Northwest Hills Community Church

Youth Pastor Gary Jones continues a series on the life of Peter. When Peter first started following Jesus, he witnessed three moments of power and healing, which left Him wide-eyed and astonished. Wouldn't seeing Jesus' power and healing in person be great? It seems like it would make believing and following so much easier! Yet, Jesus isn't physically beside us doing miracles anymore, so there must be something more to it than simply seeing it in person like Peter. To help us better understand God's power and healing, we'll investigate five questions.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with the testimonies of three people who were baptized. We hope you find them encouraging.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen starts a new series on the life of Peter. Peter was one of Jesus' closest friends and one of the Bible's most relatable people. So today, Josh will give an overview of Peter's life, look at Peter's initial calling - which can be a little confusing - and show that we have much to learn from Peter's experience. We're so excited for you to start this series with us.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen concludes a series on women of the Bible. Jesus' mother, Mary, is the most famous woman in the world's history. To say Jesus radically changed her life is an understatement. While listening, there are two notable things to remember.

• First, Mary's life becomes much more challenging after getting pregnant, but she remains faithful from birth to beyond the cross. 
• And second, Mary is a normal person. She isn't prettier, smarter, or tougher than average.

So, she shows us that you, too, can remain faithful to Jesus no matter how challenging life gets. It's worth it.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with a compilation of all the previous testimonies. We hope you find it encouraging.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen is continuing a series on women of the Bible while celebrating Easter. When Mary Magdalene visits the tomb, she's completely devastated because the person who redeemed her and transformed her life is dead. What's worse, she thinks someone stole Jesus' body, so she can't even grieve properly!

In this moment, Jesus meets Mary and speaks his first words since rising from the dead. And instead of making a bold statement, he asks a question. It's a beautiful moment that each of us can experience.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with a compilation of all the previous testimonies. We hope you find it encouraging.

Associate Pastor Ron King is continuing a series on women of the Bible. And this is part two about Hannah. Hanna's song had a significant influence on how others praised God. That's because Hannah's response to having a child after years of infertility:

1. delights in the Lord
2. recognizes that nothing compares to the Lord
3. proclaims that everything good comes from the Lord, and
4. that we're all accountable before God.

It's a beautiful and heartfelt song.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen is continuing a series on women of the Bible. Hannah struggled for years with infertility. There was lots of hurt and dysfunction for Hannah, her husband, Elkanah, and even his second wife, Peninnah. It's a messy and sad situation. But once Hannah surrenders what's most important to her, that's when God does something amazing.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging.

Worship Director Justin Jackson is continuing a series on women of the Bible. This is part 2 about Deborah, where we look at four themes from her song after the victory against Jabin, the king of Canaan. In this song, Deborah rightly proclaims that God is the hero of their battle. Like Deborah, God unites us and calls us to battle against evil. And even though the odds may sometimes seem impossible, God will lead us to victory against cruelty and cowardice.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging.

Worship Director Justin Jackson is continuing a series on women of the Bible. What does it mean to be courageous? Deborah was a prophetess and judge of Israel and displayed courage while judging and in her actions against the Canaanites. This encounter against the Canaanites teaches us seven ways to follow God courageously.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen is continuing a series on women of the Bible. This is part 2 about Miriam, where we hear the first song recorded in scripture where Moses and Miriam sing praise to God for delivering them from the hands of Pharaoh's army. It's the first time in their entire lives that they experience true relief and freedom from oppression. And the same is true for us once Jesus saves us from our sins.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen is continuing a series on women of the Bible. Many of us have heard how God worked through the Old Testament leader Moses. But perhaps, not many of us remember how God worked through his sister as well. Miriam first stepped up when she was around 8 years old and then again 80 years later. There are many wonderful lessons to follow, and one critical warning from the end of her life.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen is starting a series on women of the Bible. Let's be honest: the Bible can feel male-dominated. It's written by men, and it's mostly about men. Plus, Jesus was a man, and all the apostles were men.

