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"People don't leave their jobs, they leave their supervisors."  This is a paraphrased version of the Gallup Organization's findings after a massive study on workplace managers back in 1999.  They found people are more likely to cite relational tensions with direct authority  as the reason for moving on.To be honest, my workplace relationships with my bosses deteriorated in nearly every work situation during my early adulthood years.  Some were just mean, some took advantage of me, some made promises they never delivered on, and some were just different in ways that my immature self didn't appreciate.I think this dynamic becomes more challenging and potentially painful when it plays out in family systems and in church communities.  These authority structures are established by God and yet are rife with human error.  But God has very specific instructions for both leaders and followers. In this message, we look at Numbers 16, a leadership showdown like none other.  Israel is fed up with the guy in charge and they are ready to move on.  This passage is a meaty meal I look forward to digesting with you!Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

I was born in the 80’s when toys were made to last. My first memory of being on a playground was at McDonalds climbing up the cylinder body of the Hamburgler to access the jail between the cheese and the top bun. That playground was made to last, and caused some kids serious injuries. If kids saw it today, they’d have nightmares about it. It was amazing!  As soon as I became a teenager, all of those playgrounds were replaced with ball pits and multistoried mazes. Guess who couldn’t go in there… ME! I was too old, too big. I had missed out. All the kids playing inside looked like they were having a blast and no one was bleeding or missing teeth.  It is the common human experience to look on our past and romanticize what we had, while looking into the future and wanting to have a different experience. When we allow ourselves to go down this path, we put ourselves in danger of missing out on what God is doing in the present moment. Longing for the past, hoping for a better future, and all the while being disconnected from the God who has draw near to us.  This weekend, we examine one of the saddest stories in Scripture, the spies entering the promised land, and the consequences of their report. As we delve into the story, we will have to wrestle with the question: Am I delighting in all the Lord has for me, or am I disqualifying myself from His promises?  Read ahead in Numbers 13-14.  Pastor Matt McCarter

As we continue our journey through Scripture, we’ll be looking at Numbers 11-12 and a struggle that touches every one of us: complaining. God had delivered Israel from slavery, continued to lead them, and faithfully provided food in the wilderness. Yet their desires led them to despise His provision and look back, longing for what was in Egypt. One question we’ll consider is: What does my faithless complaining reveal about what I believe about God? Sometimes the very things we once prayed for become the things we now complain about: our work, our relationships, or opportunities to serve. These chapters invite us to examine our hearts and remember God's provision, which we can so easily overlook. We’ll also explore how God welcomes us to bring our grief, questions, and burdens to Him. Honest prayer can express deep pain while still trusting Him. Faithless grumbling, however, questions His goodness and despises His provision. Together, we’ll consider how to respond when God convicts us and how we can grow in faith, contentment, and gratitude. We’ll look to Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection give us forgiveness, hope, and a firm foundation for trusting God. Before we gather, I encourage you to read Numbers 11-12 and ask: “Lord, where has gratitude given way to faithless complaining in my heart?” My prayer is that we come ready to hear God’s Word and live a life that pleases God. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Pastor Joseph Collier

Every day in this little hamlet by the sea, there is the hustle and bustle of people moving to and fro between jobs, tasks, and activities. Some are shuffling kids from school to home. Some are doing their weekly grocery shopping. Some of us are opening our storefronts to welcome in the day's customers. All the while, there is a smaller group of people, a busy group of workers who have devoted their day not to a job, task, or an activity, but to a certain, even smaller group of people, people in our community in need. This Sunday is I LOVE HOMER SUNDAY, the launch of our Missions Conference. I LOVE HOMER SUNDAY is our chance to celebrate, honor, and partner with the organizations and ministries who seek to serve others in our community. On Sunday, we will hear from three organizations and host several others. What do you need to do in the meantime? 1. Look over the list of organizations and missionaries we will be hosting this coming weekend and get to know them a little more. 2. Collect your thoughts about how you will invest your time and money over the next year in God's Kingdom. Ask the Lord to help you make a connection that will encourage a missionary and grow your faith. 3. Familiarize yourself with the online pledges here. 4. Make a plan to come to the Monday Night Missions Banquet and buy a ticket. 5. Invite a friend and get FIRED UP about all that God is doing in Homer, Alaska, the USofA, and THE WHOLE WORLD! Have a question? Email us at [email protected]. Pastor Matt McCarter

