Blessed Are — Part 1: Blessed Are the Peacemakers

Description: In Part 1 of Blessed Are, Pastor Eric opens the series with one of Jesus’ most challenging and misunderstood declarations: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” In a culture marked by outrage, division, and unrestrained anger—even within the church—this message calls believers back to the heart of Christ and the ministry of reconciliation.

Pastor Eric carefully distinguishes between righteous anger and destructive wrath, showing how uncontrolled anger numbs wisdom, damages witness, and distorts the gospel. Drawing from James, Romans, Isaiah, Colossians, and the teachings of Jesus Himself, he explains that peacemaking does not mean avoiding truth, suppressing conflict, or capitulating to evil. True peacemaking begins vertically—by receiving peace with God through Jesus Christ—and then flows outward as Spirit-led engagement with a broken world.

At the center of this message is the gospel itself: humanity as enemies of God, Christ as the Prince of Peace, and the cross as the place where justice and mercy meet. Pastor Eric emphasizes that God does not negotiate peace with sinners—He secures it through the blood of His Son—and that all who trust in Christ are reconciled, forgiven, and adopted into God’s family.

From there, the call is clear: those who have received peace are now commissioned to make peace. As ambassadors for Christ, believers are entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation—bringing truth with humility, courage with compassion, and confrontation with the goal of restoration. This message challenges listeners to examine how they handle conflict, how they represent Jesus in a divided world, and whether their lives reflect the Prince of Peace they proclaim.

Key Scriptures (NKJV): Matthew 5:9; James 4:1–5; Romans 5:6–11; Colossians 1:19–23; Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:21–23; 2 Corinthians 5:18–20; Romans 12:18.

Highlights:

• Why peacemaking is often despised—and why Jesus elevates it.

• The difference between righteous anger and sinful wrath.

• Humanity’s true problem: enmity with God, not merely social conflict.

• Jesus as the original Peacemaker who secured peace through the cross.

• Salvation as reconciliation, not self-improvement or religion.

• The ministry of reconciliation entrusted to every believer.

• Why peacemaking requires truth, courage, discernment, and humility.

• When confrontation is necessary—and when wisdom calls for withdrawal.

• Representing Christ in conflict without compromising the gospel.

Next Steps: Ask God to examine your heart and reveal where anger, pride, or fear may be hindering your witness. Thank Him for making peace with you through Christ. Then pray for wisdom to know when to speak, when to confront, and when to step back—always with the goal of reconciliation. This week, intentionally represent Jesus as a peacemaker in one difficult conversation, workplace interaction, or family relationship.

Blessed Are — Part 1: Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

Description: In Part 1 of Blessed Are, Pastor Eric opens the Beatitudes by slowing down on one of Jesus’ most counterintuitive promises: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). This message clarifies that mourning isn’t only about grief after loss—though Jesus absolutely meets us there. It is also, and most importantly, about mourning over sin: seeing our fallenness clearly, becoming broken before God, and running to the only Savior who can forgive, cleanse, and comfort.

From James 4, John 6, John 10, Psalm 42, and Lamentations, Eric shows that the path to comfort is not denial, self-justification, or religious performance. Comfort comes through surrender—submitting to God, resisting the devil, drawing near to the Lord, and letting repentance become honest sorrow rather than shallow regret. Eric also addresses why sin is tempting “for a season,” why it always damages the soul, and why God’s heart toward the repentant is not condemnation but restoration.

The message then widens to the other “layers” of mourning: death, broken relationships, dashed dreams, wounds no one sees, and the long ache of grief that can feel like waves and billows rolling over the soul. In those places, believers are called to expect Jesus in their grief—to lament, to hope, to wait quietly, and to receive God’s lovingkindness that holds steady in the dark.

Finally, Eric calls the church to live as Christ’s body: God comforts by His Spirit, and He comforts through His people. We are meant to carry comfort to one another—praying, showing up, and becoming tangible reminders that mourners are not alone.

