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Valleys

Written by Lee Ames on . Posted in Sermons.

Life has a way of leading us into valleys — seasons of grief, doubt, exhaustion, or uncertainty that we never planned for. While we don’t choose these moments, every one of us will face them.
Throughout Scripture, God often meets His people in the valleys. He shows us how to trust Him when the situation feels overwhelming and the outcome feels out of our control. We see how fear can loom large — and how faith in God’s power changes everything. And, we are often reminded that even when hope seems gone, God is still able to bring life, renewal, and restoration.
In this series, we’ll explore 3 powerful Old Testament stories and discover how God works in the low places of life. Valleys are not places of abandonment — they are places where God reveals His presence, strengthens our faith, and reminds us that the battle belongs to Him. If you’re walking through one right now, Valleys is an invitation to trust God, stand in faith, and believe that He is still at work.

Kingdom Rhythm

Written by Lee Ames on . Posted in Sermons.

As a new year begins, it’s easy to get swept up in the pace and pressures of the world around us. But what if, instead of chasing more noise, more striving, or more control, we learned to move in step with the rhythms of God’s Kingdom?

Kingdom Rhythms is a January series focused on the spiritual rhythms God invites us into—practices that draw us closer to Him, shape our hearts, and transforms the way we live. Together, we’ll explore ancient rhythms like prayer and worship, love, forgiveness, and rest (Sabbath)—not as religious checklists, but as life-giving practices that ground us in God’s presence and align us with His purposes.

We won’t pretend to know what this year will hold. Scripture reminds us that life is often unpredictable. But we can prepare our hearts. We can choose to lean into the rhythms that sustain us, anchor us, and help us walk faithfully through whatever comes our way.

As we learn to live from these Kingdom rhythms, we also discover how God uses us to come alongside others—offering grace, encouragement, and a helping hand to those who may be weary or in need.

This January, let’s slow down, listen closely, and learn to live in step with the rhythms that lead to lasting hope, deeper faith, and transformed lives.

The Presence of Christmas

Written by Lee Ames on . Posted in Sermons.

The Christmas story is, at its heart, a story of Presence — the gift of Jesus.

Throughout this series, we explore the surprising and transformative ways God shows up in our lives. From Zechariah encountering God in a place where he should have expected Him, to Mary and Joseph navigating God’s calling with courage, to shepherds receiving heaven’s announcement in the middle of the night, we discover that God’s presence often breaks into our world in ways we don’t anticipate.

Each week invites us to slow down, pay attention, and recognize that the same God who met people in Scripture meets us today — in our worship, in our questions, in our longings, and even in our everyday routines. As we journey toward Christmas, we’re reminded that the greatest gift is not simply what God gives, but that God Himself is present and alive.

This season, we celebrate the presence of Jesus — the One who steps into our world, into our lives, and into our stories with hope, promise, and peace.

Ecclesiastes

Written by Lee Ames on . Posted in Sermons.

Life moves fast, and it’s easy to get caught chasing things that never truly satisfy. In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon — one of the wisest men who ever lived — looks back on his life and asks the ultimate question: What really matters? Through his honest reflections on wealth, work, pleasure, and wisdom, Solomon discovers that everything “under the sun” ultimately falls short of giving life lasting meaning.

But woven throughout his searching is a deeper truth: God has placed eternity in our hearts. We were made for more than what this world can offer. In this series, we’ll explore how an eternal perspective reshapes the way we see purpose, satisfaction, and faith — and how life finds true meaning only when it’s centered on the One who made us.

The Gospel According To John

Written by Lee Ames on . Posted in Sermons.

The tomb is empty—but the story doesn’t end there.

In this series, we explore the deep themes throughout John’s Gospel — light and darkness, spirit and flesh, life and death — and discover what it truly means to follow Jesus.

We are reminded what resurrection faith really means: life, purpose, and restoration through Jesus alone.

CLC: Life On Mission

Written by Lee Ames on . Posted in Sermons.

CLC: Life On Mission is a two-week series that reminds us we’re all part of something bigger—God’s heart for the world. We looked at the first sending church in Antioch and celebrated how that same spirit is alive in our church today. We heard powerful stories from our team who just returned from Zimbabwe, where we connected with our friends in Mahenye, and also were able to provide desks, books, and supplies for a local school—funded entirely by our amazing VBS kids! We also helped feed families and saw firsthand how God is moving in lives across the globe. We’ll also get to hear from close friends who are heading to the Amazon River Basin to bring the hope of Jesus to remote communities. This series is a reminder that whether it's across the street or across the world, we all have a role to play in God’s mission!

Catalyst

Written by Lee Ames on . Posted in Sermons.

Throughout Scripture, God uses ordinary people to spark extraordinary change. In this four-week series, we’ll explore the stories of individuals whose courage and obedience set powerful movements of God into motion—from midwives who defied Pharaoh, to a brave woman in Jericho, a wise counselor in Persia, and a young king who revived a nation. Their actions didn’t just make a difference in their moment—they became the catalyst for something far greater. Discover how God might use your life to ignite change in the world around you.