New Day Christian Church - Weston, WI

Our bodies grow up whether we like it or not.  It’s automatic.  Unfortunately, other aspects of our development are not automatic—like our spiritual and emotional maturity.  You know people who are grown up, but they still interact in the world as a selfish child, or a rebellious adolescent.  Until we recognize our own tendencies to be stuck in immaturity, our spiritual growth in Christ will be stunted.  (Message recorded April 3, 2011)

God has rhythm.  We see it in the rhythm of day and night, seasons, our breath, our heartbeat.  He designed us to live according to His rhythm, which includes times of refreshment and rest.  Life without God’s rhythm ends up being chaotic.  Some of us are living in that chaos right now.  During this message, we'll start bringing order to chaos by discovering the rhythms of the Daily Office (being with God at specific times during your day) and Sabbath (a day of rest).

We all encounter suffering in our lives.  This isn’t the stuck-behind-a-slow-driver kind of suffering, but the kind of suffering that changes the course of our future.  Often we ask God, “Why me?”  During this message we will explore grief and loss, and to start asking a different question: “What now?”  (Message from service 03-20-2011)

It is impossible to be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature.  One of the stages on the way to maturity is “The Wall.”  One ancient monk called this stage “the dark night of the soul.”  How do we follow Christ when we feel all dried up?  When our family is falling apart?  When our health takes a turn?  When we lose sight of hope?  During this message, we learn more about how God often takes us on a journey through The Wall.  (Message recorded 03-13-2011)

God placed each of us into a particular family in a particular place at a particular moment in history.  A healthy spiritual journey with Christ requires us to recognize how our past is affecting our present.  We have to go back in order to go forward.  During this message, we’ll see in Genesis 50 how Joseph dealt with an imperfect family situation and lived out God’s will for his life. (Message recorded 03-06-2011)

In A.D. 400, Augustine wrote, “How can you draw close to God when you are far from your own self? ...Grant, Lord, that I may know myself that I may know thee.”  So often we put on a false self, covering up who we really are.  In fact, most of us have put so much energy into that fabrication that we don’t even know who we really are!  Giving our true selves to God requires that we take time to peel back the layers of who we are not.  (Message recorded 02-27-2011)

So often we learn to polish the surface of our lives, but under that polished surface is a hidden life.  God wants to transform us from the inside-out.  He wants to give our lives an extreme makeover.  To allow Him that kind of access begins by admitting that followers of Jesus have a problem.  We have neglected the connection between emotional maturity and spiritual maturity.  It’s time to unleash a revolution in our lives in Christ.  (Series: Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Part 2/9.  Message recorded 02-13-2011)  Here is a link to the video showed at the beginning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjkCaeia8DQ

January is over. The marketers have shifted their tactics from post-holiday weight loss to Valentine’s Day chocolate. Millions of people have already defaulted on their new year’s resolutions, but at New Day we’re just getting started. This week we’re kicking off a journey to break free of the hang-ups that keep us from letting God transform our lives. It’s time to experience real change. (Message recorded 02-13-2011)

Message recorded 2-6-2011

The Bible tells us that a follower of Christ is part of Christ's Kingdom, not the kingdoms of this world.  He transforms us from participants in the world's patterns into representatives of Heaven -- His ambassadors.  Why then do we feel so hesitant to stand out?  Why are we so afraid to share His message?  We'll take a look a four people who influenced an entire empire, and find clues about how the hundreds of Christ-followers in this community could influence the next chapter in history.  (Message recorded 01-30-2011)