Westside Church

Good Questions Week 1 | In the first week of our Good Questions series, we learn from the Apostle Paul’s teachings that it is better to walk intentionally (and often quietly and slowly) next to Jesus than to put on an outward show to convince others that we are “good Christians.” A radical faith does not need to be a loud one.

This Sunday, Westside commissioned the Franco family as they prepare to move to Spain as missionaries. We had the privilege of hearing Pastor Gonzalo preach about mission work. Pastor Gonzalo shares that the church’s ultimate mission is about introducing people to Jesus – not merely Christian culture, traditions, or institutions. Every believer is invited to participate in that mission, no matter where God has placed them.

Healthy Relationships: Week 4 | Healthy relationships require adopting the humble, selfless posture of Jesus. From Jesus’ example in the Bible, we see the value of prioritizing others and practicing vulnerability, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

Healthy Relationships: Week 3 | Through the story of Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well, we learn from Jesus’ example that listening is an act of love. Healthy listening does not involve interjecting or fixing the situation – it is slowing down and seeking to understand.

Healthy Relationships: Week 2 | In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus’ interaction with God helps illustrate that healthy relationships begin by honestly confronting what is happening beneath the surface of our hearts – being brutally honest with ourselves and with whoever we are in friendship or relationship with – rather than avoiding difficult emotions.

Healthy Relationships: Week 1 | What can we learn from the Bible when it comes to building healthy relationships? Because Jesus calls his followers to love one another, we learn that healthy relationships require commonality, consistency, and vulnerability – and the church can become a place of healing and connection in an increasingly lonely world.

James Week 4 | In this week’s sermon, Pastor Josh shows us how James often gives us simple, clear instructions on how we can turn towards God. In hard times, God calls us to come close. In good times, we are called to worship. While these actions can feel insignificant, it is only through the love of God that we can be made perfectly whole, no matter our situation.

James Week 3 | In the final installment of our series through James, we learn what to do when we encounter conflict with others. Rather than build up our defenses and look for ways to blame others for our actions, James encourages – or even demands – that our first action when dealing with conflict should be to turn to God and seek his grace in the situation.

James Week 2 | James’ message in his third chapter sounds so harsh because he is being incredibly serious; words have the power to literally build up or tear down the character and wellbeing of the people around us. When Jesus interacts with the world, he does so with words of sincere kindness – and we should do the same.

James Week 1 | As we begin our study through James, we are reminded that faith was never meant to stop at understanding God’s Word. As the body of Christ, believers are called to carry the hope, compassion, and restoration of Jesus into the world, allowing God’s grace to flow through them in tangible ways every day.

Jesus’ question, “Who do you say I am?” is the defining question that moves faith from opinion to personal surrender. It reveals that our true identities are found not in performance, approval, or control – but in recognizing Christ as Lord, even if we can’t fully wrap our minds around the magnitude of that truth.

Sunday School Week 5 | The story of Adam and Eve reveals that the humanity’s deepest problem is not simply that we break rules that God put in place; rather, humanity’s greatest issue originates from us choosing to distrust God’s goodness, which leads to shame, blame, and the hiding. To counteract this problem, God constantly invites humanity back into his perfect grace and love.

Sunday School Week 4 | Samson’s story shows us that even in times of intense hardship, hope remains because God is present in the valley. We must realize that it is Him and not us – even with our strong willpower and grit – who can turn an ending into the beginning of something good.

Sunday School Week 3 | We observe humanity’s drive to achieve, control, and remove limitations through stories as old as the Tower of Babel – and we can see that same desire echoed in our everyday lives as we interact with technology today. While the world pulls us into a world of efficiency and ease, God calls us to lives of community with others, even when it’s messy.

SBC Ammendment on Women in Leadershiphttps://www.christianpost.com/news/sbc-passes-amendment-banning-female-pastors-elders.html Aimee Semple Mcphersonhttps://www.foursquare.org/about/history/aimee-semple-mcpherson Women leaders in the New Testament:There are Women Pastors in the New Testament – Marg Mowczko Lycos, Netscape and Ask Jeeves (RIP)https://domain.me/search-engines-yahoo-altavista-lycos-ask-msn The Odysseyhttps://nofilmschool.com/christopher-nolan-practical-odyssey UFO’s?But What If Aliens Exist?

