True North


Jesus tells us that there is no other way to get to Heaven except through Him. Our good works alone cannot atone for our sins. Pastor Gary reminds us today that even if we spend our time telling others about Jesus, but don't have a relationship with Him, we will be left on the outside looking in. We have to ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins, and allow Him into our lives so that the Holy Spirit can make us into new creations. Our good works don't give us access to God's presence; Jesus does!


What would have happened to the world if Jesus had decided not to go through with the Crucifixion? After all, the people who mocked Jesus as He hung on the cross had a point! At any time, Jesus could have said, “Actually, never mind!” and disappeared without fulfilling the task He had been sent to accomplish. Pastor Gary teaches you today that Jesus paid a high price for your salvation, and you owe a great debt that cannot be paid back. What Jesus asks for in return is your obedience and your faith.


There are many times in the Gospels where Jesus teaches us to follow His example. He teaches us how to pray, how to spread the Good News, and most importantly, how to serve others with a sacrificial heart. Pastor Gary teaches you today that in order to serve Jesus, you must be willing to submit yourself to serving those around you. The Lord doesn't want you to serve others from a place of superiority, but from a place of humility, remembering that they are a beloved child of God, just like you!


Paul faced trials and persecution, but was still able to walk boldly with unwavering faith. What gave him that courage wasn't his own strength, but the love of Christ working through him. Pastor Gary teaches you today that when you truly understand Christ's love, fear begins to lose its grip on you. Paul trusted that whatever God allowed in his life was an expression of His love, not His rejection. Even in the face of death, he believed that the Lord's plan was good. And that same assurance is available to you.


So many spiritual battles can take place in our minds and hearts. The devil's whispers can make us question everything we thought we knew. This is how a crisis of faith can begin - subtle, quiet, and deeply unsettling. But today, Pastor Gary tells you that the enemy often targets your weakest places first, trying to make you feel powerless and alone. The devil presents ideas that sound reasonable on the surface, but stand in direct opposition to God's truth. Stand firm in God's Word and let His truth be louder than any lie.

Just as the Roman double-edged sword was crafted never to waste a single moment, so too is the Word of God designed to accomplish exactly what it was sent to do. Pastor Gary teaches you today that God's word is not passive. It is active, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. It cuts away fear, doubt, and lies, while planting truth, hope, and life in their place. This is the beauty of God's precision… He knows exactly what needs to be removed and what must remain in your life.


The answer is always Jesus. In every struggle and every victory, His name carries the power to restore and transform. Our old selves may linger, but through faith, we are crucified with Christ and raised into a new life. Today, Pastor Gary gives you an analogy that God is like a master surgeon. He gently removes what does not belong, drawing you closer to His truth. This process may not be easy, but it is always filled with purpose and love. And even in your weakness, His strength always shines through.

We don't want to miss an opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Sometimes, people who need to hear it are right under our noses. It may be the person begging for money on the street corner, the family you know who's dealing with medical debt, or a coworker who mentioned a difficult divorce. Whatever the circumstances, you have the greatest truth of all! In today's message, Pastor Gary encourages you to abandon your preconceived notions. Be bold for Christ and let God take care of the rest.

We're to be the hands and feet of Jesus on this earth. He's no longer present physically, so we need to listen to the Holy Spirit within us to bless others according to their needs. Today, Pastor Gary reminds us that it's more than a handout. People first and foremost need the Word of God. So if you're given the opportunity to bless someone tangibly, also take the time to bless them spiritually. A relationship with Jesus will take them to eternity, versus one meal that will only take them to the next meal.

Have you ever put together a new piece of furniture from a box store? You're excited to have it displayed in your home, but first comes the instruction manual. You take out all the parts, the flimsy little tool they provide, and begin at step one. But by the time you get to step 15, you're taking shortcuts, ignoring leftover pieces, and have since discarded the instruction manual altogether. Today, Pastor Gary encourages you to do the opposite with God's Word. Hold it close! It's not just words on a page!

