Azure Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church

Tiny People | Pastor Tara VinCross

Brené Brown said, “What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.”

Every year, we pause as a community for gratitude, in our annual Gratitude and Missions Sabbath. We recognize that we give because we have received from the lavish love of God (1 John 3).

Paul says in Ephesians 5:20 to "Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We take the time to hear stories, see pictures, and reflect on our own lives, rejoicing in the goodness of God. For “every good and perfect gift comes from above” (James 1:17).

Our Actions Make a Difference | Minute to Thrive

Our words and actions have the power to make a difference in someone’s life! Take a minute to thrive with Pastor Tara VinCross!

Hope In Christ | Pastor Tara VinCross

It’s irrational to buy a lottery ticket. Yet millions do, even more when the prize gets huge. According to Seth Godin, the odds of winning the $1.6 billion MegaMillions lottery are minuscule. You’re 400 times more likely to be hit by lightening. He points out that for some people, paying for the ticket is a bargain because it offers them something important than winning: hope.

It’s true, we all need hope to survive. Where can true hope be found?

Pastor Tara VinCross will speak from the apostle Paul’s own lived experience about Hope in Christ, a hope that is lasting and does not depend on circumstances.    

Gratitude | Minute to Thrive

What are you grateful for? We are invited to remember.

Take a minute to thrive with Pastor Tara VinCross!

The High Calling of Service | Veterans Day Sabbath | Chaplain Tom Smith

Lieutenant Commander Tom Smith, Chaplain, US Navy (retired) will be our speaker this Veterans Day Sabbath. Chaplain Smith has been in pastoral ministry for 45+ years; 12 as a pastor, 20 as a Navy Chaplain and 15 years serving as the Chief of Chaplains at the Loma Linda VA. He is the husband of Sue Smith, the father of four children and five grandchildren and also a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.

Veterans Day is one of two federal holidays set aside to honor men and women who have at some point served in the Armed Forces of the United States. There are over 18,000,000 alive representing 7% of our population who fall into this category. Service to ones country is a reminder of a greater service on behalf of a greater kingdom ... the kingdom of Heaven. We who embrace the gift of God’s love are called to follow in the steps of the One who came NOT to be served but to serve. "The greatest among us are the ones who serve.” This is our privilege and our calling.

Grand Reunion | Minute to Thrive

We hold on to the hope that there will be a grand reunion one day. Take a minute to thrive with Pastor Tara VinCross.

7 Churches of Revelation, pt.7 Laodicea | Pastor Tara VinCross

Lawrence Kutner said, "Children learn and remember at least as much from the context of the classroom as from the content of the coursework.” This holds true for the letter written to the church in Laodicea. The context matters just as much as the content of the message.

Pastor Tara VinCross concludes our sermon series in the Book of Revelation, taking us deeper into the most talked about church, the letter to the church in Laodicea.

How does Jesus come to the people in Laodicea? What does Jesus see in the people? What does Jesus promise them? As you read this letter in Revelation 3:14-22, we see a striking image of Christ knocking at a closed door, asking to come inside. How will we respond?

Our God Will Reveal | Minute to Thrive

God will reveal to us what we don't know on our own. Take a minute to thrive with Pastor Tara VinCross! 

7 Churches of Revelation, pt.6 Philadelphia - Pastor Tara VinCross

What does it mean to be rich? You might immediately point to the things that we possess. What we own and the stuff we manage. Yet, being rich is about so much more. A rich life is about opportunities… open doors… real connection. These are the unshakable things that hold in the chaotic earthquakes and eruptions of life.

Pastor Tara VinCross continues in our sermon series in the Book of Revelation, taking us deeper into the letter to the church in Philadelphia.

Celebrate the Work of Your Hands | Minute to Thrive

Is there some work of your hands that the Lord is inviting you to celebrate? Take a minute to thrive with Pastor Tara VinCross!