Sunday School Week 2 | Ruth's story shows us that even in suffering, hope remains because God draws near to the marginalized, transforms bitterness, and uses broken stories to create something good and lasting.

Sunday School Week 1 | Namaan's story illustrates Andy Stanley's quote, "To understand, you must first obey," perfectly. Namaan was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy (v. 1). When he heard that there was a God who could heal him, he imagined his healing process as one fit for a king – but God had a simpler, quieter approach in mind.

Westside One: On the Mount Week 7 | In the final week of our observation of the Sermon on the Mount, we see that Jesus contrasts two ways of living: a narrow path rooted in his teachings that leads to real life, and a broad, self-centered path that ultimately leads to destruction.

Westside One: On the Mount Week 6 | God alone holds the authority to judge humanity – he does not pass that authority onto us. Rather than judge and condemn those around us in our own ignorance, we are instead invited to build intentional relationships with others that are supported by God’s perfect love for humanity.

Westside One: On the Mount Week 5 | Money easily shifts from a useful tool into something that controls our hearts and fuels anxiety – especially when we equate it with security, identity, or worth. God invites us to rely entirely on him and turn from a life of self-preservation to one of generosity to those around us.

Westside One: On the Mount Week 4 | True transformation comes not from performing for others but from rooting identity in God’s unconditional love, which frees people from the exhausting need for approval and image management. Practicing faith in the “secret place”—where motives are hidden and hearts are formed—shifts life from striving and pretense to genuine inner change marked by rest, authenticity, and lasting fruit.

Westside One: On the Mount Week 3 | In our third week of studying the Sermon on the Mount, we learn that following Jesus isn’t about piling on more rules or proving our worth, but leaning further into Jesus and accepting the grace he offers freely to us.

Westside One: On the Mount Week 3 | In our third week of studying the Sermon on the Mount, we learn that following Jesus isn’t about piling on more rules or proving our worth, but leaning further into Jesus and accepting the grace he offers freely to us.

Westside One: On the Mount Week 2 | The Beatitudes reveal an upside-down kingdom where Jesus made statements like “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” (v. 3) and “Blessed are those who mourn…” (v. 4). Jesus did not mean that these people earned blessings by being sad or broken – instead he revealed how the Kingdom of God is available to those who are in broken places.

Westside One: On the Mount Week 1 | Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount reveal a radically different way of life rooted in God’s present kingdom. Instead of a rule-based faith focused on managing sin, the invitation is to follow Jesus closely and be transformed from the inside out, leading to a full, abundant life shaped by grace.

The Gospel of John: Week 14 | Easter Sunday marks a day of not only the miracle of Jesus rising from the grave, but of an invitation for anybody and everybody to know that their stories are not over. No matter your regrets, failures, or uncertainty, Jesus invites every one of us to come and sit with him.

The Gospel of John: Week 13 | In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus, by handing himself over to his attackers, shows that he is not a powerless victim, but the only one with authority to choose the path of the cross to save others.

The Gospel of John: Week 12 | Jesus invites us to remain connected to him like branches to a vine, trusting that real transformation and fruitfulness comes not from abiding in his life and teachings – choosing to simply be with him – not striving to prove our dedication or worth.

The Gospel of John: Week 11 | The peace that Jesus offers isn’t found in specific circumstances or self-improvement. It is found by realizing that we are vessels of his goodness, and are fully reliant on his presence through the Holy Spirit.

The Gospel of John: Week 10 | While the disciples argued about who among them was the greatest, Jesus stooped to wash their feet. By loving even those who would betray and abandon him, Jesus showed that loving your neighbor has nothing to do with status – it is about lowering yourself in order to lift up another.

The Gospel of John: Week 9 | Mary’s (the sister of Lazarus) bold act of anointing Jesus with costly perfume reveals that true discipleship flows from humble devotion at his feet – not pride, efficiency, or transactional religion that believes God “owes” us something.

