When life is going well, it's easy to think we have a good understanding of who we are. However, it's usually when life gets difficult that our faith and character are really revealed. God allows his people to experience testing throughout scripture to strengthen and solidify their faith. In those moments, we can be tempted to run from God, but those are the exact moments when our trust in God is able to grow.

Song of Solomon gives us a picture of what marriage can be. In this chapter, our couple has reached old age and they are still in love. How did they cultivate friendship and intimacy over a life time? What empowered them to pursue one another even when things were difficult? Most importantly, what does God's love for us teach us about how we can love our spouses well?

Sexual intimacy with a spouse is a good God-given thing meant to promote oneness. This oneness is God's desire for all marriages. However, there are plenty of things that can work against that unity and connection for a husband and wife. What should we be on the look out for, and how can we work toward experiencing the kind of relationship God wants us to have?

Marriage, relationships, and sexual intimacy can all be enjoyed as God-given gifts when they are enjoyed within God's good boundaries. How should those in the church think about physical attraction? What does it mean for a man and a woman to become one flesh? How can we honor God with our sexual intimacy? What issues could keep us from experiencing a happy marriage? Check out our latest sermon on Song of Solomon for answers to these questions.

With our words, we can either build others up or tear them down. This is especially true when it comes to our marriages. Every couple wants greater degrees of emotional and physical intimacy, but what helps create that? The first thing we should ask is, "How do we talk to each other, and how do we talk about each other?"

When it comes to issues revolving around sex and sexuality, the church has typically either been silent or only spoken in negative ways. However, scripture makes it clear that initially, sex was meant to be a good gift from God given to his people. Sin has distorted God's good gift, but that doesn't mean God can't redeem our sexuality. What does it look like to receive sex as a gift? How can we bring this area of our lives under the authority of Jesus? Check out the first sermon in our new Song of Solomon series for more.

God calls his people to mission. In 1 Kings, the prophet Elijah is used by God to confront the idolatry of Ahab and Israel. When Elijah steps out in faith, God sustains his prophet and works through him in powerful ways. However, following a successful ministry, Elijah finds himself spiritually depressed because his success did not lead to the results he anticipated. Many of us have seasons when we are on fire for the Lord, but how do we respond when troubles come? How many of us have asked, "God, how could you let this happen to me in light of everything I've done for you?" When those moments come, the Lord graciously ministers to us and refocuses our mission.

A sermon from 1 Peter 1:13-21.

During the month of December, Christians celebrate the coming of Jesus to earth. Why was this such an important event? One main reason Jesus came to earth was to give us an example of what life with God is like. Because Jesus experienced life with God as a man, he's also able to help us as we try and do the same.

Why did Jesus come to earth? In Luke 1:67-80, we discover in some sense that he came to save us from our enemies. But what enemies did he come to save us from? It might not be who you think. Check out this sermon from Luke 1 to learn more.