Our Blog has Relocated to WhitePineChurch.org

Our Blog has Relocated to WhitePineChurch.org

Our videos and audio podcasts have moved to a new location! If you’re looking to listen or watch one of White Pine Community Church’s sermons, please visit our website’s “Watch & Listen” page at http://www.whitepinechurch.org/messages/. Thank you for your interest!

Inescapable Love

Listen to "Inescapable Love" by Greg Sidders, Sunday, 5-12-19

Try as you might, you will never escape your mother's love. The one in whom your life began, the one whose selfless commitment to your welfare began the moment she became aware of your existence, still nourishes you with an invisible, unseverable umbilical cord of love.

Who could love you more? Psalm 139 answers thatquestion, and we will study it together this Sunday in a very special Mother's Day service.

Notes and Discussion Questions - Inescapable Love

Notes and Discussion Questions, "Inescapable Love" by Greg Sidders

Notes and Discussion Questions - Habitual Worship

Notes and Discussion Questions, "Habitual Worship" by Greg Sidders

Habitual Worship

Listen to "Habitual Worship" by Greg Sidders, Sunday, 5-5-19

Worship is a choice.

Sometimes choosing to worship is easy, because God's blessings are so obvious, so overwhelming, so fresh. But there are also times when worship is a tearful act of tenacious faith, a decision to trust God despite the lack of evidence for His compassion and power.

Whether worship is an easy choice or a hard choice for you right now, you will have the opportunity to do it this Sunday with your White Pine family as we use the lyrics of Psalm 145--words that Jesus Himself sang--to fuel our praise and lift our spirit.

Signature Song

Listen to "Signature Song" by Greg Sidders, Sunday, 4-28-19

We all want to pray in a way that pleases God, but how can we do that when what is in our heart is so messy? Our emotions swing wildly from joy to despair, and sometimes what we think and feel is something we'd never dare say to God. 

But in the Psalms we find a prayer companion that gives us permission to let what is in us gush out of us. Yet at the same time it gently teaches us to incorporate into our raw and honest prayers what we know to be true about God.

This Sunday at White Pine, we are beginning a series on the Psalms. We're calling it The Songs of Jesus, because the words that we find there are the very words that our Lord Himself prayed.

Notes and Discussion Questions - Signature Song

Notes and Discussion Questions, "Signature Song" by Greg Sidders

Easter

Listen to the Easter service message by Greg Sidders, Sunday, 4-21-19

Mistaken Identity

Listen to "Mistaken Identity" by Will Truesdell, Sunday, 4-14-19

The story of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey on Palm Sunday is a familiar story.  This Sunday at White Pine Will Truesdell will help us take a closer look at that day, and what the people who were praising Jesus had hoped Jesus would be and would do.  

Jesus may not have met their expectations...which invites the question: "Why was he riding into Jerusalem on that donkey?"  

Notes and Discussion Questions - Mistaken Identity

Notes and Discussion Questions, "Mistaken Identity" by Will Truesdell

GOD F1RST - Investments

Listen to "GOD F1RST - Investments" by Greg Sidders, Sunday, 4-7-19

I believe this week will be a historic day in the history of White Pine Community Church! All the learning, dreaming, planning and praying that has been part of the GOD F1RST initiative will culminate in a unified 
YES to God as we respond in obedience to His leading.

After watching how others (adults, teens and kids) have chosen to put God first in their lives, and studying more of what the Bible teaches about generosity, we will make commitments that represent our faith in 
God and our love for those who do not yet know Him. The result will be a big step forward in our goal of building a permanent facility in a strategic location, so that more of the 50,000 people who live in our region can find and follow Jesus.

I hope that you will listen, prayed up and ready to take a joyful new step of faith and commitment in your relationship with God!

GOD F1RST - Examples

Listen to "GOD F1RST - Perspective" by Greg Sidders, Sunday, 3-31-19

D.L. Moody said: "A good example is far better than a good precept." For the past four weeks, we have learned some good precepts about generosity.

But this Sunday, we are going to do something even better: We're going to see some great examples. And just by watching them, we are going to be inspired to be more generous than ever before.

Whether you have been coming to this series weekly or occasionally, please make this Sunday's service a priority. The people you will meet are just too Christlike to miss.

GOD F1RST - Perspective

Listen to "GOD F1RST - Perspective" by Greg Sidders, Sunday, 3-23-19

Imagine what the world would look like to you if you lacked depth perception. One man who sees everything in 2-D calls his life "Flatworld."

Spiritually speaking, most people live in Flatworld. It is only when we see this life in the context of eternity that we view it accurately. This Sunday at White Pine, we will have our vision corrected and, hopefully, our priorities rearranged. It's part of the process of learning to put GOD F1RST.

GOD F1RST - Purpose

Listen to "GOD F1RST - Purpose" by Greg Sidders, Sunday, 3-17-19

In William Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night, a character by the name of Malvalio reads a letter that includes these words: "...Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em."

We love stories of unlikely heroes--people who have greatness thrust upon them--but it is hard for us to imagine ever being part of such a story. 

And yet we are. 