The Gospel of John: Week 8 | Jesus’ bold declaration, “I am the resurrection and the life,” confronts the hard question: Why God sometimes seems slow in the face of suffering? We are invited to trust Christ’s nearness in grief, believe in His power to bring life from death, and become a community marked by grace and resurrection hope.

The Gospel of John: Week 7 | Jesus’ declaration as the Good Shepherd invites us to consider what it truly means to recognize His voice amid the noise and competing influences of everyday life.

The Gospel of John: Week 6 | When Jesus declared himself the Light of the World, it was a declaration that asked something of humanity, too. It asked us to keep our eyes open and willing to recognize that before we saw Jesus’ light, we were blind – but by acknowledging his light, now we can see!

The Gospel of John: Week 5 | When Jesus fed the crowd but refused to be made a national savior, he disappointed the revolutionaries who viewed him as a means to an end – just like the Pharisees had before. Instead of seeing Jesus simply as someone who can change our circumstances, we should see and seek him for who he really is: the Bread of Life.

The Gospel of John: Week 4 | Following Jesus means allowing his teaching to change us. When John wrote about Jesus healing the paralyzed beggar, he noted how easily brokenness can become our identity – and how Jesus calls us to leave it behind.

The Gospel of John: Week 3 | Jesus is not half grace and half truth. He is fully grace and fully truth, which allowed him to completely see our sin and then sacrifice himself as a perfect atonement for it.

The Gospel of John: Week 2 | The Jesus who quietly and miraculously turned water into wine, refilling what had run dry, is the same Jesus who overturned tables at the temple, bolding disrupting a system that was denying people access to God. Jesus’ peace does not mean quiet – but it does mean wholeness, justice, and joy for those who take part in it.

The Gospel of John: Week 1 | The Apostle John’s account of the Gospel differs from Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s accounts in that John’s Gospel is a personal reflection on his experience of living and serving in Jesus’ presence. John writes earnestly that Jesus, who was the living, breathing Voice of God, is on humanity’s side.

Through the humility of Mary, the obedience of Joseph, the faith of Simeon, and the joy of Anna, we are reminded that the light of Jesus cannot be overcome. We are invited to believe – and expect – that God will move powerfully now, just like he did in the past.

Advent Week 4: LOVE | We are often told that we must always move up, be more, and fix ourselves. During the last week of Advent we look at LOVE, and how it tells us a different story. Instead of climbing higher, loves descends down into our wounds. Love is a person, and he chooses to be with us.

Advent Week 3: JOY | True joy isn’t something we achieve through success, circumstances, or possessions, but a gift produced by God’s nearness. We receive it when we make room for Him in our ordinary lives, which allows us to live in child-like wonder, even in times of sorrow.

Advent Week 2: PEACE | In the second week of Advent, we reflect on peace. Jesus is a peacemaker, and as Christians, or “little Christs,” we are called to make peace wherever we go as well. Peace is not something we get from people-pleasing, arguing, or avoiding conflict at all costs – it is something we learn from Jesus.

Advent Week 1: HOPE | The Advent season begins in a way we might not expect; it begins with longing, questions, and waiting. This hopeful posture of waiting is where God meets us – so bring your aches, longings, and questions to God, and let him form a sense of hope within you.

When it comes to thankfulness and gratitude, we can find ourselves in one of three positions: unthankfulness, reasonable thankfulness, or gospel gratitude. While thankfulness is a meaningful action, gratitude is a posture — a way of being — that we find when we trust that God perfectly loves us.

Vision Part 2 | This week we celebrated Global Sunday and looked back on how God has used Westside to reach people beyond our country’s boarders. As we prepare for the new year, we are reminded that God loves the entire world — not just our corner of it — and how we are called out of apathy and into Jesus’ Great Commission.

Vision Part 1 | Proverbs 29:18 reads, “Without vision, the people perish.” For two weeks, Senior Pastors Ben and Evan are expanding upon how Life, Love, Jesus does not serve as a catchy slogan for Westside Church, but as the foundation for the Jesus-centered community being formed here.