My vision for Biblical Worship at Harvest is to encourage, develop, and raise up true worshippers who worship the Triune God in spirit and truth within all aspects of life; that we might be a people who grow in our understanding of God and respond by making much of Him with our lives not just music....
Rob Maxey was a friend to as many people as he could meet. He was tireless in his service in God's Kingdom, relentless in his pursuit of teenagers for the sake of Jesus, and abounding in hope and joy and love that came from a heart captivated by the good news that Jesus forgives sinners and changes lives for eternity. He is and will be deeply missed. ...
So many questions, so little time! We had over 30 questions come in on Sunday morning during our services, and of course we couldn’t get to all of them from the front. But, we can provide some brief answers to the ones that didn’t get mentioned, and that’s what we are doing here. The goal is not an exhaustive answer, but helpful, direct, biblical answers. And, we provide links to reliable sources where possible because many of these questions already have good answers....
At Harvest, "walking with Christ" is the process by which you consistently grow as a disciple in community, growing in your love for Jesus and other people. Being a disciple is never a one-person show....
You were created to worship. There isn’t a single soul on this planet who isn’t wired this way. We are all worshipers. The question is simply who or what you worship. People can deny God exists all they want, but far from denying His existence, they prove his existence as they live out a life of worship. ...
"Meditation" is a popular practice for many people, yet also a confusing one for many Christians. Is it OK to meditate like other people do, seeking to cleanse or empty the mind of all distractions, worries, burdens, etc? Is meditation spoken of in the Bible similar to that, or altogether different?...
There’s no denying that we each come to the Bible with our own presuppositions, biases and assumptions, and there are a slew of contributing factors. So when you come to God’s word, your commitment must be to let the Bible say what it says and mean what it means even if it changes the way you’ve always thought about it......
Every presidential election season seems to create a feeling of "When will this be over?" by the time we are all actually voting. We've heard about candidates for years already in some cases, then we hear from their "camps" every day for months and months, then we hear from candidates themselves incessantly down the home stretch. This race feels, to me, to be more polarizing than any I've seen in my relatively brief 32 years of life......
Anniversary celebrations bring perspective and expectation. Perspective of what’s God has done and expectation about what another year of walking with the Lord will produce in our hearts, in our church, and in our community. Our third anniversary has once again prompted both. People have asked me, “three years ago, is this where you expected to be?” And it’s difficult to answer that question. ...
How could I encapsulate the top 3 lessons learned in the past 3 years at Harvest? Answer: I can’t. So, I’m ditching the idea of “top” 3 lessons, and instead want to put forward the following 3 lessons that we’ve learned at Harvest. There have just been too many lessons to count, some more significant than others. But for your consideration…...
I believe there is so much that God has in store for us, but were I to sum up all that the Lord has impressed upon my heart for this upcoming year of ministry, I could summarize the focus in two words: All in! This is our theme for the year. If we’re to be the type of church that I believe God is calling us to be, it’s going to start with each and every person committing to being “All in.” This year, we’re going to get off the fence of mediocrity. We’re going to stretch ourselves beyond our levels of comfortability. We’re going to establish a clear focus on the right priorities. And we’re going to be sold out for Jesus unreservedly. ...
As I reflect back on 3 years of ministry at Harvest, my heart is overwhelmed with thankfulness. Were I to speak of every form of thankfulness that has welled up in my heart, I would likely never stop writing. So in light of three years of ministry, I wanted to speak of my thankfulness in 3 ways......
The Trinity is one of the most complex and mysterious Christian doctrines, but there is certainly a strong Biblical basis for this concept. The foundational idea is that God is one God who eternally exists in three persons. Bruce Ware summarizes it well when he writes......
For the better part of a year, we will be studying the book of Mark together and the series title is Discipleship Defined. In light of the mission and the momentum God has been building in our church, I felt that it would be essential to define what our mission is again, which is glorifying God by making disciples. If you were to poll an assortment of Christians and ask them about discipleship, I believe......
Recently we asked Small Group Leaders to fill out a survey of how their groups are going and the responses were very encouraging. While in many cases the struggles were predictable (tech issues, inconsistent communication, distractions, and multi-tasking), what shined through was the dedication, love, and community being expressed and strengthened even in these uncertain a...
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What is Biblical Counseling? Biblical counseling is an approach to helping people through dependence on, and application of, the Bible as the highest authority and sufficient source for transformation in people's lives. Within a local church, it is rightly understood as part of the discipleship process. It could even be thought of as "intensive discipleship" - entering ...
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The Enneagram is a very popular self-assessment tool in the fields of psychology, business, and even many Christian communities today. The word comes from the Greek words Ennea (Nine) and Grammos (Written symbol). The goal of understanding the Enneagram, or "knowing your number" is to understand yourself better so that you can relate in more healthy ways to yourself, other...
