Living Hope

Dear Church Family,

This past Sunday, Pastor Jerry Ausbrook continued our Living Hope series by walking through 1 Peter 2:4–12 and reminding us of something powerful:

God is not just saving individuals, He is building something.

Peter describes us as living stones, being built into a spiritual house with Christ as the foundation. It is personal, but it is never meant to be private. We are connected to Jesus and to one another.

Three movements we see in the text:

Placed
God places us strategically.
Often, we do not realize it in the moment. But as we follow Him, we begin to see how He is shaping our identity in Christ and connecting us into His community.

Formed
God is forming us into people of light.
Not by our own effort, but through surrender. Scripture reminds us that in Christ we are a new creation, shaped with intention and purpose.

Sent
We are not just saved, we are sent.
God commissions us to live on mission, carrying His love, truth, and hope into the world around us.

At the center of it all is this truth from 1 Peter 2:10:
“Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Mercy is what binds it all together.
It is the “concrete” that connects the living stones.
We receive God’s mercy, and then we extend that same mercy to others.

Once we are placed in Christ, we are formed to become like Him, and then we are sent to reflect Him.

God is working in your life, even in ways you cannot see.
He is orchestrating more than you realize.

So the invitation is simple:
Respond to Him.
Trust Him.
Follow Him.

Join us this Sunday as we continue our Living Hope series.

-Pastor Aaron Perry

South CreekApril 26, 2026

Living Hope

Dear Church Family,

This past Sunday, we continued our Living Hope series by looking at how the hope Jesus gives doesn’t just shape what we believe, it shapes how we live.

In 1 Peter 1:13–21, Peter challenges us to be intentional, not passive. To be alert, to set our hope fully on Jesus, and to live lives that reflect that hope.

It’s possible to be sincere and still be headed in the wrong direction. Many of us don’t struggle to have hope, we struggle to place it in the right place. When our hope is misplaced, our lives will eventually feel off. But the good news is this: Jesus gives us a hope that changes everything.

We walked through three key ideas:

Awakened
To be awakened is to live with clarity in a world of chaos. If we’re not intentional, the world will shape where we place our hope. When our hope is misplaced, we become distracted, derailed, and ultimately misdirected.

Aligned
To be aligned is to move in the direction of your hope. It’s not just about what we believe, it’s about how we live. As Peter writes, we are called to be obedient and set apart. Alignment is not about intention, it’s about action. Our direction, not our intention, determines where we end up.

Anchored
To be anchored is to be grounded in what Jesus has already done. We don’t pursue holiness to be redeemed, we pursue holiness because we have been redeemed. Our hope in Jesus is not fragile, it is secure, firm, and steady, even in the middle of life’s chaos.

As we closed, we were challenged with a simple but important question:
Where is your hope set, and where is your life headed?

If you’re looking to live with that kind of hope, we’d love for you to keep walking with us in this series.

Join us this Sunday as we continue Living Hope.

-Pastor Aaron

South CreekApril 19, 2026

Living Hope

Dear Church Family,

This past Sunday we kicked off our new series, Living Hope, with a simple but powerful truth:

Jesus gives a hope that changes everything.

We started in 1 Peter 1, where Peter writes to people who felt scattered, out of place, and overlooked. And before he tells them how to live, he reminds them who they are.

Chosen.
Set apart.
Forgiven.

Because understanding who you are shapes how you think. And understanding whose you are shapes how you live.

So many of us spend our lives trying to change ourselves, fix ourselves, or prove ourselves. But the invitation of Jesus is different.

You don’t live for identity… you live from it.

And when that identity is rooted in Him, everything begins to change how you see yourself, how you face your future, and even how you walk through trials. God wastes nothing, not even your pain. What feels like it’s breaking you, He can use to form you.

This week, take time to reflect on this: Where have I been living like I’m overlooked, instead of chosen?

And remember: Stop trying to change your life and step into who Jesus has already called you to be.

We’re just getting started. This Sunday, we’ll continue in Living Hope and look at how this hope begins to shape how we live.

Hope to see you there.

-Pastor Aaron

South CreekApril 12, 2026

Easter

South Creek Church Family,

I want to take a moment to simply say thank you.

