We are reading the gospel of Mark this Spring. We are looking for clues about discipleship, our calling to help others follow Jesus. After Jesus called his first disciples, he began to preach and people were astonished. His authority was asserted as he performed a great number of healings. But as his popularity rose, so did objections to his practices. Jesus responded with persuasive arguments about his authority. “I am the bridegroom.” My teaching is “new wine that requires fresh wineskins.” “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” In preparation for this Sunday, please read Mark 1 & 2.W ..read more

This week we will begin our journey into making disciples of Jesus. Over the next 8 weeks we will discuss the spiritual practice of discipleship as we study the Gospel of Mark. This Sunday, we will unpack Mark 1:14-15 where Jesus says,“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” We will look at how this verse is a foundational component to the destination of discipleship by answering two questions: What gives Jesus the authority to make this statement? & What does this statement mean? Please join us for worship this Sunday. W ..read more

This Sunday, we will conclude our April series Pursuing Impact Together. As we pursue God, we experience the gifts of the Holy Spirit that glorify God when we serve others. Our impact in the World is often measured by our care for others. As our society continues to spin into division and unrest, it seems everyone agrees that hatred and conflict cause suffering. We may wonder why is love of others the measure of our faith and our love for God? Perhaps because ‘loving one another’ is God’s plan to address the suffering of the World. Several ‘one another’ passages come directly fr ..read more

This Sunday, we will talk about opportunities for each of us to volunteer to serve in local mission. We will hear from Rachel Gibson who serves in a college discipleship ministry at University Nebraska-Lincoln. Human beings have many needs in common. We have physical & financial needs. We have psychological & relational concerns that need to be addressed. We must grow and mature to survive and thrive in this society. We also understand that we have spiritual cravings for meaning and reconciliation with God. The truth is, we cannot meet our needs in isolation. So, when God created the c ..read more

Welcome to Spring. Welcome to a season of new growth, warming temperatures and sunshine. As the calendar turns to April, we will discuss the vision of Deerbrook. Our vision is Pursuing Impact Together. This means we pursue God himself. We seek the presence of God in private devotional times and in conversations with caring friends.  We seek his presence in worship on Sunday mornings. As we seek God, we seek his will. Lord, change us from the inside that we may embrace the righteousness of God and become a loving community. Scripture is clear, others give glory to God as his ..read more

The journey to a life of grace, truth, beauty and fulfillment is not an easy one. The Scriptures warn us that there is an unholy trinity that seeks constantly to lead us astray and to sabotage our progress: The Devil, the Flesh, and the World. This is what we are up against. In previous weeks we have seen that we have a real Enemy, and the Enemy’s chief strategy is to lie about the nature of reality and what is the true path to abundant life. We have also looked at how powerful these lies can be as they feed into our own disordered desires, what the Bible calls our “Flesh.” The battle becomes ..read more

We have discussed recently that defeating the devil’s lies is done by prayer, the Word of God and living among the  community of believers. We surround ourselves with people who believe and tell us the truth. He whispers lies. We shout back the truth. Well, the truth is, there is a way to defeat even the most stubborn sin in our lives! We don’t mention it much. Worried about legalism, we give in to living defeated lives. Paul was worried about legalism, but he taught we can die to the old self. According to our author of Live No Lies, the pathway to free ..read more

It seems everyone we know is searching for a better life. More possessions, more pleasure, more freedom. The world offers to fulfill us with more stuff at the expense of our souls. We should not bet tricked. The old ways of personal fulfillment don’t work. We are preaching through the second section of the best-selling book, Live No Lies, by John Mark Comer. He understands that the devil’s lies are directed at our distorted hearts and our confused identities. However, the good news is that Jesus offers us new life and real freedom. Jesus offers us the better ..read more

This Sunday, we begin our Lent series based on Scripture and the best-selling book Live No Lies by John Mark Comer. The content is an extension of our Overcoming The World discussion. Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil. In a world of senseless violence and unrestricted immorality, how can we still think that our society is getting better? Ideas are assumptions about reality, and when ideas are false, they are particularly harmful. Well, the problem is that the devil is real, and his lies are powerful. When lies are normalized by&n ..read more

This Sunday, with our fourth talk on Overcoming The World, we will discuss Love & Sexuality. We hope to begin an honest conversation about how to love people we may disagree with and perhaps even fear. In addition, we will discuss modern views and the Bible’s teaching on sexuality. We acknowledge that expressions of sexuality effect nearly all of our families. We understand how confusing these topics are for many of us. With God’s Word as our guide, and Jesus’ Creed “to love God and love others,” we’ll venture into gentle conversations ..read more