They say that if you are walking in the woods and meet a bear, the safest place to be is ‘up a tree’ at Santa Clarita Churches. The problem with being up a tree is that you are still at the mercy of the bear. You can’t go anywhere or do anything as long as the bear threatens you. Eventually, the bear may go away, but until then, life comes to a standstill.

There are many problems that we meet in life that are like that bear. They figuratively chase us ‘up a tree’. We try to flee from our problems but we seem to be ‘up a tree.’ Life for us has come to a halt.

The Bible tells us of a man that had problems and he literally climbed a tree. His name was Zacchaeus. He had three problems at Santa Clarita Churches . The first was that he was not a tall man. In fact, he was so short that he had difficulty seeing over the heads of those who were taller. This is what caused him to climb the tree in the first place. He had heard that Jesus was going to be coming through his town and he wanted to see Jesus. So up the tree he went.

The second problem was one that made him avoid crowds at Santa Clarita Churches . You see, he was a tax collector for the Romans. As such, he was despised by the Jews who barred him from any religious activity and classified him in their eyes as a sinner. If he were not careful, they would gladly do him mischief.  So up the tree he went.

The third problem was that he needed salvation that only Jesus could provide. This fact put him figuratively up a tree at Santa Clarita Churches . When Jesus came by, he did three things that solved Zacchaeus’s problems. He’ll do the same for us when we have problems.

First, He saw Zacchaeus up in the tree. Do you know that Jesus sees you when your problems have driven you up a tree?

Secondly, He called him by name saying, “Zacchaeus, come down out of that tree.” We sing a song in church called ‘He knows My Name.’ When you are ‘up a tree’ at Santa Clarita Churches, not only does Jesus know you are there, He knows your name. I don’t know about you, but I take great comfort in knowing that Jesus knows my name…it makes my problems seem less important.

Thirdly, Jesus invited Himself to fellowship with Zacchaeus in his house with all his friends. In the course of that fellowship, Zacchaeus declared himself to be an honest man. In his position as a tax collector, he had not purposely cheated anyone at Santa Clarita Churches and if he inadvertently did, he had paid him back with interest. Jesus told Zacchaeus that salvation had come to his house that day.

I don’t know anything more about Zacchaeus, but this I do know. If you find yourself ‘up a tree’, Jesus knows where you are, He even knows your name and He invites himself into fellowship with you. Your troubles will melt away when you open your life to Him and become obedient to His word at Santa Clarita Churches.

Get out of that tree!

David is called a man after God’s own heart, and one of the chief areas his heart was on display was in his worship.  David was passionate in his worship of God and it can be seen in several areas of his life at Churches in Los Angeles.

His Public Worship

In 2 Samuel 13-14, we are told when David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem, that David was dancing before the Lord and was worshipping Him with shouting and music.  It didn’t matter that people were watching him; David was determined to worship God publicly – without shame.  When his wife Michal rebuked him for his public worship, David replied that he will celebrate before the Lord, no matter what she thought.  God wants us to be willing to worship him publicly, whether that means standing, lifting our hands or kneeling at Churches in Los Angeles.  We need to be more focused on what God thinks of our worship than what people think about us when we worship.

His Sacrificial Worship

In 2 Samuel 24:15-24, David was commanded to build an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, because that was the place God stopped the plague on Israel.  When David told Araunah what he wanted, Araunah offered to give David everything he needed: the threshing floor, the oxen to sacrifice and the wood for the offering.  But David refused to take it without paying for it, telling Araunah, “I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing.”  David’s passion for God wouldn’t allow him to worship God on the cheap.  We need to give willingly and sacrificially to God because our God is great and awesome and is worthy of such sacrifices.  Cheap worship isn’t real worship at Churches in Los Angeles.

