Ember Church

He is risen! And though everyone who has ever been new by Him knows that is the most incredible thing ever, what if there is still more?!? What if not only does He make us new, but He gives the most easy yet profound way to enter into the fullness of the life that He has for us?! This one is a total download from Him, on the day where we celebrate the incredible, amazing, surpassing thing that God has done for us! He is risen indeed!!!

This is my last sermon where it is just us, our Lake Samm Fam. Next week, will be my last sermon, but that’s Easter and it will be all about Jesus. So this week, I want to say as proper goodbye as possible given that we can’t hug. Nuff said, if I keep writing my tears will drip onto my laptop and blow up on me. At least it would be less painful than this … Man do I love you!!!

Our world is turned upside down & counting the days until we can get back to normal, but maybe God has something else in mind ….

Let’s find out together what it means to be a believer and follower! Lets explore what gets in the way of our commitment to his goals for us and His people

Come hear the message God has been preparing for us since February. What do we do when God is silent? When we feel like he's not moving? Esther has an answer for us.

If you have the wrong ideas about God, you end up doing the wrong things even if your heart is right. But it's also totally possible to have good theology and still get it wrong. Why? We haven't let our thinking transform our doing and our feeling. This Sunday, we're talking about how to make what we believe, what we do, and how we feel all match, as we continually become transformed to be like Jesus.

What is Lake Samm supposed to be…next? His leading appears clear. More the opportunity is absolutely the most exciting and engaging I’ve ever seen. He has us perfectly poised to make an enormous difference. Come experience the Spirit, as He reveals our future!

What does it mean to share the Gospel? Does God expect us to? Is it even possible in today’s culture? This week we are considering the final words Jesus spoke on earth and what they mean for us today.

How can we discern if we are truly growing to be more like Jesus? Are there parts of us that are fully defined by personality and are not in need of transformation by God? Doesn’t God love us just as we are? This week Josh Morris is reflecting on Psalm 139 and sharing what God has been doing in his journey as a task-focused, introverted, and peace-seeking person.

The next step in our pastoral transition is to ask the Lord one simple question: are we supposed to ask Foursquare to consider Josh and Justine as the next pastors of Lake Samm? As most of you know by now, we do not vote on a new pastor. Instead, following the Biblical pattern our new Pastor will be appointed by Foursquare’s District Head, Dave Veach. This provides us with a great check on our sense of the what the Lord is leading, i.e. as happens, we could miss what God is actually leading because we’re so close to the situation. Having a person anointed by God for their ordained role, Dave, protects us by him either confirming or checking our sense of the Lord’s leading. So, this week, we will seek His will in prayer and then ask some questions of Josh, Justine and JJ to see if it helps bring clarity to us. I love this process because of how it gives us the best possible chance of getting this extremely important decision right. Very much look forward to seeing you there!

Big news. You are going to want to be at Lake Samm, in person, this Sunday. God continues to move in huge, incredible ways. See you there!

Podcast for Ember Church as we follow Jesus in Bellevue and beyond.

Looking for direction? Wanting to know what God wants you to do? What does it practically mean to have Jesus as our King and leader? This Sunday we are in 1 Samuel as we continue our journey through the Old Testament and also our journey to becoming the people and church God wants for the season ahead.

Last week, in a very important sermon, the Lords showed us exactly where we are in the Zeitgeist Transition – rejection by the new generation, that is being joined by the ones that have gone before, but with no understanding yet of what His new synthesis will be. (Listen to last week’s sermon to understand that.) But that doesn’t mean He hasn’t given us some insights/revelation to know what to pray for. And, they act like guidelines so that we can see what’s He’s doing much more clearly. Put yourself in a front row seat and experience all the glory, excitement, anointing, wonder of being right where He’s moving! Can’t wait to share this!!!

The Lord is strongly setting our course for this next season! By His continual leading, there is absolutely dead true straight line from Kevin’s sermon on identity, to Justine’s on citizenship and its rights and responsibilities, to what God is having me do on the next two Sundays. And this is as important to our walks and thereby the future of Christianity in America as it can get. Get ready, get prayerful, He’s speaking prophetically!

What does it mean to be part of God’s family? What does it practically mean to be part of the Body of Christ? What does it mean to be part of a local church? This Sunday we’re exploring Yahweh’s call to us to be active and engaged members of His Kingdom.