Wedding bells are ringing loudly in my home this week. My beautiful daughter Talia and her very tall Canadian fiancé are to be wed Saturday and our house is bustling with preparations. Talia’s new and wonderful in-laws are here from Saskatchewan and have brought the party vibe. We are eating lots of good food, spending time together, each one of us helping with our respective parts. For those of you keeping track; this is our third wedding in 24 months. We are very much enjoying this unique season and all of the festivities it brings. In this Sunday Sermon, I want to talk about another upcoming wedding celebration and the respective rolls we each have in preparing for that epic day. Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

Often times in life things don't go the way we expect. This can lead to questions about why God isn't acting in the way or time we think He should. Choosing trust in the unknown protects our hearts from offense. Come learn about the blessing waiting for us on the other side of this choice. Philip Licht

Have you ever gotten caught with your hand in the cookie jar? Do you remember the feeling? Mom told you not to eat cookies before dinner, but that jar full of goodness is so tempting. We respond with comments like “I just wanted one” or “I am so hungry”. The problem is that Mama said, and you didn’t listen. I mean, I didn’t listen. The book of Exodus closes with a similar warning as the cooking jar, God’s presence settles on the Ark of the Covenant and the tent of meeting becomes off limits. It does not matter what your reasoning is, you cannot enter! To come before a Holy God is no small matter, in fact it is a matter of life and death. In God’s presence our sins cannot be hidden nor will they be tolerated without being first forgiven. In God’s efforts to live among His people, He made a way for them to enter in, to be forgiven, to be washed as white as snow. Turns out God not only wants to be close to Him physically, but for us to also express to Him the ability to approach Him, guiltless, sinless, not irreverently but with an expectation of experiencing His goodness and compassion. God knew we would sin and so He set aside a day for our sins to be atoned for and our guilt and shame to be removed from us. The Day of Atonement should not be seen as a way to appease an angry God, but a day on which an Holy God would express His desire to live in peace with His chosen ones. Read ahead for Sunday in Leviticus 10-16. Pastor Matt McCarter

It’s September already. Before I know it there will be Christmas decorations adorning my home, Mariah Carey’s voice filling the air along with the smell of a freshly baked sheet of Christmas cookies. Whether you like it or not your life is ruled by a calendar. Days and dates that inform your life from anniversaries, to birth days, to national holidays. There are events scheduled throughout your year that dictate how you will spend your time.Have you ever considered that other people live off of a different calendar than you? What if I told you that other people live off of multiple different calendars than you. As an American, July 4th means something drastically different to me than a person living in the UK. That same time means something completely different for an Israelite who celebrates the Feasts of the Lord, who lived by a drastically different calendar than we do today.This weekend we take a look at the Feast Days given to the Israelites to celebrate all that God has done and all that God will do and maybe you’ll reconsider the calendar you currently live by, without having to toss out Christmas!  Pastor Matt McCarter

What do you say? What do you do? How do you move forward when a relationship has been deeply strained, when your mistakes have been costly and trust has been shaken? We are in a series titled Worship of a Holy God. It is God’s holiness that adds another layer to the relational repair needed in light of the harm we have caused. In my other human relationships I might be able to relieve the burden by pointing the finger. “Yes, I did such and such, but also, they did….” But not with God. His holiness is His perfection. He is not like us. All of the distance, all of the damage, all of the violation of trust is on us. And yet God, in His grace, has made a way. He has not only opened the door, he has invited us in. Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

Camping in Alaska is always a fun adventure. We finally got to go a few weeks ago and it always takes some work to gather your camping supplies and pack them up just to hit the road. The excitement builds as we hit the road and find our spot and set up camp. Now the fun begins! Fires, time in the woods, getting wet in an ocean or river, and then fire pit desserts, all under a seemingly never setting sun which makes sleep optional, or at least the kids think so. At some point the magic of camping fades and we begin to long for our home, our bed, the roof that doesn’t drip with dew and for me a back that doesn’t ache. Living in a tent is always a little underwhelming. So why would God do it? In this message, we examine the most boring part of Exodus, the instructions for God’s tent, the Tabernacle. This is arguably the greatest tent in the history of man, not because of its design, but its purpose. The God of all creation had a plan to make Himself known to His people and to give them a better understanding of what we were truly created for! Pastor Matt McCarter

