan of God, the only one who is truly in control of these events.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2025-04-1514 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Getting Back Up Again (John 18:15-27)Daily Devo | Getting Back Up Again (John 18:15-27)Jesus predicted Judas' betrayal and he also predicted Peter's as well. One of the biggest differences was that Peter wanted to be restored while Judas ran and took matters into his own hands. We will all fall. The question is whether we will trust that Jesus is ready to restore us. Yes, we all fall, but will we trust Jesus enough to get back up again?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2025-04-1414 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Cutting a Deal with God (Flashback Fridays, Genesis 15:7-12,17-18)This flashback from March 23, 2022 was part of our Lent series. Abraham's original name was Abram and in those early days, he struggled to trust and believe God. God assured Abram by making a covenant -- literally, cutting a deal with him. This same deal is the covenant that is offered to us today through what Jesus accomplished on the cross.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-06-2814 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Wise Living Under Unwise Leaders (Ecclesiastes 10:5-6,12-20)A little foolishness can ruin a lot of wise choices -- especially when that foolishness comes from our leaders! How can we live wisely under unwise leaders? The Teacher explores the path that wisdom carves through such unpredictable times. Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-06-2714 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Wisdom is Valuable; Wisdom is Vulnerable (Ecclesiastes 9:13-18)Wisdom can be more powerful than invading armies, yet wisdom can also be easily ignored or forgotten. What should we do in response to this paradox? We must seek to listen to the often quiet voice of wisdom, and also ask why we seek wisdom at all. If we want to be appreciated, we will likely be disappointed. Thankfully, there is a much deeper reason to seek wisdom!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-06-2612 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Hope Only for the Living (Ecclesiastes 9:1-12)We are not in control. The Teacher reminds us that death overtakes us all, and even in life, chance often determines the course of our lives. How can we live meaningfully in such a world? Do we feel as if God owes us something more? It is sometimes a step of faith to let go of control and simply enjoy what God has given to us.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-06-2514 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Frustration with the Lack of Justice & Understanding (Ecclesiastes 8:10-17)The raw pursuit of pleasure obviously led to bad places but the pursuit of wisdom also seems to lead to a dead-end. The Teacher explains that wisdom never seems to secure true justice, and true understanding seems always out of reach. Is there a better way?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-06-2414 min
Highrock ChurchSermon | Unexpected Neighbors (Rom 12:9-21)Sermon #4 of Highrock's summer sermon series ("Dual Citizens: Living Between Two Kingdoms") from Rom 12:9-212024-06-2321 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | The Lord Will Provide (Flashback Fridays, Genesis 22:1-14)This flashback from March 24, 2022 was part of our Lent series. Why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son, and then stop him just as he was raising the knife? Almost 2,000 years later, God would provide for us on that very mountain through the sacrifice, not of Abraham's son, but of his own son, Jesus!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-06-2114 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | What If My Boss Isn't Wise? (Ecclesiastes 8:2-9)What if we serve under an authority that is unwise or even ungodly? The Teacher's first reason to submit to such authorities is because of our submission to God, the ultimate authority. The Teacher assures us that wickedness will fall and the wise will find a way to do what is right, and at the right time.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-06-2014 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Faithfulness - Greater Than Wisdom? (Ecclesiastes 7:15-8:1)Rather than bringing clarity, wisdom sometimes leaves us with riddles and paradoxes. In the midst of this struggle, the Teacher begins to hint at a truth that will emerge more fully later -- that faithfulness is greater than wisdom, or at the very least, there is no true wisdom outside of faithfulness to the Lord.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-06-1914 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Challenges on the Path of Wisdom (Ecclesiastes 7:1-14)Turning from the pursuit of pleasure, the Teacher addresses several questions on the path toward wisdom. How do we learn to live well in the limited time that we have? How do learn to value the criticism of the wise? How do we handle misfortune? Wisdom is not always easy or clear, but through it, God leads us towards life!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-06-1814 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | The Riches of Contentment (Ecclesiastes 6:1-12)Not only can wealth not bring true happiness, but it is also so easy to lose - as modern bank failures have reminded us. Instead, contentment with what we have is a much greater kind of wealth. Sabbath can be a perfect opportunity to turn from the pursuit of wealth to the enjoyment of the blessings we already have.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-06-1714 min