This Sunday at White Pine, in Part 3 of God First, I will tell you the story. And together we will decide how to respond to the greatness that has been thrust upon us.

GOD F1RST - Ownership

Listen to "GOD F1RST - Ownership" by Greg Sidders, Sunday, 3-10-19

Putting God first sounds good as an abstract idea, but the specifics will blow your mind. This is a truly radical way to live--avoided at all costs by some, unreservedly embraced by others. Brave and blessed are those who dare to go all in!

We are going to discover more of what it means to live a God-first life. I hope you will listen with a heart that is eager to follow where Jesus leads. As all of us do that together, we are going to see God magnified in our community like never before. I can hardly wait!

GOD F1RST - Priorities

Listen to "GOD F1RST - Priorities" by Greg Sidders, Sunday, 3-3-19

Notes and Discussion Questions - GOD F1RST - Priorities

Notes and Discussion Questions, "GOD F1RST - Priorities" by Greg Sidders

GOD IS FOR US... we already won

Listen to "GOD IS FOR US... we already won" by Josh Sibert, Sunday, 2-24-19

Quick Quiz: What is the first one-word description of God that comes to your mind?

Honestly, now: Is your word positive or negative?

Our view of God impacts our attitude and our ability to persevere in following Jesus. That is one reason why God has given us His Spirit--to remind us what God is truly like. When we see Him accurately, we enjoy our relationship with Him and we are determined to keep following Him. 

I hope you will join us this Sunday as we study Romans 8:15-39 to remind ourselves what God is really like and to see how He views us. SPOILER ALERT: It is positive!

The Power of Grace

Listen to "The Power of Grace" by Greg Sidders, Sunday, 2-17-19

When Saul of Tarsus got grace-bombed by Jesus on the road to Damascus, how could he have known that it would not be the last time?

The grace of God is far too powerful to simply save us from death and judgment. That is just the beginning of its potent work in our lives. This Sunday at White Pine, we will see--in the apostle Paul's life, and in our own lives--what else God's grace is capable of.

Notes and Discussion Questions - The Power of Grace

Notes and Discussion Questions, "The Power of Grace" by Greg Sidders

When You Get Grace-Bombed

Listen to "When You Get Grace-Bombed" by Greg Sidders, Sunday, 2-10-19

What happens to people who get grace-bombed?

The Bible tells us that when God gives us a gift we don't deserve, we are dramatically changed by that gift. But changed how? That's what we'll find out this Sunday at White Pine. I hope you'll join us and learn more about God's amazing grace!

Notes and Discussion Questions - When You Get Grace-Bombed

Notes and Discussion Questions, "When You Get Grace-Bombed" by Greg Sidders

Grace Bomb

Listen to "Grace Bomb" by Greg Sidders, Sunday, 2-3-19

Grace. You may be able to define it, but can you begin to fathom its depth? And are you aware of its many dimensions? 

The longer and harder you you look at it--and the Bible gives us plenty of sightings--the more amazing grace becomes. It's not just a religious word; it's a real-life force that forever changes everything it touches.

February 2019 is grace month at White Pine. Join us and get in on it!

Notes and Discussion Questions - Grace Bomb

Notes and Discussion Questions, "Grace Bomb" by Greg Sidders

I'd Rather Have Jesus

Listen to "I'd Rather Have Jesus" by Greg Sidders, Sunday, 1-27-19

If you want to know whether the pursuit of your highest priority leads to fulfillment, just find an elderly person who has been where you are going. Their words, their memories, even their bodies will give you an almost prophetic window into your future.

That's why our study of 1 John has been so encouraging to me.  For the past few months, we have been studying, not just this book, but also its octogenerian author. And he has taught us a lot about how life unfolds for those who follow Jesus.

This Sunday at White Pine, we will finish up our study of 1 John by taking one more good long look at the apostle John, a man whose life ought to inspire our own.

Notes and Discussion Questions - I'd Rather Have Jesus

Notes and Discussion Questions, "I'd Rather Have Jesus" by Greg Sidders

Notes and Discussion Questions - Sin That Leads To Death

Notes and Discussion Questions, "Sin That Leads To Death" by Greg Sidders

Sin That Leads To Death

Listen to "Sin That Leads To Death" by Greg Sidders, Sunday, 1-13-19

"There is a sin that leads to death."

If you're a sinner (and who isn't?), you can't help but be shaken up by that statement in 1 John 5:16. You want to make sure you never commit that sin--or you wonder if someone you love has done so.

Rather than rushing right past this verse, we've decided to slow down and strive to understand it. I hope you'll join us this Sunday as we search for life-saving truth together.

Notes and Discussion Questions - His Door Is Always Open

Notes and Discussion Questions, "His Door Is Always Open" by Greg Sidders

His Door Is Always Open

Listen to "His Door Is Always Open" by Greg Sidders, Sunday, 01-06-19

If I were to ask you how powerful prayer is based on the Bible, and then I were to ask you how powerful it is based on your experience, would you give me the same answer?

Why do so many of us (including me, if I'm being honest) pray with less success than we think we should? This Sunday at White Pine, we learn from 1 John 5:14-17 what is missing from our prayers that, if added, may unleash the kind of power the Bible promises.