His Lavish Worship

Finally, despite his desire to build a temple for God, David was told by God he couldn’t (2 Samuel 7:1-17).  But that didn’t stop David from giving lavishly to the temple that his son Solomon would one day build.  In 1 Chronicles 22, David gathered stone and timber and gave huge amounts of gold, silver, iron and bronze so that everything would be ready for Solomon to build the temple.  David’s lavish giving inspired the leaders and people of Israel to give lavishly as well (1 Chronicles 29:6-9).  Our God is so great there are times when only extravagant worship will do, and it is this lavish worship that will touch the hearts of people around us at Churches in Los Angeles.

David lays out for us what a heart of real worship looks.  So do a heart exam today, and ask yourself, “Am I willing to worship publicly?  Is my worship sacrificial?  Have I ever worshipped God lavishly?”  These are the marks of true worship for the believer who has a heart like David’s, the man after God’s own heart at Churches in Los Angeles.

There are several great resources for Santa Clarita Churches and Churches in Santa Clarita.  Heart of the Canyons Church provides information about the Bible and Christian Networking resources.  Also, this Santa Clarita Church provides DivorceCare for those who are going though or have gone through divorce.

You don’t have to go through it alone…

Most people will tell you that separation and divorce are the most painful and stressful experiences they’ve ever faced. It’s a confusing time when you feel isolated and have lots of questions about issues you’ve never faced before.

We want to help you on your journey toward recovery. Don’t try to go through separation or divorce alone. Link up with our DivorceCare recovery support group. It’s a place where you’ll find caring people who understand the issues you face, and it’s a place where you can build on the right foundation to help you find your footing.

DivorceCare meets weekly to help you face these challenges and move toward rebuilding your life. Each DivorceCare session has two distinct elements:

A Seminar with Experts
During the first 30–40 minutes of the meeting, each DivorceCare group watches a video seminar featuring top experts on divorce and recovery subjects. These videos are produced in an interesting-to-watch television magazine format featuring expert interviews, real-life case studies and on-location video.

A Support Group with Focus
After viewing the video, the DivorceCare group participants spend time as a support group, discussing what was presented and what is going on in the lives of group members.

Don’t go through divorce alone, let us be there for you.

Contact:
Church Office: 661 255-7246 ext 0.

Marriage Counseling from Churches in Santa Clarita:

Marital counseling is offered for those working through marital challenges.

At Heart of the Canyons Church, one of the Santa Clarita churches, we believe that marriage is a God-given institution whereby husband and wife come together as a unit to serve God’s purpose and to meet one another’s spiritual, emotional and physical needs.

We believe that God is in the restoration business.  As each individual comes under the control of the Holy Spirit in serving Christ and one another, the marriage can improve.

We believe that through the power of God, one can admit his or her part of the conflicts and seek forgiveness from the other.  We strive to create an atmosphere of a non-defensive expression of thoughts and ideas toward one another.

We believe that marriage is worth fighting for and as couples choose God’s Biblical foundation of marriage, they can be re-united in oneness.

Contact:

Pastor Dave Krogstad Phone: (661) 255-7246 ext. 236

You may recognize these words as coming from a man named Paul Harvey.  He loved to tell stories that had a twist at the end, an unexpected conclusion.  Many stories in the Bible are like that, and you can learn about them at one of San Fernando Churches.  I read one this week in the book of Judges.

This story concerns a man who was known as Jubal-Baal.  He ruled Israel for many years.  During his lifetime he had seventy sons and one son born of a prostitute.  His name was Abinadab.  After the death of Jubal-Baal, Abinadab persuaded Israel that he would be a better ruler over them than any of the seventy sons of Jubal-Baal.  They joined him as he slew all the sons but one, Jubal.  Abinadab led Israel back into the worship of Baal.  Do you want to learn more about this story?  Come to one of the San Fernando Churches

Then God called Jubal to lead a rebellion against Abinadab and he was successful in slaying Abinadab and became ruler over Israel.  He restored the worship of the true God and ruled over Israel for several years.

