In the book Strengths Finder, Tom Rath explores the idea of discovering one’s strengths and developing them. This week we are going to explore an area that has been a strength within The Rescue Church at different periods of time, including recently. We’re going to look at how God can use this strength to make our lives better while impacting our c…

We’re continuing to look at the Core Values of The Rescue Church, why we have them and if they really matter. Are these things that simply make us feel good or are they truly important for the lives we live today? The question has been asked of church leaders, “If your church was to close its doors today, would your community notice?” The idea this…

Oscar Wilde once said, “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...” Flattery can make a person feel good, but is there any value in it? At the same time, do we want others to copy us, to imitate us. It’s likely we only want people to imitate the good stuff. If you have kids, you’ve likely experienced one of those moments when your kids say in p…

You have had some great things happen in your life. We are in graduation season when students are graduation from schools of many kinds: High School, University, Tech School, Grad School, etc. You’ve likely been invited to celebrate with someone or seen the celebrations on social media. When great things happen, we want others to know about it. Thi…

If you have been in the upper midwest part of the United States, you have likely seen the large wind turbines used to generate energy. Some are 295’ tall, nearly as tall as the Statue of Liberty. To support them a base as wide as 68’ is needed at a depth of more than 11’. This is a lot of concrete, but it makes sense. No one wants these giant windm…

Sometimes our kids and others close to us are making decisions that concern us or even cause us pain. It can feel like there is nothing you can do, but there is hope. Join us on Mother’s Day to be encouraged and learn more.By Pastor Sam Pickard

Each of us has a past. Our pasts look different, but we all have one that impacts our present and future. We’re going to see this weekend how that past, even some of the not-so-good parts, can positively impact the present and future, both for us and for those around us.By Pastor Sam Pickard

Have you ever driven down a country road? If you have then you probably have came across a crossroad. A 4-way stop where you decide which way you are going to go. Whichever way you go, it's a choice you have to make. This Sunday, Bill Britton is going to be giving our message and talking about a few stories of people who were at a crossroad when it…

This past week we discussed the importance of confrontation as well as several keys to healthy confrontation. The message then led into some discussion in the following hours and days about conflict and how to work through conflict. At the risk of stating the obvious, conflict is all around us. We experience it in our relationships. For those of us…

People can be harsh, mean even. Some say they are simply calling it like they see it. Others can be really critical. But, you know this already. Unfortunately, Christians sometimes are unnecessarily harsh and overly. We may excuse it as “addressing sin” or “pointing out sin.” Is this really what is shown in the early church? What if this isn’t what…

As people we are often drawn to people a lot like us. This week as we wrap up our series Colossians: The Power of Healthy Relationships, we will look at some of the people from the early church. It will give the opportunity to discuss the value, power, and challenges coming out of diversity in the church…

We’re kicking off our series on 1 Timothy by exploring the bond between Paul and Timothy. This friendship lasted for years and influenced many. Through their connection, we’ll learn how people and relationships play a vital role in creating thriving organizations.By Pastor Sam Pickard

When things get challenging or when something looks more enjoyable, it can be tempting to move on from whatever we are doing. Imagine, however, that you were focused on the thing(s) that had the power to bring incredible results. If you could know what this thing was, would you purse it total commitment? We’ll be talking about this on Sunday. Hope …

Does what we read in the Bible and hear in sermons have any relevance to our every day life? The answer is a resounding YES! The amount of impact it has, however, is affected by the way it is lived out, the way it is applied. This weekend we will discuss some of the ways the Truth of the Bible can impact what happens in our homes, away from many ey…

Since the first church 2,000 years ago, there has been a tendency of people to look for, or create, rules about what it means to be a strong Christian. Why do we do this? Is it good or bad or can it be some combination of the two? This weekend we are going to see how this tendency towards rules impacted the church in Colossae and how it can impact …

We have a number of roles in our lives and those roles intersect with other people. Often when that happens there is tension (sometimes below the surface and other times in the open) over who is the most important. This can be at work, between siblings, in a community, on a team or in any number of places. Sometimes it’s healthy. Often it is not. W…