Being under someone's authority comes with ups and downs. Sometimes you may think you could do better or make wiser choices. But God's perfect leadership is different. He loves us more than we can imagine. Today, Pastor Gary encourages you to ask God for the desires of your heart. Do you need healing? Maybe you have a strained relationship? He may or may not answer these prayers in the way you'd like, but in the meantime, lean into His peace that passes all understanding! He's got you!

We shake our heads and say, “People just don't want to come to church anymore.” We watch empty seats and wonder what changed. It feels easier to throw up our hands than to examine our own. But what if the issue isn't that they won't come; it's that we've stopped going? Today, Pastor Gary will tell you that Jesus never told you to wait behind stained glass. In the Great Commission, He told you to go. And you were never called to guard the building. You were called to carry the gospel into the streets.

We talk about distance from God like it's something we have to fight through. We picture barriers, walls, and separation. In the temple, there was a veil that kept people from the Holy of Holies, a thick curtain no one could casually pass. But when Jesus was crucified, that veil was torn from top to bottom. Pastor Gary will explain to you today that it wasn't just the fabric that was ripped; Jesus was, too. Jesus was torn so we could come near. And you don't have to stand at a distance anymore; you have full access to God.

We can get into a rhythm of doing things for God simply because it's what we do. We serve, we volunteer, we show up, we check the boxes. And somewhere along the way, devotion quietly turns into obligation. Our hands are busy, but our hearts feel distant. It becomes a duty instead of a delight. Today, Pastor Gary will share with you that God never asked for a cold routine; He desires love. And you weren't created to grind through faith out of pressure. You were invited to walk with Him in wholehearted devotion.

When Jesus comes into your life, He doesn't just leave a little mark identifying you as His own child. Instead, He completely transforms your life and makes you into a new creation. In today's message, Pastor Gary teaches you that salvation isn't something you can fake because it involves a life change that you cannot accomplish on your own. If someone claims to follow Jesus but doesn't show signs of that transformational power, they have yet to fully surrender to the will of Jesus. It's all or nothing.

It's easy for us to forget that the Trinity is both one God and three persons. What this means for us is that one member of the Trinity will not contradict the other. In today's message, Pastor Gary teaches us that the Holy Spirit doesn't teach us anything that we don't already know from God's Word. He is here to give us wisdom and insight, but He will only speak what Jesus has already spoken to us. In order to hear from the Holy Spirit, we need to have an intimate knowledge of the Word of God.

If you live in an area that gets lots of tornadoes, you're probably familiar with the different systems in place that are meant to warn people to get to safety. Between tornado sirens and emergency alerts on smartphones, it is hard for someone to be caught completely unaware that severe weather is incoming. Today, Pastor Gary teaches you that the Holy Spirit is like an emergency alert system for your soul. The Lord points out the sin in your life and implores you to repent before it is too late.

Have you ever heard or seen a public service announcement warning against digging in your yard? More often than not, there are natural gas lines, cable lines, and other utility lines buried underground, and it is important to ask someone to help you mark where those lines are so you can avoid causing an accident in your yard! But when it comes to your heart, you need help to identify the sin issues that remain in your life, so that you can cut them out! Pastor Gary teaches you that the Holy Spirit will illuminate those issues in your life, so that they can be removed!

God renews lives, AND He instilled the Holy Spirit in people so they can continue to live on the righteous path of Jesus Christ! In today's message, Pastor Gary will bring some seriously good news…if you're born again, you already have the Holy Spirit! If your life has been saved, bought, and redeemed by Jesus, then you also have the Spirit guiding you to be righteous, holy, and set apart! You have the power to do what is right and to make the hard choice against your flesh to follow Jesus!

If you love Jesus, you will fear God, and if you fear God, you will love Jesus! There can't be one without the other. Jesus showed us that firsthand and modeled what that life can and should look like. In today's message, Pastor Gary will share how important it is to be in the Word of God, to be attending a Church to be in Biblical community, and to have a strong and consistent prayer life! The Way you spend your time and energy will directly show where your love is and how much you fear God!