What’s the rest of the story you ask?  Jubal’s father, Jubal-Baal, was a man who, without swords, led 300 men in a great victory over the Midionites.

You know him better by his earlier name, Gideon.  And that’s the rest of the story.  You can read all about it in the Book of Judges, and find out more at one of the San Fernando Churches.

Here in another story from one of the San Fernando Churches:

Several years ago we bought a buffet.  It was not new in fact it was almost a collectible.  We had it in the house for awhile, but when we remodeled it went out in the storage shed.  While there the weather got to it.  One door came loose and the top was ruined by rain dripping down on to it.  It was really in a ‘blah’ condition.  It was either throw it out or attempt to restore it to a usable condition for on of the San Fernando Churches.  We decided to attempt to restore it.  It took a lot of work but with a lot of sanding and wood filler and staining and some painting and fixing the door we returned it to a usable condition and was able to bring it back into the house.  As I looked at in its restored condition I thought to myself it has gone from Blah to ‘Tada.’

Our lives are a lot like that old buffet at one of the San Fernando Churches.  Once, through Adam, we had a place in God’s house.  But sin moved us out and at the same time it ruined us.  We were no longer of any use to God.  But He did not leave us in that ‘blah’ condition, we became His workmanship and He set about bringing us back to a condition in which we could serve Him.  He did not just restore, He transformed us by the renewing of His Spirit.  He stripped away the old man from on of the San Fernando Churches and made us a new creation in Christ Jesus.

One day he will display us to the angels in heaven and I can hear Him saying, “TADA.”

According to Erik Erikson’s stages of human development a young adult is generally a person between the ages of 20 and 40.  There are over 50 million people between the ages of 20 – 40 in the U.S. with energy, ideas, creativity, and passion.  Young adults in their early 20s are excited as the finish school and begin to hold full-time jobs and take on other responsibilities of adulthood.  We believe there is a great opportunity for Santa Clarita Churches young adult ministry. It is our vision to provide the resource necessary to unleash the potential in our churches in Santa Clarita, our lives, and our community.   It must be the priority of our  Santa Clarita Churches to empower this generation to use their talents for the benefit of others and the purposes of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Resonate is a group of young adults who are passionately pursuing a relationship with Jesus Christ.  We are committed to building authentic community, serving our neighbors in need, and engaging our community with God’s love.

Current Gatherings
Men meet @ Ted Grissom’s Home (28974 Sam Pl., Canyon County, CA 91387)
Thursdays- 7pm for Ping Pong, Bible Study is 8:30-10pm;  we are going through the book of James.

Women meet @ The Marckley Home (18522 Fairweather, Canyon Country, CA 91351)
Thursdays, 7:00pm-9:00pm; we will be discussing the book Captivating by John & Stasi Eldridge.

For more information on RESONATE, please visit our Santa Clarita Churches website.

UPCOMING GATHERINGS

Fellowship Night
May 16 and 23
7:00pm-9:00pm :: The Corner Office:: 21618 Golden Triangle Road
Bi-monthly meetings for fellowship and to discuss issues that young adults face as Christians.

Heart of the Canyons is one of the Churches in Santa Clarita that believes in building healthy small groups.  To make the small groups accessible  to everyone the small groups have been placed at different times through out Santa Clarita. Churches know that people need variety and we are sure that one of our small groups will meet your needs.