Over the next five weeks we will go through Paul’s letter to the church in Collosae. As we do, we will see the power of healthy relationships and explore the ways we can make the most of our relationships. We start this weekend. Hopefully you can join us.By Pastor Sam Pickard

There is something about going into a new year and looking to the future thinking about what could be in the months to come. There are dreams that could be realized, goals that could be achieved and great experiences to be experienced. We don’t need to be afraid to take the right chances, especially when we are starting from a solid place. We’re ta…

There is something about going into a new year and looking to the future thinking about what could be in the months to come. There are dreams that could be realized, goals that could be achieved and great experiences to be experienced. As exciting as this, 2024 will not happen in vacuum without impact from the years before or inconsequential for ye…

We are continuing our series Untold Stories of Christmas this week with a part of the story we don’t often talk about. To do so we will move away from the traditional places in the Bible where we read the Christmas story. Instead, we will be in Revelation and talking about winning in life. Hope to see you this weekend!…

Sometimes it can seem as if God is nowhere to be found. It feels like prayers are heading off into the abyss and no one is listening. Or you are looking for direction and it seems Holy Spirit is silent. If you’ve felt this way before, you aren’t alone. In fact, the Christmas Story actually provides encouragement for when we are in seasons like this…

When it comes to eating healthy and taking care of ourselves, those who know about these things would tell us to be careful what we put into our body. Apparently the same is true for our pets. There are commercials now for healthy dog food with only natural ingredients. This isn’t only for our physical bodies and our pets. It also applies to the wh…

People (maybe even you) are dealing with fears and anxieties. For more year there has been the ongoing war with Russia and Ukraine. Now we have the attacks on Israel and the subsequent declaration of war. Those are international issues, but they have many people wondering what is next. There have been numerous stories and conversations about inflat…

It may surprise you to know that all the people in the local church are imperfect. It’s not only in the church you are connected to. In ever single church gathering since Acts 2 there have been as many imperfect people as there have been people. This week we will explore some of those imperfect groups and see how you, and the community around you, …

Over times things change. This isn’t anything you didn’t know. Our roles change. Our health changes. Our communities change. Things change, but if we aren’t intentional, those changes often aren’t for the better. This week we are going to look at some of what we can do to move towards a better future instead of drifting into something less than God…

It’s likely your life if busy. You have a lot going on. Even if your life isn’t busy, you may be one of those Type-A people who driven to succeed and accomplish your goals. Some of you may simply feel like you are trying to survive. Regardless of the reason, we often fail to celebrate the good things in our lives. The Bible has a lot to say about c…

You likely know enough people to know people aren’t all the same when it comes to getting results. Some people are hyper-focused on the results and don’t care what they have to do to get there. They may make a lot of mistakes, waste energy or hurt other people to get the desired result, but they will get the result or die trying. Others are all abo…

People tend to be busy. There is a good chance, if asked how your week has been, you would respond with, “busy.” In the middle of the busyness, are the things taking our time important or not important? Sometimes when we look back on our days and weeks we find we were busy, but not with the most important things. This week we are going to talk abou…

As we approach the end of the summer and get ready to head into fall, we are beginning a new series called Preparing For Harvest. Agriculture impacted many in Jesus’s day and it certainly impacts us to day. This weekend we’ll see what the Bible has to say about simply drifting along hoping for the best compared to intentionally working toward resul…

Have you attended a Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament Event? Have you heard of it? Medieval Times locations are designed to look like castles. A person can sit and eat a four-course meal while watching knights on horses, jousting, falcons and anything else that might bring a person back to what the it was like in Medieval Spain. While it may look …

Do the names David Blaine, David Copperfield, Harry Houdini or Reza (I had to be sure to include the Brookings, South Dakota native) mean anything to you? It’s a pretty recognizable list, so I’m pretty sure you realized they were all illusionists. These men have done a variety of things, from dangerous escapes to making important landmarks disappea…

Throughout history a number of things have brought fear. Over the past 50 years we have experienced things like the Cold War, AIDS, 911 attacks, al-Qaeda, Covid, and a variety of things different politicians or political parties have done or said they would do. In 1 John 4, the apostle John addresses fear and provides an antidote. We’re talking abo…