What is rest? But actually, do you feel like you know what true rest feels like? Jenny and I have always distinguished between different ways of needing rest. There is sleepy, which is that feeling of about to doze off. And then there is tired, which does not always mean sleepy. We also describe different levels of tired. There is “I need a nap” tired. There is crisis and drama tired. There is “I need a vacation” tired. And then there is the more serious, “I can’t keep doing what I’m doing tired.” This is the kind of tired where I realize something in my life needs to change or I’m gonna wear myself out. Are you tired? Are you finding rest? In this message we launch into a new series about worship and about a God who is holy. And maybe surprisingly, this begins with rest. Come tired, come exhausted, come rested, come sleepy. Either way, come and join us we study Exodus 16 & 20 together this week. Dr. Pastor Aaron Weisser

There are many times during my preparation process for a Sunday morning teaching that I will find myself thinking, "This is going to be a fun study." This is not one of those weeks. Sunday we will dive into the story in Exodus 32 and it is a rough one. As we prepare for Sunday, take a minute to read through this chapter. As you read, don't fall prey to the moralistic interpretation which concludes "Don't be like them." The bad news is, we are all like them. And God alone can save us. Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

In this message, we will be in Exodus 19–20, but primarily Exodus 20, looking at one of the most important moments in Scripture: God giving the Ten Commandments to Israel. At Mount Sinai, the people saw the mountain covered in smoke, felt it tremble, heard the trumpet grow louder, and then heard the audible voice of God declare His commands. This was not merely a private conversation between God and Moses; the entire nation heard the words of the Lord. We will see that God did not give Israel the law so they could earn their redemption. He had already rescued them from slavery in Egypt. Grace came before command. The law taught God’s redeemed people how to live in a way that reflected His holiness and their covenant relationship with Him. We will also consider the purposes of God’s law. It reveals the character of God, exposes the sin within our hearts, shows us our need for a Savior, and guides those who have been redeemed. Jesus summarized the heart of the law as loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Finally, we will look at how the new covenant transforms obedience. Through Christ, God does more than place commandments before us: He gives us new hearts, writes His law within us, and gives us His Spirit. We do not obey to earn salvation; because we have been saved by grace, we desire to love and obey the God who rescued us. Pastor Joseph Collier

I recently attended a wedding at the Homestead. It was a beautiful Alaskan wedding, which means it's a little damp, a little rainy, but everyone is full of joy watching a man and woman come together in holy matrimony! Every time I witness a couple say their vows I am taken back to the moment I stood in front of my bride and made my covenant with her. Every wedding is a sobering moment to remember the promises I made as I say to myself, "Oh, right, I am supposed to love my wife like that!" We have reached the moment in the Exodus narrative where God's bride, His chosen people, say "I do!" He invites them into relationship, and the shocking thing is that they have no idea what is ahead of them. It will be impossible for Israel to perfectly navigate their promise to God, and the beautiful thing about it is that God already knows His people's shortcomings, but He says "I do" anyway! In this message, we take a look at Exodus 19 and marvel over a covenant-keeping God who never fails us! Pastor Matthew McCarter

During the school year, Tuesday is pancake day. I make them from scratch every week, cuz I’m hardcore like that. But I don’t just make pancakes, I make CHOCOLATE CHIP pancakes! That wasn’t supposed to be the thing but I did it as a treat one time and now that’s the way we role every week. It is amazing what a few droplets of chocolate does to elevate a regular old skillet flat cake. One such morning, some time ago, I was serving these gorgeous round chocolatey breakfast breads and a child of mine noticed something amiss. I was respectfully asked “Dad, did you mean for the center to be doughy?” The wording of the question was superb, especially for a kid. It wasn’t accusatory or even overtly derogatory. It was a question of curiosity. “Dad, was this part of an intentional plan or was this new development the result of oversite?” Even the tone was polite. I still didn’t like it. If felt like complaining. I think I said something like “Is it a problem?” Yeah, I know. Way too snarky coming from pastor Dad. “HOW DARE YOU lodge a complaint against my perfect pancakes! How dare you indicate dissatisfaction! Do you know how many children would be grateful to have chocolate for breakfast? You will eat that wet interior and YOU WILL LIKE IT.” I didn’t say those things, but I was a bit alarmed by how quickly I thought them. In this message, we look at Exodus 15 & 16. In this story, God is the chef and His people are His unhappy customers. There is an important truth in this story that you and I need to hear. Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser