In today’s busy and demanding culture, so many things are fighting for our attention. At times, if we’re being honest, the Church can at times simply be another “thing” competing for our time, energy, and attention. Yet, in the midst of all the noise, God’s invitation to us is the same as it always has been: “be still and know that I am God.” Join us as we try to recapture the lost practice of being still before the Lord.
After the gospel accounts of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, the story is picked up by the book of Acts. Acts follows the development and expansion of the Church and the Kingdom of God it embodies. The Church and the Kingdom are inextricably linked and we will examine this relationship as we make our way through the book highlighting characteristics of the Kingdom of God.
Wonder: The Miracles of Jesus
Throughout the gospel accounts of Jesus’s life, we read about dozens of miracles and wonders that He performed. Was this simply showmanship and spectacle or do they offer something more? Join us for this series as we take a look at a few of the miracles of Jesus and what they reveal about Him.
Super Bowl Sundays
It's that time of year again! Another Superbowl means another Superbowl Sunday at Awaken Church! Inspired by Crossroads Church in Cincinnati, Pastor Mike and Pastor Jeff will preach in a head to head competition that can only be described by saying, “…you just had to see it!”
Faith of Our Mothers
In his second letter to Timothy, Paul commends him for the faith he received from his mother and grandmother. While the Church has historically done a good job remembering its spiritual fathers, it has done less so remembering its spiritual mothers. This series we are blessed to hear from some gifted women from the Awaken community.
Christmas Lights
There is something about seeing Christmas lights that brings a sense of peace and joy. The vibrant points of light stand out in contrast against the darkness around them and can be a reminder of the hope that we have even when our surroundings seem dim.
Give Thanks
Let’s be honest… 2020 has been an incredibly difficult year for many people and a strange time to encourage people to be thankful. Yet when we come to understand genuine thanksgiving, we realize that the ability to practice gratitude regardless of our circumstances is a sign of spiritual maturity. Genuine thanksgiving is not blind to our struggles, loss, or trauma, but rather is a choice to reorient our perspective. Join us this series as unpack the foundations of genuine thanksgiving.
In the current election season, political polarization feels like it is at an all-time high. Both the right and the left fight for moral high ground while painting the other as the enemy who is out to destroy the foundations of our country. In the midst of this volatility it can be difficult to discern the role of the Church and the role of the Christian. Throughout this series we will attempt to answer the question: how should Christians engage with politics?
Biblical hospitality begins with us seeing our homes not as ours, but rather as a gift from God to further His Kingdom. As we embrace the way of Jesus, we begin to shift our perspectives around stewardship, generosity, and margin and our routines undergo welcomed changes. We invite you to think and live differently...radically.
Today’s cultural landscape is overcome with polarization that forces people into opposing camps and pits them against each other. In this contentious time, the Church has a moral obligation to resist this trap of antagonism by showing the world what it looks like to truly love your neighbor—and your enemy—in the midst of your differences. Pulling from Dan White, Jr.’s Love Over Fear and other resources, we will challenge our community to be light and love in the world around us.
Ever wonder what it would be like to hang out with Jesus? What about being his best friend? John was that guy and he takes his experiences with Jesus and passes along a simple yet profound message in 1 John - God is light and God is love. As God’s love is shared we illuminate the world around us.
We all wrestle through things that don’t easily click. The journey through our faith and the Bible are not removed from this tension we call - paradox. Often times it’s in the grey areas of our lives that God does he best work but are we willing to wade through the mud and chaos and find beauty along the road to peace and clarity?
Jesus was well known for breaking expectations and coloring outside the lines. As we enter into Holy Week, we are reminded that our King Jesus has a specific role that he wants us to play. The Kingdom of God is one that invites all to journey through the life and death of Jesus.
How often do we live to the max? Do our decisions leave us running on empty more times than not? As we learn to follow Jesus well there is a clear calling on our lives to create margin and space for the sake of the Good News. The culture we are says that happiness is often discovered through acquiring more stuff but Jesus teaches a different way to unlock true freedom and joy.
As a nation we celebrate our freedoms any chance we can. It's hard to not see the ideas of being free woven into our songs, our anthems, our statues, and our founding documents as a country. Yet, so many people walk around enslaved and in bondage, never experiencing the fullness that God has for them. Being free often stems from our identity and an an awareness of the spiritual warfare being fought all around us. Once we understand how to let God into our lives then, and only then can we be free.
Since the beginning of time humanity struggles with the same core deficiencies yet we continue to treat them as new, ground-breaking hurdles. Understanding how our identities are tied to struggles that we have faced since creation allows us to understand ourselves better, and how we can invite the Holy Spirit in to guide us forward.
A ton of us make New Year's resolutions but the statistics show that they are anything but effective. This week Pastor Steve challenges us with a new way of thinking about resolutions based on My One Word by Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen.
This advent season we are going to unpack the three key aspects of how God has arrived in the form of His Son, Jesus. Each week in our Gatherings we will be reminded of how God is at work currently, how God has worked in the past, and look ahead to His plan of working all things together in the end.
