Starting strong, staying strong and finishing strong: discipleship, surrender, holiness, money, and walking worthy of the calling.

In this blog, Pastor Hazen explores Jesus’ call to count the cost of discipleship, reminding us that faithfulness is never accidental. Through Scripture and vivid historical examples, he shows how preparation, foresight, and resolve determine whether we finish what we start. The invitation is clear:
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In this blog, Pastor Hazen reflects on Jesus’ parables of hidden treasure and the pearl of great price, revealing how the Kingdom’s true value is often unseen at first. Through Scripture and compelling historical stories, he shows that surrender to Christ is not loss but joy when we recognize what w
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In this blog, Jim Blanchard shares his journey of starting strong in leadership, confronting the hidden cost of success, and discovering what it truly means to stay and finish strong. Through professional achievement, personal surrender, and renewed purpose in Christ, he reveals that legacy is not m
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In this blog, Hannah Stevens unpacks what it really means to finish strong through faithfulness rather than visible success. Using the example of the Apostle Paul and stories of endurance, she shows how strength is formed in ordinary obedience, sustained through community, and lived out quietly. The
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Have you ever watched someone walk away from Jesus? In Matthew 19, a rich young ruler comes to Jesus eager and earnest, asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. But when Jesus invites him to sell his possessions and follow Him, the young man turns and walks away. Surrender felt too costly.
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This past Sunday, Pastor Dennis Rouse delivered more than a message—he gave us a prophetic charge rooted in decades of discipleship. He reminded us: we’re not called to just attend church, but to become disciples who love the least, the lost, cross-culturally, and even our enemies. This is the heart
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True faith moves us beyond knowing God’s Word to doing it. In this blog, we explore how obedience brings blessing—not just for us, but for others. It’s not about perfection, but positioning our hearts to respond. Step into the joy of living what you believe.
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In this blog, Hazen discusses the call to move from spectating to actively serving in the life of the church. He highlights how every believer has a role to play, with both spiritual and practical gifts contributing to the strength and growth of the whole body. Through simple steps of awareness, act
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What if the thing draining you is something you’ve stopped noticing? In this blog Pastor Hazen unpacks the first step of detox: reflection. Before we remove what’s unhealthy, we have to let God reveal what’s hidden. Through the stories of Hinkley’s poisoned water and stripped-down flour, discover h
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One drop can change an entire glass of water, just as one hidden compromise can spread through a life. But God’s grace is stronger than any toxin. Through honest confession, we expose what has been festering in the dark and invite his cleansing to reach the deepest places. What would happen if you s
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In this blog, Pastor Hazen opens with Japan's villages of dolls and the rise of AI companions to name our generation's ache to be known, then picks up at the great pivot of Ephesians 4:1, where the letter turns from what God has done to how we respond. Drawing on the Global Flourishing Study's finding that people thrive where they are known and loved, he walks through three responses: pursue unity, operate in your gifts, and put on the new self.
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In this blog, Pastor Hazen continues at the summit of Ephesians 5, where Paul tells the church not that they walked into the light but that they are light in the Lord. Tracing the golden thread of light through Scripture, from "Let there be light" to "you are the light of the world," he shows how God, light, and words always travel together, unpacks the Greek behind "keep on being filled with the Spirit," and lands on the surprising discovery that nearly half of Paul's instructions in this passage concern our speech.
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In the final message of our Family Matters series, Pastor Hazen asks why a letter about family ends with armor. Walking through Ephesians 6, he retells Baudelaire's Generous Gambler and the stand at Thermopylae, tours the Roman armor an Ephesian would have recognized piece by piece, from the cingulum to the gladius, and lands on Paul's real conclusion: be strong in the Lord, put on the whole armor, pray without ceasing, and when the evil day has done its worst, be found standing.
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In this blog, Hazen unpacks how to master money before it masters you by addressing the deeper question of trust, whether our hearts are surrendered to God or to wealth. Drawing from Matthew and 1 Timothy, he shows how the love of money leads us away from God while a life of submission and trust rea
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In this blog, Hazen lays out a biblical approach to money through three simple practices: earn, save, and give. Grounded in Proverbs, Colossians, and Acts, he shows how diligence produces provision, wisdom preserves it, and generosity puts it to work for what matters eternally. When these are built
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As a pastor, I’m deeply committed to praying for people I encounter along the road of life as I walk with Jesus. Through our church, my own friends, family and mentors, I set aside a daily time to pray for specific people. If you would like for me to pray for you today, go ahead and fill out this form. It will hit my inbox tomorrow morning at the time I have set aside for prayer, and I will pray for you.
Pastor Hazen Stevens
Your request is on its way to Pastor Hazen. You are not alone, and God hears you.