The Holy Spirit isn't some sort of mystical or magical being or even a fictional thing; He is God Himself in the form of a personal Spirit meant to help us! In today's message, Pastor Gary will reveal a sliver of who the Holy Spirit is and how you can have a personal relationship with Him! If you are a born-again Christian, you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you. How could you not have a deep and rich relationship with someone living that close to you?!


How often do you help people? How often do you see or hear about someone in need and actually inconvenience yourself for the betterment of someone else's life? In today's message, Pastor Gary will point out that Jesus inconvenienced Himself. He surrendered His time to what the Lord wanted to do in and through Him. Look at how that worked out…look at all that Jesus accomplished by allowing the Lord to govern His decisions! So, today, stop and ask the Lord how you can help someone else!

Being a lukewarm Christian, or someone who just sits on the fence of full surrender, isn't a true Christian. Christians are people who follow God with everything they have; they're “little Christs”. In today's message, Pastor Gary will challenge you on where you stand with your faith. Are you on fire for God or barely wading in the water? God calls everyone to a passionate life devoted to Him and His ministry…does that describe you?! On fire, passionate, devoted?! These are all characteristics of a true Christian!

There are so many Christians who want to point out others' sins, but not even acknowledge their own. Some people consciously or unconsciously rank sin by their own judgment. There are varying consequences, but the heart behind sin is the same. In today's message, Pastor Gary will encourage you to let God be be judge of sin…your own sin and everyone else. It isn't fair for you to judge someone else while also still being a sinner. God loves ALL sinners and wants redemption for EVERYONE!

Have you ever found a mistake, and instead of correcting it right away, you just let it sit there until the last second? You knew it shouldn't be left undone, but you just didn't care enough about it to do anything until the pressure was on. Pastor Gary teaches you in his message today that when the Lord convicts you of sin in your life, you should purge it immediately. Don't allow sin to remain unchecked in your heart. The longer you allow sin in your life, the longer you will miss out on the blessings of God.

A lot of us will save up money to do special things for our families, like go on a nice vacation or go out to eat at an expensive restaurant. These are enjoyable activities, and can be a real treat for us. It's nice to work hard and then reap the benefits of all that hard work. In today's message, Pastor Gary challenges you with a question: What are you willing to sacrifice for Jesus? What does your worship look like? Do you offer Jesus whatever you have to spare of your heart? Or do you give Him everything?

Sometimes we see great athletes and think that they're just unstoppable. But do you know that even the best players have faced days of defeat? You don't become great at anything by wallowing in yesterday's failure; You must always get up and keep moving forward. In Pastor Gary's message today, he encourages you to get up and walk on in the victory found in Jesus. Don't let the burdens of the past hold you back from the freedom that Christ has given you to walk in today.

Who doesn't love a nice hot home-cooked meal? Most of us know someone who just has a knack for cooking up something good to eat. And when we smell that sweet aroma coming from the kitchen, if we know what's good for us, we'll stay out of the way until that dinner bell calls us on in. In his message today, Pastor Gary wants you to know that Jesus is always up to something good. You might not know what it is, but if you're your patient and trust Him, you'll be sure to find out.

What kind of house did you grow up in? Did you have a solid, loving home, and especially one where Jesus was honored and served? Or did you have one that may have seemed beyond hope? Today, Pastor Gary shares his testimony of how God completely saved and transformed his childhood home – starting with his father. Now the next question: What kind of home are you making for yourself – and your family if you have one – now? No matter what its condition is today, Jesus can remake it.

What kind of house did you grow up in? Did you have a solid, loving home, and especially one where Jesus was honored and served? Or did you have one that may have seemed beyond hope? Today, Pastor Gary shares his testimony of how God completely saved and transformed his childhood home – starting with his father. Now the next question: What kind of home are you making for yourself – and your family if you have one – now? No matter what its condition is today, Jesus can remake it.

If you live anywhere near the East Coast of the United States, or if you know anybody who does, you probably pay attention every year to the tropical hurricanes. And you've probably seen – or even experienced – a house flooding, because it's built too close to the beach. Today, Pastor Gary looks at two kinds of houses – those built on the rock and those built on the sand. You don't have to worry about what the storms might do to your spiritual house, as long as you build it on the solid foundation of Jesus.

