Post Category: Weekend Preview

Thank you for taking a moment and allowing some words into the prefrontal cortex of your limbic system. I hope these words renew and transform your mind in a Romans 12:2 type of way. (Making you readily able to recognize what God wants from you.) I also hope you have had......

There is no catalyst for behavior correction like a police car pulling up behind your car. Bam. We all put on our brakes, whether we’re going the speed limit or not. We all fasten our seat belts quickly, whether they're already fastened or not. And we...

In the Bible Jesus is called many different things. He is the bread, the rock, the anchor, and the water. He is the Wonderful Counselor, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Many times in my topsy-turvy life I have cried out to Jesus and found that these are not just names from...

If I were to sing, “London Gold...” you would probably sing, “...It's the best.” If I were to sing, “Give me a break, give me a break, break me off a piece of that...” You would probably sing, “...Kit Kat bar.” If I were to sing, “The best part of waking...

I’ll keep this simple. This Sunday I will be preaching on the most incredible message of all: The Reconciliation of Everything. To get you ready, please drink in these words from a man from bygone years who was deeply committed to God’s message: Charles H. Spurgeon, the “Prince ...

A song that has recently become popular in our society says, “Oh, it's just me, myself and I Solo ride until I die. ’Cause I got me for life (Got me for life, yeah) Oh I don't need a hand to hold Even when the night is cold I got that fire in my soul” Though it is a catchy song, it is very ...

We have marched our way into March and the “fresh-out-of-the-box” feeling is beginning to wear off of 2017. In every facet of our world nothing new ever stays new. Entropy is not our greatest enemy, but it is one of life’s heaviest...

Last week we kicked off our We > Me series and discussed the power of Christian Fellowship. We saw in the book of Acts how the first church consistently devoted themselves to the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, breaking of...

Our pastors would like to hear from everyone who has a testimony to share about what God has done in your life, or through you during the season of Fast, Pray, Share we just concluded. I let go of a few things in my life during this ...

My message this Sunday is called, “The Plans, Purpose and Promises of God” from Jeremiah 29:11-12, Romans 8:28-30, and Hebrews 10:35-39. I'll use these scriptures to illustrate simple and important points in this message. We don't destroy God's plan and...

Our hearts ache in the aftermath of the shootings in San Bernardino. It is hard to imagine the grief of the families who have lost their loved ones in this tragedy. Let's pray for those families. Let's pray for ...

My message this Sunday is called “Growing into the Fullness of Christ” from Ephesians 4:11-16. In this passage the Apostle Paul teaches believers how to grow in spiritual maturity. We need to receive ministry from those gifted to be apostles, prophets, ...

Kristina and I just returned from a fruitful trip to Belize and Honduras. I'll try to weave a few stories from our adventures into my next few messages. This weekend I will be speaking from Matthew 25:13-30 on “Developing Your Full Potential in Christ.” God ...

My message this weekend is called, “The Lord's Desire for Every Disciple” from Ephesians 4 and John 14. I have never heard a parent say, “I just want to have babies.” People who have children want their children to grow into healthy, mature adults....

My message to Living Streams this weekend is called “The Battle to Enter the Kingdom of God” from Luke 16:1-18, with a special emphasis on Luke 16:16. In this chapter, Jesus gives us insights into how to build our friendships strategically. He talk...

My message to Living Streams this weekend is called, “God's Heart for the Lost” from Luke 15. In this chapter Jesus uses three different parables to illustrate the joy God has when one of his children repents and returns to Him. In the parable of the lost sheep, the...

My sermon this weekend is called, “Catching the Foxes that Ruin Our Vineyards,” from Song of Solomon 2 and 1 Corinthians 7. My theme verse is Song of Solomon 2:15: “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in...

My sermons have generated more movement than usual the last several weeks. Some of the movement has drawn people to the altar to receive prayer as they respond to the Holy Spirit. Others have been drawn toward our exit doors as they ...

We are continuing our “Lessons from the School of Hard Knocks” series this weekend with a message called, “Marriage Builders and Marriage Killers,” from Ephesians 5. Every married person learns some important things about ...

This weekend is a celebration of two significant holidays. Pentecost is Sunday and Memorial Day is Monday. I thought I would tie the themes of both holidays together in my messages Saturday and Sunday. Memorial Day is about rememberin...

This weekend we will begin a new sermon series called, “Life Lessons from the School of Hard Knocks.” We all learn some things the hard way, either because we make mistakes, or others we love make mistakes that illustrate how not to live...

