PURSUIT CONFERENCE 2024
Sunday Experience
WHEN PEOPLE PRAY
LET THERE BE PEACE
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We need peace in so many ways – conflicts in our world, uncertainty in our country, stress in our workplaces, strain in our families, strife in our relationships, and anxiety in our own hearts.
So, where does peace come from? Does it magically happen when enough people decide they want it? Or do we need it to come from outside ourselves because we just won’t find it on our own? How can we truly experience peace?
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SPIRIT
MARGINS
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Margins are the space between what already is and what could be, between what is good and what is best – or maybe between what we settle for and what we dream for. So if our lives lack margins, we will continue to experience only what is, not what could be. We will have to settle for good instead of best. We will never have enough time, our relationships will suffer, and even our finances will feel stretched beyond capacity… all because that which is most important never makes it into the margins. So how can we experience margins – space for that which really matters in every part of our lives?
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THANKSGIVING:
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
ROOT TO FRUIT
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If you’ve ever been in an orchard, the one thing you’re looking for is fruit. Fruit trees have only one purpose: to produce fruit. If they don’t, then they’re not useful, and they even rob the other trees of the nutrients they need. We can easily see the fruit, but it’s what we don’t see that makes all the difference: the roots. They are responsible for getting the nutrients from the soil into the tree, so that it can be healthy, growing, and ultimately producing fruit. If the roots are bad or the tree is unhealthy, then it will produce no fruit or bad fruit. It’s the same with our lives. The fruit we produce – words and actions that people hear and see – are the byproduct of that which is inside us, right down to the root. We really need the inside to be healthy so our fruit will be tasty.
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THE PRACTICES:
MORE LIKE JESUS
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You may have heard it said that the sum total of our lives is a series of habits and practices that we regularly do. In other words, we BECOME what we do. Our habits and practices FORM us, and they SHOW things about us. They show whether we are pursuing things that are truly important, or not so much. They show whether we’re going for depth and significance, or just settling for being shallow. And they either push us towards developing and growing, or stalling and stagnating. What habits and practices do you have in your life? Do they lead you to health, wholeness and vitality? Or are they in the category of “yeah, I should probably stop doing that, because it’s not good for me”? What would it look like to pursue practices that truly help us experience health and wholeness in every part of our lives?
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REJECTION - DAN & DANIELLE MACAULAY
EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY SPIRITUALITY
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The last few years have shed some light on human nature: our mindsets, viewpoints, tendencies and triggers; our fears, anxieties, hopes and dreams; and of course our physical, spiritual, mental and emotional state.
We’ve seen clearly that being emotionally healthy is directly connected to every other part of our lives. And being emotionally unhealthy also affects every part of our lives. So, what are you angry about? What are you sad about? What are you anxious about? What are you glad about? What makes you feel fully alive? What tends to drain the life out of you? Maybe a significant difficulty in your life has challenged your view or expectations of life.
How do we move towards experiencing health and wholeness, especially emotionally?
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PURSUIT CONFERENCE 2023
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Friday Session
Saturday Session
Sunday Session
I AM
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We often use the words “I am” at the beginning of sentences: I am staying. I am leaving. I am comfortable. I am uncomfortable. I am good with that. I am not good with that. And when we become a bit more honest, we may find ourselves saying things like: I am tired. I am hungry. I am lonely. I am uncertain. I am anxious. I am overwhelmed. And maybe even: I am dying inside.
Imagine if someone said things like: I am the bread of life. I am the light of the world. I am the gate to life. I am the source of life. I am the leader you need. We would think that this person either has an over-developed sense of self-confidence, or a really good handle on who they actually are. What if what we actually need is nourishment, hope, direction, life, and loving guidance?
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HEALTHY + WHOLE
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There’s no denying that the last few years have brought forward the issues of health and wholeness – personally, corporately and societally. There is a stability, wholeness and completeness that we all desire to have, and that sadly too many of us do not have enough of. Of course this instability affects every area of our lives – mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. One area that is particularly impacted is our relationships, including marriage, family, friends, colleagues, and significant others. We desperately need to experience the stability of relational health, but so many things threaten to rob us of that. So is it possible for us to truly become healthy and whole, especially in all of our relationships, and if so, how?
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COMPLETE
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It’s a new year, with the possibility of new life, a new way, and a new start. We invite you to join us at Gateway Church during the month of January to explore what it really means to be complete.
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MONEY TALKS
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We’ve all heard the expression “money talks”. It implies that if we really want something done, we should throw money at it, as that will guarantee we’ll get what we want. It also implies that simply saying something doesn’t cut it, we should “put our money where our mouth is”, because it’s the money that really talks. It does reveal a prevailing mindset that money is the only thing worth listening to. It’s basically why we want to hear what a rich person has to say, but not so much someone who’s… not. The reality is, we say money talks, but we don’t actually want to talk about money. It can feel uncomfortable and invasive, because it would reveal some real issues, like crushing debt, the struggle to make ends meet, not being able to reach our goals, or even financial crisis.