Do you ever feel like you’re failing at life? Sometimes life is hard and it seems like nothing is going your way. If you are like many people, these are times when we can feel like we are failing. In those seasons we don’t care even so much about winning at life, but we just don’t want to fail at it. This week we’re going to look at how we can win …

This week Scott Peterson gave us the message. He focused on three things that make up our identity in Christ.By Pastor Sam Pickard

We like the idea of an exciting and adventurous life, but it appears most of us are content experiencing life to the fullest through other people or in virtual worlds. Why is this? Possibly because it feels safe. But maybe the “safe” life isn’t the best life God intended for you. Maybe God’s desire is for your life to be an adventure that is anythi…

When someone asks, "how's it going?" or "how's life?" how do you answer? What are you using to define whether it is or isn't going well? Can we change it or do we have to accept the fact it is what it is? Let's talk about it this weekend.By Pastor Sam Pickard

As people, we have a tendency to make things more complicated than they need to be. Do we miss out on the best life has to offer because we have been distracted from the best things by something that isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s not the best? If this truly is the best life, what are we doing to let others know how they can experience it too? Thi…

Who is God? That is a big question! After all, how can we as people accurately describe the Lord, God who exists outside of time and the constructs of human thinking? At the same time, part of why he deserves our respect is the reality he is bigger than life itself. This week, as we look continue to look at things essential to what we believe, we’r…

As people, we have a tendency to make things complicated. We may start with a simple plan or idea, but as we develop and build it, we can get hung up on details. While the little things matter, it can be beneficial to go back to where we started to make sure we haven’t lost sight of the main thing. During the next several weeks we will be doing jus…

Each of us have dreams or goals we were created for. For some of us, parenting is a big part of that. God desires to do amazing things with us and through us as people (and parents). Along the way, however we face a variety of opposition (we talked about this some last week) and things that will distract us from our God-given purpose(s). This week …

Our experiences in life impact the way we look at things, what matters to us and how we approach life. It’s part of the reason there can be strength in diversity. When a diverse group of people work towards a common goal, amazing things can be accomplished. If you want to accomplish things that matter, your what you focus on will be critical. That’…

It’s exciting to know your purpose, dreams, and goals…and then go after them. However, not everyone around you will be as excited about your purpose, dreams and goals as you are. This week we are continuing our series in Nehemiah. We will continue exploring the idea of living with purpose with discussion about what you do when you experience opposi…

Chances are you have things you have thought about doing. Some of you are likely dreamers with so many ideas that those close to you roll their eyes when you utter the words, “I’ve got an idea.” Maybe you wonder if God might be leading you to do something. This weekend we’re going look at the example Nehemiah models of going from idea to implementa…

Most of us want to do something that matters, truly matters. This may not be something that is world altering, but at least something which will impact the life of somebody or a small group of somebodies. One of the hardest parts of doing that is knowing where to start. We’re talking about where to start this week. Hope you will join us as we conti…

Inside each and every one of us there is a desire for purpose. Most of us want to do something that is for a greater good, something that matters. Once we see what matters, what will we do? Are we simply going to accept it, or will we do something about it? How does one live with purpose? We’re going to start to map the journey of identifying the p…

What was Jesus’ plan for the church? We are going to continue looking at the purpose of the local church. It’s not a club. It’s not solely here to provide needed community services. It’s also not simply a place to study the Bible. We’re going to continue exploring that question as The Rescue Church and in the Church as a whole.…

Do you ever wonder if God really meant what many Christians say he meant? When you hear, “the Bible says,” do you wonder if it still applies today? After all, a lot has changed in the time since the New Testament was written and even more since the Old Testament was written. We are in a series where we are going to look into some of the things that…

There are people who have been praying for a revival in the Church, but does the Church need revival and what does that even mean? Less than a month ago, on February 8th, students at Asbury University in Kentucky attended a chapel service much like any other. Following the service a group of students stayed behind and began to pray for each other a…

Do you ever wonder if God really meant what many Christians say he meant? When you hear, “the Bible says,” do you wonder if it still applies today? After all, a lot has changed in the time since the New Testament was written and even more since the Old Testament was written. We are in a series where we are going to look into some of the things that…