STUDIO

This past Sunday we wrapped up our Generosity series. Our heart was to invite all of us into a lifestyle of generosity as humans with our time, money and resources. One of the signatures of the New Testament church was radical generosity. On Sunday, Pastor Eric shared with us why this conversation about our money is important as it is connected to our spiritual formation. The way we view money and the way we handle money is not something separate from our spiritual formation. The decision to follow Jesus involves every part of our lives. He encouraged us to bring the area of our finances into the journey of being shaped and formed by God. It is here we gain His perspective on what he has in mind and we move to a place where we trust God with our finances. He also brought up the topic of “tithing” and unpacked some questions surrounding it such as:*What does the bible say about tithing?*What was the origination and purpose of tithing?*Is tithing required in the New Covenant? Our goal with this series was to invite each of us to a deeper understanding of how important our finances, time and resources are to our spiritual formation and the invitation to be a part of what God is doing on the earth.For more info you can go to our website and also check us out on instagram and Facebook. We are also on YouTube. If you want to support STUDIO financially you can do so here. Have a great week!

This past Sunday, we had Steven Gilliam bring part 3 to our Generosity series. He and his family are apart of Studio. He is an entrepreneur, business owner and he also has a degree of Master of Arts in Biblical & Theological Studies.Steven taught from 2 Corinthians 9:6-15. In verse 6 and 7:"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." Generosity is designed to be fun and it’s something we can attach our faith to. He shared how he is dreaming of ways to increase his generosity and was deeply marked by acts of generosity he’s experienced through his life. He encouraged us to live with a reality that there is more than enough. It is in this place we recognize we follow a God who always has more than enough and we get to participate in sowing and distributing. We also should be aware there is a reaping component to our generosity and this is how God designed it.For more info you can go to our website and also check us out on instagram and Facebook. We are also on YouTube. If you want to support STUDIO financially you can do so here. Have a great week!

We are in the second week of our four week “Generosity” series. Our hope is to grow as followers of Jesus; in His ways, words and values. We also long to grow in the heart and spirit of generosity as this will impact our ability to steward well and walk in faith. Pastor Candace shared from Matthew 10 that Jesus sends out the 12 disciples and He instructs them in verse 7-8:"As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give." What if blessing and freedom didn't stop with us, but flowed through us and from us?As we grow in freedom and in intentionally giving away what God has given us, here are some questions to ask ourselves:What do you have to give? What would it look like to live freely and generously with what God has given you? Thank you Lord for what you have given us, have done in us, and thank you for what you are doing in us now. (take time to thank God, you might not have everything, but you have…). Lord, give us a generous and willing heart and fill us with your spirit. Open our eyes to see what we have to offer, invest and sacrifice. We choose to live open handed with the things you give us.For more info you can go to our website and also check us out on instagram and Facebook. We are also on YouTube. If you want to support STUDIO financially you can do so here. Have a great week!

We kicked off our “Generosity” series this Sunday. Pastor Eric posed the question “What is your relationship with money?” Knowing that each of us have our own upbringings and life experiences which essentially shape and form our relationship with money. Here are some questions we went over on Sunday to help you move towards a clear idea of your relationship with money:Is it one where fear is the motivator?Do you have a perspective of money where it is wrong to have it or is there an amount that is wrong to have?Is money something that is associated with evil?Is money a means or an end to achieve happinessIs greed at play in this relationship? Is it a highly emotional relationship?When you lose a lot of money what happens to your emotions and mind in the process? When you see someone with a lot of resources and/or money what are some of your initial thoughts and opinions about that person?Our goal in week 1 was to identify and to be able to articulate our relationship with money so that we can bring it to light and allow God to come in and disciple us in this area of our lives according to a Kingdom Perspective.For more info you can go to our website and also check us out on instagram and Facebook. We are also on YouTube. If you want to support STUDIO financially you can do so here. Have a great week!

Just as we see in nature through each season, we, as people and followers of Jesus also aim to continue to grow and become all that God created us for. As humans we recognize our design to be in relationship and connection. One thing that we can do to grow and expand ourselves is to become better communicators and better listeners. James 1:19-20 encourages us as we navigate trials:"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires." ‭‭‬‬Communication greatly impacts our relationships and the better communicators we can become, the better relationships we can have. Let’s continue to grow, be better humans, neighbors/friends/family, and better communicators.We ask that the Lord will continue to grow us, open our ears and give us a heart to listen.For more info you can go to our website and also check us out on instagram and Facebook. We are also on YouTube. If you want to support STUDIO financially you can do so here. Have a great week!

