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A healthy marriage doesn't happen by accident. Like a garden, it requires intentional cultivation, consistent pursuit, and protection from the things that threaten its growth.Continuing our Uncovered series through Song of Solomon, Pastor Ryan Kresge walks us through Song of Solomon 2:8-15 and explores what it means to pursue one another, build genuine intimacy, and protect our relationships from the "little foxes" that can quietly destroy them.Whether you're single, dating, or married, this message reminds us that lasting love isn't simply something we find. It's something we intentionally cultivate.In this message, we explore:Why pursuit shouldn't end at the altarThe courage it takes to be fully known and fully lovedLearning to love someone in the way they receive loveRecognizing the little foxes that threaten relationshipsChoosing forgiveness, humility, and unity over selfishnessHow marriage reflects God's pursuit and redeeming love for usScripture: Song of Solomon 2:8–15, Genesis 3, James 4:1–2Speaker: Pastor Ryan KresgeSeries: Uncovered | Impact Church Lowell & RockfordWe'd love to have you join us!Lowell |Saturday at 6:00 PMSunday at 9:00 AM & 11:00 AMRockford |Sunday at 10A.Learn more: https://impact.church#ImpactChurch #Uncovered #SongOfSolomon #ChristianMarriage #Marriage #Jesus

Sex. It's one of the most talked-about topics in our culture, yet one of the most misunderstood. What does God actually say about sex, relationships, and intimacy? In Week 2 of Uncovered, we continue our study through Song of Solomon, looking at God's original design for love, sex, and marriage. Throughout history, sex has often been approached from two extremes: condemnation and unrestricted acceptance. But Scripture shows us a better way. Through Song of Solomon 2 and 7, we explore three dimensions of biblical love: • Raya — Friendship, companionship, and connection• Ahava — Commitment, loyalty, and choosing to love• Dod — Romantic passion and sexual intimacy For singles, we discuss the importance of building friendships, pursuing godly relationships, and establishing healthy boundaries. For married couples, we explore the importance of affirmation, intentional pursuit, exclusivity, and keeping friendship and romance alive. Whether you're single, dating, engaged, or married, God's Word has something to teach us about relationships that honor Him. Scripture: Song of Solomon 2:1–13; Song of Solomon 7:6–13 Join us at Impact Church! 📍 Lowell CampusSaturday at 6 PM | Sunday at 9 & 11 AM 📍 Rockford CampusSunday at 10 AM Learn more: https://impact.church #ImpactChurch #Uncovered #SongOfSolomon #BiblicalMarriage #ChristianRelationships

What does God really think about sex, romance, and desire? In a world filled with confusion, shame, and distorted ideas about sexuality, the Bible offers a beautiful and surprisingly honest picture of God's original design. This weekend, Pastor Jason Holdridge kicks off our brand-new series, Uncovered, a study through the Song of Solomon. Through Song of Solomon 1:2–7, we discover that attraction and desire aren't things God created us to be ashamed of. They're gifts meant to be understood, honored, and experienced within His design. But there's something even more important than physical attraction: character. In this message, we explore why a person's integrity matters more than their appearance, why desire and self-control can coexist, and how God's Word invites us to see intimacy as something sacred rather than casual. Scripture: Song of Solomon 1:2–7 Join us as we uncover God's heart for love, relationships, marriage, and sexuality. 📍 Impact Church — LowellSaturday at 6 PMSunday at 9 AM & 11 AM 📍 Impact Church — RockfordSunday at 10 AM Learn more at https://impact.church #ImpactChurch #Uncovered #SongOfSolomon #ChristianRelationships #BiblicalMarriage

There is a time for everything. A time to plant and a time to uproot. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to hold on and a time to let go. In the final week of our Chasing the Wind series through Ecclesiastes, we look at Ecclesiastes 3 and ask an important question: What season are you in, and where is God in the middle of it? Life moves through seasons we would choose and seasons we never would. But none of them are wasted. God is present in the joy, the grief, the building, the tearing down, the pursuing, and the letting go. And while we may not understand what He is doing in the moment, Ecclesiastes reminds us that “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Whatever season you're walking through, God is already there. 📖 Ecclesiastes 3:1–11

We were never meant to do life alone. Ecclesiastes 4 reminds us that two are better than one—because real friendship does more than give us someone to spend time with. A real friend carries you when you fall.A real friend brings warmth into the ordinary.A real friend tells you the truth you may not want to hear.A real friend sticks around when life gets messy.And real friendship helps us follow Jesus more faithfully. In a world full of connection but starving for deep relationship, maybe it’s time to rediscover the kind of friendship God designed us for.

We were never meant to do life alone.In a world increasingly marked by loneliness, isolation, busyness, and shallow connection, Ecclesiastes 4 gives us a radically different picture of friendship. Solomon reminds us that two really are better than one, not simply because life is easier with other people, but because God uses deep relationships to shape us, strengthen us, carry us, and keep us moving toward Him.Real friends show up when life falls apart. They bring warmth into the ordinary places of life. They tell us the truth when we need to hear it. They fight for us, pray with us, challenge us, forgive us, and walk alongside us in our pursuit of Jesus.And ultimately, the deepest picture of this kind of friendship is found in Christ, the One who sticks closer than a brother and never leaves us in our mess.As we continue our Chasing the Wind series through Ecclesiastes, we look at Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 and rediscover the kind of friendship God designed us to experience.Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9–12Series: Chasing the Wind

Your faith doesn’t stop when you clock in. Ecclesiastes reminds us that our work, our provision, and even our ability to enjoy them are gifts from God. The job you have. The season you’re in. The people around you. The skills God has given you. None of it is meaningless. God has placed His people in businesses, schools, homes, neighborhoods, offices, job sites, and communities, and those places can become part of our calling. Don’t spend your life waiting for the “real” ministry to begin. Ask God how He wants to use you right where He has placed you!

