The Porch

It can be really hard to talk about the topic of mental health, especially in the church, but we believe it’s both helpful and necessary. In this message, David Marvin, Jennie Allen, and Jonathan Pokluda discuss how to battle anxiety and loneliness, and how to deal with social media in a healthy, biblical way.

Anxiety, fear, and depression are real. There is an enemy trying to influence your thoughts and feelings, but God is much more powerful than the darkness. In this message, guest speaker Louie Giglio shares how to keep the enemy from pulling up a seat at your table.

Depression and suicide are at record highs. Many of us feel stuck in a bubble of darkness, isolation, sadness, and hopelessness. What does the Bible say about this? In this message, we discuss what's true about depression, what the causes are, and how we fight it.

We're busy with our jobs, we're not getting enough sleep, and the pace of life feels faster than ever. Why are we so stressed out and what will help us experience God's peace instead? In this message, we cover the sources, side effects, and solutions to stress.

Statistics show that anxiety levels in young adults are at an all-time high. Why are we so anxious and what can we do about it? In this message, we explore what the Bible defines as anxiety and discuss 5 things Jesus taught on the subject.

Are you dateable, available… and still single? Are you worried about being single forever? In this message, we unpack 3 truths from God’s word about singleness.

The Bible doesn't talk about dating, but it does talk about love, relationships and marriage. So how do you honor the other person when dating? In this message, we give you a "how to" by walking through the nine stages from the ask out to the altar.

So what makes a woman dateable? Looks? Personality? Lifestyle? In this message, we discuss three crucial questions that can help determine if she is dateable before you date her.

What causes a person’s life mission to change from living for themselves to living for something bigger? In this message, we learn from Matthew 9 what it means to be “united in mission” with God.

What does it mean to be “united in surrender”? In this message, we talk about how we can all be united through surrendering ourselves to God. Maybe the greatest thing you could hear is that you’re not actually following God, and maybe understanding that will help you start following God. We are united when we surrender our sin and our lives to him.

What does it mean to be “united together”? In this message, we talk about how as humans, we were created for connection, and we’re designed to live in community. But at times, we wait on everyone around us to initiate, when we can initiate too. Jesus is a master initiator, and we can look to him to be our example.

What does it mean to be “united in love”? In this message, we talk about how we can all be united through the love of Christ, even though our lives, our circumstances, and our sin all looks different. But Jesus and his love for us can overcome all differences. The truth is, we’re in a difficult place. But the Bible isn’t about making bad people good, but about making dead people alive.

What does it mean to be “united in worship”? In this message, we talk about how we can worship God being aligned with his story, and by understanding what it means to be a human as an image bearer of God. If you’re a human, you have a story. It’s impossible to be a human without a story. We’re all captured by a story, and we can be united in worshipping God when we are captured by his story.

We sit down with David Marvin, Jennie Allen, and Jonathan Pokluda to ask them all kinds of questions, ranging from what book they would recommend for us to read, all the way to what advice they would give our generation.

What does it mean to be “united in truth”? In this message, we talk about how the Bible isn’t a self-help book, and the Bible isn’t about us. The Bible is about Jesus, and he is the main character from beginning to end. We can be united in truth when we realize that the Bible isn’t about us individually, but it’s about Jesus who unites us all in his love.

When it comes to dating, who is going to make you look more like the image of God? What does “made in the image of God” really mean? In this message, we study Genesis 1 to learn what to look for when heading toward marriage.

What makes a man dateable by God’s standards? We tend to let feelings and culture cloud our decisions when it comes to who we date. So in this message, we’re asking three questions that help us decide if he’s truly dateable or not.

Dating is a path that leads to a promise that leads to a lifelong pursuit. But just because you’re available doesn’t mean that you’re datable. In this message, we go through a checklist of priorities that will tell you if you are in fact, dateable.

Not everyone who claims to be a Christian will be in heaven, because it’s not just about your words. How can we be assured that we know Jesus and he knows us? In this message, we look at Matthew 7 to see what Jesus meant when he said, “Depart from me, I never knew you.”

When Jesus says, “Ask and you will receive,” is it really that simple? Does it mean we can manifest whatever we want if we believe it enough? In this message, we learn what Jesus actually means by this statement and the significance it has for us.

Have you ever wondered what we need to do to get to heaven? Are you just going through the motions of religion and faking it? In this message, we look at John 3 to learn what Jesus meant when he said “you must be born again” to enter the kingdom of heaven.

I'm sure when you think of your enemies, your first response isn't to love them. Culture may tell you differently, but that's exactly what we are to do as Christians. In this message, we learn what Jesus means when he says, "love your enemies."

Spiritual warfare is something very real, yet no one really talks about it. Sure we know Jesus wins the war in the end, but what does that mean for the everyday battles we face? In this message, we learn from Ephesians 6:10-18 how we can fight our battles.

Many of us buy the lie that we’re a good person, but there’s no universally accepted standard of what is good. Can we ever be “good” enough? In this message, we look at Mark 10:17-27 to learn three reasons why good people don’t go to heaven (but forgiven people do).

Believe it or not, the Bible isn’t prude. But the liberation of sexuality in our culture has led to bondage instead of freedom. In this message, we learn the problems porn creates and the principles God gives us for sex.

Sin may be fun for a moment, but it always has consequences. Why doesn’t sin stay fun forever? Why is every high followed by a low? In this message, we learn the reality and effects of sin so we can learn to get rid of it before it gets rid of us.

Saving sex for marriage may seem old fashioned. Society tells you to try before you buy, but sex is dangerous outside of the purpose it was designed for. In this message, we look at 1 Corinthians 6:13-7:4 to learn why sex is amazing but destructive.

When you hear modest is hottest what comes to mind? Here’s our hot take: modest isn’t hottest, but it’s better. In this message, we’re diving into God’s word to learn 3 reasons why.

It’s possible to be considered good but not godly. Is Jesus the passion of your life or just a part of it? In this message, we look at the life of King David in 2 Samuel to learn the four keys of moving from good to godly.

We all hate waiting, whether it’s for marriage, a promotion, or healing from heartbreak. What are you waiting for that God seems to be slow on? In this message, we wrap up the series with James 5:7-12 to learn how we wait for resolution as Christians.

Money determines many things in this life, whether we have a little or a lot. God isn’t out to get your money, but he doesn’t want your money to get you. In this message, we study James 5:1-6 to see how the way we view, make, and use money reveals what we’re really living for.

Do you struggle with pride? Pride can be hard to see in the mirror, but it’s covering so many of us. In this message, we study James 4:10-17 to learn ways we struggle with pride and how to defeat it.

We often ignore warnings that we think will prevent us from getting what our hearts desire. It’s more natural for us to trust ourselves instead of trusting God, but that leads to painful consequences. In this message, we study James 4 to learn three warnings that will prevent us from ruining our lives.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But the truth is that the tongue is powerful, and words have the power to shape our lives. In this message, we study James 3:1-12 to learn three truths about the tongue.

Many claim to be Christians but they don’t live like it. A faith that saves is always matched with action, not just lip service. In this message, we study James 2:14-24 to answer the question “Is your faith real?”

Ever picked favorites? Often times in life, we let our assumptions and judgments of appearance, social status, profession, wealth, gender, race and culture affect the value of another person. We all do it, but how serious is it? What can we do to stop it? In this message, we dive into James 2:1-13 to see what the cause and cure to favoritism really is.

A genuine faith is never alone—it should always be matched with action that’s based on belief. People say what they think but do what they believe. Do you have a genuine faith or a fake faith? In this message, we study James 1:19-27 to help you answer that question.

Temptation convinces you that sin will be fun in the moment, but it never ends where it begins. What if there were a way we could fight it and say no to temptation? In this message, we study James 1:12-18 to learn where temptation comes from, where it leads to, and how to defeat it before it defeats us.

Have you ever asked, “Where are you, God?” in the midst of a difficult season? Trials can shake us up and lead to wondering about what God is doing, but there’s always more than meets the eye. In this message, we look at James 1:1-12 to learn the potential, prescription, and promise of trials.

What are you living for right now—God’s plan or your plan? Have you ever wondered if God could use you? In this message, we look at Acts 18 to see how God accomplishes his extraordinary plan through ordinary people.

Do you ever feel like there’s more to life? If you don’t know your true purpose, you will inevitably feel out of place in life. In this message, we look at Philippians 3 to learn what our purpose is and where life is truly found.

Most of us are searching for “the one,” hoping along the way we’ll find the person we’re supposed to marry. But if you don’t know what you’re looking for in a godly spouse, you won’t find it. In this message, we look at 1 Timothy to learn more about what qualities we should look for in someone.

Everyone has experienced an unexpected tragedy or painful season in life that leaves us wondering, “Will this storm ever cease?” Either we are walking through a storm, into a storm, or coming out of one, so we need to be prepared to endure it. In this message, we learn from Matthew 14 how we can weather the storms in our life.

Ever wonder what will happen to you when you die? Can we really know if we'll go to heaven? In this message, we learn the answer to this important question and see how we can experience God's abundant life today.

Many of us don't think we can be used by God because we don't believe we are forgiven of our past. What if God wants to take your mess and make it a message? In this message, we look to the book of Luke to answer the question, "Will I truly be forgiven?"

It’s easy to believe the lie that we’re alone, even when surrounded by people. We get caught up in busyness or run to quick fixes as a solution, yet we still feel lonely. In this message, we look to God’s Word to answer the question, “Will I be forever alone?”

One question we all have asked ourselves is, “Am I enough?” Is it even possible to live a life that’s not marked by insecurity? How can we actually live in a sense of security and peace? In this message, we learn three truths about who God says we are and how that determines our identity.

Trials are an inevitable part of life, but they’re also an opportunity for God to work. Every time we are faced with a trial or temptation, we have a choice to choose truth or lies to fight our battles with. In this message, we look at James 1 to learn the truth about our trials and temptations.

What you think about has the power to make or break your contentment. The problem is we allow our happiness to be determined by our happenings, which leaves us wanting more. In this message, we learn from Philippians 4 how to be okay when things are not okay.

The greatest battle in our world today exists in our minds. It’s easy to think we’re victims to how we feel, but we have a choice—a choice to fight for our minds by taking power over our thoughts. In this message, we learn from guest speaker Jennie Allen how God has given us the tools to go to war against our struggles.