Better Together
Doing life together can be one of the hardest things we embark on as Christ Followers. The cost can be pricey at times, but putting in the effort and time to live among each other and welcome others to our table is worth the cost. The result of doing life together is not only experienced within our church, but also within our community as they see the love of Jesus up close and personal.
As the nation of Israel began to discover it's identity, they asked the Lord for a King. The Lord gave them what they asked for and, as it was predicted, it brought disaster for God's chosen people. Despite the mixed bag of kings (mostly bad), the Lord was faithful to His people. Throughout these accounts, we take a look at these flawed human kings and the way being paved for the Messiah and King Jesus.
As a church, we strive hard to reflect the heart of Jesus in our DNA and throughout everything we do. The roadmap that He has given us in how we take care of ourselves, love each other, and live on mission is no small task - but one definitely worth pursuing. Each year we pause and remind ourselves and each other why we do what we do and the hope we have for where God is leading us through our various meeting spaces.
When we read through the Gospels, Jesus gives us a lot to ponder through the miracles, parables, and ways he conducted himself, but James (his half brother) cuts right to the point. James's letter is the first that was circulated around various communities during the early church, and with that in mind he had one clear message: put your faith into action. What you do matters! As we dive into this series, we also encourage you to follow along with the 40 Day Devotional that is provided.
Families look a lot different in 2019 then they did thirty years ago. Generations have redefined what it means to be a family, walk through the good and the bad and do life together. God designed us from the beginning to be in relationship with each other and the people that we choose to bring along with us are often described as family. The church has a unique opportunity to speak to these close relationships whether it be between spouses, parents and their kids, best friends, or blending families together, we believe that Jesus has a goal in mind for how we live these out.
Jesus is the most talked about person in the history of the world. As followers of Jesus, it is vital that we understand not only who Jesus actually is, but how his plans for His Kingdom are supposed to work and what my role is within it. This Easter series is for those seeking to answer the question of who Jesus is and also unpack the way that we all are designed to respond to him as our Messiah, Savior, and King.
Vision Check 2019
Join us for our annual Vision Check series where we celebrate where we have seen God at work in our community over the last year and look ahead to what He is calling us in the future.
Do you ever feel like life is spinning out of control? The truth is, we have all been there before. Living a balanced life is far more than just a money talk, and we strategically want to invite you into a perspective that looks past budgets, red, black, and green colors, and graphs. This series helps speaks directly into the very nature that God wants for us as people who have a healthy balance in their life and steward themselves well.
We can often go through life and become numb to the situations surrounding us. Unless we are willing to stop, slow down and evaluate what is happening to us and around us then we will never overcome.
Worship can be an oddity in a world today that focuses so much on the look and feel to church services. Awaken strives to be a different kind of church in how we engage in worship, interact with the Holy Spirit, and empower the members of our community. Whether it be through words, songs, or stations, the ways in which we break away from the structured and well-behaved styles of worship is a core part of our DNA as a Spirit-led church.
In order to fully embrace the holiday season people choose to celebrate in numerous ways through traditions, decorations, and spending time with loved ones. We can often struggle as followers of Jesus to know how exactly to manage our own personal tasks and events with figuring out how to show the world the reason we celebrate in the first place. This series is all about how we can embody Christmas and be a reflection of the story of God that is all around us this holiday season.
As Christians we shouldn't struggle when it comes to developing a list of things to be thankful for because of everything Jesus had done for us. However too often our ability to be grateful, joyful, gracious, and peaceful seem "well mannered and behaved" rather than overflowing and busting at the seems. Jesus calls us to revolutionize the way we show thanks and it stems from first going back to a giving God who is always blessing his children so that in return the world sees less complaining and temperamental happiness and more of something real.
If we aren't careful we begin to treat our church experience and our spirituality as a transaction from God, seeking something from him as if he is genie in a bottle. Ultimately, if this is how we view God, the church - His people, and our discipleship then we end up focusing on being "fixed" instead of simply being present. God exists in the midst of our brokenness and mess and wants to loving transform us if we are willing to let Him.
We as humans also spend a lot of time searching frantically for all the right answers. Everyone in this room has their go to whether it be people, books, experts, talk shows, podcasts, or some other form of advice-seeking. As Christians the sad fact is that many of us look everywhere except the Bible when we want to seek advice. Over the next few weeks we will be looking into several practical steps in order to reflect Jesus in our thoughts and decisions.
Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus spend a large percentage of his time telling stories and investing in people relationally. A few times however, he speaks with immense clarity as he gives instruction or commands that are not optional. In identifying these statements, there seem to be six core teachings that bubble up to the surface through each of the accounts of Jesus’ time on earth. These six commands are for us to learn, develop in our lives, and follow as we continue to accept the great invitation to become like Jesus.
We don't belong here. We are influenced by a different culture. We are foreigners living among the those of this world. Peter writes a letter that has great impact for us today as we discover what it means to be holy, set apart, and yet still making an eternal difference while we here.
This year we once again combined with Plaza Baptist Church for our Easter worship. It was an awesome time of worship and reflecting the unity of the Body of Christ together as we reflect on the power of the resurrection in our lives today.