Highrock ChurchSermon | Not Afraid | 2 Tim. 1:1-7Sermon #3 of Highrock's summer sermon series ("Dual Citizens: Living Between Two Kingdoms") from 2 Tim. 1:1-7 (NLT)2024-06-1628 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | The Necessity of Forgiveness (Flashback Fridays, Matthew 6:12)This flashback from May 19, 2022 was part of our series on the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6. It should be no surprise that Jesus taught us to ask for forgiveness. What might be surprising is that he instructed us to ask God to forgive us only to as much as we forgive others!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-06-1414 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Work is Better than Wealth (Ecclesiastes 5:8-20)The Teacher makes a surprising assertion -- that hard work is better than wealth. Hard work leaves us satisfied while wealth often just increases our insecurities. In other words, good work is to be preferred to the wealth we imagine might free us from having to work at all! What brings you satisfaction? What draws you closer to the Lord and a sense of purpose?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-06-1314 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | More Than Words (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7)After speaking at length about wisdom, the Teacher turns to the idea of worship as the foundation of true wisdom. We are tempted to speak in ways that sway others to think better of us. With God, word and deed are the same, and so it should be for us. Let us be careful about making promises and let us honor each promise as we honor a God who does the same.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-06-1214 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Five Rotten Rungs on the Ladder of Success (Ecclesiastes 4:1-16)The previous chapter ended with the idea that one of the greatest blessings in life is to enjoy one's work. Today's passage lists five ways that we can guarantee that we will not enjoy our work, five rotten rungs on the ladder to worldly success. Avoiding these pitfalls might just lead to true joy in the work that God gives us to do!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-06-1113 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | For Everything There is a Season (Ecclesiastes 3:1-13,18-22)Our wisdom is so limited without God's input. Without God's wisdom, we can hardly make sense of the diversity and complexity of God's world, with a season for everything. But as we receive each moment as a gift from God, we might come to enjoy each moment for what it is, without having to make it more than it is.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-06-1014 min
Highrock ChurchSermon | Home Away from Home | 1 Peter 2:9-12Sermon #2 of Highrock's summer sermon series ("Dual Citizens: Living Between Two Kingdoms") from 1 Peter 2:9-12 NIV2024-06-0929 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | The Value of Wisdom and Work (Ecclesiastes 2:12-26)Can wisdom and work provide meaning where pleasure and possesions fail? Despite their greater worth, wisdom and work still do not outlast death. But even simple pleasures like food and drink can be meaningful if they connect us in gratitude to the One who transcends the grave.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-06-0714 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Pleasure, Projects, and Possessions (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11)What will bring happiness and satisfaction in life? The first part of the royal experiment is to test the most common pursuits. Maybe pleasure, projects, and possessions can deliver the happiness that they promise? But no, each is just another way to chase the wind. Even worse, placing our hopes in any of these things as an ultimate goal risks the loss of gratitude and even the possibility of love.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-06-0514 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Chasing the Wind (Ecclesiastes 1:1-18)The Teacher, presumably Solomon, asks us to consider the meaning of our lives. Is it found in the pursuit of pleasure, or power, or even the pursuit of wisdom? He calls these all meaningless "chasing the wind" -- they cannot satisfy and indeed can lead to even more pain. Then what are we to pursue? That question is the central question the Teacher invites us to ask!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-06-0314 min
