New Years Day - 2023 Rita Penner calling church compassion culture discipleship following jesus groups obedience prayer purpose spiritual growth Following Jesus isn’t about trying harder to be good. It’s about listening better to the Voice that has the power to transform us from the inside out. Every believer can hear that Voice if we know what to listen for!Kids Weekly Lesson
Message New Years Day - 2023 January 1, 2023 calling church compassion culture discipleship following jesus groups obedience prayer purpose spiritual growth Following Jesus isn’t about trying harder to be good. It’s about listening better to the Voice ...
Message Christmas Eve - 2022 December 24, 2022 advent christmas community faith hope jesus joy peace Experiencing the story of Christmas with one another. The awe and wonder of the shepherds as the...
Message Christmas Day - 2022 December 25, 2022 advent christmas community faith hope jesus joy peace Jesus is the Light of the world!
Message Series Living Life Backward bible death following jesus generosity purpose wisdom Life is short. We do the same things over and over and over again in a world repeating...
Message Series Carols christmas conflict hope prayer suffering Taking some inspiration from classic Christmas songs we bring the Christmas story to life once more beginning most...
Message Series How NOT to Hate 2020 faith joy prayer struggles suffering Most of us are happy to see 2020 go, there’s been a lot about the past year we...
Message Series Teach Us To Pray prayer If prayer really is a powerful way to experience God, we need guidance and new ideas about how...
Message Series Testimonies of the Young Teachers church struggles work This weekend, we are going to pause from the current regular series, Teach Us To Pray, with Testimonies...
Article Why Pray? Is God Really Listening? connection prayer trust It’s common to wonder whether prayer makes any difference or is even worth the effort but people who...
Article I Don't Know How To Pray! Help! prayer So you’re ready to pray but not exactly sure what to do or what should happen. You want...
Article When and Where Should I Pray? prayer Prayer is an incredible gift! It’s mind-blowing that we’re invited to spend time with the God of the...
Article Is There a Right or Wrong Way to Prayer? connection prayer To move forward in prayer the question of right and wrong isn’t nearly as helpful as asking ----what...
Story Life Groups: Give it a try. What have you got to lose? community connection groups Remaining invisible and unknown in a big community like Sherwood Park Alliance Church is easy if you don’t...
Story Find Your Place, Find Your Group connection groups “I never felt like there was a group for me,” Monica admits as she reflects about her motivation...
Story Spiraling Up: Becoming Serious about Faith connection faith groups After attending different programs within the church, but not finding her place of belonging, Heather struggled, and at...
Story Spiritual Conversations: Life Groups connection freedom groups Discussing the freedom and challenges of doing life together in groups.
Message Habakkuk July 25, 2021 bible faith grief jesus prayer suffering trust Do you ever ask, 'God why aren't you listening? Why don't you do something? How come you allow...
Message Barnabas August 1, 2021 church generosity grace relationships Barnabas was a generous, kind man who was full of grace and became known as the 'Son of...
Message Abraham June 27, 2021 blessing calling faith Do you consider yourself 'called'? Sometimes it seems as though only pastors or international worker's speak about their...
Message New Copernicans April 18, 2021 church faith jesus legalism Look for ways to build bridges into communities and people groups that are different from our own. Fight...
Story A Connection Beyond the Sunday Morning "Hi's" connection groups Our life group started with an email to the church asking if there were any Life Groups in...
Message Testimonies of the Young Teachers January 24, 2021 church struggles work Get to know the "young" teachers and their hearts. These pastors teach in various settings within the church,...
Message Motivation January 3, 2021 peace prayer protection Our primary motivation in prayer isn’t to get God to give us what we want, it’s to surrender...
Message Slowing January 10, 2021 busyness discipleship prayer If Jesus needed to slow down and seek the Father, how much more do we?! This is a...
Message Adoration January 17, 2021 prayer thankfulness worship When Jesus modeled prayer, it would appear that adoration or worship of his Heavenly Father was the first...
Message Petition January 31, 2021 frustration prayer Prayer is a mystery, it’s not a magic wand. We have to remember that God is the one...
Message Serenity February 7, 2021 frustration peace prayer suffering Do you ever wonder why God doesn't answer our prayer in the way that we wish? Prayer is...