Keep ReadingStarting in September, two incredible opportunities are coming your way for you to engage with the Lord on a deeper level with the Harvest community. First, we are encouraging weekly fasting on Fridays. Second, and in conjunction with Fasting Fridays, we are asking all who call Harvest home to join us on the last Sunday of each month for an evening of celebration and p...
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This year, Harvest is hosting a Christ-Centered Passover feast through our small groups. This will be an incredible opportunity to experience with fresh eyes the kind of food and tradition that the disciples experienced the night Jesus was betrayed and crucified. Each small group will be provided with key elements that are more unique or harder to find (a lamb bone and unl...
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When people think of"counseling", there are any number of things that go through their head. Some people mistakenly think ofcounseling like psychotherapy, with someone layingon a big brown leather couch and a doctor with a notepad scribbling thoughts. Others think of being in a room face to face, one on one, with someone who is going to ask them to search their inner child...
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It is not often thatRocklin, CA garners national attention. Most of the time you hear about it in the context of best places to raise a family, such as this study declaringRoseville#1 andRocklin#7 in all of California. But recent events have causednational news outletsto take notice of one particularRocklincharter school. In case you are unaware of the issue surrounding t...
Keep Reading Rob Maxey was a friend to as many people as he could meet. He was tireless in his service in God's Kingdom, relentless in his pursuit of teenagers for the sake of Jesus, and abounding in hope and joy and love that came from a heart captivated by the good news that Jesus forgives sinners and changes lives for eternity. He is and will be deeply missed. ...
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There's no question about it: The Shack is beautiful. From the lush gardens bursting forth flowers and giving way to snowcapped peaks, to the rushing waterfalls and serene forests, your senses are on overload as you watch. Yet underneath all this beauty, an array of subtle (and not-so-subtle) lies are snuck in. There are many, and they are dangerous. The Shack is a "narra...
Keep Reading So many questions, so little time! We had over 30 questions come in on Sunday morning during our services, and of course we couldn’t get to all of them from the front. But, we can provide some brief answers to the ones that didn’t get mentioned, and that’s what we are doing here. The goal is not an exhaustive answer, but helpful, direct, biblical answers. And, we...
Keep Reading At Harvest, "walking with Christ" is the process by which you consistently grow as a disciple in community, growing in your love for Jesus and other people. Being a disciple is never a one-person show....
Keep Reading "Meditation" is a popular practice for many people, yet also a confusing one for many Christians. Is it OK to meditate like other people do, seeking to cleanse or empty the mind of all distractions, worries, burdens, etc? Is meditation spoken of in the Bible similar to that, or altogether different?...
Keep Reading Every presidential election season seems to create a feeling of "When will this be over?" by the time we are all actually voting. We've heard about candidates for years already in some cases, then we hear from their "camps" every day for months and months, then we hear from candidates themselves incessantly down the home stretch. This race feels, to me, to be more polarizi...
Keep Reading How could I encapsulate the top 3 lessons learned in the past 3 years at Harvest? Answer: I can’t. So, I’m ditching the idea of “top” 3 lessons, and instead want to put forward the following 3 lessons that we’ve learned at Harvest. There have just been too many lessons to count, some more significant than others. But for your consideration…...
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Tis the season for all things pink or red, all things hearts and chocolate, and all things "Valentine's Day makes me sick".It's the time when love is supposedly in the air and one or both of you are expected to do something original or spend more money than you have to put your love on display. Valentine's Day is upon us, and I have something to tell you: Christian, you n...
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You may be surprised to hear that not everything in Christmas is strictly commercialized. Although these days fake Christmas trees are being sold in October and billions of dollars are spent during the season, plenty cultural Christmas symbols have significant meaning in Christian tradition. Here are a few little known facts about popular Christmas staples. What does a Ch...
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Christmas can tend to be a mixed bag for many of us. It's both the most wonderful and the busiest time of the year. It's time for decorating your house inside and out, buying more presents than you probably want to, and losing all inhibitions regarding calorie counting and baking your brains out with all manner of ginger bread, snowman sugar cookies, and peppermint drinks....
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We want you to be aware of what's coming up from Harvest Bible Chapel in December so that you can make plans with your family and friends. Here's 4 important things you need to know to prepare with us: Harvest Gives is happening again this December! We can't wait to tell you about the 3 areas of emphasis for this season of giving through Harvest.We are going to have 2 Chr...
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Everywhere you turn, there are sermons being preached about what a man is. These sermons are not just being preached in church. They are being preached through every outlet imaginable - magazines, websites, TV shows, movies, music, shops and malls. I say "sermons" intentionally because that's exactly what they are - messages from...
