Focal Point
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December 18
The world around us contains an infinite amount of things that call for our focus. Many of these objects have malicious intent for our lives. As a result, an incorrect focus can lead to dangerous and difficult places. This is why training ourselves as disciples of Jesus is so very important. The way we train will ultimately determine where we travel. As we close out another year, we will set our hopes and examine our habits in order to be ready for God’s plans for our community in 2023.
December 11
We live in a world where consumption based on cravings is the norm. If we want it, we take it. If our unhealthy desires become our focus, then our cravings become our master. It’s undeniable, what we feed, grows. There’s an ancient spiritual practice that serves as the interrupter in this deadly circuit. It’s called discernment. If we are to maintain a healthy focus, we must develop the ability to say yes to the right things and no to the wrong ones.
December 4
The desires of the human heart are much easier to define than they are to master. For generations, the heart has been described as having two sides, warring against one another. In ancient times, the heart was considered the center of a person, far more powerful of a motivator than the intellect. There’s great wisdom in this. Where we direct our passion, most often dictates our purpose.
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Clout
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November 27
All too often we consider God as an engineer of the expeditious, choosing to only work with a wave of his hand. In reality, many of the most beautiful things that God has designed find their fruition over time. This fact is no more obvious than when we observe the way that he interacts with our own lives. This morning we will discuss the moments that will lead up to our moment and learn how to identify our purpose when God eventually calls us into it.
November 20
There’s simply no way to get where we want to go, alone. Still, we try. As a result, we spend too much time hurting and too much time hurting others. God, through his actions and teachings, shows us plainly that relationships are the only way to be on our way. Establishing friendships with guides is tough work, but its rewards are beyond measure. When others know us well enough to affirm our passions and refine our plans, we can live confidently, knowing the good pleasure God has built us for.
November 13
Sometimes, it's most helpful to take the big ideas and make them small. If not, we can get overwhelmed before the work even begins. The life of John the Baptist was big, and supernatural from the beginning. The truth is, so are ours. Still, the question remains: how do we take our place and pursue our purpose? Simply put, each moment one decision at a time. This week we discuss the characteristics of a life well-lived, and discover it’s much more practical than we’d like to admit.
October 30
Churches often refer to the calling God places on an individual’s life but we rarely take the time to discuss where this purpose comes from and how we are to mature into it over time. Opening this series we will start our four week journey through the life of John the Baptist with the intention of making some key observations that could answer those questions. Week one will be dedicated to discovering the origin of God’s intentions for each of us and making some notes as to how we can live in that “Life’s Task” every day.
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Current Series
100 Proof
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October 16
Expectations. No matter the situation, we all have them. In almost every circumstance we have a desired outcome, a way we want things to go. Unfortunately, we don’t always get what we want. And, in these times we learn alot about ourselves, what’s been stored inside. Often we need external difficulty to begin an internal examination. In the end, this can bring us hope. Because, it’s often in the difficult that the healing takes place.
October 23
Let’s face it, relationships can be difficult. So difficult, in fact, that many have decided to give up on them altogether. But what if that’s a bad strategy? What if God’s designed us for connection? What if we determined that, above all else, connection is the cure for everything that ails us? Sure, living life together involves risk. However, it’s living life alone that can wreck us. Today we will see how having the right people around us makes all the difference.
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Current Series
The Bull In Both Directions
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October 2
The way that we view our own identity consists mostly of the stories that we tell ourselves about ourselves. For the follower of Christ this should be influenced by the promises that God has placed over our lives and by the moments where his plan intersects with our story. In the context of divorce it can be difficult to see our life this way, especially when we consider the dysfunction that often precedes and follows. This week we will discuss the steps we must take individually and as a church to see ourselves like God sees us and act out of that identity even when life is tumultuous.
September 25
When we think about divorce, we think in terms of right and wrong, good and bad, but, as evidenced in the Bible, it's more complicated than that. One day Jesus was asked a question about divorce. True to form, he changed minds by changing the conversation. Today we take a closer look at Jesus' caring words in Matthew 19.
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Watch Your Mouth
A Series on Boundaries
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September 4
In order to do the difficult work of boundary-setting, we must be motivated by a strong and clear why. We must see that if we don’t, we’ll have a life we don’t want. The Bible, full of instructions as well as examples, is extremely clear on this fact: healthy people boundary well. This week we’ll zoom in on one of the closest friendships recorded in the Bible. We’ll see how one long night between these friends shows us how to be a boundaried people.
September 11
The Bible is clear that effective followers of Jesus must exercise the ability to boundary well in their daily lives. However, this truth can become quite hard to apply whenever healthy boundaries are required with those who share our DNA. This week we will explore the steps Jesus takes to set boundaries with family, discuss what we risk by failing to be able to do so, and try to identify key places where this may be needed in our own lives.