Message Listening February 14, 2021 characteristics of god faith prayer How do we discern the ‘voice’ of God today? How do we know it’s God speaking and not...
Message Confession February 21, 2021 forgiveness prayer repentance Confession is a declaration of responsiblity. We complain to God about our marriages, about our bosses, neighbors, friends,...
Message Confidence February 28, 2021 holy spirit peace prayer How to have a consistent, rather constant prayerful life with the knowledge that prayer is a way to...
Message How NOT to Hate 2020 December 27, 2020 faith joy prayer struggles suffering Most of us are happy to see 2020 go, there’s been a lot about the past year we...
Message Come Thou Long Expected Jesus November 29, 2020 christmas hope jesus prayer We are longing for the presence and power of Jesus, especially this year. We need more of Jesus,...
Message Hark! The Herald Angels Sing December 13, 2020 christmas following jesus humility identity pride Jesus gave up all his rights and priviledges as God to enter our world, and the New Testament...
Message Stop Pretending September 20, 2020 death materialism purpose wisdom work If we won't live forever, or even long enough to make a lasting difference in the world, how...
Message Find Joy in Little Things September 27, 2020 death joy materialism purpose work Facing death can radically enable us to enjoy life. By relativizing all that we do in our days...
Message Be a Beautiful Old Person November 15, 2020 death happiness joy purpose It's possible to live so as to make old age very sad, and then it is possible to...
Message Know Your Why November 22, 2020 bible death discipleship purpose wisdom Every duty or responsibility we have toward anyone or anything else, we have toward our God first and...
Message Series No More! addiction anxiety connect courage following jesus freedom happiness health humility restoration social media thankfulness trust The person you were going into the pandemic doesn’t have to be the same person who comes out....
Message Series You Give them Something blessing calling church community connect following jesus generosity giving hospitality humility kingdommentality love ministry missions obedience purpose serving visible love volunteering Few things cause us to depend on God more than pushing through fears, excuses, or perceived inadequacies in...
Message You Give Them Something September 5, 2021 blessing calling church community connect following jesus generosity giving hospitality humility kingdommentality love ministry missions obedience purpose serving visible love volunteering Few things cause us to depend on God more than pushing through fears, excuses, or perceived inadequacies in...
Message No More COMPARING! September 19, 2021 anger depression following jesus freedom happiness health humility identity idolatry jealousy joy pride relationships self worth thankfulness When I compare myself to others, if I sense I’m doing better than someone, I feel superior and...
Message No More DISTRACTION! September 26, 2021 addiction connect culture following jesus friendship hospitality love relationships social media unity visible love wisdom It’s likely that our generation experiences more distraction than any other generation in history. We touch our smart...
Message No More NOISE! September 12, 2021 addiction anxiety boldmoves connect following jesus freedom happiness prayer restoration social media stress Distraction has become a masking tool for our souls. Non-stop conventional and social media, screens, and white noise...
Story Monica's Life Group: Don't Worry About the Details community connection faith groups Over my 20 years attending SPAC, I always looked forward to new seasons at church to see if...
Message Series Malachi bible culture doubt faith fear gospel hope restoration Some parts of the Bible are weird! Yes, the Scriptures are full strange stories and characters but in...
Message No More WORRYING! October 10, 2021 anxiety bible courage culture death depression doubt fear freedom happiness health hope money promises stress trust worry In a culture gripped by anxiety and fear about the future, Jesus presents a prescription for worry that...
Message No More RELIGION! October 24, 2021 atheism bible compassion culture doubt evangelism faith following jesus forgiveness gospel grace hope jesus legalism love reconciliation religion salvation trust Nobody is in a more danger from religion, than the religious, because religion is often toxic. Religion is...
Message Still Loved October 31, 2021 bible culture doubt fear gospel grace hope love obedience reconciliation religion repentance restoration visible love We say all the time: ‘God is loving,’ ‘God is love.’ Yet, doesn’t the general tone and tenor...
Message Going Through the Motions November 7, 2021 addiction anxiety boldmoves connect following jesus freedom happiness prayer restoration social media stress wisdom worship A lot of religious people talk about worship as this great experience...for some, it’s tough. It feels unnatural,...