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My mother died on August 14, 2000, after a long battle with Non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I was 16 at the time, about to begin my junior year of high school, and suddenly without the strongest spiritual influence in my life to that point. My mother fought valiantly and was full of faith in the Lord, knowing both that he could heal her at any moment but also that his purposes w...
Keep ReadingWhen I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?...
Keep ReadingThe men’s Bible Study I lead on Thursday mornings has been going through the book of John ever since we started about 9 months ago. It has been a very fruitful time together, with everything you can expect from a good men’s Bible Study in the morning… coffee, scones or cinnamon rolls, open Bibles, some banter and meandering, and a sincere desire to understand the Wor...
Keep ReadingAt Harvest, we LOVE baptism. It's a big celebration for our church family to see what God has been doing in people's lives. Thus far, baptism celebrations are a mix of new Christians proclaiming their faith in Jesus but also folks who have been Christians for perhaps many years, but never really understood why it mattered so much that they get baptized. At our most recent ...
Keep Reading"What do you do?" This question was posed to me by a teenager at Harvest last week. I had hired 2 students to help me move some things from my house to the dump in Lincoln, and while we were driving one of them asked me what my job was. When I told him I worked full time at Harvest as the Associate Pastor, he looked a little confused and then asked (politely), "What do you...
Keep ReadingBy Brad Dawson, SALT Co-Leader Last week many of our Jr High/High school students embarked on Harvest Summer Camp "Uncommon15". It was an unbelievable experience for all who went. 8 churches and a total of 300 Students/Leaders made the trip . There were ridiculous games, great food, ear shattering music, and everything else a student could want from camp. From day one, li...
Keep ReadingThe saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the ...
Keep Reading"God loves you" is a statement many of us have heard many times, whether in church or in books. The love of God has at certain times in my life following Christ made a profound impact on me but at different times it has also meant very little to me. I'm reading a book called Communion with God by a Puritan Pastor named John Owen, who lived in the mid 17th Century. In chapt...
Keep ReadingA few months ago, the idea was brought up to do a "ministry fair" for our church. After some discussion, we settled on late April as a great date to let people know about the ministries we have at Harvest and how people can get involved. The reasons for putting on a ministry fair are simple: 1. Harvest is growing. 2. Because we're growing, our opportunities for involveme...
Keep ReadingAfter Jesus gives us the how of prayer by giving a model, or template, on mature prayer to aim for, he turns his attention to some of the "why" of prayer. To be sure, no single passage, book, or sermon says all there is to say about prayer, so I won't pretend that this says it all. But it would help us if we press in to what Jesus presses upon our hearts. Why should we pra...
Keep ReadingPrayer is something we all need help with. Whether we just want to get started praying, or need to believe God that he hears and responds to our prayers, or anything else related to prayer, there's much growth to be had. Fortunately, Jesus gets it. His disciples ask him in Luke 11:1-13 to teach them to pray, and Jesus gets right to work. He gives a model prayer that while ...
Keep ReadingWhat do you find yourself rejoicing in these days? A good dinner? A nice glass of wine? Perhaps a beautiful sunset, waves crashing on the beach, a glorious view of Lake Tahoe, or a baby being born. What are the sorts of things that make your heart full of joy, full of awe or inspiration? Those are things you rejoice in. We all rejoice in things; I would even argue we rejo...
Keep ReadingTomorrow is my 8 year wedding anniversary to the love of my life, Noelle Marie Ritter. It's hard to believe that 8 years ago we began a family of two. These days, with a family of 3 and so much attention going to our awesome son Colton, it's all too easy to spend less time cultivating a great marriage. I am a man tremendously blessed to have a wife who is also my best frie...
Keep ReadingI have at many times in my life following Jesus been frustrated by my feelings. It is sadly not an unusual thing to go a few days doing very well, and then for no apparent reason the next day is hard, unmotivated, and just lame. I've slogged through many days hoping to become more chipper merely as time passes, but to no avail. I try praying and even get very honest with G...
Keep ReadingHarvest is changing its method of online giving. This is a move that will save the church money and make an already good accountability system into an even better one. Online Giving is a convenient way to give, and can be set up for recurring automatic donations so you do not need to worry about forgetting, particularly during busy summer months. That being said, it is imp...
Keep ReadingGood news! Harvest Bible Chapel Sacramento is rolling out another way to stay connected and learn from God's Word. We're starting this blog in order to address more key issues and help folks become better disciples of Jesus Christ. Here's some of the kind of content you can expect from the blog: Pastoral updates about matters in the life of HBC Sacramento Thoughts about ...
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