Click Here to Sign Up For A Small Group

REGULAR SMALL GROUPS Sunday Leader: Pastor Dave Krogstad – 10:30 AM at La Mesa — Adult Contact: 313-4676 or 255-7246, ext. #236 pastordave@heartofthecanyons.com Colossians: Become the Person God Intends You to Be Leaders: Aaron & Missy Crawford — 6 PM in Canyon Country – Young Adults Contact: 713-9244 melissrose@gmail.com Andy Stanley’s “Discovering God’s Will” Monday Leader: Mike Maurizio — 7:00 PM, at Mike Maurizio’s house in Valencia — Adults Contact: 254-8144 michael.maurizio@lausd.net The Trouble with Paris Tuesday Leader: Dave Krogstad – Senior Adults in Canyon Country Tuesday 10:15am Contact: 313-4676 or 255-7246, ext. #236 pastordave@heartofthecanyons.com John: Get to Know the Living Savior Leaders: Scott Bickle & Shawn Milligan — 7:00 PM in Canyon Country – Adult Contact: Scott – 252-34-79 or Shawn – 299-4715 scott_bickle@yahoo.com or smilligan@socal.rr.com They are doing Fire Proof Your Marriage Leaders: Scott & Julie Dillon – 7:00 Pm in Canyon Country Contact: 299-1646 Dillon654@msn.com Fireproof, the Love Dare Wednesday 9:30am Organic Christianity Meeting in Canyon Country Leader: Dee Morgan Contact: 661-424-0677 sewwhatandsuch@sbcglobal.net 9:30am: Priscilla Shirer’s He Speaks to Me Leader: Stephanie Waite swaite@socal.rr.com Church office #106 Learning to listen to the voice of God 9:30am Neil Anderson’s Victory over Darkness Leader: Linda Santana lsantana@socal.rr.com Canyon Country Having victory with God – (For Women Abuse Survivors) 6:00pm: Max Lucado’s Fearless Leader: Leslie Lee office@heartofthecanyons.com Stevenson Ranch Overcoming fear with God 7pm Beth Moore’s Breaking Free (revised) Leader: Carol Ryan carolncrew@sbcglobal.net Church office #106 Making Liberty in Christ a Reality in Life Thursday Leader: Ric & Deena Hebert — 7:00 PM at the Crawfords in Fair Oaks Ranch — Adults Contact: 298-2624 hebertfamily4@att.net Francis Chan’s Crazy Love Leaders: Mike & Patti Hawley — 7:00 PM in Canyon Country — Adults Contact: 298-2091, 251-0337 mhawley@adocsolution.com Prayer: A Practical and Hands-on Study Leaders: Tom & Cynci DiMauro – 7:00 PM in Canyon Country Contact: 252-9256 Tom.dimauro@itt.com or cdimauro@jettrax.com Charles Stanley’s Growing Through Adversity Leaders: Gary & Stephanie Fullerton — in Canyon Country — Adults Contact: 251-1215 s.fullerton@att.net Acts – Put Your Faith Where the Action Is Leaders: Jim & Ellen Gustin – in Saugus — Adults Contact: 296-7113 jgustin@dpw.lacounty.gov Study of the Revelation Churches Leaders: Roger & Linda Redel – in Newhall – Adults Contact: 254-3350 redels@pacbell.net Dave Ramsey’s, Financial Peace University Friday N/A Saturday N/A SPECIAL SMALL GROUPS Women Mondays at 7pm: Beth Moore’s Breaking Free (revised) Leader: Carol Ryan carolncrew@sbcglobal.net Church office #106 The Best Question Ever Mondays at 6pm: Max Lucado’s Fearless Leader: Leslie Lee office@heartofthecanyons.com Stevenson Ranch Overcoming fear with God Wednesdays at 9:30am: Priscilla Shirer’s He Speaks to Me Leader: Stephanie Waite swaite@socal.rr.com Church office #106 Learning to listen to the voice of God Wednesday 7:00pm The Book of Job Chronic Pain Support Group Meeting in Canyon Country Leader: Dee Morgan Contact: 661-424-0677 sewwhatandsuch@sbcglobal.net Saturdays at 9:30am Neil Anderson’s Victory over Darkness Leader: Linda Santana lsantana@socal.rr.com Canyon Country Having victory with God – (For Women Abuse Survivors) Men SATURDAY 6:30am – MEN’S STUDY Leader: Dan Ziegler Contact: 251-3091 dziegler@sbcglobal.net

Click Here to Sign Up For A Small Group