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Canceling Culture
How to keep anger from running your life
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August 14
The world can be a difficult place. As a result, we often resort to anger to solve our problems or be heard. In the beginning, this can feel great. Unfortunately, it’s what follows our anger that multiplies our difficulties. What anger promises it never delivers. What feels like a solution can quickly lead to isolation. This week we go to the Bible to discover a new approach to this old problem.
August 21
The question that we aim to answer with this series is: in light of what Christ has done for us, how then should we live? This question can become particularly difficult to answer whenever the world around us often seems hostile to our values. However, when analyzing Jesus’ behavior we realize that making enemies of the world around us is actually in opposition to our calling to make disciples. This week we will enter a dialogue on how to most effectively and efficiently be a follower of Christ stationed in a world that does not know him.
August 28
In a world full of words, it truly is our actions that speak what is most true about us. Our actions in duress, not our premeditated posts, most clearly convey our beliefs about God and our fellow man. This week, through a story of deliverance from death, we will learn how to make our devotion our protest and how to suffer in the short-term so that those around us can know the love of God for the long-term. Together we will cancel canceling by calling one another to a higher, holy standard.
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A Pound of Flesh
Refusing What Isn’t Ours
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August 7
Like it or not, we as people move to the rhythm of very predictable patterns. Our strong desire to believe we are different is often at the root of our most dangerous behavior. We believe, somehow, that we are above the pitfalls and hang ups of others. Until we get honest about our plight, it is nearly impossible to live with purpose. In the end, the most effective way to prevent shame starts not with our actions, but with our minds. In the last week of this series, we will learn together how to trade shame for security.
July 31
There may be no more uncomfortable feeling than when new opportunities or interactions begin to bring up the old you. Guilt and shame can be powerful forces in our life that have the potential to leave us unmotivated to grow and uneffective in our efforts. It is our belief here that God not only has plans for our future but has also given us the tools to overcome our past. Today, through the story of a man named Jacob, we will begin to explore healthy ways to handle our history and discuss what it would actually look like for us to accept a new identity in Jesus instead of just talking about one.
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The Rational Request
The Things We Say Before Amen
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July 24
One day, nearing the end of his time here on earth, Jesus prays. Now, this wasn’t an isolated incident. However, it was unique in that he prayed for us, those of us who follow him today. Within this prayer are four key things central to the desires of Jesus for the modern believer. And, knowing them allows us to not only experience his love, but also to offer that same love to those around us. Today, we listen in on the rational requests of Jesus.
July 17
Often, it’s our mistakes that prompt us to open up a conversation with God. This isn’t all bad. But, what about the times when things are going our way? Should we pray then? What benefit is there to praying when we don’t need anything solved or cleaned up? Can the disciplined action of consistent prayer do more for us than we realize? Absolutely. We open this series by taking a closer look at the prayer called Psalm 51. And through it we will discover together just how effective prayer can be.
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Judge Not
We before Me
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July 10
June 26
June 12
It seems that in recent times church culture has come complete with a license to judge others around us. This can take place digitally, politically, and even in the lobby of our own building. Understanding the personal danger this poses for us requires a certain amount of mindfulness: the ability to observe why we think the way that we do. This week we will explore the unconscious steps we take from obedience into judgment and why this is a harder trap to avoid than we may realize.
June 5
It’s far easier to assign blame than it is to accept it. We need look no further than Adam and his first mistake for proof. Taking ownership for the things we have done wrong, the places we’ve missed the mark, can be an uncomfortable business. Still, it’s a skill we must possess. A lack of ownership can quickly lead to a life of judgment. And, this is in direct opposition to the teachings and life of Jesus. This week we will start the conversation about judgment by taking a long look at ourselves.
Weekly Group Guides
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Father’s Day
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June 19, 2022
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Reversal
A series on the economy of God
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May 29
It should never be lost on us that a dialogue is always more effective than a monologue. Knowing this, it seems natural that one of the more powerful components to this process of reversal is that the experiences that result from it should never be static within our own story, kept to ourselves only for reflection. God has placed us within a system in which stories are to be shared so that our first hand experiences can educate the chair navigation of the church’s future generations. Through relationships we gain a better understanding of each chair and how we are to interact with that season of life.
May 22
Beyond doubt, what drives us begins inside of us. This is what makes navigating the Four Chairs so difficult. Unless we’ve plotted our internal map, we’re destined to get turned around, frustrated, and, sadly, quit. There are two chairs specifically designed to force us to face who we are on the inside. Why? There’s a strength hidden in there that otherwise we wouldn’t know about. To know God and the purpose he’s designed for us to know in that last chair, we must know ourselves as well. This week, we close this shockingly powerful series by giving David, and Jesus, the final word.
May 15
Oftentimes we fall into the trap of believing that our western way of thinking is exactly how the Bible is meant to be read. This is a mistake that can lead not only to our misunderstanding of Scripture but God himself. There have been many great men and women derailed by this very thing. Today we will discuss how untrue notions of God could be key in our reluctance to accept ownership of our reversal.