This weekend at Living Streams, our pastors will speak about the impact our mothers made on our lives. None of us have perfect mothers, but each of us has been shaped by their love and care for us. They were our first teachers and responded...

On Monday night I watched cable news as rioters in Baltimore burned cars and looted stores, while some of their leaders made excuses for their anarchy. People who are embittered by injustice often create more havoc by unleashing...

Generals have a goal to win wars, so they develop strategies to fight battles. Business owners have goals to make money, so they develop strategies to grow their companies. Coaches have goals to win championships, so they develop strategies for...

We are beginning a new Vision series at Living Streams this weekend. In the King James version of the Bible, Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Vision is the grace to see life from God's perspective. It is spiritual...

My sermon for Easter is called, “How Do You Know Jesus is Alive?” from Luke 24. From the time I was a child, I went to church and heard that Jesus had risen from the dead. I accepted this part of the gospel, but it seemed more like history than present reality to me. But when I was twenty years old, the revelation that ...

It was refreshing to wake up this morning and see the ground wet from rain. Like many things in life, rain in the desert is sometimes expected and doesn't arrive. Other times rain makes a surprise and refreshing visit. I consider rain a sign of God's grace and...

My sermon this weekend is called, “Faith at the Crossroads of Life” from Hebrews 11:20-30. I have been trying to preach on these verses for the last three weeks. Last week my sermon and my life were both temporarily derailed by my foolish car accident. I have...

My sermon this weekend is called, “Overcoming Faith - Part 2” from Hebrews 11. It is easy to idolize biblical figures and think they are superhuman. It can seem like they knew God in such an intimate way that they had no doubts or struggles. I believe...

I woke up this morning with the Spirit speaking to my heart, “I'm going to bring in a harvest.” Jesus told us to pray that the Lord would send workers to bring in his harvest. The harvest God seeks is people who are lost and disconnected from his love. Many people in our society are disconnected from God's love and grace. We are called to bring ...

My sermon this Sunday is called, “The Power of Faith” from Luke 17:1-10. I have been following Jesus for 45 years, but I feel like I’m still gaining new insights about faith. Jesus said, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say ...

We are living in a time when people make assumptions about the faith, understanding and politics of others, based on their race, their social standing, or their religion. This is nothing new. People have been making judgments about others since the beginning...

We have a special guest at Living Streams this weekend named Dennis Peacocke. Dennis is one of the most dynamic and interesting speakers I have ever heard. He has an apostolic ministry of strengthening churches and equipping leaders to advance...

Last week I decided at the last minute to split my message into two parts. This week I'm speaking from Matthew 15:21-28 on “The Faith that Impresses Jesus.” This is the story of a woman who was involved in a tremendous spiritual battle for the soul of her daughter, who was was demon-possessed. The woman went to Jesus to get her daughter's deliverance. Jesus' respons...

My sermon this weekend is called “The Person God Honors,” from 2 Chronicles 1:6-12 and Matthew 15:21-28. In 2 Chronicles 1, God gave Solomon a chance to ask him for anything he wanted. There is a time to ask God, and a time he will give great gifts. For ...

We are already halfway through our twenty-one-day season called Fast Pray Ask. Last night we had a precious time of worship, prayer, and sharing in our chapel. One of the messages shared from Isaiah 54 was, “make room.” When we fast, we make...

It is a blessing to have some rain falling on our Valley as we close out 2014. I hope this will be a sign of blessings and refreshing coming to each of us in 2015. It has been our tradition at Living Streams to start each year with a season of fasting and prayer. My message this weekend is titled "Fast. Pray. Ask." from Matthew 9:14-17 and Luke 11:1-13. The Lord has sho...

It is our joy to welcome David and Brittany Stockton and their daughters back from Belize this weekend. They are here for Christmas and will return to Belize after the holidays. David will give us a report on his mission, and he will preach a message ...

My message at Living Streams this weekend is titled, "Prayer that Releases Transforming Power" from Ephesians 3:14-21. I'm excited to share this message with you. I've been praying for people according to the guidelines outlined in this passage for many...

Kristina and I were watching a Masterpiece Contemporary mystery on TV recently which had us engrossed in the intrigue of espionage in Great Britain. The mystery captivated us with its complexity, but then the program suddenly ended. At first I thought...

I want to thank all of you who worked to make the Living Streams 30th anniversary celebration a special event last Sunday. It was very encouraging for Kristina and me to feel the love and appreciation everyone showed for the church we have all served for...