Key Scriptures (NKJV): Matthew 5:4; James 4:7–10; Hebrews 11:24–27; John 6:35–40; Matthew 11:28–30; John 10:27–30; Psalm 42:1–7; Lamentations 3:22–26; 2 Corinthians 1:3–4; Romans 10:13.

Highlights:

• “Blessed are those who mourn” has layers, but it begins with mourning over sin.

• Repentance isn’t humiliation—it’s the doorway to comfort, cleansing, and freedom.

• Sin is pleasurable “for a season,” but it always wounds the soul and harms others.

• God does not discipline to demean; He draws sinners in to restore them.

• Jesus’ comfort is not an empty offer—He keeps His promises: “I will by no means cast out.”

• Salvation is receiving a gift, not earning a reward—religion says “perform,” Christ says “receive.”

• Assurance for believers: Jesus holds His sheep, and no one can pluck them from His hand.

• Grief is real and biblical: Psalm 42 gives language for sorrow, tears, questions, and hope.

• Lament is not unbelief—it is faith speaking honestly in pain.

• God’s mercies are new every morning; the call is to get up again and hope in Him.

• The church is called to comfort one another with the comfort we’ve received from God.

Next Steps: Ask God to show you which kind of mourning you need right now—and respond with one concrete act of faith.

• If you’re mourning over sin: confess it plainly, turn from it, and come to Jesus for cleansing.

• If you’re mourning loss: lament honestly, bring your questions to God, and ask Him to meet you in the waves.

• If you’re stuck in cycles: thank God you got up again, then take one next step toward freedom.

• If someone near you is mourning: obey the nudge—pray, reach out, and offer comfort in Jesus’ name.

Description: In Part 16 of Relationships in HD, Pastor Eric turns to one of the most misunderstood aspects of love: discipline. Drawing from his own life as a dad, granddad, and former “strong-willed kid,” he shows how God’s discipline is never random, never petty, and never about venting anger—it is always formative, always purposeful, always rooted in His good will toward His children.

Before talking about discipline, Pastor Eric goes back to the foundation: Who are the children of God? From John 3, he walks through Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus and makes it unmistakably clear: you are not born a Christian because you grew up in church, kept the rules, or tried to be good. You must be born again. There has to be a moment where you move from unbelief to belief, from “I’ve always known about God” to “I have trusted Christ as my Savior.”

Once that identity is settled, Hebrews 12 opens up: the Father disciplines His children—not to crush them, but to train them. Pastor Eric contrasts punitive discipline (reaction, rage, embarrassment, control) with biblical discipline (training, formation, character-shaping). He shows how grace itself “teaches” and trains us to deny ungodliness, and how God often uses Scripture, consequences, and even painful seasons to form Christ in us.

Along the way he challenges parents not to repeat the mistakes they received—harsh, angry, or absent discipline, or no discipline at all—but to imitate their heavenly Father: correcting from a place of good will, with a clear goal in mind, for the child’s growth and long-term good.

Practical, honest, and full of both conviction and hope, this message calls believers to receive the Father’s discipline—and then reflect it, by disciplining their own children with wisdom, love, and intentionality.

Key Scriptures (NKJV): John 3:1–8; John 3:16–18; Ephesians 2:1; Hebrews 12:9–11; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; Titus 2:11–12; Proverbs 29:18; Proverbs 4:7; Romans 2:4.

Highlights:

• Why Pastor Eric starts with this question: “Have you been born again, or have you just always been religious?”

• Not all people are God’s children—only those who have been born again by trusting Christ.

• Nicodemus as a warning: deeply religious, scripturally trained, morally upright—and still “out” without the new birth.

• What “believe” really means: not just agreeing with facts, but trusting, relying on, and acting on who Jesus is and what He’s done.

• Hebrews 12: the Father disciplines His children “for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.”

• Discipline defined: not mainly punishment, but training—shaping behavior and character with a clear goal in mind.