Message A Toxic Combination November 14, 2021 adultery bible culture divorce family forgiveness grace guilt idolatry legalism love marriage promises relationships remarriage shame women In the Christian community some see divorce as among the worst sins, the mark of failure, a pathway...
Message Help Is On The Way November 21, 2021 advent bible christmas compassion culture doubt forgiveness gospel grace hope jesus love patience promises restoration trust Why doesn’t God fix the world that is and make it more like He intended to be –...
Message Coming Back November 28, 2021 blessing church discipleship faith generosity giving guilt idolatry kingdommentality legalism materialism money obedience promises religion tithing worship Is the Old Testament standard of tithing 10% of everything still applicable to Christ-following people today?
Message Doomsday Hope December 12, 2021 advent atheism bible culture death doubt eternity evangelism faith fear gospel grace heaven hell hope legalism religion restoration What do we do with the religious sense that some people are ‘in’ and some are ‘out?’ The...
Message Series Priority One discipleship faith following jesus obedience peace prayer purpose Pray first. Prayer is a priority in the life of a believer, and of any community of faith.
Message Appendix December 19, 2021 atheism bible compassion culture doubt evangelism faith following jesus forgiveness gospel grace hope jesus legalism love reconciliation religion salvation trust The grand narrative of the Bible is Good News, not bad. The story of the Bible is NOT...
Message Priority One January 2, 2022 discipleship faith following jesus obedience peace prayer purpose For centuries church leaders have taken their priority cues from the book of Acts. On the first weekend...
Message Where It Really Begins January 9, 2022 bible church doubt faith following jesus jesus religion struggles trust wisdom The Bible as we have it doesn’t begin in the beginning, the story of the Bible begins toward...
Message Where Ours Begins January 16, 2022 bible church doubt faith following jesus jesus religion struggles trust wisdom If you’ve ever had questions about the Old Testament or been confused about why the God of the...
Story Power in Personal Invitation community connection groups inviting For me, the thought of signing up in a random group was a bit intimidating. Instead, if someone...
Message The Really Jewish Part January 23, 2022 bible church doubt faith following jesus jesus religion struggles trust wisdom Everything you need to know about the Old Testament in one sermon. Maybe.
Message The Most Important Part February 6, 2022 bible church doubt faith following jesus jesus religion struggles trust wisdom The Bible contains the ultimate ethic and is the guiding light for all Christian behavior, and in that...
Message Series The B-I-B-L-E bible church doubt faith following jesus jesus religion struggles trust wisdom Knowing the Story OF the Bible In Order to Embrace The Story IN the Bible
Message Jonah Runs February 13, 2022 anger bible calling compassion evangelism grace missions obedience It's never too late to stop running from God. In chapter 1 we see the first indicators of...
Message Jonah Prays February 20, 2022 bible compassion doubt grace hope miracles prayer protection God is never more than one prayer away.
Message Jonah Whines February 27, 2022 bible compassion evangelism forgiveness gospel grace hospitality legalism prayer reconciliation I love grace when God extends it to me. It's God extending it to certain others that most...
Message The Time Has Come March 6, 2022 bible easter faith following jesus jesus kingdommentality purpose religion spiritual growth trust It’s possible to live every single day of your life with the assurance that God is near.
Message Uncomfortably Comfortable March 13, 2022 bible calling easter following jesus jesus kingdommentality purpose religion spiritual growth Jesus was unlike the other rabbis. He ignored religious protocols. He claimed to be able to forgive sin....
Message Whitewashed Tombs March 20, 2022 bible calling easter faith following jesus jesus kingdommentality purpose religion spiritual growth trust If you don’t like religious hypocrites, you have something in common with Jesus. He didn’t care for ‘em...
Message How to be Great March 27, 2022 bible calling compassion culture discipleship following jesus humility jesus leadership peace serving visible love Anyone who wishes to live and lead like Jesus will need to learn to leverage power and resources...
Message In or Out? April 3, 2022 bible courage discipleship doubt easter following jesus jesus Negotiating deteriorating faith. When things look bleak, don’t abandon your Savior...don’t abandon your Heavenly Father, even though it...
Message What is God Like April 10, 2022 bible compassion faith forgiveness freedom gospel grace jesus shame If you’ve ever wondered what God is really like, and found that hard to grapple with, there’s help:...
