Two Cities Church - Fresno/clovis, Ca

One of the most frustrating things about being a Christian is when someone asks you a question about what you believe. If you had fifteen minutes of undivided attention, you could answer. But what are you supposed to say in just a few seconds? How do you defend your faith without losing your mind?

Politics is not an emotionally neutral topic. It has the power to divide us instead of bring us together. What would it look like if Christians filtered their politics through their faith rather than filtering their faith through their politics?

Most people begin the New Year asking, “What should I do about me?” In this series, we introduced a different question: “What breaks your heart?” If you want to become a better person, do something the make the world a better place. Maybe this series has inspired you. But maybe you don’t know what breaks your heart, or maybe you know what breaks your heart but you don’t know what to do about it. If that’s where you are, the church can help.

This is the season of self-improvement. We challenge ourselves to get slimmer, stronger, and smarter. But if you want to become a better person, focus less on yourself and more on doing something to make the world a better place. The challenge is that making the world a better place requires giving up some part of our lives—time, money, or opportunities. It will cost you some life. We don’t want to give up some life. We want to preserve our lives. But Jesus said that the only way to live a life of purpose and meaning is to give our lives away.

This is the time of year when we become painfully aware of where we are not, who we are not, and what we need to do differently. Traditionally, it’s a season of self-absorption. We wonder how to get slimmer, stronger, and smarter. We wonder how to get out of debt. We wonder how to become better people. If you really want to become a better person, do something this year to make the world a better place. But how do you determine what you should do?

This is that time of year when we become painfully aware of where we are not, who we are not, and what we need to do differently. Traditionally, the new year is a season of self-absorption. It’s all about what we can do to make ourselves better people. The result is that churches, health clubs, debt counselors, and vitamin shops do a booming business. But we tend to forget that the people we respect the most didn’t devote their lives to becoming the best version of themselves. They devoted their lives to making a difference in the world . . . or in someone’s world.

There is nothing ordinary about Jesus and the events surrounding his birth. From the timing, setting, present company and even the star announcing his birth, Jesus' birth was orchestrated long before we can ever imagine. Come rediscover the wonder of Christmas this season.

If I, a sinner, can be reconciling with God... who am I to deny reconciliation with anyone?

A message that tackles the tough issue of what should we do for those who don't or won't do good. Should you help those who don't pay it forward? Should we help those who have actually hurt us?

Imagine how different your outlook on life would be if you had absolute confidence that God was with you. Imagine how differently you would respond to difficulties, temptations, and even good things if you knew with certainty that God was in all of it and was planning to leverage it for good. In other words, imagine what it would be like to have perfect faith. In this two-part series, we'll discover what the 5 Faith Catalysts are and how they form your faith.

Imagine how different your outlook on life would be if you had absolute confidence that God was with you. Imagine how differently you would respond to difficulties, temptations, and even good things if you knew with certainty that God was in all of it and was planning to leverage it for good. In other words, imagine what it would be like to have perfect faith. In this two-part series, we'll discover what the 5 Faith Catalysts are and how they form your faith.

The Christmas Season seems to come earlier and earlier every year. Maybe you've even finished your Christmas shopping and you're feeling pretty good. But maybe this Christmas season is a little different for you. Maybe it's your first Christmas since a major life event. A divorce, a loss, or a difficult season of life. Christmas can be hard for those of us in life transition. How do we cope with these kinds of things? *Note: The last three minutes of the message and closing prayer were not recorded.*

What is the wise thing to do with our wealth? Is it to store, spend, give, borrow, or loan? Find out in this episode of Good Idea, Bad Idea.

What is the wise thing to do? It's not an easy question. We make decisions based off of emotions, intuition and data. But what if those aren't the ultimate barometer of wisdom? What if there's something more concrete?

When it comes to family, actions speak louder than words - they echo into the next generation. Your children and grandchildren may forget what you say, but they'll never forget what you do.

In this special one-off message, we celebrate many of the things God has done in our church over our first year. We talk about stories of life-change, and give people a chance to respond and place their faith in Jesus.

Raising children is one of the biggest challenges in life. It requires all of our strengths and talents. It makes us keenly aware of our weaknesses. In this message, Andy and Sandra Stanley tell you everything they know about parenting. This isn't everything there is to know, just what they know.

All children - that's you and me - long for the approval of their parents . . . especially their fathers. It's a longing that never goes away. It gets buried or transferred to other relationships, but it's there. And we underestimate its power. Every parent wants to be approved by his or her child - to be a hero, to hear, "when I grow up I want to be just like you." As that desire grows, so does a parent's insecurity. Buried beneath the hurt, disappointment, distance, or silence is a desire to be connected to our children and our fathers. It lasts a lifetime.

When it comes to family, the only thing we all have in common is conflict. Family conflict is like no other because when you win an argument in your family, you don't really win anything. The conflict is never fully resolved. What if there was a way to resolve family conflict by dealing with it at its source?

In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul drew from Jesus' use of power what is perhaps the most powerful relational teaching of all - an instruction that changes everything in family dynamics. It all comes down to asking a simple question: What can I do to help?