It's soooo easy to criticize others. We can find those critical messages on yard signs, in social media posts, and overhear them in practically every conversation. It's become perhaps our culture's favorite pastime. But today, Pastor Gary brings a critical reminder: before you look at others, you must always first look at yourself. How do you do that? The answer is simple. God's Word is His mirror for your life. God's Spirit is His Spokesman to your heart. Will you let Him search you?

People have a great variety of attitudes about children. Some are gifted with such a love that they even find joy in becoming elementary school teachers. Others seem to have little patience or tolerance for children. How does God feel about children? Today, Pastor Gary answers that question by looking at God the Son in His personal ministry on earth. Jesus said, “Forbid them not, to come unto me.” When you have the same heart that Jesus has, you'll welcome His children in the same way that Jesus does.

If you're a follower of Christ, you have a high task set before you. God wants you to reach the lost. He wants you to find those to have no hope and give them hope! Today, Pastor Gary says God desires for the church to reach the lost. He doesn't want you to reach those who can make your church better, but rather wants you to go to the darkest of places and share the hope of Jesus with them. Show those who have no hope the love of Jesus today! Show them Christ so they have a reason to keep living!

Can I get vulnerable with you for a moment? When I was younger, I was bullied, and what these bullies did was make me feel small and insignificant. They would come into school to try and show me that I was worthless. Today, Pastor Gary says God gives significance to those who feel small, He gives purpose to those who have no purpose, and He gives hope to those who are hopeless. What you need to grasp is that God gives you purpose. He's the reason you're here and why you can have confidence!

When we sin, the biggest lie that gets put in our heads is that we must continually do things to fix our problem. The reality of that mindset is that you're depending on a sinner to fix the sin in their life! Today, Pastor Gary says the profound statement that the law says to do, but grace says done. Jesus paid it all for you on that cross. He desires you to have a relationship with His Father and died on the cross so you could have that opportunity! Rest in His love today, trust that when Jesus said it is finished, He meant it.

Have you ever put food coloring in a cup of water? It turns the whole cup the color of the food coloring, even if you only put a little bit of it in the cup! What if I told you that's how sin affects you and me? There's no way out of it but through the one who can make you whole. Today, Pastor Gary says Jesus went to the cross so you and I can live a life free from the bondage of sin. He was perfect, sinless! And yet He chose to die a brutal death on the cross so you and I could have a relationship with God. Isn't that awesome?

In the movie Avengers: Infinity War, the villain Thanos seems unbeatable. He must control all 6 infinity stones to control all! Once he had all 6, it felt like Thanos was in constant control of what was happening around him. Today, Pastor Gary says there's someone on the throne who doesn't need stones to be in control. He's someone you can depend on through any situation. You must depend on God so you can have a solid foundation for everything you do! He's in constant control! Trust Him to guide your life!

When I was in college, I remember taking exams where I would be lost… I would think so hard about what the answer to certain questions would be, only to never really know and end up just guessing. In today's message, Pastor Gary says there's someone who knows all the answers, so you don't have to guess in life! His name's Jesus. If you go to Him for help, He'll provide all you need. Are you relying on your own understanding for your situation today? If so, run to Jesus! He has all the answers you need!

When I was younger, I recall being upset when my parents would punish me because I had done something wrong. I know now that they were trying to make me a better man, but it didn't feel like that in the moment! Today, Pastor Gary says that many people don't want God's guidance but desire the benefits of knowing Him. To know God is to love all that He is. He wants to lead you and guide you to be more like His Son every day. Only God can give you eternal life, but you must be all in for His plan.

It's not too crazy to say we get hungry every day, but what if I told you there's someone who can feed you, so you'll never hunger again? Today, Pastor Gary says that in Mark 2, the roof wasn't the only thing that changed that day. You see, God worked through the hearts of everyone in that room. They didn't know it, but Jesus was giving them food that's everlasting, and He wants to give you the same thing! He's offering you eternal life through His Son because that's what will fill your soul forever!

