First Champaign-urbana

Our world is full of stories. From novels to movies to comics, stories have the ability to stir different emotions within us. Have you ever noticed every story follows a similar outline? There’s a setting, a problem, a climax, and a resolution. What if the best way to view the Bible is not so much of a bunch of little stories put together, but rather one big story with a central point?

From the first few verses, the book of Mark seems to go off like a gun. We see Jesus going from place to place, person to person, situation to situation with an urgency that cannot be denied. He’s on a mission! What we will see is how Jesus “immediately” responds by pushing his work forward as Savior of the world. Join of for week 1 in our study through the book of Mark.

Judgement. It stings when it happens to us. It stings when we do it to others. No one likes to be judged, and yet many of us struggle with judging others. What if judgment has a place in our world that we have missed? What if we saw judgement as a tool of personal growth and not a tool for personal harm?

Wouldn't it be great to be happy all the time? But when we only experience life for its pleasure, we can miss out of life’s best lessons. What if happiness isn't the ultimate goal of your life? At face value, happiness sounds like a great life goal. But is happiness really the goal God wants for you, above all else?

Helping others can feel tricky. Often times we may hear of a need but either feel guilty when we don't help enough or don't know how to help at all. Sometimes we think God helps those who help themselves but is this really true?

“God won’t give you more than you can handle." Really? "There’s no way I can handle this. No way." If you’ve ever thought this after hearing some well intentioned advice about your situation, you may be right. You can’t handle it. That’s actually kind of the point. Join us this week to find out why.

In 11 months, 2019 will be over. Often, when we plan for the future, we count in days and years, but God thinks in lifetimes. A God honoring legacy can be better built over the course of a lifetime of obedience. Join us as we wrap up this series about the wisdom in living not just for 2019, but also leaving the best legacy ever.

Ever heard the phrase, “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life”? We can all agree that sounds great, but few of us would probably say it’s true of our life. While you may not be able to change where you work or what you are doing at this moment, there is wisdom in how to make your current job the best one ever!

Would you love to be able to go back in time and invest into companies like Amazon or Apple before anyone else did? Imagine the payout you would have today! Even though we can’t go back in time to reinvest into a company, today we can invest in our current finances with the lens of an eternal value. Our earthly resources can be invested for an eternal gain with the right wisdom.

This week we're looking at David's life and the Proverbs that show us that there are friends that we all need. There is wisdom in wanting the best friendships possible. Let's discover together what Godly friendships can look like in our lives.

Sometimes it’s hard to make sense of everything we’ve experienced in life—the good, the bad, the ugly. To start 2019, let us look back to move forward. With some fresh perspective it’s possible to see God’s presence in the dark times and the good times alike. When we take that perspective forward, that’s called wisdom.

Christmas Eve message at First Christian Church Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.

All stories eventually read The End But when one volume is finished, another begins. With the chance for a heart of wisdom in which to live Have you been moved to take a step in learning to give?

What the Grinch thought he wanted was all of the stuff. “If I get it all,” he thought, “finally I’ll have enough!” Yet despite his achievements, his life seemed a bore, So he turned elsewhere, to a satisfaction that offered much more.

For all the townspeoples' work that had been done, How many toys were left? Well, none— The Grinch had gone and grinched all their things, But even without, the Whos chose to sing.

With a heart transformed from two sizes too small, The Grinch’s story proves there’s hope for all. And if he can accept the truth of Christmas within, What do you think of the Christmas story—dear kids, women, and men?

As a community of faith, we want our rallying point to be the work of Jesus. The cool part is that none of our reasons for belonging to FIRST are the same. We all have different backgrounds, histories, and events that led us to where we are at today. Join us as we lean into sharing some faith stories to celebrate what God is doing in the lives of our church.

The best stories are the ones that we experienced first-hand. It’s easier for us to tell a story about what happened to us then it is to recount the events of someone else’s life. Plus, our stories get even better when they are about something impactful. So, shouldn’t the story of our faith be shared with great passion and excitement? This week we will hear a story of life-change as it lays out an example for how each of us can prepare to share our journey of faith.

If someone has ever told you about a life changing event, there’s a good chance they told you the story of what happen and not just the baseline facts. We share the story of the drive to the hospital for the child that was born or the time they went to that concert and got pulled up on stage. Why is that? Well, it’s because stories matter and details make stories stronger. On Sunday we will turn the page to revealing the power of stories, just like the ones Jesus told.

Our world is full of stories. From novels to movies to comics, stories have the ability to stir different emotions within us. Have you ever noticed every story follows a similar outline? There’s a setting, a problem, a climax, and a resolution. What if the best way to view the Bible is not so much of a bunch of little stories put together, but rather one big story with a central point?