Jonathan shared this testimony on Sunday...

I was born in San Diego, raised in the city of Orange, my father abandoned my mother and I when I was 2 years old, and my grandfather passed away while I was young. I grew up going to church, but you could definitely say my family was broken and so was I.

I started using drugs and then selling drugs in middle school. I was kicked out of McPherson Magnet School and then my mother’s home at the age of 16.

I made many enemies here.

I hurt a lot of people in Orange. I attempted to take my life many, many times here in Orange. It was here that I gave up.

Two years ago, after surviving one last attempt at suicide, I returned to my parents home. They took me in and that’s when my life began to change. That day, as I looked around my childhood bedroom, I prayed a simple prayer and God answered. I began attending a church. I was baptized. People began discipling me. It wasn’t easy and I wasn’t perfect, but I was beginning to change. I was growing.

Jesus had become my redeemer. My shepherd.

Long story short, I arrived here at Sovereign Grace in July and found my home right where I began…in Old Towne Orange. And you have to understand. I was afraid to walk these streets alone. I was ashamed someone would recognize me. Or worse. 

It’s kind of surreal. Just walking around the Plaza with you.

Everything is so different now.

Yet God has called me back and I have been so blessed and encouraged by you. You love Jesus. You are living for his glory andI want to be a part of this. I want to be a part of you.

I want to add my voice and my life to yours and tell people in Orange that whatever you are facing…trials, hopelessness, whatever. When your world comes crashing down , put your trust in Christ.

He will bear with you in mercy like he did for me. He will protect you like He did for me. He is good. He rules the world. In Him is found salvation and new life.

I never thought I’d be here (in Orange, of all places) saying this. I never imagined I’d be a member of this church. Sovereign Grace Church. But today I am.

I am a grateful man.

I’ve been forgiven of much and I have been loved much. And now I want to tell my home town that they can be too.

We credit leaders for things God does.

Pastors Eric preached last Sunday from 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 and the danger of trusting our leaders more than we trust our God. Our tendency towards "brand loyalty" can divide the church into factions, forming rivalries that have more to do with preferences then doctrinal purity. These rivalries aren't a sign of discernment, but in the case of the Corinthians their immaturity.

Listen to the the sermon here.

Psalm 19:1-7

Guest preacher Jason Hansen from our sister church preached last Sunday on the need to drink deeply from the well of the Scriptures. "Christians cannot live without it."

Listen to the sermon here.

Alma shared last Sunday...

Last week I attended our first-ever women’s retreat. I was so excited about this. As soon as the event was announced I rushed the registration table. I wanted to spend a weekend with a group multi-generational friends who love Jesus. 

I really didn't know what to expect and quickly filled in the blanks with what I could get out of the retreat. Instruction, teaching, pampering. I was thinking resort and spa, but God had something much better planned.

We were encouraged by the teaching to reposition our hearts towards how we can serve one another. I'm always thinking bigger is better and to have big, audacious goals. Instead, I was reminded that being a wife and mother and friend was already extraordinary.

God often chooses the ordinary to show us the extraordinary.

I learned that each of our lives are a ministry. He even blesses us with uncomfortable and painful seasons and situations because he loves us. And when we seek to glorify him in all we do, even in things we did not ask for to begin with, he reminds us that he is good through it all. 

The retreat wasn't everything I had hoped for. It was better.

We see a mess. The apostle sees grace.

"We measure christians by the grace they have received. Their identity is not found in their sin. It is found in Christ."

Listen to Pastor Eric begin our series through 1 Corinthians.

Members Meeting

Sunday, October 4, 2015

All church members and regular attenders should plan on a "working lunch" after our service this Sunday, October 4, 2015. You eat, the pastors talk, and everyone is equipped to participate in the ministry of our church.

This is a BYO lunch event. Buck-A-Slice pizza will be available. We schedule 2 member meetings per year. Read the recaps from our last two here: October and May.

A new sermon series.

We begin a new sermon series this Sunday through the book of First Corinthians. It will take us about a year and our prayer is that this book leaves a lasting impression on all of us.

God wants to speak to us.

The most important relationship we never talk about.

We all experience a deep desire for friendship. It's part of how we bear God's likeness. It's not good to be alone. We are social by design.

But we've all been hurt by a friend as well. We aren't as good at being friends as we want. Our sin turns our friendships into just one more way to make everything about "me."

Listen to Pastor Eric teach on friendship from John 15:12-17.