Ordinary Romance
Practical steps for cultivating intimacy in marriage. ...
Keep ReadingA faithful presence of love in the absences of our city.
February 24, 2022 by Justin Edgar
"We fail to remember that God is as the Psalmist describes: an abundant fountain, a river of delights, a full house, a radiant light. The Psalmist knows God never operates out of scarcity. Where we must begin with Deeper is recognizing the ever flowing depths of the fountain of God. He is living water, because it is always abundant and always flowing. Scarcity mindset keeps us from going deeper, because we are afraid the safety net either isn’t there or doesn’t go deep enough. We won’t risk, because we can’t. We can’t possibly risk such things. There might not be anything left. There might not be any left for me. We are all like Goldilocks lamenting lost porridge, broken chairs, and occupied beds. But God always has room and always makes room. He is an overflowing fountain."...
February 17, 2022 by Emily Spare
Abiding through the fall at City Pres meant holding on for dear life to your life preserver ring hoping the other side of the rope is attached to the rescue boat, continually clinging, continually waiting. But abiding in the new year at City Pres is what I think we’re being called into: “Deeper.” ...
August 19, 2016 by Justin Edgar | Category: Gospel | Tags: Family, marriage, gospel, sacrifice, love, service, Jesus, Relationship, God, Intentionality, Questions, Reflection, Connection, Devotional, Life
Practical steps for cultivating intimacy in marriage. ...
Keep ReadingAugust 17, 2016 by Emily Leslie | Category: Gospel | Tags: marriage, gospel, love, Ordinary, Truth, Ephesians, Mystery, Known, Covenant, hope, Relationship, Expectations, Dating
Marriage isn't always perfectly romantic, but in the rhythm of the ordinary, God is revealing Himself and His love for His people. ...
Keep ReadingAugust 12, 2016 by Erin Butzin | Category: Gospel | Tags: marriage, gospel, culture, grace, God, Christ, Sexuality, Perceptions, Sex, Beliefs, Values, Cultural Messages, Identity, Reimagine, Implications, God's Word
Today's culture sends all kinds of messages about sexuality, and God's Word speaks to each and every one of them. ...
Keep ReadingAugust 11, 2016 by Justin Edgar | Category: Gospel | Tags: culture, Context, Cultural Context, Authenticity, Sexuality, Perceptions, Views, Jesus, grace, Mercy, God, Christ, gospel, Sex
Our priority as a church is to be a faithful presence of Jesus in a broken world, that we would live, speak and serve as the very presence of Jesus, and this includes in the area of sexuality....
Keep ReadingAugust 5, 2016 by Julie Wechsler | Category: Gospel | Tags: Family, marriage, love, service, bless, Hospitality, open, boundaries, Christ, Welcome
Our marriages are not our own, they are His. Our families are not our own, they are His. Our household is not our own. It is His. ...
Keep ReadingAugust 4, 2016 by Justin Edgar | Category: Gospel | Tags: Family, Community, marriage, home, household, promises, neighboring, neighborhood, open, door, boundaries
The economic concerns of the open home have a trust, achieved by the work of Jesus. We can risk. We can have an open door. We can live in these costly places where a greater number of people are welcomed, and where we have lesser privacies. We can do this because the Gospel has secured this very thing for us. Our marriages can be a place of flourishing for our households. ...
Keep ReadingJuly 28, 2016 by Tara Lobaina | Category: Gospel | Tags: marriage, love, Jesus, grace, Relationship, God, Expectations, Love Story, Sin, Disney, Story, Prince, Princess
We know the Disney movies that end in riding off into the sunset, living happily ever after, etc. As a child, my favorite parts were watching the prince transform throughout the movie. The beast, the frog, the thief became the perfect prince all while the girl remained sinless. I wanted this for myself......
Keep ReadingJuly 27, 2016 by Justin Edgar | Category: Gospel | Tags: Family, marriage, relationships, Expectations, Relief
Often we look for that relief in the wrong places. We run to our spouse and ask them to provide it, or our kids, or our job, or our well-manicured lawn, or next home project…but they all fail to provide significant relief, and they can't stop the internal noises. God's grace meets us in these places...
Keep ReadingJuly 21, 2016 by Josh Spare | Category: Gospel | Tags: Family, Grace-filled, Affirmation
There was a phrase that Pastor Justin emphasized in his sermon this week. I don't know if you caught it, but he stopped and repeated it very slowly, almost as if he was waiting for me to write it down in order to be able to reflect on it more fully later on. "A grace-filled family is loud, not with its criticism, but with its affirmation."...
Keep ReadingJuly 20, 2016 by Justin Edgar | Category: Gospel | Tags: Family, grace, Conflict, God, Grace-filled, Practical Application, Control, Unforgiving, Reactive, Shaming, Ego, Affirmation, Rules, Expectations, Clarity, Learning, children, Communication, Responsibility, Accountability, Defending, Grace-full, Grace-filled family
Family is frustrating, right? We use our words to hurt, control, garner favor, win. We use non-verbals to back up the verbals, showing our disgust. But God gives grace--and grace allows for a family to be built not on conditions, but on unconditional love and acceptance. In this post, Pastor Justin shares some ideas on becoming a grace-full family. ...
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