Your generosity and faithfulness are making a real difference. Not just in numbers, but in lives. What God is doing in and through our church right now is something worth celebrating, and you are a part of it.

Already this year, we have seen four people take the step of baptism, publicly declaring new life in Jesus. And the best part is, more are on the way. Lives are being changed, and hope is being restored.

Because of your giving, we were also able to send a team of 12 to Guatemala. While there, they built two homes, installed two stoves for families in need, and led a VBS for over 100 kids. That is more than a trip. That is the love of Jesus crossing borders and transforming communities.

Here at home, we are seeing incredible momentum. Our average Sunday attendance has increased by about 10 percent since the beginning of the year, and we continue to reach new families each week. On Easter alone, we had over 400 people gather to celebrate the hope we have in Jesus. That is 400 stories, 400 opportunities, and 400 reminders that God is still moving.

This is what generosity does.

It fuels ministry.
It creates space for life change.
It allows us to love people and lead them to new life in Christ.

And here is what I believe with all my heart:
What God has done so far is just the beginning.

As we look ahead, there are more people to reach, more lives to impact, and more opportunities to step into what God is calling us to. I want to invite you to continue to live open-handed. Continue to invest in what God is doing here. Continue to be part of a mission that is bigger than any one of us.

Your generosity is not just sustaining the mission, it is expanding it.

Thank you for being a church that loves people well.
Thank you for being a church that is all-in on the mission.

Loved people, love people.

Grateful to be your pastor,

Aaron Perry

South CreekApril 5, 2026

Rhythms of Grace: Serving

Hey South Creek family,

This week we wrapped up our Rhythms of Grace series by looking at the practice of serving.

Throughout this series, we have been reminded:
Genuine growth is gradual.
And genuine growth is intentional, not accidental.

We ended with this truth:
Sometimes what looks ordinary is actually shaping something extraordinary.

Like Jerry Rice catching bricks as a kid, what happens in the unseen often shapes what God does through us later.

Jesus served us, so we joyfully serve others.

Serving is not just something we do, it is part of who we are becoming.

If you want the life of Jesus,
you must adopt the lifestyle of Jesus.

And Jesus lived a life of serving.

Why Serving Matters

1. It changes our perspective
Serving shifts our focus from ourselves to others.
It helps us see the way Jesus sees.

2. It shapes our heart
Serving forms humility, compassion, and love in action.
You become like what you practice.

3. It advances the Kingdom
Serving is where heaven touches earth.
Small acts of love carry eternal weight.

The Tension We Cannot Miss
We do not serve to be saved.
But when we are saved, we will serve.

Serving is not the root of salvation.
It is the fruit of salvation.

As we close this series, do not just admire the way of Jesus. Practice it.

Start small
Start where you are
Stay consistent

You do not find a life of service.
You build one, one small yes at a time.

If you want to follow a serving Savior,
you cannot live a self-centered life.

Serving changes how we see, shapes who we are, and advances what God is doing.

Loved people, love people.

South CreekMarch 30, 2026

rhythms of grace

Dear Church Family,

This week in Rhythms of Grace, we talked about the practice of Scripture.

Have you ever looked into a really good mirror? At first, you like what you see.
But the longer you look, the more it reveals.

A good mirror does not distort reality, it reveals it. That is what Scripture does. Scripture was not given to merely inform us, but to form us

The goal is not to get through Scripture. It is to let Scripture get through to us.

One of the primary ways we learn from Jesus is through His Word.
If prayer is how we speak to God, Scripture is how God speaks to us.

What Scripture Does
Scripture is:
• Foundational, it guides our path
• Formational, it renews our mind
• Freeing, it leads us into truth and life

If we are not being formed by Scripture, we are being formed by something else.

What Scripture Is Not
• Not a self-help manual
• Not just history
• Not a weapon against people

Jesus did not use Scripture to burden people.
He used it to overcome lies.

Practical Ways to Start
• Start somewhere
• Stay consistent
• Ask what God is saying
• Do what it says

Consistency matters more than intensity.

Over time, the voices we listen to become the voices that shape us.

And most importantly: If we miss Jesus, we miss everything.

Let’s be people who don’t just read the Word but are shaped by it.