Message Holy Saturday: In Between April 16, 2022 easter faith following jesus hope promises struggles Good Friday is a sober day. It’s the day of atonement when Jesus becomes a substitute. Easter is...
Message Good Friday: Sacred Sorrow April 15, 2022 death grief prayer struggles suffering Loss, pain, sorrow...all these have seemingly been constant in the past 2 years. We grieve and we rage....
Message The Mindset April 23, 2022 anger bible calling family forgiveness friendship grace humility love peace pride reconciliation relationships restoration unity Repairing broken relationships hinges on our minds remaining open to restoration.
Message The Humility April 30, 2022 anger bible calling family forgiveness friendship grace humility love peace pride reconciliation relationships restoration unity Repairing broken relationships hinges on someone’s willingness to make the first move.
Message The First Step May 7, 2022 anger bible calling family forgiveness friendship grace humility love peace pride reconciliation relationships restoration unity Repairing broken relationships starts with sober, self-assessment.
Message The Art May 14, 2022 anger bible calling family forgiveness friendship grace humility love peace pride reconciliation relationships restoration unity Repairing broken relationships requires committing to the art of reconciliation.
Message Lives Well Lived May 21, 2022 bible community faith following jesus forgiveness grace hope peace prayer promises thankfulness wisdom Never has there been more information available to tell us how to live well. Podcasts. Blogs. Self-help books....
Message The Battle of the Gods May 28, 2022 atheism bible church courage culture discipleship eternity evangelism faith heaven idolatry jesus obedience religion God of the bible, is better than the god of thunder.
Message The Lie you live June 4, 2022 bible church community culture discipleship following jesus grace jesus obedience repentance struggles Gospel belief should result in a new way of living. When it doesn’t, then what’s the point?
Message Make Grace Amazing Again June 11, 2022 bible church community culture discipleship evangelism forgiveness gospel grace holy spirit hope jesus restoration salvation Transformation is only possible, through the Grace of Jesus, and the work of his spirit.
Message Psalm 42 July 9, 2022 anger anxiety bible courage depression doubt faith fear grief hope prayer stress suffering The most helpful antidepressant is the faithfulness and goodness of God.
Message Psalm 121 July 23, 2022 bible contentment courage faith hope patience peace prayer promises trust Words to live by when you’re lonely and uncertain...
Message Psalm 139 August 20, 2022 anxiety bible courage death eternity fear hope prayer struggles trust God knows us, is with us, and His greatest gift is our ability to know and experience Him.
Message A Summer in the Psalms - Introduction June 25, 2022 bible faith following jesus hope prayer promises protection struggles suffering thankfulness trust wisdom The Psalms are God’s words to us, and our words to God.
Message Psalm 23 July 2, 2022 bible faith following jesus hope prayer promises protection struggles suffering thankfulness trust wisdom There’s a path to peace and contentment, even in the face of darkness and difficulty.
Message Psalm 63 July 16, 2022 bible contentment courage faith hope patience peace prayer struggles Relief doesn’t require problems to be solved, true relief comes from enduring hope in God’s ultimate salvation.
Message Psalm 84 August 13, 2022 bible faith happiness home hope prayer promises protection trust There’s no place like home. A spiritual home.
Message A Summer in the Psalms - Conclusion August 27, 2022 bible faith following jesus hope prayer promises protection struggles suffering thankfulness trust wisdom The Psalms are God’s words to us, and our words to God.
Message Stop Going To Church (Part 1) September 3, 2022 calling church community connect culture discipleship faith following jesus friendship giving happiness hospitality identity kingdommentality ministry purpose relationships serving visible love volunteering Full participation in a church is a way of rebelling against consumer desire becoming the center of your...
Message Stop Going To Church (Part 2) September 10, 2022 church community connect culture discipleship following jesus friendship groups happiness hospitality inviting mentoring relationships spiritual growth unity Full participation in a church includes committing to a small circle (that you don’t necessarily choose) therefore demonstrating...
Message Wise Faith October 15, 2022 anxiety following jesus grief hope infertility patience promises purpose spiritual growth struggles suffering trust wisdom The challenges we experience are not necessarily God’s doing but often they’re opportunities for us to grow in...