Highrock ChurchSermon | Seek the Good of the City | Jeremiah 29Sermon #1 of Highrock's summer sermon series ("Dual Citizens: Living Between Two Kingdoms") from Jeremiah 29:4-7, 10-13 NIV2024-06-0234 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Emotionally Healthy Adults 4 (Matt 10:28, 34-36)Without grace, conflict can be merciless. Without trust, peace is just an illusion. Jesus comes to us full of both grace and truth, and sometimes that truth can shatter the false peace in our lives and relationships. Like a physician who reluctantly causes pain in order to bring healing, God uses the truth, even painful truths, to bring healing. Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-3114 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Emotionally Healthy Adults 3 (Mark 10:41-44)Jesus' disciples continued to crave power and authority while Jesus was trying to teach them a new way of servanthood and love. One of the greatest challenges in being a spiritual adult is to see our power as an opportunity to bless others rather than serve ourselves. It took nothing less than the cross and resurrection to prove to them and to us that Jesus' way is the only way to life!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-3014 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Emotionally Healthy Adults 2 (Matt 25:34-36,40)It is easy to lose heart when confronting the world's problems. Paradoxically, part of being a spiritual adult is to hold onto a child-like faith, knowing that Jesus is not only with us, but present in each of the people we serve. As we do to the "least" of people, we do to Jesus. How might today be different if we believe this? Pastor Meghan's sermon:https://youtu.be/pIxxcBsolygLooking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-2913 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Emotionally Healthy Adults 1 (Mark 5:30-34)We protect children from the unclean influences of the world, but what happens when we become adults? When the bleeding woman touched Jesus in faith, her uncleanness did not infect Jesus. Instead, his cleanness, his health "infected" her. In becoming spiritual adults, we are invited to participate with Jesus in bringing his infectious spiritual health into the world.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-2814 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Marriage & Singleness 5 (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)Devotionals will resume on Tuesday, 5/28, after the Memorial Day HolidayGod gives us great freedom in choosing whether to marry and whom to marry. So why is God so insistent that we marry only another Jesus-follower? As we seek an answer to this question, we will discover that this restriction is not about judgment, but about God's love for us.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-2414 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Marriage & Singleness 4 (Matthew 19:1-10)Marriage is a tender subject, and divorce even moreso. In responding to a question from the Pharisees, Jesus speaks against a casual attitude toward either. Instead, Jesus reminds us that even if divorce is sometimes the least bad option in a broken situation, God intended something much better for us.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-2314 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Marriage & Singleness 3 (1 Corinthians 7:1-11)Following Jesus' lead, Paul raises up the importance of both marriage and singleness, while highlighting the even-greater freedom to serve Jesus that is available to singles. We are all single for at least some time. How might God be inviting you to use that time of freedom to find life in giving life to others?Pastor Walt's message on "Marriage + Singleness":https://youtu.be/Gcfu3BHXGC4Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-2214 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Marriage & Singleness 2 (Matthew 19:8-12)Jesus speaks about marriage as high calling in which we covenant to serve God by serving others, rather than serving ourselves. The way that Jesus spoke about marriage scared them! We can only imagine what they thought of his next words about serving God through a commitment to singleness! Indeed, what will our reaction be to the call of Jesus?Pastor Walt's message on "Marriage + Singleness":https://youtu.be/Gcfu3BHXGC4Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-2114 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Marriage & Singleness 1 (Ephesians 5:21-33)Tragically, this passage has sometimes been read as a call to subjugate woman. As we look closely at the grammar, structure, and context, we instead see a beautiful picture of mutual submission that arises out of a reverence for Christ. Indeed, it was the call for husbands to submit to their wives that would have shocked the original audience, and perhaps today's hearers as well. Pastor Walt's message on "Marriage + Singleness":https://youtu.be/Gcfu3BHXGC4Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https...2024-05-2014 min