South CreekMarch 22, 2026

rhythms of grace

Dear Church Family,

This week in Rhythms of Grace, we continued exploring the spiritual practices that help shape our lives as we follow Jesus. This Sunday we focused on the practice of generosity and how it teaches us to live open-handed toward God and others.

Jesus invites us into a different way of living. In Matthew 11:28–30, He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened… and you will find rest for your souls.” One of the ways we experience that lighter life is by learning to release the things we tend to grip too tightly.

In the message, I shared a simple illustration about how monkeys can be trapped by grabbing fruit inside a hollow coconut. The trap itself is not what holds them. Their grip does. All they would have to do to escape is let go.

In many ways, our hearts can work the same way. We can hold tightly to money, possessions, control, or security. But often the tighter we grip those things, the heavier life becomes. Generosity loosens our grip and teaches us to live open-handed.

One of the reasons generosity matters so much is because of what God does in us, through us, and for us when we practice it.

First, generosity changes something in us.
Jesus says in Matthew 6:21, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Our hearts tend to follow what we value. When we practice generosity, it begins to reshape what we trust and what we treasure. It trains our hearts to trust God as our provider rather than trusting what we hold in our hands.

Second, generosity works through us to bless others.
In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul reminds us that God enriches His people so that they can be generous on every occasion. Through the generosity of God’s people, needs are met, ministry expands, and lives are changed. God often chooses to work through open hands.

Third, generosity does something for us.
Jesus warned that possessions can easily become masters. We cannot serve both God and money. Generosity helps break that grip. It restores perspective and reminds us that life is not built on what we accumulate but on our relationship with God. Generosity brings freedom, joy, and a healthier perspective on what truly matters.

Toward the end of the message we looked at Jesus’ parable of the treasure hidden in a field. When the man discovered the treasure, he joyfully sold everything he had to obtain it. The treasure changed how he viewed everything else.

When we clearly see the treasure we have in Jesus and His Kingdom, letting go of lesser things becomes joyful rather than painful.

This week, consider taking one small step toward practicing generosity:

• Start with gratitude
• Start somewhere
• Stay consistent
• Stay ready to bless others

Generosity is not ultimately about an amount. It is about the posture of our hearts.

The greatest act of generosity the world has ever seen was the cross. Jesus opened His hands and gave Himself for us so that we could receive the life we could never earn. Because He lived open-handed toward us, we can learn to live open-handed toward God and others.

South CreekMarch 15, 2026

rhythms of grace

Dear Church Family,

This Sunday we explored one of the most overlooked rhythms in the life of Jesus: Sabbath.

Interestingly, the message fell on my birthday. And one thing I have realized as I have gotten older is that certain things that once felt optional now feel necessary.

One of those things is stretching.When I was younger, stretching felt like a waste of time. You just showed up and started playing. Nothing hurt. You felt fine. But somewhere along the way that changed. Now if I skip stretching, my body reminds me pretty quickly. Things tighten up. Things get sore. Things hurt that probably should not hurt.

Stretching was never about earning the right to play. It was about protecting the body so it could function the way it was designed.

In many ways, Sabbath works like that for our souls.

It is not something we practice to earn God's love. It is a rhythm God designed to help us live the way we were created to live.

Sometimes the things we ignore eventually become the problems we cannot ignore.

God designed our lives with rhythms. When we ignore them long enough, something inside us begins to tighten. We become hurried. Restless. Spiritually dry.

Not because God moved away.
But because we stepped outside the rhythms He designed for life.

This is why we are in our Rhythms of Grace series. We are exploring the spiritual practices that shape our lives with Jesus.

Because genuine growth is gradual.
And genuine growth is intentional, not accidental.

One of the rhythms Jesus practiced was Sabbath.

Sabbath literally means to stop. It is the intentional rhythm of pausing our normal pace so we can rest, delight, worship, and remember that God is in control.

And at its core, Sabbath offers three beautiful gifts.

Rest.

God restores our bodies and minds. We were never designed for constant output.

Relief.

Sabbath frees us from the pressure of believing everything depends on us.

Reliance.

When we stop working, we practice trusting God again.

And that leads to the heart of the message:

Sabbath’s primary gift is not rest from work. It is rest in God.

