The Porch

Many of us don’t get to experience true love without experiencing hurt and heartbreak. Breaking up is hard, but a broken heart today is better than a broken marriage in the future. In this message, we learn when you should break up and how to heal when your breakup breaks you.

When you get married, you’re not just saying “yes” to a wedding, but you’re agreeing to a whole lot more. Marriages too often end up failing because many miss the point and purpose of marriage as God created it for. In this message, we learn 8 principles that can save your marriage before it even begins.

When finding your match, it’s crucial that you know how to date well—God's way. The end goal is not to play for fun, but to play for keeps. In this message, we look at what God’s word has to say about who, when, and how to date in order to build a solid foundation for marriage.

Many of us are searching for the right match, but our sights are often off target. Are you searching for all the wrong things in a relationship? In this message, we address our past "search history" in a way that will impact our future search for love.

When it comes to the decision of marriage, there’s a lot at stake. It’s easy to focus on who you want to marry, but it’s essential to first focus on who you are. In this message, we talk about love and decision making through a biblical perspective so we can learn how to build the right “profile” for our own life.

Sharing your faith can seem intimidating or awkward, but it’s a lot simpler than most of us may think. We tend to put pressure on ourselves without realizing that it’s only our job to share, and we leave the saving up to God. In this message, we learn three practical steps that can help us to become bolder when sharing our faith.

Talking about depression can often feel taboo, which causes many to struggle and suffer in silence. There’s no complete “cure” for it, but God has given us certain tools to help find healing. In this final therapy session, we learn a practical and biblical approach to depression by recognizing what it is, what causes it, and how to combat it.

Sin is poisonous and can cause shame that leads to anxiety. The longer we hide sin, the harder it becomes to heal from it and experience peace. In this message, we learn how important it is to reveal what’s hidden so we can experience healing in the light.

Your thoughts can take you to destinations of anxiety and in directions away from peace. It’s impossible to live a peaceful life with anxious thoughts, so how can we experience real peace? In this message, we learn how to replace the anxious thoughts that result in our anxious feelings with truth from God’s word.

Life is filled with chaos, yet God still wants us to live a life marked by calmness. We tend to look anywhere in the world around us to find relief, but our temporary solutions are just a bandaid. In this message, we learn from Philippians how to experience peace in the midst of anxiety by making our requests known to God.

There’s a direct relationship between the size of our worry and the size of our faith. Many of us say that God is good, so why do we struggle to think he cares for our basic needs? In this message, we have a second conversation about anxiety and look at Matthew 6 for one of the most important truths that can help us in the midst of our worries.

We all experience fear and anxiety, even though no one wants to. Anxiety makes us reach for anything that might give us relief, but God’s word has a lot of practical truths that can help us fight this battle instead. In this message, we cover the first step to finding freedom from your anxiety—recognize it.

You’ve probably heard that "comparison is the thief of joy.” As cliche as it sounds, it’s true. Jealousy robs us of life when we compare our lives to others, so we end up missing out. In this message, we look at Matthew 20 to learn where the deeper problem of jealousy comes from so we can put an end to it before it becomes deadly.

Culture introduced us to sex before we even knew how to handle it. Sexual sin and lust are the source of pain and regret for many of us, so it’s important to know the deadly dangers it can lead to. In this message, we talk about the cause of lust, what is costs us, and how we can cure it.

Greed works in secret and often disguises itself so we don’t even know it’s there. God gives us good gifts, but what we do with them says a lot about us. In this message, we unpack what Jesus has to say in Luke 12 about how to fight the deadly sin of greed.

Anger actually isn’t always a bad thing, but sinful anger can be as destructive as a fire. It doesn’t start from the outside but begins from inside of us, and we may not even realize it. In this message, we learn where anger comes from, what it leads to, and how to heal from it.