We find so many ways we find our identity (introvert/extrovert, politically left/right, enneagram number, our profession, etc). What if it turns out those things are a mere shadow of who you actually are? What does it mean to find our identities as followers of Jesus.

The greatest act of God’s love is undoubtedly the cross. But what if there was a close second, which might even be, in His eyes and heart, equally as great? Come experience the love of Christmas in a whole new way. Let it really sink down deep in you, and this service will surely become His incredibly impactful gift to you this glorious season!

God has been taking us on an incredible journey! He has dramatically deepened our understanding of what a Christian life is supposed to look like by showing us it’s foundations in the Old Testament. And now, he puts a finishing touch on what’s He’s been doing with a story that seems, well, out of place. Ruth. But in fact, it is the most perfect bow being tied on everything He’s been teaching us. Experience this to see so simply, so beautifully, what He wants our lives to be. I cannot wait!!!

We're so excited to celebrate the gift of Jesus this Christmas season. Join us this Sunday as we look at the account of Jesus' adopted dad, Joseph, and what we can learn about hearing God and knowing how to respond.

The Lord has had us looking at the Old Testament to get a much deeper understanding of the walk the God has for us in our New Testament times. This Sunday He will take us a much deeper into how to actually and truly hear his Spirit. And in a way that will greatly help us to actually follow/obey Him. I can’t wait for us to experience this!!!

Last week Justine, as led by the Lord, revealed how critical it is that confession be a regular part of our lives. This week God takes everything yet another step forward by showing us the fullness of the Spirit in an extraordinary way! Yet again, in just the 7th book of the Bible the Lord is showing us precisely what we need and why! Though we’re in the Old Testament, He is clearly showing the incredible depths of the New! Praise God!!!

This week we’re having real talk about sin and the incredible gift of God’s forgiveness. We’re heading into the book of Judges as we continue to journey through the Old Testament and discover more about Yahweh’s amazing Love.

God started something a few months ago about us loving him regardless of anything he may or may not do. Then he took us into obedience because there is no way that we can know everything that he has in his mind and heart and so we need to just follow whatever he is saying. This week God brings it all to an amazing culmination in showing us how to live, and be, like Jesus. So easy… So profound!!! Can't wait for you to experience this!

Have you ever thought about whether God has a plan for you, and if so, how do you do it? And what happens when you fail? Are you stuck living God's backup plan for your life, or can you get back to the life he originally had for you? This Sunday we're looking at the Shema, which the most quoted verse in the Old Testament for the Hebrew people, and how it shows us how our view of God's will is different than we think.

When you think of the law, do you think it is a bunch of rules and regs, do’s and don’ts. Experience this and find out how that is not even remotely what they actually are. And feel how when we know what they really are they are fulfilled by us without even trying. And lastly, discover how when we do that, we finally fulfill what God was wanting us to do for the world – something the Israelites failed to do, and so we, until, hopefully, now!

For years we have been discussing Simple Obedience – the kind where we lay aside every other concern, thought, understanding so that we are oriented only to doing what ever he is leading. But it turns out that kind of obedience, while indeed simple, is actually quite radical in what we have to do to get there. Experience a foundational story that God brings to the Israelites to show us how far beyond anything we can think or imagine His ways truly are! It is inspirational!!!

When it was time for the Israelites to move into the land Yahweh had promised them, 10 scouts brought scary news and two brought hopeful news. How could there be two opposing reports? Was this a battle of glass-half-empty and glass-half-full personalities? Are Christians supposed to be positive people who always see the bright side? This week we’re continuing in Numbers and our journey through the Old Testament as Justine Morris asks “What does it mean to truly be God’s people?”

This is just so good. I know I’m not the best person to say this, but I so wish you could be in my shoes and feel how lovingly and powerfully He is leading us! Just wait until you experience this one. (And truly it is one that has be be experienced!)

Do the Old Testament Laws of God have any worth in our lives today? This Sunday Justine Morris is leading us in a look at the law book of Leviticus and the heart of Yahweh.