From the opening pages of Genesis, to the Ten Commandments, to the teachings of Jesus, Sabbath was always meant to be a gift. It reminds us that our identity is not found in production or performance, but in belonging to God.

When we stop working, we are declaring something with our lives.

God, you are enough.
God, I trust you.
God, the world does not depend on me.

And when we begin to live in that rhythm, something beautiful begins to happen.

Our souls begin to breathe again.

Jesus once said:

"Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
— Matthew 11:28

Sabbath is one of the ways we learn to receive that rest. Try it for yourself.

Sabbath reminds us that surrender is not losing. It is where true life begins.

South CreekMarch 8, 2026

rhythms of grace

Dear Church Family,

This Sunday in Rhythms of Grace, we leaned into the quiet but powerful practice of fasting.

A few years ago I stood in Sequoia National Park, looking up at trees that tower over 250 feet tall. Their visible strength is stunning. But what surprised me most was what you cannot see.

Giant sequoias have shallow roots, often only 6 to 12 feet deep. Their strength does not come from going deep in one place. It comes from spreading wide and staying interconnected.

What is unseen sustains what is seen.

Spiritual formation often works the same way. Quiet. Hidden. Slow. Fasting is one of those hidden practices that God uses to form us over time.

Jesus invites us in Matthew 11:Come to me. Take my yoke. Learn from me. Find rest.

Genuine growth is gradual. And genuine growth is intentional, not accidental.

Fasting is not about earning God’s attention. It is about giving God our attention. It is the practice of setting aside something good to make space for something greater, more of Jesus.

Why fasting matters
Throughout Scripture, God’s people fast when they are:
• Seeking guidance
• Repenting and returning
• Hungering for more of God

What we deny in the body can deepen devotion in the soul. Feasting fills the stomach. Fasting forms the soul.

If you are considering stepping into a fast this week, start simple:

Three things to decide
• What will you fast from
• When and how long
• Why you are seeking God

Start where you are, not where someone else is.

As a church, we also invite you to engage the Rhythms of Grace journal. It is designed to guide you intentionally through prayer, fasting, and formation during this season.

No matter who you are or where you have been, God is not waiting to expose you in the hidden places. He is waiting to meet you there.

Final thought

We do not fast to get something from God. We fast to get more of God.

South CreekMarch 1, 2026

rhythms of grace

Dear Church Family,

This Sunday we launched our new Lent teaching series, Rhythms of Grace, and it is already shaping into a meaningful season for our church.

Lent is an invitation to slow down, refocus, and intentionally make space for God. As we said this week, genuine growth is gradual, and genuine growth is intentional, not accidental.

Over the next six weeks we will practice rhythms that help us:

Be with Jesus.
Become like Him.
Do as He did.

This week we began with prayer and a simple reminder:

Prayer is intimacy, not information.
God is not looking for perfect words. He is inviting present hearts.

Jesus teaches us that prayer begins with relationship, not requests. We start with Our Father, we re-center on who God is, we align our hearts with His will, we bring our daily needs, we receive and extend grace, and we ask for His guidance and protection.

Here are a few ways to lean in:

Pick up a journal.
Our brand new Rhythms of Grace journals are available and designed to help you engage personally throughout this season. Be sure to grab one this Sunday if you have not yet.

Join the 3-Part Daily Prayer Rhythm.
For the next 40 days, we are inviting our church into a simple daily pattern:

• Morning: Identity before activity. Begin with the Lord’s Prayer.
• Noon: Pray for others. One name. Even just 60 seconds.
• Night: Practice gratitude. Name three things.

Remember, progress over perfection. This is not about performance. It is about presence.

Small daily rhythms create deep lifelong intimacy.

Let’s lean in together. This is going to be a great journey!

South CreekFebruary 22, 2026

Operation

Most of us know what it feels like to carry more than we should.

Not tragedy. Accumulation.

One more purchase.
One more scroll.
One more bite.
One more yes.

None of it feels dramatic. It just slowly adds up. And one day you realize you are not starving. You are stuffed. But still empty.

Jesus speaks with startling clarity in Matthew 5:

“If your right eye causes you to stumble… cut it off.”
“If your right hand causes you to stumble… cut it off.”

