Seneca Community Church Messages

7/20/2025 - The Seeking King - Part 20: Awful Good by Dave Spencer

When was the last time you were at a hospital emergency room? How long did you have to wait? How physically and emotionally challenging was it? What did you do to pass the time? Can you think of a time (past or present) when you have felt stuck waiting for God to do something? Join us as we continue our message series, The Seeking King, with Part 19: Hurry Up and Wait, and hear about how God has a purpose for our waiting.

When you first come across this idea, it may not seem to make much sense, but it's true that great failures don’t always lead to tragic endings. Can you think of someone who stumbled but ultimately, God redeemed the end of their story? Join us as we jump back into our message series, The Seeking King, with Part 18: Finished, and find out what we can do to make sure we finish well. Get a head start by reading 1 Samuel 28.

Have you ever had the opportunity to do something, but didn't because you didn't know what to do? How true was that assessment? Would you let your kids or employees get away with it? How have you let the concept that you “don’t know what to do” stand in the way of getting off your “but”? Join us as we continue our message series, Replenish, with Part 5: Re-Engage, and talk about how service, or making a difference, is a crucial part of our growth and faith. Get a head start by reading Galatians 6:4-5.

Can you remember a time before you had a smartphone, tablet, or computer? (Your answer to this is greatly affected by your age!) How did you spend your time when you were bored? Have you found that while our devices offer us everything, we can also lose ourselves in them? Do you use technology or does it use you? Join us as we continue our message series, Replenish, with Part 4: Resist, as we talk about technology and its impact on our lives.

Those pesky warning lights on our vehicle dashboards - sometimes we don't even know what they mean, but sometimes we do and ignore them anyway. Have you done that? What happened? Join us as we continue our message series, Replenish, with Part 3: Renew, and find out what the "warning lights" are in our personal lives and how important it is not to ignore those, either.

Have you ever had to reset any electronic or non-electronic devices? What is involved in those kinds of resets? Why do we avoid resetting them? How bad did it have to get before you would take the time to do the reset? Join us as we continue our new message series, Replenish, with Part 2: Reset, and talk about how we may need a reset in our own lives.

What’s the most relaxing vacation you’ve ever had? Did it replenish you? Why did you need to be replenished? Join us as we start our new message series, Replenish, with Part 1: Restless, and look at how a Christ follower can work on loving and living from a healthy soul. Take a look at Ephesians 1:11-12 MSG to get started.

In the last month, New York State lawmakers responded to the rise of child mental health crises, including anxiety, depression, lack of focus, addictions, and self-harm, with a statewide smartphone ban in public schools. You may agree or disagree with their decision, but the evidence of a decline in mental health can’t be ignored. But you probably don’t need any evidence. You or a loved one live it every day. As you navigate our world of always connected and always alone, how will you respond? Perhaps a bigger question is, how does God respond when you’re anxious? Join us as we close out our message series, "Traveler: Where is God taking me?" with Part 13: From Messed Up to Dressed Up. We'll end our journey through 1 Peter in Chapter 5:1-14, and see how God “will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (1 Peter 5:10 NIV)

When was the last time you were surprised? What has been one of your most unanticipated surprises? Whether you like them or not, we can all accept that surprises are part of life. Then why are we often so surprised when trials come our way? Join us as we jump back into our message series, "Traveler: Where is God taking me?" with Part 12: Surprise! Get a head start by reading 1 Peter 4:12-19. We will look at how trials test our faith and how, if we continue to trust God, we can live out of a place of joy, surprises or no surprises!

Suffering. No one wants to go through it, but afterward, we can usually look back and see how it helped us grow. How do you think suffering can help us become more like Jesus? Do you see suffering as a snare or a springboard? In other words, is it a hindrance to your faith or a tool that brings you closer to God? Join us as we jump back into our message series, "Traveler: Where is God taking me?" with Part 11: Changed... Right? Get a head start by reading 1 Peter 4:1-11 and think about an experience of suffering you have faced that you are grateful for, even though you wouldn’t want to endure it again

Have you ever participated in a team-building activity called a “Trust Fall”? How did it go? Who are you willing to trust enough to fall into their arms blindly? Join us as we wrap up our message series, When Love Speaks: Last Words from the Cross, with Part 7: Trust Fall. We'll hear about Jesus' final words (in Luke 23:44–47) and the ultimate “Trust Fall” while also considering how being a Christ Follower is like living out one “Trust Fall” after another.

Like most action movies, many scenes in the movie franchise Mission: Impossible really are impossible. There are so many parts that come together to finish with the words, “That’s a wrap!” How does the life and completed assignment of Jesus seem like Mission Impossible? What are all the “unbelievable” parts that come together so that Jesus can say “Tetelestai” (it is finished)? How does that change everything? Join us as we continue to learn from Jesus' last words from the cross in our series, When Love Speaks - Part 6: Mission Impossible. Get a head start by reading John 19:30.

When was a time you were exceptionally thirsty? What did it feel like? How did you go about quenching your thirst? Read John 19:28-29 and join us for our Easter Sunday Service, as we continue our series, When Love Speaks: Last Words from the Cross, with Part 5: Thirst.

What is your favorite love story? Your first answer to that question was most likely about a romantic relationship, but what about the love between a parent and a child or other family relationships? In many verses throughout the Bible, Christ followers are directed to love, honor, and respect our parents, our family members, and by extension, other Christians. This attitude was modeled by Jesus on the cross, when even amid great pain and suffering, some of His last thoughts were about us (the world) and those standing beneath the cross (Mary and John). Get a head start by reading John 19:25-27 and then join us as we continue our Easter message series, When Love Speaks: Last Words from the Cross, with Part 3: There You Are.

How does uncertainty affect life? How about relationships? Think back to the last time you were in a dating relationship. How did you move from being uncertain to being certain and assured? Join us as we continue our Easter message series, When Love Speaks: Last Words from the Cross, with Part 2: Assurance. We'll see how Jesus' words to the criminal on the cross (in Luke 23:35-43) give us the option to choose assurance (and the redemption that goes with it) instead of rejection.

What kind of trips have you been on recently? A vacation with family, traveling for work? When was the last time you were on a guilt trip? Was it actually God-given conviction or guilt from another source? Join us as we begin our Easter message series, When Love Speaks: Last Words from the Cross, with Part 1: Guiltless. We'll look at the role of guilt and conviction in a Christ-follower's life and discover the power behind Jesus' first last words from the Cross. Get a head start by reading Luke 23:32–37.

When have you received a word of encouragement that came at just the right time? What difference did it make? Have you ever given (or received) advice that wasn't asked for? How might advice be received differently when it's requested? Our words matter - not just what we say but how we say it. Join us as we look at 1 Peter 3:8-12 and consider how to apply these truths to our words and conversations.

Athletes understand that a vital aspect of competing is the importance of focus. If you are not concentrated on the goal, you will lose. The same is true spiritually - it’s deadly for us to be looking anywhere but forward. Join us as we reflect on a powerful and sobering statement from the words of Jesus in Luke 17:32 and discover how they speak to our lives today.

Have you ever been scrolling social media or watching TV and gotten sick of all the ads? It’s really easy for ads and other influences around us to get in our heads and shape our thinking from the outside. But as Christ followers, we’re called to live from the inside out! This important distinction can greatly impact our self-thoughts and our relationships. Join us as we continue our message series, "Traveler: Where is God taking me?" with Part 9: Identity from the Inside Out. We'll look at 1 Peter 3:1-7, and see how our identity in Jesus should turn our relationships inside out.