Welcome to Week 3 of Reading Through the Bible!This Week's Podcast  - When We Cry OutGo Deeper - Blog - Biblical Storytelling TechniquesDay 1: Read Genesis 46–47, Psalm 15.Day 2: Read Genesis 48–50, Psalm 16. Watch The Book of Genesis 12-50Day 3: Read Exodus 1-3, Psalm 17. Watch Video Exodus 1-18Day 4: Read Exodus 4-6, Psalm 18. Watch Video CharacterDay 5: Read Exodus 7-9, Psalm 19.Day 6: Read Exo...  Read More

Week 2 of our Bible Reading Plan  Read More

This year, we want to invite you into a discipleship journey that we will be taking as a church.  We will be reading the Bible in a year together along with amazing resources from The Bible Project.  Though this is something that every individual can participate in, the best way to engage would be in a group, and this is where we receive belonging, challenge, and accountability, and this is the wa...  Read More

Merry Christmas!Dear Church,"Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy." - Philippians 1:3-4What a privilege it is to be part of Church on Five! We are so grateful that you are a member of our community and for the way that you have invested in what God is doing in our midst.When I consider the last year, what shines through is ...  Read More

PERSEVERANCE:  The Foothold that discovers HOPEA Prayer of RelinquishmentLord, I do not know what I ought to be asking of you. You are the only One who knows what I need.All I can do is present myself to you.Lord, I open my heart to you.I no longer have any desire other than to accomplish your will.Teach me to pray.(Francois Fenelon)Psalm 78, Romans 5:1-5, Hebrews 10, 11,12Imagine someone reading ...  Read More

PRAYER: The foothold of kingdom breakthrough“God does not act the same way whether we pray or not. Prayer exerts an influence upon God’s action, even upon his existence.”  (Karl Barth)Matthew 6:9-13, Mark 10:46-52One of the ways, the most important ways to actively wait is to pray.  Pete Greig, author of “How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People”, tells us that we might not be able to control...  Read More

December 9FAITH: The Foothold that precedes HOPE“Doubt and faith coexist. Indeed, certainty, not doubt, is faith’s opposite.”(Philip Yancey)Isaiah 43:1-4, Romans 8:24-25, Colossians 1:4-5, Hebrews 11:1, 1 Peter 1:21-22I keep losing my footing. Does anyone else feel like the earth has completely shifted or the rug pulled out from under your feet?  Just when I think perhaps I’ve got things figured o...  Read More

LAMENT: The Honest Foothold that Acknowledges Reality“We are able to trust that he “will” come again, just as Jesus has come into our past, into our private dilemmas and into our suffering world.  Our Christian past then becomes our Christian prologue, and “Come Lord Jesus” is not a cry of desperation but an assured shout of cosmic hope”(Richard Rohr, Preparing for Christmas)Psalm 79, Lamentations...  Read More

SECOND MONDAY IN ADVENT: December 7WELCOME TO HOPE - the second Advent landmark on our pilgrimage to Bethlehem.“The theological virtue of hope is the patient and trustful willingness to live without closure, without resolution, and still be content and even happy because our satisfaction is now at another level, and our Source is beyond ourselves.”(Richard Rohr, “Preparing for Christmas”)Isaiah 11...  Read More

COMPASSION: LOVE WITHOUT BORDERS“If we want to learn the great art of love from Jesus,we might begin by being attentive to the many small acts of gentleness, kindness, and courtesy that graced his most ordinary interactions with other people.”(Chris Webb, God Soaked Life)Jeremiah 31:18-20, Mark 12:30-31, John 13:34-35, 1 John 3:16-17WHAT MATTERED MOST TO JESUS?He clearly placed love for God and lo...  Read More

FORGIVENESS OPENS THE DOOR TO DEEP LOVE“The great surprise about Jesus’ invitation into the kingdom community was that it was addressed precisely to those who were most clearly not “kingdom people,” to those in whom the maladies of disordered love were most evident.”(Chris Webb, God Soaked Life)Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 18:21-34, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21“What is the condition of your soul?”This is a q...  Read More

THE PATH TO LOVE IS VULNERABILITY“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.”- Brene BrownIsaiah 9:6-7, Luke 2:11-12, Philippians 2:1-11, 2 Corinthians 12:9, 13:4God arrived as a baby. The promised Messiah comes wrapped in swaddling clothes. Fou...  Read More