January 31, 2012
"The gospel, applied to our hearts every day, frees us to be brutally honest with ourselves and with God. The assurance of His total forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Christ means we don't have to play defensive games anymore. We don't have to rationalize and excuse our sins. We can say we told a lie instead of saying we exaggerated a bit. We can admit an unforgiving spirit instead of continuing to blame our parents for our emotional distress. We can call sin exactly what it is, regardless of how ugly and shameful it may be, because we know that Jesus bore that sin in His body on the cross. With the assurance of total forgiveness through Christ, we have no reason to hide from our sins anymore."...
January 6, 2012
I'm at a season of life where it seems like it's time to slow down. Nothing is working quite right anymore. I need glasses for aging eyes and anti-inflammtories for aging joints. I forget names and what commonly used household gadgets are called. Solitude invites me to steal away (which I enjoy doing at times!) while a growing family and new church lovingly require me to get even busier than ever. The commercials say Benny and I should be anticipating retirement after all the years of being in the throes of parenting and pastoring. Sometimes I envy those who can....
September 24, 2014 by Eric Garrett | Category: Church Values | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, blog, lake Nona, bible, church life, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, Community, Scripture, Eric Garrett, lee vista, lee vista church, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, The church, church ministry, church blog, Redeemer Church of Lake Nona, unity, diversity, unified diversity
Something unexpected happened to me on Sunday morning. While I was preparing to teach for our children's ministry, Truth Miners, I was struck by the profundity of the passage I was about to teach from. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is how God reveals to both young and old the same truths in profound ways. I was so affected by what I studied that I want to share s...
Keep ReadingSeptember 10, 2014 by Eric Garrett | Category: Church Values | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, Fellowship, lake Nona, vision, ministry, bible, church life, grace, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, Community, Scripture, lee vista, lee vista church, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, church ministry, church blog
There is something that's been on my heart about the life of our church (and others) for some time. Although I've discussed it briefly in various contexts I've never really sat down to try and succinctly articulate what it is...here it goes. I hope this turns out to be helpful for you. Week in and week out, as we gather together to lift up our Savior with one voice as a ch...
Keep ReadingAugust 20, 2014 by Eric Garrett | Category: Evangelism | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, evangelism, bible, gospel, Lake Nona Churches, Community, Eric Garrett, lee vista, lee vista church, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, steps to disciple making, making disciples
In reading last week's post, some of you may have wondered how by yourself you could ever teach your lost friends, family members, neighbors, and coworkers "all" that Jesus has commanded us (see Matt. 28:18-20). If that was you, there's good news: you don't have to do this alone. In fact, you shouldn't. The wonderful truth about our witness to the lost is that it is a comm...
Keep ReadingJuly 11, 2014 by Kyle Davis | Category: Worship | Tags: Community, lake Nona, Lake Nona Church, Lake Nona Churches, lakenonachurch, lee vista, lee vista church, redeemer, redeemer blog, Redeemer Church, redeemerchurch, Worship,
When asked to do a three part series on worship, numerous topics came to mind as I sat down to start writing. What would be helpful to talk about? How do I prepare for writing these posts? And that’s when I thought this: if I need to prepare for writing this, how much more important is it for me to prepare my heart for corporate worship? So, this week we are going t...
Keep ReadingJuly 9, 2014 by Eric Garrett | Category: Evangelism | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, evangelism, community groups, church life, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, Community, Eric Garrett, lee vista, odyssey, lee vista church, sermons, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, Jonah, sermon review
For those of you who were not present to hear Jesse's message on Sunday, please do yourselves a favor and listen to it here. It was simply and profoundly inspiring. As he reminded us about God's relentless and merciful pursuit of us in our wanderings and rebellion, my soul was stirred afresh as I was reminded of the wonder and the power of God's great love for us, for me....
Keep ReadingJuly 8, 2014 | Category: Identity Series | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, community groups, grace, Lake Nona Churches, Community, Idolatry, Idol, lee vista, Fighting the battle of temptation, lee vista church, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, Identity, 4th of July
Identity is who you are. It tells you what you are worth, why you are here, and how you should live. It provides roles and boundaries for your relationships; it provides goals and parameters for your lifestyle; it gives significance to your thoughts, desires, and behavior. Identity is something that can and should be ascribed to each of us by God alone, and the identity He...
Keep ReadingMarch 21, 2014 by Benny Phillips | Category: Redeemer Church News | Tags: trayvon martin, george zimmerman, sanford, trial, Community
Yesterday was a day many will not easily forget. Sixteen months after a young black man was murdered minutes from this community a jury decided that his killer acted in self-defense. There are those who applaud the verdict and those who did not. We desire not to address the validity of the verdict but the heart of the genuine believer in response....
Keep ReadingNovember 27, 2012 by Taraleigh Davis | Category: Redeemer Church News | Tags: church life, Community, Christmas, Play, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, Redeemer Church
"It's Time! It's Time!" The world was about to change forever. And it almost went by unnoticed... Join us Sunday Morning December 16th as the Truth Miners present "Song of the Stars" A Christmas Story...
Keep ReadingNovember 1, 2012 by Taraleigh Davis | Category: Redeemer Church News | Tags: church life, Community, Fellowship, Lake Nona Church, Lake Nona Churches, lake Nona
Don't forget to change your clocks back one hour this Saturday night, Nov. 3rd, because DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ends at 2:00 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 4th....
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