Yet, we know that we all have a place and that God loves both men and women. So, Pastor Josh will answer six questions about one of the most debated issues in Christian scholarship in the past few decades.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging.

Associate Pastor Ron King is concluding a series on prayer as a spiritual discipline. There are two essential settings in your prayer life: in a community with other believers and alone in solitude.

But being alone in prayer can be challenging. It can be hard to slow down, ignore the noise of daily life, let go of never-ending to-do lists, and listen to God. So, instead of settling for a "prayer light" life, let's talk about growing in our prayer life.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen is continuing a series on prayer as a spiritual discipline. In this message, we explore what listening to God is all about. How can you hear His voice? What is He saying, and how do you respond? God spoke to us through prophets for thousands of years - a simple yet profound act. But now, God has spoken through Christ, and we ought to be a people who begs to listen to him. So, let's talk about the process of listening to God.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging.

Youth Pastor Gary Jones is continuing a series on prayer as a spiritual discipline. Have you ever felt like your prayer life could use some work? Many of us find it hard to pray, or feel stagnate, because we don't know what to say to God. As we dive into a Psalm, it'll show that God wants our hearts, and He's inviting you to respond to Him in prayer.

At the end of the message, you'll have an extended time to respond. So take your time, wherever you are, and spend that time in prayer.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen is continuing a series on prayer as a spiritual discipline. Prayer often feels the most natural and necessary when we feel helpless. But it turns out that the feeling of helplessness is a good thing because we have a father who loves us like young children.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen is starting a series on spiritual disciplines. As we start a new year, we all want to improve in many different areas of life, including our faith, but how do we do that? How do we grow? How do we strengthen our desire, resolve, and love for Jesus? As we start this new series on the spiritual discipline of prayer, let's look at this unique tool Jesus gives to us to strengthen our faith and love for him.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging.

Associate Pastor Ron King is talking about finishing well. The end of David's life raises two critical questions that the apostle Paul writes about in his letters to Timothy. They are questions that we seldom consider well.

1. How do I want to finish my race? And
2. How can I help others run well to the end?

Today, we have a panel of friends to help us explore these questions.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen concludes a series on the life of David while we celebrate the greatest birth in history. Like in a regular birthday celebration, bringing a gift is appropriate. So, today, we're asked: what kind of meaningful gift can we give to God? David’s final public speech shows us what God - the maker of everything - desires from us.

Associate Pastor Ron King continues a series on the life of David. Ever wonder why your gratitude towards God has lost its punch? Perhaps your view of Him is warped or weak. Discover why David's view of God was tremendous and why he had a heart after God.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. And this week, there are three people who will be baptized. We hope you find it encouraging.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen continues a series on the life of David. Do you have an area in life that isn't going the way you wanted? What's your typical reaction? We're continuing from where we stopped last week - after David makes an altar to atone for his sin of taking a census. After that, David desires to build a magnificent temple for the Lord. However, the Lord tells David he won’t be the one to make it - his son, Solomon, will make it. Let's see how David reacts to this disappointment. 

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging. 

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen continues a series on the life of David. The story of Israel wanting a king ended exactly as God predicted. God gave them what they thought they wanted with Saul, which went horribly. Then God gave them their best shot at a good king with David, which still ended tragically. We'll dive into that tragic ending today, and through that, we see God's forgiveness and our need for Jesus - the perfect king.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging. 

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen continues a series on the life of David. We all have some part of our history that we are embarrassed by, ashamed of, and maybe even haunted by. We've all done things we know we shouldn't have, and we've thought things we know we shouldn't. What do we do with those shameful memories? Do they matter? Does God see them? Does He forgive them? 

As we see in the story of King David's greatest fall, God meets him in his failure, David repents, and God forgives. This Thanksgiving weekend, let's give thanks for God's generosity and forgiveness.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging. 

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen continues a series on the life of David. David was called Israel's greatest king because he had a heart after God. We see a clear example after David is crowned king and establishes Jerusalem, the city of David. David desired to dwell in the house of the Lord, which at that time meant bringing the Arc of the Covenant to Jerusalem. But in doing that, David learned an important lesson about how God wants us to approach him.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging. 

