Stuck in a Moment: The Gospel for Control Freaks
Northwest Vineyard
Launching a new five-week series through the book of Ecclesiastes titled Stuck in a Moment, Pastor Scott Engebretson opens up the ancient wisdom text to address the very modern feelings of monotony, exhaustion, and feeling stuck in life. Scott breaks down the structure of Ecclesiastes—distinguishing between the narrator and the core monologue of "the teacher"—and explores two central concepts that frame the entire book: living "under the sun" and the Hebrew concept of hebel (often translated as meaningless, vanity, or vapor). Rather than viewing Ecclesiastes as a cynical treatise, Scott...
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Flourishing: The Cost of the Kingdom
Northwest Vineyard
Closing out the summer series on the Beatitudes, Pastor Scott Engebretson addresses Matthew 5:10–12: "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Scott unpacks the reality of Christian persecution across the globe while providing necessary perspective on what persecution is—and isn't—for the Western church. Emphasizing that Jesus’s vision of flourishing is not an easy, fairytale life, Scott shows how living under the rule of King Jesus and pursuing real righteousness naturally clashes with the values of the world. He challenges...
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Flourishing: Blessed Are the Peacemakers
Northwest Vineyard
Continuing the summer series on the Beatitudes, Pastor Hannah Engebretson explores Matthew 5:9: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." Opening with a lighthearted look at a 20-year marital compromise, Hannah dives into the profound difference between simply being a "peacekeeper" who avoids conflict at all costs and being an active "peacemaker" who courageously steps into tension to bring about healing and wholeness. Drawing lessons from modern culture, the story of Joseph in Genesis, and Jesus's own teachings, she illustrates that peacemaking is not a passive...
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Flourishing: An Undivided Heart
Northwest Vineyard
Continuing the summer series on the Beatitudes, Pastor Scott Engebretson tackles Matthew 5:8: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Scott challenges the common tendency within the church to dismiss purity of heart as an impossible standard reserved only for heaven. Instead, he presents biblical purity as an undivided loyalty and single-hearted devotion to God here and now. Exploring passages from Psalm 24, Psalm 51, and James 4, Scott emphasizes that we cannot manufacture or scrub our way into a clean heart on our own strength. Rather, an undivided life requires a humble...
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Flourishing: Receiving and Releasing Mercy
Northwest Vineyard
Continuing the summer series on the Beatitudes, Pastor Scott Engebretson returns to examine Matthew 5:7: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." Scott explores how our ability to extend compassion and forgiveness to others is directly tied to our own experience of God’s grace. He explains that if we find ourselves harboring bitterness, judgment, or an unmerciful spirit, it serves as a spiritual indicator that we need to re-encounter the deep, unconditional love of the Father. Ultimately, Scott challenges the community to step away from self-righteousness, throw themselves...
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Flourishing: A Holy Longing
Northwest Vineyard
Continuing the summer series on the Beatitudes, Sam Stephens walks through the fourth beatitude in Matthew 5:6: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." Sam contrasts the cultural obsession with chasing superficial appetites—like scrolling through social media—with the deep spiritual hunger we are actually created to experience. He explains that kingdom flourishing belongs to those who carry a holy longing for Jesus, rather than those trying to coast on past spiritual experiences. Challenging the community to break out of comfort zones and...
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Flourishing: Power, Posture, and the Meek
Northwest Vineyard
Guest speaker Emily Crider steps into the "Flourishing" series to examine the third beatitude: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Drawing from her extensive ministry work with university graduate students, Emily breaks down our modern discomfort with the word "meekness," which is often misconstrued as weakness, powerlessness, or passivity. By contrasting the oppressive, self-exalting power structures of the ancient Roman Empire with the humble stance of Jesus, she redefines meekness as power under control. Emily challenges the community—whether they feel voiceless and...
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Flourishing: The Comfort Found in Mourning
Northwest Vineyard
In this installment of the "Flourishing" series, Pastor Scott Engebretson addresses our cultural aversion to grief and the rising phenomenon of emotional "dryness." Looking at the second beatitude in Matthew 5:4, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted," Scott challenges the American standard of rushed bereavement. Sharing a deeply personal reflection on the legacy and loss of his own father, he explores the sacred space that exists between laughter and tears. Scott invites the church to be a community that unmasks its pain, reminding us that true kingdom flourishing doesn't...
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Flourishing: Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit
Northwest Vineyard
Continuing the summer series on the Beatitudes, Pastor Scott Engebretson tackles our tendency to make false assumptions about life, work, and faith. Zooming in on Matthew 5:3, Scott unpacks the countercultural definition of what it means to be "poor in spirit." He explains that kingdom flourishing doesn't come from getting louder, bigger, or more self-reliant, but from a posture of spiritual bankruptcy—admitting our emptiness and decreasing so that Christ can increase. Even in the midst of a dry spiritual drought, Scott invites the community to step out of self-sufficiency, embrace a posture...
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Flourishing: The Way of the Kingdom
Northwest Vineyard
Kicking off a new summer series on the Beatitudes, Pastor Scott Engebretson introduces what it truly means to live a life that flourishes. Transitioning into Trinity Sunday, Scott contrasts cultural and academic definitions of human flourishing—like Harvard University's Human Flourishing Project—with the countercultural vision cast by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Drawing a linguistic link from Psalm 1, he notes that the biblical concept of being "blessed" is deeply tied to an internal, rooted state of flourishing. Scott explains that just as Moses climbed Mount Sinai to receive the...
info_outlineReturning to the "Creating Space" series, Pastor Scott Engebretson contrasts our culture's desire to "chase momentum" with the biblical call to slow devotion. Focusing on the story of Simeon in Luke 2:25-33, Scott explores how Simeon sustained his faith during the centuries of silence between the Old and New Testaments, proving that intimacy with God is possible even in the dark. He defines devotion not as legalism, but as a "careful regard for Kairos"—an attentive waiting for God's timing. Drawing illustrations from Michael Jordan's "love of the game" and the prayer habits of the early church in the Didache, Scott challenges listeners to establish rhythms of prayer to navigate the waiting and recognize the "consolation of Israel" when He arrives.