Self-indulgence is a silent killer that shows up subtly in our lives through laziness and gluttony. Whether we tend to avoid responsibilities, lack effort at work, or overindulge on the weekends, it will affect our career, relationships, and future. In this message, we talk about how to identify the ways we self-indulge and learn how we can change it.

Every sin is deadly, but pride is the one at the root of them all. It’s not always clear if someone struggles with pride, yet we all have it. If you don’t think this applies to you, it might be exactly what you need to hear. In this message, we look at Philippians 2 to see what pride is, what it leads to, and how we can cure it.

Did you know there was something called the “seven deadly sins”? Does that mean sins can actually kill you? In this message, we are uncovering what sin is, what it costs us, and why it doesn’t disqualify us, but rather makes us the perfect candidate for the love of God.

Many of us wear masks in order to cover up our pain, struggles, and mistakes. We hide who we are from people out of fear, and are only left with feelings of loneliness and shame. In this message, we talk about how we can take off the mask when we have authentic community with people who know us fully.

One question many people have is "How can a loving God send people to Hell?” If you’re going to reject Christianity because of this, at least learn the truth about what Hell is and who will be there. In this message, we explain how it's true that God is love and people still go to Hell.

It’s been said that science contradicts Christianity. Many think embracing science will unravel their faith, but we’re confidently making the claim that this isn’t true. In this message, we fact check this statement to show how science points us to God, not away from Him.

Many say that all religions lead to God and you’re narrow-minded if you think otherwise. If this is true, how can we claim that Christianity is the only true religion? In this message, we examine that Christianity is not just a way but THE way.

Some say the Bible is outdated and unreliable, yet we as Christians claim it’s the foundation we build our lives upon. So how can we know for sure that it's trustworthy? We’re putting it to the test. In this message, we present the facts that support the Bible being the true words of God.

It’s common to wonder, how can God be good when so many bad things happen in the world? Questions like this can chip away at us over time and lead to doubt, so it’s important to answer this for ourselves. In this message, we learn how Christianity explains how bad things happen and actually points to the fact that God is still good.

In this season of quarantine, being single and not able to mingle is a struggle for many. We all want to go back to normalcy, but we shouldn’t waste the time we have and miss what God is trying to teach us. In this message, we learn two ways that we can succeed in this unique season of singleness if we choose to use our circumstances for a greater purpose.

You simply can’t win the game if you don’t know the rules. In this message, we look at chapters 7 through 10 of Esther and see how to live a successful life full of purpose - even when things seem chaotic. Although you can’t always see it, God is moving the pieces of life together for good.

Many of us have embraced false ideas related to faith. Do you have a fairy-tale faith or true faith in Christ? In this message, we look at chapters 5 and 6 of Esther to learn about three ideas that we tend to falsely believe.

As our world faces the pandemic of COVID-19, it’s easy to feel anxious and fearful in the midst of uncertainty. The chaos has made it clear that many of us have imperfect peace instead of a peace that surpasses all understanding. In this message, we look at how the Bible says we should respond to anxiety and how we can find peace - even if it’s imperfect.

I bet you didn't realize that the book of Esther has something in common with the show "Making a Murderer." In this message, we introduce the villain of the story in chapters 3-4 and talk about our purpose. Are you missing it or are you embracing the significant purpose God has given you?

The story of Esther is often misunderstood, but it actually describes an imperfect woman that God used despite her brokenness. Think about all the messiness and drama of "The Bachelor" meshed with “The Princess Diaries,” and you get Esther. In this message, we look at the first two chapters to see how God is at work in the details and tragedies of life. Even when it looks like He is hidden, we can be assured that God is always there.

It’s easy to think that your 20s don’t really matter, but the truth is that what you do today will matter tomorrow. In this message, we learn how to own our faith now and impact the next decade of our lives. The decision is yours: Will you go through life just getting by or choose to go all in with Christ?

One of the most common problems is that many of us search for an escape from pain through different coping methods. We’ve chosen to numb what we feel, and have not learned the right way to deal with our pain. In this message, we learn three steps that can help us to stop numbing and start healing during this defining decade.