May 1
While everyone else may stop following our stories after the failure we are left to deal with the fallout of our decisions. This a hole that we often need help climbing out of but if we are willing to enter into that process of reversal we may just find our purpose. That holy purpose that was given in the beginning by God and is realized by all our favorite heroes of scripture.
April 24
We all have giants in our lives, taunting us to engage. The question is, will we? Most of us live in fear of the big moments, the big challenges, the big risks. It’s understandable. They feel so intimidating. But, they don’t have to be. We are never alone in our challenges. Ever. This week, we will discover that, even when it doesn’t seem like it, God is working a process in our lives. One that, when we see it, we can’t unsee it. This week we discover the process of reversal.
Weekly Group Guides
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Mother’s Day
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May 8, 2022
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Easter at Vertical
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April 17 - Easter Service
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Among the Few
Difficult Decisions, Easy Life
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April 3
Who we were then and who we are now can sometimes overlap. Leaving our past to live in the present God has so daringly designed for us is more complicated than it sounds. Following the plans of God isn’t easy for any of us mostly because of what it requires from us: refusing to be our own master. The good news? The benefits of God’s design, over time, loosen our grip on who we once were. This week, we will learn what it means to live as new people.
April 10
We purchase our futures with the decisions we make today. Depending on our life-approach, this could be good or bad news. So, how do we set ourselves up for success when it matters most? How do we future-proof against the lies of our enemy? We don’t try to be wise alone. We journey with others. There truly is strength in numbers, and that strength allows us to bridge that difficult gap between beliefs and actions.
Group Guides
Group Guide Week 1
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How to Build A Tower
Stacking what matters
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March 20
Our basic beliefs about God have a dramatic effect on what and how we build. Sadly, we can convince ourselves that God is poised in anger waiting for us to fail, that all he needs is a reason to punish us. Ironically, the Bible paints a very clear and very different picture of the heart of God. If we aren’t careful, our incorrect beliefs can keep us from building anything at all. This week, we settle the score on the fear of failure so that we can join with God in building the miraculous.
March 13
Oftentimes we fool ourselves into believing that we have been called to a life void of tension. In reality God has designed us to seek out the work that will lead us towards completion in him. As we continue in our latest series, How to Build a Tower, we will discuss what it looks like to lean into this tension, observe the guidelines to success, and put an end to spiritual procrastination.
February 27
We all feel the temptation of the now. The urgent but unimportant seems to have a grip on everyone. But, it doesn’t have to. There is a better way. If we are going to start building towers, things of significance, with our lives, we’re going to have to change our way of thinking. And, as a result, change our way of doing. For starters, we have to invest in less. This week we discuss how to build a few things well rather than many things poorly.
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Anxiety’s Attack
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February 20
February 13
The trauma that our anxiety originates from plays a key role in the future of our spiritual life. If left unattended it is a weapon the enemy uses against us, but if we work through it God can use our story in miraculous ways. By exploring the lives of three siblings we will see how each of them combat the same past to lead God’s people forward.
February 6
Often, anxiety’s attack feels as though it’s happening from the inside out. Rather than situations bringing us anxiety, we bring anxiety to situations. In this way of life, our emotions run high and drive us to places we’d rather not go. We live reactively, moving from fear to fear. How do we gain control over this vicious cycle? We allow seven, small words to comfort us, guide us, challenge us, and calm us. This week we’ll discover together the Bible’s solution to our lives being more than we can handle.
January 30
Anxiety often takes place as a result of situations of abandonment and while this feeling often goes unspoken in Christian circles it is a common feeling for people who follow Christ. An unseen god will always be a hard god to follow. The Bible never refutes that but it does provide us with an adequate description of the Helper that Jesus left us with in John chapter 15. This would be a nice introduction to the Holy Spirit as he will undoubtedly come up often in our later conversations about anxiety.
Group Guides
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Structure
Living intentionally forward
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January 23
Unfortunately, the thing we are often fighting the most is ourself. Our ideas about how things should be can often block us from understanding what God is trying to do in and through us. It’s been humanity’s battle since the beginning. So, what’s the solution? Obedience. Could it be that simple? According to Jesus and his earliest followers, yes. In the last week of this series, we will take a closer look at Jesus’ words in one of his most famous teachings. If we hear them, they could be the key to unlocking the future he has planned for us.
January 16
Structure helps us understand who we were with honesty and humility. Building on this base, we are able to see far enough to believe who we were made to be, to own the new version of ourselves and disown the old one. But, we cannot do this on our own. It takes meeting with and learning from God. How? We use our words and read his.
January 9
When trying to build a structured life the directions of the Bible to both “be still” and “work out our salvation” can be confusing and oftentimes the enemy can use this as an opportunity to instill doubt in our story. Today we will discuss how preparation and a proper understanding of faith can ready us for God's provision in the end.
January 2
How does a church follow God well in the New Year? Is there more to preparing for what's ahead than resolve and intention? In 2022, Vertical Church as a community will follow a sacred pattern from an ancient story. This pattern, we pray to God, will use us, keep us, advance us toward the future he has written for us.
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