Not because He is harsh. Because He is serious about freedom. What you refuse to cut off will slowly cut you off from God.

This week we talked about gluttony. Not just food. Excess. Gluttony is overconsumption driven by misplaced desire. It is appetite without trust. The problem is not that we enjoy things. The problem is when good things begin to rule us.

You can overconsume:

Comfort
Approval
Money
Control
Entertainment
Success

The issue is not hunger. The issue is mistrust.

In Exodus 16, God gave Israel manna daily. If they hoarded it, it rotted. Fear feeds gluttony. Trust starves it.

Jesus said in John 6:

“I am the bread of life.”

Daily bread requires daily trust.

We also looked at Lot’s wife. She was physically leaving Sodom. But her heart was still looking back.

You cannot walk into freedom while staring at excess.

Some of us do not need more self-control. We need surrender.

Then we saw Mary in John 12. She poured out a year’s wages at Jesus’ feet.

Judas called it waste. Jesus called it beautiful.

Gluttony tightens fists. Worship opens hands.

Hoarded manna rotted. Poured-out worship filled the house with fragrance.

You do not defeat gluttony by obsessing over appetite. You defeat it by redirecting desire toward Christ.

At the end of the service, we asked a simple question:

What do you need to cut off and leave at the cross?

Approval.
Comfort.
Control.
Comparison.
Spending.
Distraction.

You were not nailing yourself there.

You were laying down what has been crushing you.

More of ______ will never fill that void.

Only more of Jesus.

He is not trying to restrict your joy.
He is trying to restore your freedom.

And He is very, very good at setting people free who finally decide to let go.

South CreekFebruary 15, 2026

Operation

This week, we continued in our series Operation: Taming and Treating Temptation by tackling one of the most subtle and dangerous sins: greed. While we often only assume greed to be about money, we were reminded that greed is ultimately a heart issue—an intense and selfish desire for something that slowly begins to take the place of God. Greed isn’t always obvious, which makes it so dangerous. It quietly convinces us that more will finally satisfy, when in reality it only leaves us restless, empty, and distracted from our true need for Jesus.

In Matthew 19:16–24, we looked at the rich young ruler who wanted eternal life, but walked away when Jesus challenged him to surrender what he valued most. This powerful moment reminds us that following Jesus isn’t just about good behavior—it’s about wholehearted surrender. Greed becomes an idol when it keeps us from recognizing our need for Christ and trusting Him fully.

We want to challenge you to ask the question this week. “What is the one thing you’re unwilling to surrender to Jesus?”

Let’s cast aside the things that try to take Christ’s place in our hearts and live for Him this week, friends.

- Pastor Cole Maxwell

South CreekFebruary 8, 2026

Operation

Sunday, we talked about Wrath/Anger—often expressed as displeasure, hostility, rage, or resentment—is a powerful and sometimes vengeful emotion that can arise especially when a person feels slighted or their pride is wounded. Because of its intensity and the way, it distorts judgment, anger is described as one of the most fundamental problems in human life.

People commonly fall into several traps when dealing with anger. It can create a false sense of power or control, push us into isolation, convince us that we are always right, or make us feel responsible for fixing others. Sometimes we justify harmful reactions by labeling them as “righteous anger.”

Scripture offers guidance for managing anger, with passages such as Ephesians 4, James 1, Proverbs, Psalms 4, and Colossians 3 emphasizing self‑control, patience, gentleness, and the importance of not letting anger lead to sin or destructive behavior.

John 8:1–11 provides a model for responding to emotionally charged situations with wisdom and compassion. From this example comes the PPR Method for controlling anger:

Pause — Step back before reacting.
Pray — Seek clarity, humility, and guidance.
Respond — Act with intention rather than impulse.

Together, these principles highlight a path toward healthier emotional responses and more peaceful relationships.

When you think someone is intentionally hurting you, anger rises naturally. But the moment you realize there was no intention—like discovering the boat was empty—the anger dissolves. Many people who hurt us aren’t acting out of malice toward us but out of their own unresolved pain, confusion, or trauma.

Seeing them as “empty boats” doesn’t excuse the harm, but it reminds us not to take everything personally. Their actions are often about their inner struggles, not about our worth.