Highrock ChurchSermon | Marriage + SinglenessSermon #7 of Highrock's spring sermon series ("Deep: Moving Beyond Shallow Spirituality") from 1 Corinthians 7:1-10 NIV2024-05-1924 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Finding Rest for Your Souls 5 (Deuteronomy 5:12-15)When is it time to rest? God answers this question with a command, but one intended to compel us to remember who we are and why we matter. We matter more to God than our work, and we all should matter more to one another than the work that we do. These are essential truths that we might easily forget if we should forget to honor God's Sabbath.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-1714 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Finding Rest for Your Souls 4 (Mark 2:23-28)The people before the time of the Pharisees and Jesus had ignored the Sabbath in very harmful ways but the Pharisees made the opposite error of being too obsessive about the rules. In their zeal, they missed the point of the rules, which is to honor human beings and God. And what could be more true to the spirit of Sabbath than to satisfy your hunger both for food and for God as the disciples were doing with Jesus?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www...2024-05-1614 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Finding Rest for Your Souls 3 (Psalm 46:1-3,10)Do you feel overwhelmed? Are you caught up in a never-ending fight? God speaks into our fear and frustration, saying, "Be still, and know that I am God!" One simply way to pray this truth is the ancient tradition of the "breath prayer", which we will practice in response to God's instruction. Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-1512 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Finding Rest for Your Souls 2 (1 Kings 19:11-12)When God meets with Elijah, God is not present in all the big signs like the tornado-like wind or the earthquake. Instead, God speaks to Elijah in the silence. It is difficult to find silence today and the world is getting noisier all the time. If we were to withdraw to a quiet place like Elijah or Jesus, might we find God speaking to us as well?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-1414 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Finding Rest for Your Souls 1 (Genesis 2:9,15-17)Of all the Ten Commandments, honoring a day of rest seems the most unlikely to make God's "Top 10". Maybe that's why God devotes more time to that command than any other? When we struggle with the limits given to us by God, it can be helpful to stop, listen, and remember to trust that God is working for our good!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-1310 min
Highrock ChurchSermon | Rest for Your SoulSermon #6 of Highrock's spring sermon series ("Deep: Moving Beyond Shallow Spirituality") from Mark 6:30-32 NIV2024-05-1231 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Embracing Grief & Loss 5 (Hebrews 5:7-8)The writer of Hebrews tells us that one of the ways Jesus demonstrated his full humanity was in how he cried out to God in tears. Jesus calls us into the abundant life. Do we cut ourselves off from the fullness of life when we refuse to embrace similar passion?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-1014 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Embracing Grief & Loss 4 (2 Sam 1:17-20,23-27)David composes a song of lament for the fallen king Saul and his son Jonathan. Just as importantly, David instucts that all the men of Israel should learn and sing this lament. We may think of our emotions as a private matter but what we do with our emotions also instructs others. Through such examples, God invites us into a deeper and more varied experience of life!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-0914 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Embracing Grief & Loss 3 (John 3:26-30)Sometimes the loss we experience is not the result of wrongdoing, accident, or tragedy. Sometimes we are displaced because our purpose is complete and it is time to step back as others step up. John the Baptist was not threatened by Jesus' greater success. Instead, John celebrated that Jesus must become more as he became less.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-0814 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Embracing Grief & Loss 2 (2 Cor 4:6-11,16-18)We are like fragile jars of clay that contain an invaluable treasure -- the very light of Christ! Our humble state can be a gift because when people experience the light within us, that light will point to God rather than us. What a blessing to know that God might use our troubles to transform not only us, but others as well!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-0714 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Embracing Grief & Loss 1 (Job 2:7-13)Job loses in a day what most of us lose over a lifetime, which is everything. We lose everything. Job remains rooted in God because he trusts God and humbly recognizes that he knows only a small part of his own story. Job's friends are a great comfort to him during this time, until they open their mouths!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-0614 min
