Spiritual Disciplines

Pastor Rocky High · Jan 19, 2026

In John 15, Jesus calls His followers to 'remain' in Him — the true vine — as the only source of spiritual life and fruitfulness. Pastor Rocky unpacks this command around three interconnected disciplines: staying connected to the real Jesus when it is tempting to replace Him with a customized version, staying consistent in prayer and Scripture when it is tempting to quit, and staying committed to Him even when following Jesus becomes painful or confusing. Spiritual health is not the result of trying harder; it is the fruit of an ongoing, dependent relationship with Jesus over time.

Pastor Ron Merrell · Sep 29, 2025

Pastor Ron Merrell teaches that the private practices God has given us — reading the Bible, prayer, fasting, Sabbath, solitude — are not mere disciplines to make us better Christians but the very means by which we develop and deepen an actual friendship with Jesus. Drawing on John 15, Psalm 1, Proverbs 4, and Luke 10, he calls believers to still themselves in God's Word, communicate with God without ceasing or censoring, and continually align their hearts with His, so that their walk with Christ moves from sporadic religious duty to an intimate, life-shaping friendship.

Pastor Caleb McMains · Apr 24, 2023

True patience is not something we manufacture through sheer willpower; it is the fruit of an inner life rooted in God. Through contrasting King Saul, whose impatience sprang from the fear of man and self-serving ambition, with King David, whose patience flowed from the fear of God and a heart devoted to serving Him, Pastor Caleb shows that you and I have the capacity to become genuinely patient people — not by trying harder, but by surrendering more deeply to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit through silence, Scripture, and community.

Pastor Caleb McMains · Sep 21, 2022

Pastor Caleb McMains addresses the gap between Jesus' promise of 'life and life to the full' (John 10:10) and the exhausting monotony many followers of Jesus actually experience. Drawing on 1 Corinthians 9 and 1 Timothy 4, he argues that the abundant life Jesus offers is not automatic — it requires intentional, disciplined practice of the ways Jesus Himself modeled. Just as an athlete trains to compete, Christians must train themselves in practices such as prayer, Scripture, community, silence, fasting, and sabbath, trusting the Holy Spirit to do the transforming work as they play their small but vital part.

Pastor Bill Bush · Jan 25, 2021

Drawing from Exodus 16, Pastor Bill Bush argues that the Israelites' wilderness complaints reveal a universal human tendency to treat God as a vending machine rather than a Father who desires relationship. Using the manna narrative — where God provided food one day at a time — he shows that God intentionally limits our supply not to punish us but to draw us into daily dependence on Him. True spiritual health comes not from extracting blessings but from connecting to God through daily reliance, weekly rest, and a constant practice of remembering His faithfulness.