- Chuck McCoskey, Recovery Ministry Leader

South CreekFebruary 1, 2026

Operation

As you know, we were unable to gather in person this past Sunday due to the weather. While we missed being together, I did share a short video message on envy and contentment, and you can watch it using the link below.

Here is the heart of it.

Envy is the belief that God has been better to someone else than He has been to me.
Envy erases the good and magnifies the missing. It trains our eyes to ignore what God has given and fixate on what He has not.

Contentment, on the other hand, is a settled trust in God that allows you to enjoy what He has given you without being controlled by what He has not.
Contentment is not pretending you do not want more. It is choosing to trust God right where you are.

We talked about three ways envy erases contentment:

Comparison: Measuring our lives against someone else’s highlight reel.
Control: Trying to force outcomes instead of trusting God’s timing.
Counterfeits: Chasing substitutes that promise satisfaction but never deliver it.

And we closed with three “tudes” that help fight envy and protect contentment:

Gratitude: Thanking God for what is already in our hands.
Attitude: Choosing how we interpret and respond to our circumstances.
Fortitude: Staying steady and faithful when life feels unfair or incomplete.

Envy shrinks our world. Contentment enlarges it. One makes us restless. The other lets us rest.

I hope you will take a few minutes to watch the short message and reflect on where God may be inviting you to trade comparison for trust.

We are praying the roads clear and we can all be back together very soon.

South CreekJanuary 25, 2026

Operation

Most of us had to read The Odyssey in high school. You may not remember much, but you probably remember the Sirens.

They did not attack ships.
They did not throw spears.
They did not create storms.

They sang. And their song was so beautiful that sailors would steer straight toward it, not realizing what waited beneath the surface, rocks, shipwrecks, death. No ship crashed because of waves. They crashed because of music. Odysseus survived not because he trusted his willpower, but because he didn’t. He built boundaries before he ever needed them.

That story has lasted thousands of years because it tells the truth about us: The most dangerous things in life rarely look dangerous. They look desirable.

Jesus says something very similar in Matthew 5. He teaches that sin does not just happen in our actions, it starts in our desires. And if we do not deal with disordered desires, they eventually lead to destruction.

“If your right eye causes you to stumble… cut it off.” (Matthew 5:29–30)

Not because God is harsh. But because God is serious about freedom.

This week we talked about this big idea:

Lust is desire that has been disconnected from love, commitment, and God’s design.

And the Bible is clear. Lust is not just sexual. It is any desire that starts to rule us instead of serve us.

You can lust for:

Pleasure
Money
Comfort
Approval
Power
Control

The problem is not that we want things.
The problem is when what we want starts to want us.

We looked at three traps that usually lead us there:

1. Isolation
Sin grows best in unwitnessed spaces.

2. Insecurity
We often forget who we are and more importantly whose we are, which leads to us becoming insecure.

3. Opportunity
You do not plan to fall.
You just fail to plan not to.

Then we talked about three ways out:

Accountability instead of isolation.
Identity instead of insecurity.
Boundaries instead of unmanaged access and opportunities.

But the most important part of the message was this:

You do not overcome sin by obsessing over sin.
You overcome sin by falling in love with Jesus.

Some of us are exhausted because we are trying to be our own savior.

Jesus says:

“Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

You do not fight lust to become someone new.
You fight lust because in Christ, you already are.

Stop staring at the storm.
Start fixing your eyes on Jesus.

He is not ashamed of you.
He is not done with you.
And He is very, very good at saving people who cannot save themselves.

- Pastor Aaron Perry

South CreekJanuary 18, 2026

Operation

Sunday we continued our series called Operation in which we are looking at Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 are very direct and uncomfortable:

"If your eye or your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off."

He is not calling us to self-harm. He is calling us to serious honesty. Some of us would rather look good than be good. We often choose comfort over Christlikeness. Pleasure over presence. Desires over deliverance.

Here is the warning we must not ignore:

What you refuse to cut off will slowly cut you off from God.

We talked about the SS Eastland disaster in 1915. The ship did not sink because of a storm or one terrible decision. It collapsed because it kept adding weight in the wrong places. Over time, it became top-heavy and finally rolled over while still tied to the dock.