Highrock ChurchSermon | Embracing Grief and LossSermon #5 of Highrock's spring sermon series ("Deep: Moving Beyond Shallow Spirituality") from Psalm 23 (NIV)2024-05-0528 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Letting Go of Power & Control 2 (John 21:15-22)Most of us expect the road of life to lead us to places of more freedom, more choices, and greater autonomy. Jesus paints a different life trajectory for Peter, and for us as well. Jesus' path was one of love, of laying down his life for others. When Jesus tells us to follow him, he intends for us to travel in the same direction.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-0314 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Letting Go of Power & Control 1 (Job 42:1-6)Following the theme of Sunday's sermon, we turn to a passage that shows Job letting go of power and control. After hearing God's answer to his complaints, Job confesses that God is too big and too untameable for the limits of Job's understanding and desires. Might we also find peace in embracing our limits rather than grasping for control?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-0214 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | A New Life (Luke 24:36-53)The disciples were so startled to see Jesus that they first thought he was a ghost! Jesus demonstrated that he was not a ghost and that he had indeed overcome death. Jesus' new life not only assures us about our future, it is meant to transform how we live now. Together, we are entrusted to share God's universal offer of forgiveness and new life!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-05-0114 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Jesus Revealed in the Breaking of Bread (Luke 24:28-35)After walking and talking and studying the scriptures for miles and hours, why is it only in the breaking of bread that Jesus' true identity is finally revealed? With no clear answer, believers have been left to wonder for centuries. Is there some way in which Jesus is especially present to us in that moment, especially when we celebrate communion together?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-3014 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | How Goes Your Walk? (Luke 24:13-27)Jesus walks and talks with two distraught disciples who seem to have given up on the hope they had placed in Jesus. In our spiritual journeys, God can come to us in many ways that we do not recognize, at least initially. We also have the opportunity to walk with others during difficult times, perhaps even providing others the occasion to encounter Jesus afresh.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-2914 min
Highrock ChurchSermon | Letting Go of Power and ControlSermon #4 of Highrock's spring sermon series ("Deep: Moving Beyond Shallow Spirituality") from Philippians 4:4-7, 11-13 (NIV)2024-04-2825 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Curiosity in the Face of the Unexpected (Luke 24:1-12)When things don't go as planned, it's easy to assume that it's for the worse. But what if God has something better in mind? Faced with the women's testimony about the empty tomb, Peter is not ready to believe. Rather than run from what he doesn't understand, he runs to investigate and is left to wonder about the possibilities!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-2614 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Following Jesus Into Success & Suffering (Luke 23:44-56)As Jesus suffers on the cross, we see three different responses. The crowds depart in grief and confusion, the women friends of Jesus watch and wait, and the Roman officer is moved to worship. To a man who has seen so many suffer, there is something about the way that Jesus faces suffering that deeply moves the man. As we follow Jesus, how might God use our suffering to point others to God?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-2514 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Love Always (Luke 23:27-43)Even from the cross, Jesus extends love those around him. He mourns for the mourners and the fate they will face, he calls out for forgiveness of those nailing him to the cross, and he welcomes the crucified robber's confession, promising him that he will be welcome in Jesus' kingdom. God's love never ends, even at the cross, especially at the cross!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-2314 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Crucify Him! Crucify Him! (Luke 23:13-26)On Palm Sunday, the crowds had greeted Jesus with chants of "Hosanna!" and "Blessed is he!", but now -- just a few days later -- they chant, "Crucify him!" What changed? Jesus didn't change. The fickly crowds had changed, just as our emotions so quickly change. God knows that we need a much firmer foundation.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-2214 min
Highrock ChurchSermon | Looking Back to Go ForwardSermon #3 of Highrock's spring sermon series ("Deep: Moving Beyond Shallow Spirituality") from Genesis 44:12-34 (NLT)2024-04-2128 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Jesus Brings Pilate and Herod Together (Luke 23:1-12)Pilate the Roman governor and King Herod Antipas were political opponents who loved to undermine one another. In Jesus, they finally find common ground and put aside their differences! They are united by their desire to use Jesus to further their own goals, a tendency we probably share more than we might like to admit.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-1914 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Why Did Jesus Die? (Luke 22:54-71)A variety of cowardice and sin pushes Jesus to the cross. Peter's defnial left Jesus abandoned. Then there the guards whose "strength" allowed them to beat a helpless Jesus, followed by the council's pre-determined "justice". All of these people lacked the courage to face the truth, which is exactly why Jesus must be the one to face the truth of our sin, carrying it to the cross with him.