If our desire for comfort isn't directed to walking alongside those who are hurting and offering them comfort, then we are missing the point.

Much like our human desire to binge-watch Netflix, a great podcast will capture us. Are you driving to work? Podcast. Saturday chores? Podcast. Working out? Podcast. Annoying the kids? Podcast. Breathing? Podcast. It’s the talk radio shows our parents listened to while driving us around - but relevant and interesting. Oh, and convenient.

We naturally gravitate away from what is uncomfortable. It takes an effort to engage in new ways. But Jesus did not take the easy way out and neither should we.

Centerpoint Church is tearing down every unnecessary barrier. Nothing should stand in the way of hearing about Jesus. We see denominations as one of those barriers. Over time denominations can put up hoops to jump through on how to become a part of the community.  Rules develop that are less scripture based and hold more of a “how to get into the country club” vibe.

Centerpoint Church is an alternative to church as usual. Our high school and middle school youth group in Valrico holds that same mission. We are tearing down every necessary barrier. Your teen doesn’t have to believe everything we say. In fact, we want them to bring hard questions.

Centerpoint Church is an alternative to church as usual. Our middle and high school youth group in Valrico holds that same mission. We are tearing down every unnecessary barrier. We want your teens to feel safe to come as they are and to hear about Jesus, whether they buy into everything we say or not.

Every person has been made in the image of God and has extreme value. We are called to love. That means we live life side by side, even when we disagree. We ask hard questions about Scripture and Jesus. We value one another and honor how the Holy Spirit is working in each of our lives.

Expect a week of high-energy worship and activities. Every moment is filled with sports, swimming, paintball, tubing, arts and crafts, ropes courses, speakers, games, new friends and more. Quiet moments of reflection are carved out allowing the teens to process all they are taking in.

Joy happens in spite of suffering. It is an act of resistance against despair and a display of trust in God. See, joy is about connecting with something beyond ourselves. Like love, it points the focus away from selfish desires.

Don’t live in a bubble. Create spaces where you hear other sides. Learn to engage with the world and culture around you. Get uncomfortable; it's where real change happens.

What happens when we feel the Holy Spirit prodding us to go somewhere we’ve never been? Do something we’ve never done?

Here's the thing. When we learn to sit in discomfort, we start to change. We start to see God working. God can do some extraordinary things if we would just step out of our comfort zones.

As Christians comfort should be about making the hurting comfortable, not ourselves. Often when we are placed in situations that make us uncomfortable, we can be known to throw scripture or sayings we think are scripture, but aren't, at others.

Having a friend who believes that God does not exist is someone worth listening too and hearing out. Your atheist friend will have well thought out arguments that will challenge you. Sit with that challenge and explore why and what you believe.

You, my friend, are fully loved. It is that simple. There is nothing you have to do to earn this. But to understand that love you have to lay all of you out in the open for Jesus.

Look. We love you. No matter who you are. And that is the point. Whether you come from a religiously righteous background or if you have been an outsider like the tax collectors, Jesus loves you and so do we. That is why we founded an alternative church.

Since our internal words impact how we see and act in life, then why don’t we take our mental health as seriously as we take our physical health?

We often say, “Suicide is the most selfish thing a person can do.” But we aren’t giving people a choice about their behavior. We foster stigmas and clauses and cultures where people have to act one way on the outside while they are screaming for help on the inside.

Jesus threw his reputation to the wind and pursued those outside the popular religious circle, which withheld love and compassion from the outcast of society. Jesus got his reputation dirty and invited these people into his new circle. A circle that can encompass all.

Those with mental illness are in a war and they need an army on their side. The church needs to open its eyes to the reality of this war and they need to stand by the people who are hurting from it.

Did you know God wants you to love Him with your mind? It’s true. We emphasize loving God with our hearts and with passion (which are great and have their place), but we downplay the mental part of loving God.