What if the life you keep striving for is keeping you from enjoying the life God has already given you?In Ecclesiastes 5:18–20, Solomon makes a surprising observation: eating, drinking, working, enjoying what we have, and accepting the life we’ve been given are not insignificant things, they are gifts from God.In this message from our Chasing the Wind series, Pastor Jason explores the difference between chasing the wind and catching it. When we recognize that everything we have comes from God, life begins to look different. Our work can become meaningful. Our ordinary moments can become sacred. Comparison can give way to gratitude. And instead of spending our lives preoccupied with the past or anxious about the future, God can teach us to fully occupy the moment we’ve been given.Life is short. Your “dash” matters.May we become people who can say:This is what I’ve observed to be good.From Him.Through Him.For Him.To Him be the glory.📖 Ecclesiastes 5:18–20Series: Chasing the Wind

The sun rises. The sun sets. Generations come and go. We work, build, achieve, and chase after more, but eventually, Ecclesiastes forces us to ask the question:What difference does it make?In the opening message of our new series, Chasing the Wind, we begin walking through the book of Ecclesiastes and wrestling with the tension of life “under the sun.” If everything we build is temporary, if every achievement eventually fades, and if life keeps moving on without us, where do we find meaning that actually lasts?Ecclesiastes doesn’t avoid the hard questions. It invites us to face them honestly, and ultimately points us beyond the things we spend our lives chasing.Join us as we begin this journey through one of the Bible’s most honest and thought-provoking books.

The sun rises. The sun sets. Generations come and go. We work, build, achieve, and chase after more, but eventually, Ecclesiastes forces us to ask the question:What difference does it make?In the opening message of our new series, Chasing the Wind, we begin walking through the book of Ecclesiastes and wrestling with the tension of life “under the sun.” If everything we build is temporary, if every achievement eventually fades, and if life keeps moving on without us, where do we find meaning that actually lasts?Ecclesiastes doesn’t avoid the hard questions. It invites us to face them honestly, and ultimately points us beyond the things we spend our lives chasing.Join us as we begin this journey through one of the Bible’s most honest and thought-provoking books.

Don’t waste your youth.Ecclesiastes 11:9–12:1 gives a direct challenge to the next generation: enjoy the life God has given you, walk with wisdom, and remember your Creator while you are young.This weekend during our Next Generation Takeover, we celebrated the ways God is already moving in the lives of kids and students. The message is simple, you do not have to wait until you are older to take your faith seriously.Your youth is not something to throw away. It is a season to know God, follow Him, grow in wisdom, and use your life for what matters most.God is at work in the next generation right now. The question is: what will you do with the years He has given you?

Don’t waste your youth.Ecclesiastes 11:9–12:1 gives a direct challenge to the next generation: enjoy the life God has given you, walk with wisdom, and remember your Creator while you are young.This weekend during our Next Generation Takeover, we celebrated the ways God is already moving in the lives of kids and students. The message is simple, you do not have to wait until you are older to take your faith seriously.Your youth is not something to throw away. It is a season to know God, follow Him, grow in wisdom, and use your life for what matters most.God is at work in the next generation right now. The question is: what will you do with the years He has given you?

What if the mess in your life isn’t always a sign that something has gone wrong? Proverbs 14:4 says, “Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests.” In other words: no oxen, no mess. But also no harvest. We want strong marriages, deep friendships, meaningful work, healthy families, and real community—but all of those things come with inconvenience, conflict, sacrifice, and mess. In this message, we look at what Solomon’s simple picture of an ox and a stable can teach us about relationships, leadership, church, work, and following Jesus. Maybe a meaningful life isn’t supposed to look perfectly clean. Maybe some of the mess is evidence that something real, alive, and worth caring for is happening. 📖 Proverbs 14:4

What if some of the things that make life messy are also the things that make it meaningful? Proverbs 14:4 tells us that where there are no oxen, the stable stays clean—but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest. People bring strength into our lives, but people also bring mess. That is true in our marriages, families, workplaces, friendships, and churches. There are no perfect people, which means there are no perfectly clean communities. But the Gospel teaches us a different way to live with one another. Jesus did not wait for us to become perfect before moving toward us. In grace, He came near. He carried our sin, forgave us, and welcomed us into a new family. And now, because we have received that kind of grace, we are called to extend it to others. Instead of rushing to critical conclusions, we can make generous assumptions. Instead of abandoning people when relationships become difficult, we can learn patience. Instead of demanding perfection, we can bear with one another in love. The goal is not to find a life without mess. It is to become the kind of people who know how to love faithfully in the middle of it. 📖 Proverbs 14:4

Your maturity will always be capped at the point where you stop receiving instruction.Growth requires humility. It requires being willing to be corrected, challenged, and shaped by God, even when it’s uncomfortable.If the goal is Christ-like maturity, then discipline isn’t optional. It’s part of the process.