During this annual series, we take a moment to reflect on who God has called us to be as a community and where He is calling us to in the future. Join us as we cast vision for our community and hear stories of what God is doing and where He is leading.
Breaking Free from the things in this world that hold us back can mean a lot of things. For us as Americans, it often encompasses money, finances, and our sense of entitlement. We are taking a giant step in the direction of breaking free of guilt, debt, obligation, and hurt as it pertains to our finances. We will celebrate stewardship and generosity in this series because they are ways we connect to God.
January is Human Trafficking Awareness month and we feel like the Church has a responsibility to be on the front lines doing our best to fight this terrible criminal industry. This Sunday we will take a look at what local organizations are doing in our area and how you can get involved.
Too often churches are associated with positive, encouraging, and supportive talk that helps us 'get through the day'. Although we firmly believe in all of these attributes within teachings and relationships, we wanted to make sure we are also know for our honesty. During this two week mini-series we will have real talk about why we do things the way we do them and how we can make sure we staying true to our DNA as we seek to be missional in Hampton Roads and around the world.
A video with some worship and teaching that we posted when the weather kept us from meeting together on a snow-covered January Sunday in 2018.
The Christmas story is so simple most of us could tell it by heart. It's just your simple everyday story of a virgin pregnancy, extraterrestrial messengers, visiting occult magicians, and the incarnation of an all-powerful deity. On second thought, maybe it's not as simple as we think. Join us for this series as we look with new eyes at a story that is both completely unusual and beautifully simple.
Any church will--and should--talk about how important discipleship is for Christian communities. Unfortunately, in most churches discipleship has been reduced to bible study alone. There is so much more that goes into spiritual maturity and throughout this series we will be looking at the pathways and practices that go into creating a mature disciple.
Awaken was blessed to be able to offer one of our pastors a sabbatical over the summer. Join us as he shares what God taught him during that time of rest.
In his letter to the Colossian church, Paul addresses a change from a primarily Jewish culture to include Gentiles. He writes to address the supremacy of Christ and warn against legalism. Join us for this series as we go through Paul's letter to see what wisdom we can take from each chapter.
Several places in the Bible we read about someone's name being changed as a result of an encounter with God, but what do these name changes signify? When God changes someone's name, it can mean a new identity, a new direction in life, a new mission. Throughout this series we take a look at a few instances of name changes in Scripture and their impact.
In one of the most popular passages in all of Scripture, Paul writes of three things that will last forever: faith, hope, and love. Throughout this series we will be taking a look at Awaken's three rhythms (Healing In, Raising Up, Sending Out) through the lenses of faith, hope, and--the greatest of these--love.
One of the beautiful things about Scripture is how it serves as a window to how God's people have been wrestling and interacting with Him for thousands of years. Whether through letters, stories, or books of history we see that we are not alone in our experiences. In the book of Psalms we get a unique look at God through the lens of the art created by these interactions. Through this series we will take a look at these inspired creative works and discuss what we can glean from them today.
Holding Pattern
Sometimes life throws at us holding patterns where we feel like we are standing still and life continues moving at a hundred miles an hour. Through this series, we want to give permission to the pains and frustrations we often feel as well as create space for our movement forward. God works in the midst of our holding patterns.
Vision Check 2017
In life there are moments that we live into and moments that we choose to run from; moments that are both good and challenging. What would it look like if we took a vision check of our lives and learned to embrace both good and challenging moments this year and saw them as life changing?
A video with some worship and teaching that we posted when the weather kept us from meeting together on a snow-covered January Sunday..
The Christmas season is almost behind us and, if you're like most, it went by in a blur! It's almost impossible not to get caught up in a frenzy of family, traditions, and activity. Hopefully there was time to reflect on that ever-so-cliché "reason for the season." Join us this Sunday as we take a breath and do just that.
There are so many wonderful traditions that surround the Christmas season. Christmas brings its own decorations, songs, cookies, and even cups at Starbucks. One of my favorite traditions surrounding Christmas is the Christmas movie! Whether an old clay-mation classic, a modern reimagining, or a TV Christmas special, they always warm my heart. Join us at the movies for this fun Christmas series!
Ephesians: The Presence of Posture
We live in a society that sometimes feels like a racetrack speedway. Life moves a million miles an hour and we feel the pressure to have to keep up or be left behind. Through this series, we will dive into the depths of the book of Ephesians and explore the lost practices of presence and posture within our spiritual lives.
It’s an unspoken rule that the Church should not talk about money. At the same time, recent studies show that only 32% of American households budget their finances, 76% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and only half of American families have more than a month’s income in savings. Churches who refuse to address these issues are take a practical look at what biblical finances look like.
A collection of standalone messages from across the years revolving around the Orange philosophy of student ministry.
As we kick off a new ministry year, join us as we discuss where Awaken is going in order to be the Church we feel He has called us to be.
What would you do if you could put God on trial? What would you ask? Many of us at some point or another can think of a time where we’ve looked for some answer from God only to be dissatisfied with what we found. Throughout this series, we take an honest look at some of the hardest questions people would ask God if they had the chance.
Older series are being added to our archive regularly. If you're looking for an older series or message, continue to check back or check Awaken's YouTube channel.