Many lives do not collapse because of one big sin. They collapse because we keep adding things we were never meant to carry. At the root of this is pride. Pride is not first about ego. It is about authority.

It is the inward bend of the heart that replaces dependence on God with confidence in self. Pride puts us in God’s seat and pushes love out of our lives. Scripture is clear that pride always leads to a fall, but humility is the only thing that heals our pride. Pride is the inward bent of the heart that replaces dependence on God with confidence in self, and love for others with focus on self.

We said humility is not just bowing low. It is emptying your hands.

We framed humility with four simple practices:

1. SURRENDER – The Humility of Authority
Core question: Who is in charge?
Pride wants control. Humility gives God the seat He already deserves.
You cannot be healed by a God you refuse to obey.

2. SERVE – The Humility of Relationships
Core question: Who comes first?
Pride asks, “Who serves me?”
Humility asks, “Who can I serve?”
You cannot love like Jesus while insisting on being first.

3. SACRIFICE – The Humility of Cost
Core question: What am I willing to give up?
Pride protects comfort.
Humility chooses the cross.
You never know how deep humility goes until it costs you something.

4. SET DOWN – The Humility of Repentance and Release
Core question: What am I still carrying that I need to let go of?
Pride holds stones.
Humility opens hands.
You cannot be healed while you keep holding what is hurting you.

We ended with a choice that every one of us has to make:

Pride or humility.
Death or life.
Control or Christ.

One weighs you down.
One sets you free.
You cannot choose both.

Let me leave you again with this simple and searching line:

What you refuse to cut off will slowly cut you off from God.

My prayer is that this week we would not just feel conviction, but experience freedom. Freedom that comes when we surrender, serve, sacrifice, and set down what never should have been in our hands in the first place.

Pastor Aaron

South CreekJanuary 11, 2026

Operation

Speaker: Pastor Aaron Perry

Church Family,

This past Sunday we launched a new teaching series called “Operation” centered on Jesus’ challenging words in Matthew 5.

Jesus speaks plainly. If something causes us to stumble, it cannot simply be managed, it must be removed.

Many of us prefer looking good more than being good. Comfort over Christlikeness. Pleasure over presence. Desire over deliverance.

What we refuse to cut off will slowly cut us off from God.

This series explores the Seven Deadly Sins, not as a replacement for Scripture, but as a diagnostic tool for the heart. These patterns reveal where our loves are disordered and where healing must begin.

This week we focused on sloth. Sloth is not laziness. It is not rest. It is not burnout. Biblical sloth is a willful neglect of God-given responsibility. It is delayed obedience and resistance to purposeful effort.

Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25 reminds us that sloth is not the opposite of success; it is the opposite of effort. At its core, sloth is a stewardship issue.

To fight it, we are practicing three simple but intentional movements:

Leave
Some things do not need balance, they need burial.

Limit
If something dulls devotion, it deserves limitations.

Leverage
Freedom is not the absence of habits.
It is the presence of better ones.

Habits are not meant to make us holier than others.
They are meant to make us whole by God’s grace.

As we do this I have invited us to consider these three commitments.

-Scripture before screens and schedules.
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-Commit To Christ-Centered Community
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-Stay Focused on Mission

We invite you to lean into this series with us.
Come ready to listen, examine, and respond.

South CreekJanuary 4, 2026

Worship Sunday

Speaker: Pastor Cole Maxwell

End-of-Year Worship Service Recap

Church Family,

Yesterday we gathered for our end-of-year service with a strong focus on worship—creating space to reflect, respond, and remember God’s goodness together.

We were reminded of God’s faithfulness throughout the past year and how easy it is, in moments of stress or anguish, to forget all the ways He has never failed us. We talked about the danger of spiritual amnesia and the importance of intentionally looking back to see God’s steady hand at work in our lives.

As part of that reflection, we were challenged to write down a word from 2025—something God has spoken or revealed over the past year. From there, our focus turned forward as we were encouraged to look ahead to 2026 with expectation, trusting that God has good plans for what’s to come.

As we step into the new year, may we move forward with gratitude for where God has been and hope for where He is leading.