Sometimes the things God reveals are lighter than air and yet as big and profound as the Universe. To try and capture then communicate this using mere words is nearly impossible – words are too confined to capture His breath. But if He breathes Life into those words… Pray that the words He speaks through me this week enrapture us these transcendent heights because I want you to see this incredible beautiful revelation…

This Sunday we’ll hear from John Battermann as he shares on lessons learned while wandering in the wilderness.

In the midst of full lives, stress, and tensions, we have Hope that Yahweh is at work changing things for the better... but how? And we are we to do while we wait? This Sunday Justine Morris is bringing a message about walking in wild Hope.

This Sunday we're building on the amazing sermon from last week, where we moved our relationship with God from religion to intimacy. Now, how do we interact with God when we're in a new season we've never been in before? It turns out, it's returning back to simplicity.

Come discover what happens when God doesn’t give you the ONE thing that you want. How does it affect your walk with God? Are we people who truly believe his promises and walk in intimacy with him?

When I was a young Christian, I had the great, good fortune of sitting under a teacher who opened up the God of love revealed in the Old Testament. Now, 40 years later, I get to dig into the Lord and discover for myself the depths of what God reveals about Himself in Exodus, and what it means for our lives. In fact, I’ve gotten to do that for 30+ years, and yet just this morning, in prayer, I was yet once again bowled over by what He showed me. I cannot wait for you to experience this!

God’s commands are so life bringing(yes, they really are!) Discover the heart of God on this journey through Exodus while He creates a Holy people. What He is attempting to do to the Israelites is what He wants to fulfill in us!

As God is revealing to the Jewish people who he really is, he reveals himself to us in ways that even now, 3500 years later, we don't really get. I can't wait for you to experience this game-changing revelation. If you've ever wanted to truly love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, this is the one for you to experience.

Most of us think that salvation, deliverance, and all the things Jesus did, started with Jesus. But, in fact, every bit of what Jesus was magnificently revealed in find detail 1,500 years before Jesus was born. Come experience what God is trying to say so strongly to us today through this. Extraordinary!

Welcome to Exodus! We're starting the book with an epic battle between Yahweh and Pharaoh. Is it possible that we don't trust God because we don't understand how powerful and in control he is? Come find out!

What does it mean to be truly all in, surrendered completely to Jesus? Come find out at a great service with an inter-generation twist.

God spoke an incredibly insightful word at Foursquare’s International Convention through one of the speakers. It is so important we’re going to take week and process it. You will see things differently after this!

What if you had all the power of a hydrogen bomb…but didn’t know it. Come experience the absolutely phenomenal power/gift that all Christians have but do not know (even if you move in it). Life changing.

Need some encouragement? This week we are diving into the final chapters of Genesis to see the extraordinary life journey of an ordinary guy who seemed to simply trust Yahweh regardless of circumstances.

Have you ever struggled with something for so long, you just think “it’s just who I am, I’m destined to struggle with this forever”? We’re going to look at a story of Jacob, a man who was literally born with a negative reputation, and how God interacted with his life in a way that changed the very nature of his personality and life.

if you thought last week was good, wait until you hear this one! For two weeks God has been doing a deep dive into how our lives are to be faith not works. But what does that really mean in how we live our lives? Bottom line: If you want joy, if you want peace, if you want your life to be filled with a relationship of love, and not one ruled by a spirit of obligation that weighs you down, then this is a moment that has to be experienced, not just heard. The Lord is doing something extraordinary at Lake Samm. Can’t wait to join you…and Him!

Just wait until you hear this one!!! We’re going to peel back one of the most important moments of Genesis to see something about God that is so profound that it will completely amaze you. I cannot wait!!!!

Abraham is the father of our faith. But what does that mean, and why does it matter? Hear Kevin explain why Abraham’s interaction with God was so dramatically different than any that ever came before him.

Noah lived in an era of extreme evil which ended in a catastrophic human tragedy by the Hand of God. Why did Yahweh allows things to get this bad? Why did the flood need to happen? And what does Noah’s life story mean for us today? This Sunday we’re walking through the record of Genesis 6 and asking questions about free-will and God’s Love.

As the Lord continues to do so beautifully, where we are in our new series is absolutely the most perfect possible place to be for Easter! We will look at why Jesus had to do what He did. And then go even deeper to see an amazing application to us right now. God is soooooo good!!!!! He is risen!!!