Blog / General

Hello Rock Family,

Looking back over the past few weeks it has been a wild ride. Along with rapid changes and sometimes stressful situations we have seen the church shining bright the glory of God. I have been delighted to see the boldness of your faith and the expressions of your love and encouragement. I am also amazed at the online attendance from around the world. God is doing something amazing in this season!

Parenting Your Teen
Ps. Richard Villanueva

“Why did you do that!?”
“I don’t know?”
“You don’t know why you thought it was a good idea to _____?” Feel free to enter your kid’s crazy situation here.

How can we learn to understand the teens and pre-teens in our life? Actually, I think the real question is: “How do I get them to do what I want them to do?” This stage of life can create a huge amount of stress for parents, grandparents, and anyone who has a problem with trying to have a decent conversation with someone who refuses to take the airpods out of their ears. But, I think it can be done! We can begin to understand our teens (maybe not fully, but we can begin, at least!) and I think that understanding will create a sense of peace and compassion. These two ingredients are part of the foundation for discipleship and ministry that God has called us to have with the teens in our lives.

The Goodness in Giving Thanks

    I hate to admit it, but a few days ago I was running late to work. A security guard locks down all the gates when school starts, and being late is quite an inconvenience. I prayed and asked God for grace to somehow make it in, even though I was sure that would require a miracle on the order of stopping time… but God did for Joshua once, right?

    As I approached the parking lot, I noticed the gate was still open and the security officer looked puzzled. As grateful as I was to be able to get on campus, my curiosity was piqued so I pulled over. On the grass was the most beautiful red-beaked, white and black feathered duck. Somehow the strange duck had flown over the 15-foot fence just as the guard was about to lock the gate and now he didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t help but laugh with delight as my heart filled with gratitude for the God who answers prayer in such creative ways!

“O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” 1 Chron. 13:34

Many of you may have had hands laid on you to receive the baptism or infilling of the Holy Spirit recently at one of the morning weekend services. Whether you have just become a Christian recently or you’ve been saved for years, this experience is ordained by God to bring you into a deeper place of boldness and strength as we walk hand-in-hand with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So what next? Consider these 5 things to gain the most benefit from receiving the Holy Spirit in His fullness.