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-1814 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Pray for Strength (Luke 22:39-53)Entering into the garden, Jesus tells his disciples to pray for strength during the time of trial. Jesus does exactly this and is miraculously fortified while the disciples fall asleep and are not. Why is it so hard to pray? Will we pray for strength during the times of our trials?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-1714 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Failing Forward into Faithfulness (Luke 22:24-38)During the last supper, the disciples begin to bicker about which of them will be the greatest. What's more, Peter and the rest will soon betray or abandon Jesus. What Jesus knows but they do not yet understand is that God will use their failures to lead to even greater faithfulness, if they will simply repent and return to him!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-1614 min
Highrock ChurchSermon | Who Do You Think You Are?Sermon #2 of Highrock's spring sermon series ("Deep: Moving Beyond Shallow Spirituality") from 1 Sam 17:12-402024-04-1428 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | What Jesus Eagerly Desires (Luke 22:1–23)Passover arrives, a time that Jesus eagerly desires to spend with his disciples -- including the one who will betray him. These disciples all had a closer walk with Jesus than any of us will have this side of eternity, yet they would all either betray or abandon him in a short while. It is a moment that invites us to examine ourselves with honesty and humility.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-1214 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Stay Awake! (Luke 21:34-38)Sometimes it can be very difficult to stay alert, especially when it seems like nothing important is happening. We can easily become distracted or consumed with other thoughts. Jesus encourages to remain alert and watchful as we wait for the fulfillment of Jesus' promises for the future.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-1114 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Shining Light in Dark Places (Luke 21:20-33)Jesus continues to teach about signs to come and while we may not know the day or the hour, we can recognize the season. Like the budding of leaves on the tree signals the coming summer, so the signs of our times signal the ways God is bringing the divine plan together. How might we be faithful in this season, shining light even in the darkest of times?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-1014 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Signs of the End Times! (Luke 21:5-19)Even today, people see the signs that Jesus speaks about and they try to fan people's fears into flame. Jesus draws a very different lesson -- that we should ignore such doomsayers, that we should not be afraid, and that we may find in every crisis an opportunity to shine for the Lord!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-0914 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Matters of the Heart (Luke 20:41–21:4)Jesus exposes the motives of his religious opponents then watches rich people pour their money into a collection box, followed by a widow with only two small coins. In each of these cases, Jesus sees their handling of money as a visible test of what is hidden in their hearts. Once again, Jesus shows us that money is deeply spiritual and can be used to measure what is hidden in our own hearts as well!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-0814 min
Highrock ChurchSermon | The Crisis of Emotionally Unhealthy SpiritualityPastor Dave Swaim launches Highrock's spring sermon series ("Deep: Moving Beyond Shallow Spirituality") from 1 Sam 15:10-23.2024-04-0731 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | One Bride for Seven Brothers? (Luke 20:27-40)A group of religious leaders pose a stumper of a question to Jesus about marriage and the resurrection. Jesus responds in a way that indicates that they fail to understand how different things will be in the age to come. But we don't have to wait for the age to come; Jesus is already transforming the way we live right now!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-0514 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | When Image Means Everything (Luke 20:20-26)We often say that image matters less than substance, all the while craving a better self-image and an elevated image in the eyes of others. In dealing with a trap from his opponents, Jesus turns our attention to the kind of image that truly matters. We bear the image of God and whatever else this truth might signify, it means that we belong to God.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-0414 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Acting Like We Own the Place! (Luke 20:9-19)After the priests and religious leaders challenged Jesus' right to cleanse the Temple, Jesus told a parable about tenant farmers who acted like they owned the place. The point was clear -- these leaders had likewise forgotten their place, forgotten that they were managers, not owners. God was the owner. How often do we forget the same lesson, forgetting that all we have and all that we are belongs to God?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-0314 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Whose House Is It? (Luke 20:1-8)After cleansing the Temple, those in charge of the Temple challenge Jesus -- by what authority does he act so boldly? Jesus responds with a question that they cannot answer because either answer becomes a challenge to their own authority! Of course, Jesus has authority to cleanse and reorder the Temple as it is his father's house; they are just caretakers. Whose "house" are we?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-04-0214 min