Worship Director Justin Jackson continues a series on the life of David. David demonstrates God's mercy by how he treats Saul and his family. David doesn't see Saul as an enemy, doesn't do what everybody expects, and doesn't take vengeance into his own hands. It's a beautiful picture of how God treats us and how we should treat others, given what God has done for us.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging. 

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen concludes a vision series for our ministry year called "Something To Say!" Our fifth ask at Northwest Hills is to make Jesus known. God brings justice against anyone who disobeys Him. And the truth is that there's a problem: death is coming to everyone because everyone has disobeyed God. However, God provided a solution by sending His son, Jesus, to the cross, and He extends his mercy to anyone who understands and embraces the cross. So, our job is to share that truth - that God is both just and merciful - with others.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging. 

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen continues a vision series for our ministry year called "Something To Say!" Our fourth ask at Northwest Hills is to serve with intention. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns us that we can only serve one of two masters. One is worldly wealth, but that doesn't last. The other is God, which does last. So, given what God has given you - your time, talents, and passions - how can you best serve God?

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging. 

Worship Director Justin Jackson continues a vision series for our ministry year called "Something To Say!" Our third ask at Northwest Hills is to live in community. We all genuinely desire to live in community, but finding that perfect community is almost impossible. In this message, Justin explores why it’s difficult and breaks down six ways Jesus modeled how we should live in community.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging. 

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen continues a new vision series for our ministry year called "Something To Say!" Our second ask at Northwest Hills is to practice the spiritual disciplines. God loves you unconditionally, more than you can imagine. So, practicing the spiritual disciplines isn't about gaining acceptance from God. Instead, these are steps that we can take for us to fall more in love with Jesus. I encourage you to pick one discipline this week and try it.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging. 

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen continues a new vision series for our ministry year called "Something To Say!" Our first ask at Northwest Hills is to commit to church. Jesus loved the church, and so we should as well. This week, we dive into why this is part of our vision and ask.

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging. 

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen starts a new vision series for our ministry year called "Something To Say!" The Bible reveals two truths: 1) We are more awful than we can imagine, but 2) We are also more loved by God than we could imagine. The world already knows the first truth, but people also need to know that they're loved. And our lives, as Christians, have something to say about following Jesus. What's you're story?

Also, as part of the "Something To Say!" series, we'll start the message with someone's testimony. We hope you find it encouraging. 

Youth Pastor Gary Jones concludes a series called "What Is Going On?" where we read the entire Bible in a year. John wrote Revelation to seven churches to encourage them to keep the faith. So, it’s not written to us, but it is for us. The letter can be hard to understand, but it gives us a Heavenly perspective on our earthly circumstances.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen continues a series called "What Is Going On?" where we read the entire Bible in a year. Jude is the brother of Jesus, and he's hearing reports of false doctrines. So, he writes this aggressively toned letter contenting for faith in Jesus. Jude pushes us to ask ourselves: Who's side are we on? Who are we fighting for? And who are we trusting in? It's a short but powerful letter.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen continues a series called "What Is Going On?" where we read the entire Bible in a year. John wrote three letters, and even though he touches on many topics, one theme across all three is a heavy topic: hurt within the church. It's an experience that, unfortunately, everyone shares. We'll examine what it means to hurt someone and to be hurt ourselves. And when that happens, how we move forward.

Associate Pastor Ron King continues a series called "What Is Going On?" where we read the entire Bible in a year. The first and second books of Peter encourage us to find joy no matter our circumstances. Peter understands loss and mistakes - he gets it! The people he writes to get it, too. So, Peter helps us elevate above our situations to find joy by focusing on what really matters: our life in Christ.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen continues a series called "What Is Going On?" where we read the entire Bible in a year. The book of James is straightforward and practical for Christians. It's about having faith that translates from head to heart to hands. Ultimately, it leads us to ask: What am I doing with my faith?