Pastor Eric took us on a journey involving two people in the story of Jesus and his journey to his death and resurrection: Nicodemus and Mary. Two very different people and yet they both had these moments with Jesus that essentially changed their entire lives. One was apart of the religious establishment which made the decision to crucify him and the other sold her body for a living. Here we see how Jesus was able to touch two very different people and because he rose from the dead he created pathways for people to move from being dead to alive. On this Easter Sunday we celebrated that Jesus had the answer to death and he addressed all the internal longings of the human soul.For more info you can go to our website and also check us out on instagram and Facebook. We are also on YouTube. If you want to support STUDIO financially you can do so here. Have a great week!

This past Sunday was Palm Sunday. As we kicked off Holy Week and started our journey towards Good Friday and Easter, we wanted to take a moment to immerse ourselves into the story of Jesus coming into Jerusalem riding on a donkey while palm branches were being waved.One of the dynamics of this moment is the people gathered for the Passover, organized a parade, a party, a celebration for the Messiah. For them they were expecting him to become their King. They had no idea he was about to experience Good Friday, which was an unimaginable and incomprehensible day. Pastor Eric wrestled with the paradox of a Victory parade taking place before the war. It was the calm before the storm, it was the day before the “day”. In this there is a glimpse of how Jesus operates and functions in this world. You see, for most of us we wait for the war to be over before we celebrate a victory. As he rode the donkey, which is symbolic for peace, humility and it was what a new King would ride on to introduce himself as the new ruler. Jesus declares he is victorious before the war. Listen to this week's talk to hear more about the significance of Palm Sunday as it relates to death and resurrection of Jesus. For more info you can go to our website and also check us out on instagram and Facebook. We are also on YouTube. If you want to support STUDIO financially you can do so here. Have a great week!

A Echo Chamber is an enclosed space where sound reverberates / an environment in which a person encounters only beliefs or opinions that coincide with their own, so that their existing views are reinforced and alternative ideas are not considered.We create these places as they are comfortable and are re-assuring. However if we want to truly mature as humans we must exit the echo chambers and commit to a life of building something that is very hard to build - Personal Character.Pastor Eric took us through Luke 9 and we learned about the journey of the disciples who have been given power and authority and by the end of the chapter we see some significant character flaws get revealed: pride, arrogance, and the desire to wipe out a city with fire. “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power,”It’s so much easier to talk and dream about spiritual gifts and it is so much harder to talk and dream about building character. The development of your character is something you are in control of while calling and destiny is something that was a gift to you from God. Listen to this week's talk to learn the 3 ways you can begin to build and develop your character.For more info you can go to our website and also check us out on instagram and Facebook. We are also on YouTube. If you want to support STUDIO financially you can do so here. Have a great week!

Pastor Eric took us on a journey that was raw, provoking and invited us into something bigger than all of us combined. He shared his own personal journey of being in the church and reminded us that “church” was God’s idea and not man’s idea. History has proven that all the forces of humanity have still not been able to hinder the message of Jesus, in fact the more persecution it faces has only caused the message of Jesus to expand and grow. He spent some time talking about the reality that many have been hurt or wounded by the church in some capacity and to realize God uses imperfect people to build his church. He uses people to help you grow in areas in your life that can only happen if you are around people. He uses your imperfections to help others grow in areas they need to grow in. This talk was an invitation to be a part of what Jesus is doing on the earth with his body and to participate in seeing the bride of Christ became all she is designed to be.For more info you can go to our website and also check us out on instagram and Facebook. We are also on YouTube. If you want to support STUDIO financially you can do so here. Have a great week!

This past Sunday, Pastor Candace shared out of the book of Proverbs. One of the key words in the book of proverbs is wisdom: “the ability to live life skillfully.” in Proverbs chapter 2:1-6 NKJV it reads:"My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding,  If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures;  Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;"These words are active and not passive. In our pursuit of knowing God let us posture ourselves to receive, to value, listen to, cry out, seek and search for Him. Let us not be okay with just knowing about God, but let us draw near to know Him intimately and to know His ways. For more info you can go to our website and also check us out on instagram and Facebook. We are also on YouTube. If you want to support STUDIO financially you can do so here. Have a great week!