Highrock ChurchSermon: Easter Sunday!If your life was a movie, what kind of plot line does it have? What kind are you living now? Pastor Dave shares a word from Luke 24:1-12 (NLT) as the finale of Highrock's "Kingdom" series2024-04-0128 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo | Tears, Anger, and Love (Luke 19:41-48)Have you ever known that someone was headed down a bad path but were unable to convince them to change direction? Jesus wept over the city for that very reason. He then cleanses the Temple of those who had turned it into a den of thieves. Jesus is passionate in sorrow and even in anger when it come to rescuing those he loves.See you when we resume on Tuesday!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-03-2914 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo: A New Kind of King (Luke 19:28-40)When Jesus enters into Jerusalem for the final time, he is greeted as the promised king! Even then, the crowds do not understand the kind of king that Jesus would be. Just days later, they would turn on him, crying, "Crucify him!" How and why is Jesus so different from all other kings?Palm Sunday sermon:https://youtu.be/yDKwL4YVfDILooking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-03-2814 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo: The Vengeful King and the Three Servants (Luke 19:11-27)Jesus teaches his followers a parable to make it clear that the fullness of his kingdom would require patient waiting. Just like the king in the story, Jesus would be leaving but would one day return. While we wait, what will we do with our gifts? Will we faithlessly use them just for ourselves? Or will we be found faithfully using them to bless others in the name of the king?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-03-2714 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo: How to Handle "Notorious Sinners" (Luke 19:1-10)Seeing Zacchaeus - a "notorious sinner" - in the tree, Jesus calls to him by name and invites himself to Zacchaeus' house. Zacchaeus is so overwhelmed by Jesus' grace that he repents and responds with incredible generosity! Unpacking this story, we will see the invitation to be like Jesus -- to have courage to be who we are, curiosity about who others are, and compassion for those who differ.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-03-2614 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo: What Do You Want Me to Do For You? (Luke 18:31-43)As Jesus approaches Jericho, a blind beggar calls out to him in faith. The crowd tries to silence the man, but Jesus insists that the man be brought to him. "What do you want me to do for you?" The answer might seem obvious but Jesus asks anyway. Imagine that Jesus were to ask you, "What do you want me to do for you?" -- because he is! How will you answer? Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-03-2514 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo: Child-Like But Not Childish (Luke 18:15-30)In another pair of teachings, Jesus raises up the value of being like little children -- to be fully dependent upon and trusting in the love and grace of God. The rich young ruler is perhaps cut off from this kind of love because he clings to the independence and control that comes with money. Jesus invites you to be like a little child!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-03-2214 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo: Jesus' School of Prayer (Luke 18:1-14)Jesus shares back-to-back parables about prayer. One exhorts us to be persistent in prayer and the other commends an attitude of humility, a constant dependence on God's grace rather than our own supposed goodness. We may not fully understand why God wants us to pray or how prayer works, but we can be confident that God does meet us in prayer, and we are changed forever in the encounter!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-03-2114 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo: Right Here, Right Now! (Luke 17:20-37)The people around Jesus ask him two questions that people are still asking today, "When?" and "Where?" will we experience the fullness of God's kingdom revealed in Jesus? What will be the apocalyptic signs? Jesus responds that the kingdom is already in our midst, and the answer is "Here" and "Now" -- we are implored to respond fully to Jesus right here, right now!