Sanctuary @ MPPC

Scott Scruggs on 2011-02-13 : Life is Hard... Now What? / The Problem of Pain The Book of Job is about the problem of pain - how Job encounters it, endures it, cries out from it, wrestles furiously with God in the midst of it, and then ultimately, is transformed through it. Find out what his story has to do with your story.

Scott Scruggs on 2011-02-06 : Togethericity / You Need Another Party One of the prevalent commands in the Bible is the call to celebrate. And yet Christian community can sometimes feel like a solemn or even sedated environment. So we want to invite you back into God�s vision for the church as a community that gets serious about joy.

Scott Scruggs on 2011-01-30 : Togethericity / You Need Another Mission Jesus envisioned a church that existed, not for the sake of its members, but for the sake of those who are not. But when it comes to reaching beyond our walls, Christian communities encounter a number of strong but surmountable barriers. Listen in to find out what they are and what you can do about it.

Jesse Rice on 2011-01-23 : Togethericity / You Need Another Mirror Who do you see when you look in the mirror? How you answer that question will impact the quality of your relationships. Join Jesse Rice, author of the The Church of Facebook, as he addresses the secrets to finding our identity in Christ so that we can truly know others.

Nancy Ortberg on 2011-01-16 : Togethericity / You Need Another Conflict In every relationship, there will be conflict. And when it happens, our instinctive response is to either fight back or run away--which only makes the problem worse. But the Bible teaches us how to engage in conflict with grace and truth, paving the way to lasting intimacy and trust.

Scott Scruggs on 2011-01-09 : Togethericity / You Need Another Sinner Everyone has problems. And it often feels easier and safer to try to cover them up, to pretend everything is okay. But transformation doesn't happen in isolation. It requires a unique kind of community based on humility, transparency and accountability - which is exactly how Jesus taught people to live.

Scott Scruggs on 2011-01-02 : Togethericity / You Need Another Person The Bible teaches that human beings are made for loving and meaningful relationships with one another. Yet more and more people struggle with loneliness, superficial relationships, and patterns of isolated living. So what will it take to build the kind of community that all of us need?

Scott Scruggs on 2010-12-12 : Sancmas / Finding Christmas

Scott Scruggs on 2010-12-05 : WTF / Why Doesn't God Do Something About Suffering? At some point in life, every human being will experience pain, hardship, injustice, or tragic loss. And the question that is always asked is why? Why is our world filled with so much suffering? And more importantly, why doesn't God step in and do something about it?

Scott Scruggs on 2010-11-28 : WTF / Why Does the Bible Say Only Men Should Lead the Church? Some Christians say God has given men and women distinct roles and responsibilities within marriage, family life and church leadership. Men are made lead and provide and women are made to support and nurture. Other Christians say God created men and women to complement each other but without any kind of intrinsic hierarchy based on gender. Both sides insist that the Bible supports their view. So what does the Bible say about gender and leadership and how does the life of Jesus affect this discussion?

Scott Scruggs on 2010-11-21 : WTF / Why Does the Bible Say Such Weird Stuff About the End Times? The way in which the Bible talks about the "end times" can be difficult to understand. There are prophecies about rapture and warfare, visions of beasts and battles, and to modern ears, all this can sound more like science fiction than Scripture. So what does the Bible really say about where the world is going and how should that affect how we live our lives today?

Scott Scruggs on 2010-11-14 : WTF / Why Shouldn't People Have Sex Before Marriage? We live in a world where appetites rule, rules are relative, and the rationale for having sex is basically, "if it feels good, do it." So what does the Bible really say about sex and how can we make decisions that honor God's intentions for sex without dismissing it as something dirty or evil. Oh, and we're taking questions at the end--so it's going to get real, real fast.

Scott Scruggs on 2010-11-07 : WTF / Why Should I Believe What the Bible Says Anyway? More and more people have serious doubts about the reliability of the Bible. It's often assumed to be a collection of myths and manufactured stories that have little historical veracity and almost no relevance to modern life. So before we try to tackle any specific text or topic from the Bible, we have to start with a question about the Bible itself...can the Bible be trusted?

Chris Sturgeon on 2010-10-31 : Christian Atheist / I'm a Christian Atheist... Now What?

Scott Scruggs on 2010-10-24 : Christian Atheist / I Believe in God, but Struggle to Forgive We live in a world where forgiving is much easier said than done. There are times in life when someone causes you pain that is so deep and feels so unfair, you feel like you�ll never forget it. So what does forgiveness really mean and how can we learn to forgive when forgiving feels impossible?