Message Wise Basics October 22, 2022 discipleship following jesus guilt repentance restoration shame spiritual growth struggles temptation When it comes to temptation, God is not the problem. We are. The second basic lesson from James...
Message Wise Doers October 29, 2022 bible calling discipleship following jesus hospitality identity obedience serving visible love worship To hear God is to grasp Him speaking to us in Christ, by His Spirit, and through the...
Message Wise Discernment November 5, 2022 calling community compassion culture disability following jesus friendship groups hospitality humility ministry pride racism relationships unity visible love Turn from prejudice to mercy. Treat the poor and the rich as equally loved and valued brothers and...
Message Wise Works November 12, 2022 calling compassion culture discipleship following jesus friendship generosity giving hospitality love ministry obedience reconciliation serving visible love Wise faith is merciful faith. Faith without mercy is not faith...
Message Wise Words November 19, 2022 anger bible honesty humility love obedience patience pride reconciliation relationships social media speech words Speech is the far frontier and fiercest opponent in our fight to subdue sin.
Message Wise Wisdom November 26, 2022 church community connect culture friendship humility mentoring peace It takes a lifetime to become wise. Those dedicated to growing in wisdom are not on an ambitious...
Message Wise Power December 3, 2022 abuse anger compassion culture humility leadership love politics relationships wisdom work When handled with wisdom, power becomes power for and power with and not power over. Power for empowers...
Message Wise Business December 10, 2022 business culture generosity leadership pride purpose wisdom work Wisdom and wealth have a conflicted relationship, so for entrepreneurs and business leaders, there’s a fine line between...
Message Wise (Final) Instruction December 17, 2022 church culture deconstruction Elders faith healing honesty ministry prayer relationships struggles The Wisdom of James – final thoughts and instructions.
Message God Helps Those Who Help Themselves January 8, 2023 bible courage doubt hope miracles prayer promises protection struggles suffering trust God helps those who ASK for help!
Message When Two or Three Gather, God Is There January 15, 2023 abuse bible church conflict reconciliation relationships restoration Ruthlessly following Matthew 18 is crucial...most of the time. But there’s a possible downside to insisting that one...
Message God Will Not Give You More Than You Can Handle January 22, 2023 addiction bible following jesus obedience promises protection God is not sitting around in heaven throwing afflictions and challenges our way to see how we do....
Message Money Is The Root Of All Evil January 29, 2023 bible culture debt generosity jealousy materialism money thankfulness trust Money is not the root of ALL evil, but greed, love of money, CAN become evil if we...
Message This Too Shall Pass February 5, 2023 anxiety bible courage following jesus grief hope promises struggles suffering We gotta be careful what we say to others and to ourselves. Some of what we face in...
Message Love The Sinner, Hate The Sin February 12, 2023 bible church discipleship following jesus grace guilt humility obedience pride repentance shame We ought to love all people, and hate all sin...especially our own.
Message Hosea February 19, 2023 adultery bible compassion easter faith forgiveness gospel grace hope jealousy love obedience promises reconciliation religion repentance restoration Hosea’s poetry reveals deep truths about God’s character and human nature. God’s ultimate purpose is to heal and...
Message Amos February 26, 2023 adultery bible compassion easter faith forgiveness gospel grace hope jealousy love obedience promises reconciliation religion repentance restoration There is a critical relationship between God’s justice and mercy. If God is good, He has to confront...
Message Micah March 5, 2023 adultery bible compassion easter faith forgiveness gospel grace hope jealousy love obedience promises reconciliation religion repentance restoration We cling to God’s proven character and promises when things are looking bleak!
Message Habakkuk March 12, 2023 adultery bible compassion easter faith forgiveness gospel grace hope jealousy love obedience promises reconciliation religion repentance restoration It may look like the world is evil and out of control, but the promises of God remain....
Message Zephaniah March 19, 2023 adultery bible compassion easter faith forgiveness gospel grace hope jealousy love obedience promises reconciliation religion repentance restoration Within the seemingly contradictory concepts of justice and love is found the future hope for our world.
Message Haggai March 26, 2023 adultery bible compassion easter faith forgiveness gospel grace hope jealousy love obedience promises reconciliation religion repentance restoration Our choices matter. Our obedience to God (or lack thereof) makes a difference, and plays a role in...