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-03-2014 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo: Where Are The Other Nine? (Luke 17:11-19)Ten lepers approach Jesus and experience healing only after they take a step of faith, a step of obedience. One of the ten later returns to Jesus, giving thanks, and presenting us with a challenge and a lesson about finding even deeper blessings from God."Some Lines a Day" (the 5-year journal mentioned in the discussion)https://www.leuchtturm1917.us/some-lines-a-day-the-5-year-memory-book.htmlLooking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-03-1914 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo: More Steps on the Path to Abundant Life (Luke 17:1-10)Jesus continues to teach his disciples that if we are to follow him, we must learn to be faithful in ways rooted in humility. We must take sin seriously (especially when we lead others into sin) and we must also take forgiveness seriously. In the end, we are servants of God and faithful obedience is its own reward, leading to abundant life!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-03-1814 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo: Grave Thoughts About Money (Luke 16:19-31)Continuing his teachings on money, Jesus tells the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man lived his life in comfort while Lazarus suffered, but in death it is Lazarus who is comforted while the rich man suffers. The rich man begs for Lazarus to go back to the living in order to warn the rich man's family. Healing our addiction to money might take nothing less than a miracle, and even that might not be enough!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www...2024-03-1514 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo: The Dividends of Mastering Your Money (Luke 16:10-18)Continuing to speak about money, Jesus exhorts us to exert control over our money. If we can be faithful with our money, we will be entrusted with much greater things. If we are not faithful, if we let our money take control of us, it will even lead us to resent God. Money is spiritual and it can bear incredible spiritual dividends if handled faithfully.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-03-1414 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo: Jesus Praises Dishonesty? (Luke 16:1-9)Jesus tells the story of a manager who is about to be fired. He quickly uses his remaining time to cooks the books for people who might help him after he loses his current position. Why would Jesus use such a dishonest person as an example to us? Jesus is not commending his dishonesty but his shrewdness. Even more than the manager, there is a way that we can use what we cannot keep in order to gain something we cannot lose!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:2024-03-1314 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo: Repenting of Our "Goodness" (Luke 15:25-32)The prodigal son had much to repent. The older brother needed to repent as well -- not of his badness, but of his "goodness." It is his self-righteousness and entitlement that leaves him outside of his father's house and far from his father's heart. The father treats the elder son much like the younger one. He humbles himself and goes out to him, and us, in the loving hope that we will take our seat at his table.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock...2024-03-1214 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo: The God Who Runs to You (Luke 15:11-24)What is God like? How does God feel towards us, especially when we turn our backs on God? Jesus tells the story of a wayward child while highlighting the extravagant love of the father towards this prodigal son. The father in the story, who represents God, runs to his children who turn towards him, embracing them with lavish love and joy!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-03-1114 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo: God's Heart for the Lost (Luke 15:1-10)The religious leaders persistently attacked Jesus for associating with the "wrong" people. This time, Jesus answers their failure to understand God's hear with not one, not two, but three parables about God's heart. In these first two parables, Jesus makes it clear that you matter to God deeply, and that God delights in recovering that which was lost, including you.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-03-0814 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo: Counting the Costs (Luke 14:25-35)Turning to the crowds, Jesus warns them to "count the costs." Better to not begin the journey at all than to start something, only to turn away in shame later. Following Jesus means that everything else must take second-place to God. The journey is more that worth the cost but Jesus wants us to know the challenges ahead.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-03-0714 min
Highrock ChurchDaily Devo: Inviting the Last, the Lost, and the Least (Luke 14:12-24)While eating dinner at the home of a religious leader, Jesus continues to develop the image of the kingdom of God as a great feast to which all are invited -- especially the last, the lost, and the least. God's invitation continues goes out into the world through us. To whom might Jesus want you to extend that invite and welcome?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/2024-03-0614 min