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen continues a series called "What Is Going On?" where we read the entire Bible in a year. The book of Hebrews shows us that choosing to follow Jesus is better than trying to follow any other system. It can be harder, but doing hard things is worth it. So, after this message, be encouraged to keep going forward and to keep choosing Jesus.

Worship Director Justin Jackson continues a series called "What Is Going On?" where we read the entire Bible in a year. Paul's letter to Philemon is a unique and personal book. It teaches us about having healthy relationships in God's kingdom. It also reminds us - on a human level - that we each owe a huge, unpayable debt to Christ, and because we have been forgiven, we should also forgive others.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen continues a series called "What Is Going On?" where we read the entire Bible in a year. In part two of the pastoral epistles, Paul also writes a letter to Titus about what makes a healthy church and leader. Like last week, we'll give some background and discuss the five charges that Paul gives Titus.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen continues a series called "What Is Going On?" where we read the entire Bible in a year. In Paul's two letters to Timothy, we'll look at what's going on with Christian churches and Christian leaders. Specifically, we'll talk about how to be a high-functioning and healthy church and leader. After some background, we'll discuss five charges that Paul gives Timothy.

Pastoral Resident Jacob Mills continues a series called "What Is Going On?" where we read the entire Bible in a year. Paul's two letters to the Thessalonians show the people are near and dear to his heart. The people are also going through external and internal turmoil, which is why he's written to them twice. Jacob mirrors Paul's letters by focusing on three topics:

1. Conflict from outside the church.
2. Internal conflict.
3. How we look forward amid conflict.

Associate Pastor Ron King continues a series called "What Is Going On?" where we read the entire Bible in a year. The letter to the Colossians helps us understand who the real Jesus is by describing his nature and works. Jesus was not bland, passive, or simply a nice idea. Instead, Jesus was honest, powerful, and unpredictable. He’s gracious towards sinners and hostile towards sin. Don't settle for a cheap Jesus; strive to know the real Jesus the best you can.

Associate Pastor Ron King and a panel of three dads continue a series called "What Is Going On?" where we read the entire Bible in a year. The book of Philippians is a letter to the church in Philippi. Paul writes this letter while in jail to tell them how much he loves them, encourage them to humble themselves as Christ humbled himself, find peace in Christ in all situations, and much more. Since it's Father's Day, Ron invited three dads to discuss, encourage, and challenge people in the same way that Paul does in this letter.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen continues a series called "What Is Going On?" where we read the entire Bible in a year. The book of Ephesians is a letter of encouragement to the church in Ephesus. It’s not long, but it’s weighty. We'll look at four things today:

1. how the church started
2. who we are in Christ and what it means to be in Christ
3. the invitation to live that out, and
4. how the church ended.

This Sunday is Summit Sunday, which was one service out on the lawn highlighting what God has done this year at Northwest Hills. We honor our interns and thank everyone who serves to help make ministry happen.

Enjoy your week off of reading. We'll continue reading the Bible next week with Ephesians.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen continues a series called "What Is Going On?" where we read the entire Bible in a year. Paul's letter to the Galatians boldly makes it clear that no part of our behavior makes us a Christian; only faith in Jesus saves us. This truth gives us so much freedom! Yet, we still tend to try and earn our faith through works. Pastor Josh shares five burdens we put on ourselves and others that we can free ourselves from because the only thing that counts is faith.

Associate Pastor Ron King continues a series called "What Is Going On?" where we read the entire Bible in a year. Paul's letters to the Corinthians give us practical guidance on what being part of a healthy church looks like. In this message, Pastor Ron shares seven issues that we still wrestle with today. The overarching theme is that we shouldn't approach the church as a consumer; instead, we must recognize that it's not about us. It's about Jesus. And in the same way that Jesus put aside his own wants on the cross, we also want to put others before ourselves.

Lead Pastor Josh Carstensen continues a series called "What Is Going On?" where we read the entire Bible in a year. The book of Romans gives the clearest picture of who we are and what it means to be a follower of Jesus. It's also Mother's Day, so after sharing some background information on Paul and the Roman church, Pastor Josh will share seven gifts that God gives us.