Christ's rescue mission spans every generation, culture, and background; no soul stands beyond His redemption. In today's message, Pastor Gary will remind you that you can celebrate a Savior whose arms stretch wide enough to embrace both initial skeptics, saints, and seekers alike. His grace refuses to discriminate, offering new life to those weighed down by shame and to those falsely confident in themselves. The invitation is universal—acceptance hinges only on trusting in Jesus.

Transformation runs deeper than just revised opinions; it reshapes the very fiber of who you are. And in today's message, Pastor Gary will encourage you to invite Christ to renew both your mind and your heart, aligning your thoughts with His truth while softening motives with grace. When His love permeates head and heart together, beliefs become virtues, and conviction finds power in compassionate action, overflowing into relationships and daily decisions.

Pastor Gary will warn you that passive listening can breed spiritual stagnation, but action turns revelation into revolution. In today's message, you'll be challenged to tangibly live out your faith—serving neighbors, forgiving enemies, pursuing justice, and loving relentlessly. Each obedient step you take chisels character, builds credibility, and multiplies the Gospel's impact far beyond words alone. Let your schedule, budget, and conversations reflect heaven's values.

Faith matures when mind and heart pursue Jesus together. Study deepens understanding, sharpening our ability to discern truth and engage culture with wisdom. And in today's message, Pastor Gary will also remind you that relationship—not mere knowledge—fuels transformation. Conversing with Christ through prayer, worship, and obedient living turns learned concepts into lived convictions. You can discover a vibrant faith that is well-versed and walks closely with the One who calls you friend.

God longs to kindle a holy blaze within your soul, consuming complacency and radiating His love outward. In today's message, Pastor Gary will encourage you to consider the spark God offers—an invitation to passion, purpose, and bold witness. When you surrender dry routines to His breath, embers glow into flames that illuminate dark places and warm discouraged hearts. Step close to the Source, fuel the fire with prayer and obedience, and watch whole communities ignite through your surrendered life.

Pride can subtly infiltrate every achievement and praise, persuading hearts to crown the self rather than Christ. In today's message, Pastor Gary will encourage you to pause to examine your motives, recognizing that inflated egos can often eclipse gratitude. Humility, however, can keep you teachable, receptive, and anchored in grace. Regular confession, service, and listening to wise counsel are antidotes that deflate arrogance before it hardens into isolation and spiritual stagnation.

Trust forms the backbone of authentic discipleship; it means resting in the certainty that God fulfills every promise. In today's message, Pastor Gary will remind you that God's timing may stretch patience, yet His faithfulness never falters. Doubt whispers that circumstances speak louder, but persistence in prayer will tune your heart to anticipate His deliverance. Hold to His word like a lifeline, act in obedience, and watch Him weave outcomes richer than you dared imagine.

Even the smallest spark of faith can ignite Jesus' transformative power within us, reshaping horizons that once seemed immovable. In today's message, Pastor Gary will remind you that mustard-seed confidence in Jesus is enough to challenge towering doubts, lift burdens, and birth hope where despair clings. When you surrender your limitations to His limitless grace, obstacles crumble, paths open, and lives are renewed. Nurture that tiny trust; mountains yield to hearts anchored in His steadfast love.

The good news of Jesus Christ will not reach all corners of the world if YOU do not share it! If we're too concerned with what others are doing wrong, and we're too busy telling everyone about people's business, then we will never have time to share about Jesus! In today's message, Pastor Gary will encourage you to stop wasting time and breath on what others are doing, and start utilizing the breath God has given you to share about His love! Share the miracle of the very breath in your lungs!!!

Because of the obvious differences between light and darkness, it is easy to spot darkness and light in the world. Unfortunately it is a little harder to spot that in people's lives. God created it as so, He said the light was good and therefore we're to strive for light… for good! In today's message, Pastor Gary will show you how light and darkness effect people and just life in general, and how you can learn to spot that in people, places, and things. Knowing light from dark, good from evil, will help you thrive in all areas of life!