You’re not alone today. Most of us struggle with it. And we need to talk about it.
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ARE WE IN THE END TIMES?
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With all that’s been happening in the last few years on our planet, many have questions about what it all means and the future of our world. What’s next? Is this just the beginning of other things to come? We’ve all heard many differing opinions about all of this, and often we’re not sure what the truth is. Should we know as much as we can about it? Or do we just forget about it and move on? Is all of this an indicator that there is an end coming? And if there were specific indicators of the things happening in our world, should we pay attention to them?
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Seminar: Are We In The End Times?
As a continuation of this series, Pastor Tim led a teaching seminar going deeper in answering some of these tough questions you may have about the end times.
Filmed: Wednesday, November 2, 2022
THE REALITY IS 2022: 2
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If you’ve seen all that is taking place in our world lately, along with the conflict in the Ukraine…
in Pakistan a third of the country is under water due to unrelenting rain and deadly flooding; a
number of European countries are facing a crippling energy shortage; in Cuba citizens are
fleeing by the thousands due to oppressive economic and political conditions; in the UK millions
are plunging into poverty due to inflation; in Afghanistan almost 19 million are facing acute
levels of food shortage. More nations are in political upheaval and than ever before. In a world
that has been facing significant crises, we may all wonder what’s next. What does this all mean?
How should we view it? Should we not care? Should we worry about what may be coming?
What can we know for sure and what does it mean for our lives?
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GTWY
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Statistics tell us that there’s a big difference between seeing, hearing or reading something and actually experiencing it. We tend to like things more, remember things more, believe things more, and want to learn about things more, when we experience them firsthand. Statistics also tell us that everyone wants to feel and know that they belong somewhere. The sense of being welcomed, connected and valued are integral to our health and wellbeing. One other thing statistics tell us is that people want to do something that matters, to care about others and make a difference in their lives. We are Gateway, and we want YOU to experience, to belong, and to care!
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THROUGH THE EYES OF
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If you think about all the recent conversation topics, we’ve had a lot to form opinions about. We all see things in a certain way that may be completely different than someone else. Perspective is everything when it comes to issues that polarize us, because those same issues can paralyze us. It’s amazing to see things through someone else’s eyes, because they may have more understanding, and they may see more clearly – especially if they are looking UP.
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TILL WE MEET AGAIN
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Farewell to the Mercers after 22+ years at Gateway Church.
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A.K.A.
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In our A.K.A. series, we are looking at the Lord as our provider, healer, righteousness and banner. What about when He doesn’t provide or heal or seem good or show up?
Are there times God doesn’t? Or do we have the wrong perspective? What do we do in the midst of this? How do we trust Him no matter what?
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FATHER OF ALL
BRICKLAYERS
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Everything about promises depends on whether you can count on them. If you can, then you have something to build on. We’re all bricklayers, building our lives brick by brick. We need to be able to build on something solid and strong, on good promises that are true and last forever.
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JESUS OVER EVERYTHING
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We all need to know what we can trust, what we can be sure of, what we can build our lives on. What if you could have confidence in what to believe, what to stand on, what to trust in? And what if who God is, what He has said and what He has done is something you could trust in completely?
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THE REALITY IS 2022: 1
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You think that something is reality because you believe it, and that your opinion is right… otherwise you would change it.
But what if someone who claims to know truth does things that make them less than truthful? And what if truth is something, we need to discover rather than determine?
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OUR HEART FOR OUR HOUSE
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This is Our Heart for Our House: to help people identify and find their next steps toward a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ. To create opportunities for people to EXPERIENCE God’s presence and the body of Christ. To BELONG to something bigger than themselves, because we’re better together, and to CARE for those who are hurt, disenfranchised, discouraged, or have lost their way. We need to do this in community.
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THE STORY OF THE BIBLE
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What if what you’ve believed about the bible, how it came to be, what it says to us, whether it’s true, and whether it actually matters to your life, isn’t what you thought? And what if you discovered that some of the hardest things in life, like disappointment, confusion, fear and even despair are not only all throughout the bible, but so are the tools to overcome them?
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SOUND DOCTRINE
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Do we know for sure that our beliefs are right, that our principles are solid, that our creeds are true, that our doctrine is sound? It really matters, because our entire lives are based on it and the way we live depends on it. Even the way we view God can really affect these things. Do you view God as someone who can do anything, who knows everything about you, who is everywhere all the time, and who loves you no matter what? Or as someone who is just as powerless, confused, limited and self-absorbed as the rest of us?
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