In this decade of decisions, one of the biggest choices we are faced with is who to marry. None of us want to ruin our love life, but things don’t always go as expected. Who doesn’t want that all-the-feels-Rom-Com kind of love that will last a lifetime?! In this message, we look to the Bible for advice and talk about 10 things to avoid when looking for a love that lasts.

Money impacts everyone, but many of us don’t have the right view on how to use it. We can either let money define us or decide to see it the way God does. In this message, we learn three must-do money moves that will impact our lives for years to come.

The truth is your friends are affecting your future whether you realize it or not. Do you have the right people in your life to point you in the right direction? In this message, we look at how to have real community with friends that are committed to Christ.

Each of us are headed down a path with the decisions we make today. The question we must ask ourselves is “Where is this path going to take me?” In this message, we look at Galatians 6 to learn how to “sow good seeds” so we can reap the benefits in the decade to come.

We all have labels that we think define us, but there is a way to get rid of these labels and redefine who we are. In this message, we look at Jesus’ family tree to see the people that He came from. As we go through Matthew 1, we learn that Jesus came from sinners and for sinners in order to bring salvation to broken people.

We all make mistakes, but they don’t have to define us. What matters most when we fail is how we respond. In this message, we look at 2 Samuel to see how God used David despite his failure and learn how we can respond in the midst of our mistakes.

One of the most important questions we can ask ourselves is ”What does it mean to trust God?”. Trusting God and having faith takes practice, which doesn’t always come naturally. As we look at the life of Abraham in Genesis 12 through 22, we see what it means to have true faith and how to trust God with everything, even what we want most.

We all have a bloodline that tells us about who we are and where we came from. In Genesis 1 through 3, we dive into the life of Adam at the start of creation. Throughout this message, we see how we were created, what made us the way we are, and where we can find restoration.

Marriage is a gift from God and it’s a gift that He takes seriously. The good news is, He gives us instructions for a marriage made in heaven within His Word. In Song of Solomon chapter eight, we look at two key components that every marriage should have.

Falling in love can be easy, but staying in love takes intentionality. People talk about falling out of love like it’s something that happens at random, but realistically we play a bigger part than we think. In this message, we talk about what it takes to stay in love by looking at Song of Solomon chapters 6 through 8.

In any relationship, the “honeymoon phase” eventually comes to an end and conflict is inevitable. Having a successful marriage has a lot to do with the ability to work through conflict in a healthy way. In this message, we look at Song of Solomon chapters 5 and 6 to see an example of a relationship that is unbreakable.

Maybe you’ve heard that sex is for marriage, but is that outdated? In this message, we open the Bible to Song of Solomon chapters 3-5 to learn about God’s design for sex and how it’s still relevant today.

People call marriage “tying the knot.” The truth is tying the knot starts when you’re dating, long before the wedding day. In this message, we discuss Song of Solomon chapters 2 and 3 to see an example of how to date in a way that sets you up for a marriage that will last.

Things are getting heated, and we don’t mean #bachelorinparadise. In this message, we open up God’s Word to the first two chapters of Song of Solomon. We learn from a spicy biblical romance what we should do and what we should look out for when we’re all up in our feels.

When it comes to pursuing what we’re passionate about, we’re here for it. But what happens when all our dreams come true and we still want more? In this message, we talk about the dangers of living by the mantra “Follow Your Dreams” and see what it could look like to #livethedream by chasing what God says really satisfies.

The popular mantra “love is love” sounds loving, but is it biblical? After all, God IS love right?! In this message, we talk about how to love like God and about what is true and false about the saying “love is love.”

We can all rally around having a voice that matters. In some ways, the encouragement to “speak your truth” has it’s perks, but we often mistake what we feel, think and experience for what is true. In this message, we break down the difference and provide practical ways to #filter what God’s Word says we should always share and what’s worth keeping to ourselves.