Blue Oaks Church Weekend Services

One of the greatest examples of spiritual friendship is the relationship between David and Jonathan. Their friendship reveals the wonder of two souls being knit together. God continues to knit souls together in spiritual friendships today. We may not have a lot of spiritual friendships, and they may not always last a lifetime, but God marks us when we develop them. They’re something worth giving our lives to. Next Steps I will be a spiritual friend by helping others pay The post Spiritual Friendship appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

In this message we look at the contrast between David, who was “a man after God’s own heart” and his predecessor on the throne, King Saul, who grew increasingly envious and bitter. We see how the envy Saul developed for David destroyed what had started as a promising reign over Israel. And by observing the stages Saul went through to his destruction, we will hopefully be able to guard ourselves from a similar outcome. Next Steps I will have the The post How The Mighty Fall appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

In this message we will learn how God gave David the courage to face his giant, Goliath. We will learn how to face our own giants and develop courage like David. By facing everyday challenges, criticism, and resisting the pressure to conform, we can develop courage. And ultimately, we can find the kind of victory David found. Next Steps I will develop courage by starting with the everyday challenges. I will face the giants in my life with confidence in The post Face Your Giants appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

David is an example to those of us who desire to have “a heart after God’s own heart.” David’s heart was characterized as being fully abandoned to God. We can be abandoned to God if we’re moved to give to Him with the passion of David. David’s heart can also be seen as one experiencing deep reflection. We also can have a heart that goes deep with God, especially in times of solitude. David’s heart was also undivided. He loved The post A Heart For God appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

The desire to get Christmas right didn’t end on Christmas day, because our desire was not just to get a day right. There’s an after story to the birth of Jesus, of interruptions and changed plans. What we learn through the after story, as well as others in the Bible, is that we can get a life right with the right focus. As we head towards the New Year the question we have to ask is, what will our focus The post Interruptions appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

Christmas Service 2020 The post Light of Christmas appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

As we reflect on the wise men in the manger scene we see some principles emerge about the whole process of giving gifts to loved ones. Like it or not, in our culture, part of getting Christmas right involves sorting out who we’re going to buy presents for, how much money we’re going to spend, and how much time we’re going to invest in the whole process of shopping and wrapping. We believe there is wisdom available to inform our The post Getting Gift-Giving Right appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

The love and peace we see in modern nativity scenes is actually the result of several hard-fought battles that both Joseph and Mary had to engage in and win for those scenes to look as wonderful as they do. In this message we will be challenged to engage in several similar personal battles. We’re going to have to fight very hard and, with God’s help, we’re going to have to win these battles to get this Christmas right. Next Steps The post Battles We Must Win to Get This Christmas Right appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

What if we could look back at the 2020 Christmas season with no regrets about how we spent our time and resources? That’s our goal with this series. We believe with some coaching, prayer and study we can all get this Christmas right. Next Steps I will use the following as reminders: Nativity Scenes – That was a real event in human history. Christmas Cards – I’m on God’s friendship list. Gifts – Salvation is a gift. Lights – Jesus The post Four Practical Ways to Get Christmas Right appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

How do we learn to love the difficult people in our lives? That’s what we’ll talk about again this Sunday. This isn’t easy to hear, but the way we treat difficult people reveals the condition of our hearts. It really does. And having difficult people in our lives can actually help us grow spiritually in ways that we couldn’t otherwise. Next Steps I will be courageous in confronting the steamrollers in my life. I will set boundaries with the sponges The post Loving Difficult People: Part 2 appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

Do you have difficult people in your life? Do you have people who have negative character traits that make it difficult to be around them? Conventional wisdom says avoid difficult people, hurt them, or hold them in contempt. Pass judgment on them as inferior. Look down on them. Want them to hurt. Jesus says, “There’s a better way.” Jesus provides wisdom on how to respond to these people in a healthy way. That’s what we’ll talk about this Sunday. Next The post Loving Difficult People Part 1 appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

Division isn’t simply something that separates. It brings ruin. Division destroys relationships, homes, churches, communities, and nations. This isn’t just a political issue of our day, it’s a human nature issue. Jesus, knowing division would be a struggle, at his last meal with his disciples prays for unity. What we learn from that prayer can begin to close the spaces that divide. NEXT STEPS I will resist dividing over issues and instead lean into the unity found in Christ. I The post Prayer for Unity appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

This series is called Undivided to give us hope that in the midst of an election, where there’s division in our country, we can be undivided as a church. This week we’ll talk about how to ground our lives in something more solid than a particular political ideology or power. There is a foundation to operate from that will allow us to give peace, compassion and love to the people around us amidst the type of division we’re experiencing. Next The post Unity Runs Deeper Than Division appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

We live in an age of outrage, of choosing sides and drawing lines, us-against-them, and the gap between sides grows larger each day. Polarizing discussions divide us over political and religious ideology, culture, gender and equality issues just to name a few. Could it be that when viewing ourselves in a battle, are actually moving away from what Christ has called us to be, Peacemakers. Next Steps I will commit to the work of peacemaking. I will seek God’s highest The post Peacemakers appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

In the story of the soils from Mathew 13, we learn that soil must be soft, deep and free from clutter in order for growth to occur. Jesus says the soil represents our hearts. Our hearts must be soft to truth. Our hearts must be able to withstand difficulties and maintain our faith. Our hearts must be free from the cares of the world. If our hearts are tender towards God, and our devotion is deep and rooted, and our The post Choose Growth appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only” – “if only I had done this, if only I hadn’t done that.” The story of the foolish bridesmaids in Matthew 25 will challenge us to make it to the end of our lives where hopefully we can say, “I have no regrets.” Next Steps I will read “Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets” by Andy Stanley. I will make parenting a priority, and not abdicate my responsibility. I will The post Living With No Regrets appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

Two sons are asked by their father to work in the family vineyard. One refuses, but changes his mind and works, while the other agrees to work, but never shows up. This story compares working in the vineyard to doing the will of God. The first son eventually did the will of the father. He saw the truth, said yes and was changed. The post Doing What God Wants appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

It’s easy to take on the attitudes of “I’ve earned” and “I deserve” when we look at what we’ve accomplished and compare it to others around us. But these attitudes can become two of the most damaging and destructive in our lives if we allow them to. Jesus tells a story that illustrates how both can create in us assumptions and expectations that could cause us to miss the greatest gift we’ll ever be offered. The post The Performance Trap appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

This Sunday we look at one of the most misunderstood stories Jesus ever told. He explains that Christians can learn from non-Christians who at times do a better job dealing with reality.  Christians can be prone to over-spiritualizing, masking problems with language that sounds spiritual, avoiding realities and being too passive in the face of difficulty. If this dishonest manager had the courage to face his problem head-on by relying on the character and the generosity of his master, how The post Problem Solving appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.

Superiority and self-righteousness are difficult for human beings to recognize in themselves. Jesus attacks these issues harder than anything else because he knows the potential damage that can be done. Jesus tells a story about the up-side-down nature of the kingdom of God, where the religious person who looks good on the outside is blind, unloving, and very, very far away from God; and the person who is despised by society has a humility that keeps him right at the The post The Upside-Down Way of Jesus appeared first on Blue Oaks Church - Pleasanton, CA.