South CreekDecember 28, 2025

Waiting Witnesses

Speaker: Pastor Aaron Perry

Church Family,

In 2007, a world-class violinist named Joshua Bell stood in a Washington, D.C. subway station during the morning rush hour and played his Stradivarius violin for nearly forty-five minutes. More than a thousand people walked past him on their way to work. Most never slowed down, a few dropped spare change, and only a handful stopped to listen. Just days earlier, people had paid hundreds of dollars to hear the same musician play the same music in a concert hall.

The music was extraordinary, the musician was world-class, and the value was unchanged. What changed was the setting. Greatness was hidden in plain sight.

We often miss the love we are not looking for, and if we miss Jesus’ love, we miss everything. Advent reminds us that love is not sentimental or shallow. It is sacrificial, steady, and enduring.

Scripture tells us that love is patient and kind, that it protects and perseveres, and that it never fails. This kind of love is not rooted in emotion alone but in the very character of God.

Love did not arrive loudly when it entered the world. It came lowly, wrapped in humility, and it came looking for us.

In Luke 2, Simeon and Anna recognized what so many others overlooked. They were not drawn by spectacle or status; they were watching for promise. They waited faithfully, worshiped attentively, and when they saw Jesus, they knew God had kept His word. Love was found among the faithful, not the famous.

In Matthew 2, the Magi traveled from far away, drawn by a sign of power in the sky. They bowed in worship, offered their treasures, and returned home changed by what they had encountered.

The Magi saw power. Simeon and Anna saw promise. But love, revealed in Jesus, fulfilled both.

This story invites us to examine where we are looking for love. Love cannot be sustained if it is sourced incorrectly. If love comes from approval, it eventually fades. If love comes from success, it eventually collapses. But if love comes from Jesus, it remains.

That love is not only meant to be received but lived. Love reshapes our pace, softens our hearts, and gives us endurance. It changes who we are before it changes what we do.

And love is always meant to be shared. Loved people love people, not perfectly, but purposefully. Love does not terminate on us; it travels through us as grace, kindness, and witness.

You do not earn this love, and you do not manufacture it. You receive it. And once you do, you begin to look for it rightly, live it authentically, and give it freely.

Just because you cannot see the dawn does not mean the light is not rising. Hope sustains us, peace frees us, joy lifts us, and Jesus, in His love, saves us.

Alisa BernotasDecember 21, 2025

Waiting Witnesses

Speaker: Pastor Aaron Perry

Church Family

Last week we talked about peace, the kind of peace that is not dependent on calm circumstances but on a steady anchor. This week, we turn our attention to joy, which works much the same way. Joy from the wrong source can vanish in an instant, but joy from the true source can last for an eternity.

True joy cares little about circumstances, because it is rooted deeper than what is happening around us. As we said before, joy is often killed not by our circumstances, but by our concentration. Joy, biblically speaking, is a settled gladness rooted in God’s presence, promises, and purposes, not in outcomes or control.

The Bible tells one long story of people searching for joy, often in the wrong places. In the beginning, joy was simple. God walked with us, and nothing was missing. But humanity reached for control, and joy shattered. Later, God rescued His people from slavery with power and miracles, yet joy faded quickly in the wilderness. They trusted idols they could see, kings who could fight, and strength they could measure. Each time, joy slipped through their fingers, not because joy was wrong, but because it was misplaced. Joy was never found by reaching. It was always found by remaining.

Then, in the quiet of a Bethlehem night, joy arrived in an unexpected way.

Not in a palace.
Not to rulers.
But in a manger, and first announced to shepherds.

“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.”
Luke 2:10

The shepherds went to see. They found the child. And they could not keep the joy to themselves. Our natural response to true joy is telling others where we found it. Joy is not meant to be hoarded; it is meant to be heralded.

Three Invitations for the Week

Check your source.
False wells always run dry, but Jesus never does.
Jeremiah 2:13

Check your perspective.
Joy grows when our eyes stay fixed on Jesus, even in trials.
James 1:2

Commit your heart.
Joy deepens where obedience and closeness to Christ take root.
John 15:9–11

Remember this week that, Joy has a name, and He stepped into our night. Joy did not avoid the darkness; He was born into it.

South CreekDecember 14, 2025