On Sunday morning, November 16, at 11:00 a.m., Living Streams will celebrate our 30th Anniversary. If you have been a part of our church at any time over the last thirty years, or if you appreciate our ministry, we would love to have you join us for this celebration. We will worship together, have videos from some of our church ...

In John 17, Jesus prayed for the unity of his followers. I just returned from a retreat with over twenty lead pastors from some of the largest churches in the Valley, including Redemption, Phoenix First Assembly, Scottsdale Bible, Church for the Nations, CCV, New City, First Christian Mesa, Desert View Bible, Pure Heart, North Bible, Cornerstone, Mission, and North Phoe...

My sermon last week was called, “A Bigger Dream” from Isaiah 54. I spoke about someone who had a dream that was crushed by circumstances beyond their control. God had a greater plan for that person than they had for themselves. There are many great truths in Isaiah 54. This week I want to cover the rest of the chapter with a message...

My first sermon to Living Streams in our living room thirty years ago was from Isaiah 54. My sermon this weekend from that same chapter is called, “A Bigger Dream.” Sooner or later we all have our hearts and dreams crushed by the realities of life. Isaiah 54 tells about a woman who had dreamed of a life with a good husband and children. Unfortunately she was rejec...

by Mark Buckley. My sermon this weekend is called “Transformed by Grace” from Ephesians 2:1-10. This passage of Scripture is the simple story of how God has saved each of us by grace through faith. It has been refreshing for me to look closely at these Scriptures this week because...

by Mark Buckley. This morning I met with five men who have been meeting with me once a week for many years. I have recently been praying for one of the guys according to a pattern of prayer that I have seen in Ephesians 1. The man I have been praying for shared a beauti...

by Mark Buckley. Most of us are moving full speed ahead now that vacation season is over. One day last week I took some time to pray in the middle of the day. I lay down on our carpet and began to speak to the Lord. Within a few minutes I felt the Holy Spirit's presence and I realized...

by Mark Buckley. My sermon this Sunday is called, “Count Your Blessings” from Ephesians 1:1-12. Most of the time that phrase is used to say, “count your blessings” because you wouldn't want your life to be in the mess someone else's life is in. In other words, you should be happy because your...

by Mark Buckley. In our services this weekend we will be praying over David and Brittany Stockton who are leaving next week to establish a new ministry in Belize. They are taking their three young girls to the city of Dangriga, where they will be sharing the love and truth of Jesus Christ with...

My sermon this weekend is called, “Supernatural Guidance” from Luke 5, and John 21. These passages both describe miraculous catches of fish that the disciples brought in when they cast their nets where Jesus told them to fish. In both instances they had...

Kristina and I just returned from a vacation that was a true blessing. We want to thank those of you who prayed for us while we were in California. We had a good time at the beach, catching waves with our grandchildren; and a good time in the ...

by Mark Buckley. My sermon this Sunday is called "For Those Who Love Life and Want to Prosper" from I Corinthians 1:26-31, and as many selected proverbs* as I have time to address. I grew up playing baseball, football and basketball during recesses and after school on the playgrounds and fields near our house in San Rafael, CA. Two guys would be captains and the...

by Mark Buckley. My sermon this Sunday is called, “Practical Wisdom for Daily Living.” I've selected several proverbs from chapters 18-19* that have been helpful to me over the years. The Proverbs can often be applied at more than one level. When you read them, take time to think about them from different perspectives and they will open up and release wisdom that w...

by Mark Buckley. I hope you are well. This weekend my sermon is called, “Increase Your Wisdom by Applying Proverbs.” The courses of our lives are set by the decisions we make every day. I often find that proverbs come to my mind when I'm facing conflicts or decisions which have a lot of pressure. These proverbs give me wisdom to approach situations differently than ...

by Mark Buckley. My sermon this Sunday is called, “What's the Big Deal about Sex?” from Proverbs 5 and 1 Corinthians 6. Our culture is obsessed with sex; but that's not much different than many cultures around the world, now or in the past. What breaks my heart is the ignorance in our culture...

by David Stockton. As we have found ourselves in the information age we can be deceived into thinking we are wise. In a journal article I read, a man named Russell Ackoff writes that the content of the human mind can be put into five categories: data, information,...

by David Stockton. Wisdom calls for humility, fearing the Lord, and often, repentance. We are not naturally inclined to wisdom, so when it hits us we will usually have to change directions. When Solomon thought to chop the baby in half...

