You can feel heartbroken by the news and still never do anything about it.

Catastrophizing. Doomscrolling. Compassion fatigue. Comfort-zone syndrome. We have a dozen ways to feel deeply about suffering in the world — and still keep it at arm's length. This week kicks off a new series through the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, and it starts in an unexpected place: not with a plan, but with a broken heart.

Nehemiah had comfort, access, and success. He also had a choice: stay safe, or let someone else's pain interrupt his life. Before he ever picked up a hammer to rebuild a wall, he wept, fasted, and prayed.

In this message, we talk about:

• Why proximity changes compassion from a feeling into an action
• The four foundations of biblical compassion — starting with turning to God, not trying to fix, avoid, or numb what hurts
• Why the greatest test of compassion isn't when we're hurting, but when we're comfortable and someone else is

Kicking off a 7-week series on the character God is shaping in us — starting with Compassion.

Scripture referenced: Nehemiah 1:1–11 · Matthew 9:36 · Isaiah 49:15 · 1 John 1:9

#Nehemiah #Compassion #SermonSeries

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What if the goal isn't a different season — it's deeper roots?

Everybody is trusting something to hold their life together: control, approval, success, another person, themselves. It works fine until the heat comes — a diagnosis, a closed door, a kid who won't choose right, a prayer that isn't answered on your timeline. Suddenly you find out what your roots were really in.

In Jeremiah 17:5–8, God gives a picture of two lives: one like a shrub in the desert, one like a tree planted by a stream. Both face the same drought. Only one stays green. The difference was never the weather — it's the source.

In this message, we talk about:

• Why pressure exposes what you're actually trusting, not what you say you're trusting
• Why God is often more interested in your roots than your branches
• What it means that "the greatest threat isn't the drought — it's disconnecting from the Source during the drought"
• Why "stuck" doesn't mean "forgotten," and how sanctification can be happening even when your circumstances aren't changing
• How Jesus' invitation in John 7:37 — "if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink" — changes what it means to grow, mature, and produce fruit

If you're in a season that isn't changing yet, this one's for you.

Scripture referenced: Jeremiah 17:5–8 · John 7:37–39 · Matthew 26:38–39 · Exodus 30:23 · Ezekiel's temple vision (Ezekiel 47)

#Jeremiah17 #StayConnected #FaithInTheDrought #SermonSeries

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What if the hardest season of your life isn't a sign God has abandoned you — but proof you're right in the middle of His story?

In Exodus, God's people are rescued from slavery in Egypt... only to land in a wilderness with no food, no water, and no map. It's easy to judge them for grumbling. It's harder to admit we'd do the same. This week, Sean Murphy walks through the pattern that shapes the entire Bible — and our own lives: Out of bondage, Through the wilderness, Into promise. It's the story of Israel, and it's the story Jesus fulfills completely — facing down sin and death so we could be free, not just from something, but for something.

You'll walk away asking: Where am I still stuck in a cycle I keep choosing over God? Do I trust God's provision one day at a time, or do I just complain when it's hard? Am I quick to forget who actually provided the good things I have?

Scripture referenced: Ephesians 2:4-5, Exodus 3:7-8, Exodus 6:7, Exodus 14:10-16, Exodus 16:2-3, Deuteronomy 8:10-18, Judges 21:25, John 3:16, Matthew 4:4, Luke 23:40-43, John 8:31-36, Psalm 139, Jeremiah 1:5

Resources mentioned: The Critical Journey by Janet Hagberg & Robert Guelich; Bible Project

#Exodus #Freedom #Wilderness #FaithJourney #Discipleship #HillsideChurch #GodsStory #Redemption

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We’re glad you’re here.

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What if the plateau you're feeling isn't failure — it's just one stage of a much longer road?

In the final week of our "What We Believe" series, Pastor Aaron McRae maps out the real stages of a life of faith — from first discovering God, to the busyness of serving, to a harder inward season many people never talk about, and finally into a life marked less by striving and more by love. Drawing on Jesus' words in John 15 and research showing most Christians plateau far short of real transformation, Aaron makes the case that getting stuck isn't the end of the story — it might just mean you're due for a turn you didn't expect.

This teaching:

• Why "being active at church" and spiritual transformation aren't the same thing
• What "the Wall" is, and why it's often a sign of growth, not failure
• One honest question to ask about where you actually are on this journey

Scripture: John 15:1–17

#HillsideChurch #AaronMcRae #WhatWeBelieve #ChristianLifeSeries #SpiritualGrowth #John15 #FaithJourney #Discipleship #CriticalJourney #SpiritualFormation #StuckInFaith #ChristianMaturity

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What if the thing holding you back isn't a lack of effort, but a wrong starting point?

In Ephesians 4, Paul describes two very different ways to live — one marked by exhausted striving, and one that starts somewhere completely different: belonging. Pastor Aaron McRae opens our new series on Scripture and the Christian Life by asking a strange question — what does your life actually smell like to the people around you? — and unpacks a simple but life-changing order: you don't become to belong. You belong, so you become.

Why "putting off" old patterns only works when it flows from identity, not effort
What adoption into God's family actually means — and why it changes everything
One practical shift you can make this week in how you speak, handle anger, or respond to conflict

Scripture: Ephesians 4:17–5:2 | Romans 8:14–15 | 2 Corinthians 5:17

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For the full gathering of this message which includes worship, visit our Youtube channel.

Stay Connected With Hillside Community Church.
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What's your relationship with your Bible actually look like right now? For some of us, it's a stack of good intentions — worn in some places, untouched in others.

In this message, Pastor Woody walks through a personal journey with Scripture — from childhood to now — anchored by a surprising Old Testament command: even Israel's future kings were told to personally write out and read God's Word every single day of their lives. Not delegate it. Not outsource it. Own it. If Scripture is that essential for a king, it's essential for the rest of us too.

In this message you'll discover:
-Why proximity to God's Word matters more than good intentions
-What Deuteronomy 17 reveals about humility, consistency, and long-term faithfulness
-A simple next step to re-engage with the Bible this week — no matter where you're starting from

Scripture referenced: Psalm 1, Deuteronomy 17:18–20, Psalm 119:105, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Matthew 3:8/Luke 3:8, Matthew 11:29–30, Psalm 71:18, 2 Kings 22, 2 Chronicles 34

Resources mentioned: Move by Greg L. Hawkins and Cally Parkinson

Welcome to Hillside Community Church. Wherever you are joining us from today, we’re glad you’re here! If you would like to experience this gathering among community with others engaging online, head to our Church Online site https://live.hillsidechurches.com/ to utilize a chat or request prayer from our team.

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You already know the Bible is good for you. So why is it so hard to stay consistent?

Drawing from 2 Timothy 3, Pastor Aaron McRae makes the case that Scripture isn't just useful — it's doing something in you every time you engage with it. Teaching. Rebuking. Correcting. Training. Four words that sound simple but carry the weight of a life being shaped from the inside out.

This is week two of Hillside's series on Scripture, and it tackles the question behind the question: not just how to read the Bible, but what God is actually trying to accomplish through it. The goal isn't more information. It's not a better morning routine. It's becoming more like Jesus — thoroughly equipped for every good work.

It's never too late to start. And you're never finished growing.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:14–17, Romans 10:8–10, 1 Timothy 4:8, Romans 15:4, Hebrews 12:7–11
Resources: Women of the Word — Jen Wilkin; Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy; Experiencing God — Henry Blackaby; Gerry Breshears, "The Bible Is Inspired By God"

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Most people who read the Bible are reading it for the wrong thing.

For information. For answers. For a checklist. And when it doesn't deliver, they close it and walk away disappointed. But what if the Bible was never meant to be read like a search engine — or a self-help book — or an instruction manual?

Drawing from Luke 24 and the Road to Emmaus, Pastor Aaron unpacks what Scripture is actually designed to do: reveal a person, tell a story, teach a truth, and require a life. This is week one of a new series on Scripture — and it starts with one question: what would change if you read the Bible not for information, but for intimacy?

One small habit. Consistently practiced. The power to transform your life.

Scripture:
Luke 24:13–49
John 14:6
John 16:13
Romans 10:8–11
James 1:22
1 John 5:3–4

Resources:
The Jesus Storybook Bible
Cape Town Commitment (Lausanne Movement)
The Bible Recap
YouVersion App

For the full gathering of this message which includes worship, visit our Youtube channel.

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