by Mark Buckley. We have all seen big, beautiful houses and wondered who lives in the house and what kind of work they do. We are curious about how they could afford to buy a mansion, develop the grounds and furnish it lavishly. Proverbs 24:3-4 says...

by Mark Buckley. This weekend Danny Lehmann will be our special guest speaker at Living Streams. Danny is one of the International Directors of Youth With a Mission. I have been friends with Danny since I was invited to speak to his Jesus People ministry...

by David Stockton. This month we begin a teaching series on family dynamics. Living Streams’ goal is to be a healthy, local church. That means we want to be a place where families and individuals can get educated, equipped, and be enabled...

by Mark Buckley. My sermon this Sunday is called, “Breakthroughs that Bring a Blessing” from 2 Samuel 5:17-25, Acts 2, and Acts 10. We each go through seasons of life when we have to work hard and persevere to stay on track in order to ...

I remember sitting next to my mom as she lay in bed taking her last breaths. I remember coming home at midnight one night to find my dad collapsed and lifeless on the ground after an attempted suicide. And I can remember being the first at a...

by David Stockton. Jesus is the author of...life. In the second verse of the Bible we find all of creation in a bad spot. The Hebrew words that describe the bad spot are Tohuw and Bohuw. They mean meaningless and void. It was into this meaningless and void that God ...

by Mark Buckley. I hope you are doing well. We are preparing for our Good Friday and Easter Services and expect many visitors to our services Saturday night and Sunday morning. I would appreciate your prayers for David and me as we prepare...

by Mark Buckley. This weekend we are starting a sermon series called “Risen” in all our services. Throughout the month of April we will focus our messages on the impact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. My first message is...

by David Stockton. There are many religions, philosophies, thoughts, and belief systems in our world, but only one that has a living hope. There are many heroes, teachers, prophets, and gurus, but only one who conquered death. (Now, I am not picking on eastern religions when I...

by David Stockton. I’ve noticed a trend in books and movies these days. Story writers are creating fantastic conflict climaxes and then resolving them in very annoying ways. For instance, at the end of Ocean’s 12 the resolution of all the impossible situations came ...

By Mark Buckley. The Lord put a message on my heart for this Sunday from Luke 5:1-11 called “A Supernatural Catch.” In this story Jesus told Peter to go into the deep water and put down his nets to catch some fish. Peter was a commercial fisherman who had fished all night without catching anything....

The choices we make each day reflect our values. ...

We Christians love truth and at times have forsaken love in our pursuit and promotion of truth....

Mark Buckley gives a preview of his upcoming sermon: Winning the Prize of Heaven, from the series Culture of the Kingdom....

Mark Buckley gives a preview of the upcoming weekend....

David Stockton gives a preview of his message for the upcoming weekend....

Mark Buckley gives a preview of his upcoming sermon at Living Streams Church in Phoenix, Arizona....

David Stockton gives a preview of the upcoming weekend services....

Mark reminds us that it's better to be thankful. He also gives a quick preview of his upcoming message for Sunday, December 1. ...

Mark Buckley give a preview of his upcoming sermon series: Psalms-A Symphony of Life...

Mark Buckley gives a preview of his upcoming sermon at Living Streams Church in Phoenix, Arizona....

Mark Buckley gives a preview of his upcoming sermon in the series Radical Disciple. Mark is the head pastor at Living Streams Church in Phoenix Arizona....

Mark Buckley gives a preview of his upcoming sermon "How the Disciples Handled Conflict."...

David Stockton gives a preview of the upcoming weekend sermon....

Mark Buckley gives a preview of his upcoming sermon titled "The Courage of a Radical Disciple."...

Kurt Cotter gives a preview of his upcoming sermon at Living Streams....

Mark Buckley gives a sneak peak into his weekend sermon....

Mark Buckley gives a preview of his upcoming sermon....

David Stockton gives a preview of his sermon for the weekend....

We are all leaders. We need to be equipped to lead....

Mark Buckley greets the congregation on his return from sabbatical....

Nathan Bentley gives a preview of this weekend's sermon: "No Boats. Know Bars. Know Jesus."...

David Stockton shares his heart and gives a little preview of this weekend's sermons....

A discussion of the kind of love that Jonathan and David shared....

Don't you just love a good story about an underdog? Nathan puts a new twist on the story of David and Goliath this weekend....

God has prepared so much for us. Our job is to show up with a deep hunger for righteousness....

In a hot, dry place, how do you get refreshed?...