• Grace as a teacher: how God’s kindness and favor train us to say no to sin and yes to godly living (Titus 2:11–12; Romans 2:4).

• The danger of reactionary discipline: punishing kids because they embarrassed you, not because you love them.

• Why lack of discipline is theft: how refusing to set boundaries and consequences actually robs children of growth, wisdom, and readiness for life.

• Breaking the cycle: moving beyond harsh, chaotic, or inconsistent discipline you may have received and learning to discipline from goodwill.

• God’s discipline as a gift: not proof that He’s against you, but proof that He owns you, loves you, and is committed to your holiness.

Next Steps: First, settle the foundational question: Have I been born again? If you can’t point to a time when you turned from self-reliance and trusted Christ alone to save you, begin with John 3 and ask God to bring you to that place of real faith.

Then, as a child of God, ask Him to show you where He’s currently disciplining you—not to punish you, but to train you. Instead of resisting or running, pray, “Father, what are You trying to form in me through this?”

If you’re a parent or mentor, take one practical step this week to discipline from goodwill: clarify your goal before correcting, choose calm over rage, and make sure your child knows this is about their growth, not your embarrassment. Ask God to help you break unhealthy patterns and become a living picture of His wise, firm, and loving discipline.

Relationships in HD — Part 15: For the Saint and the Sinner

Description: In Part 15 of Relationships in HD, Pastor Eric goes to the very foundation of every Christian relationship: whether or not we are truly children of God. Launching from the line, “For the saint and for the sinner… there’s enough grace for the whole wide world,” he confronts a common assumption—that everyone is automatically God’s child—and shows from Scripture that only those who believe and receive Jesus are adopted into the Father’s family.

From John 1 and John 8, Pastor Eric contrasts empty religion with true salvation: serving, giving, being “churchy,” even being on the membership roll is not the same thing as being born again. He shares his own story of years of doubt, “hope-so hands,” and self-righteous striving, and how the Lord finally broke through at an altar in 1987 with one simple invitation: “Just ask Me, and I will.” From that moment, the Christian life moved from fear and uncertainty to the security of a Father who never lets go.

From there, this message unfolds the generous heart of God the Father. In Luke 11 and 12, Jesus teaches that if flawed human parents know how to give good gifts, how much more does our Father in heaven delight to give the Holy Spirit, daily provision, and even the kingdom itself. Pastor Eric shows how a distorted view of earthly fathers can warp our view of God—and how Scripture corrects that picture with a Father who is approachable, generous, and stable, not stingy, distant, or constantly angry.

Deeply personal and thoroughly gospel-centered, this sermon calls both the religious and the rebellious to real assurance in Christ, and invites believers to live like secure sons and daughters—resting in the Father’s delight, resisting the lies of the enemy, and reflecting the generosity of heaven in their everyday relationships.

Key Scriptures (NKJV): John 1:11–12; John 8:44; John 3:16–17; John 10:27–29; Luke 11:9–13; Luke 12:22–34; James 1:16–18; Hebrews 4:14–16; Hebrews 12:2; Titus 1:2; 1 Peter 1:3–5.

Highlights:

• Child of God or just religious? Why serving, giving, and being in church isn’t the same as being born again.

• Believe and receive: Not everyone is automatically God’s child—but everyone who trusts Christ is adopted, forgiven, and welcomed.

• Pastor Eric’s testimony: From years of doubting and praying “just in case” to finally trusting that Jesus wanted him and had truly saved him.

• Hope-so hand vs. know-so assurance: Moving from vague wishing to confidence in God’s promises.

• Fighting doubt: “Grab the devil by the tail” and drag him back to the cross—if God lied, He wouldn’t be worth following, but He cannot lie (Titus 1:2).

• The Father’s generosity: Every good and perfect gift comes from Him; He delights to give the Holy Spirit, daily bread, and the kingdom.

• “How much more?” If flawed parents give good gifts, how much more does our Father value and care for His children.

• You are worth more than the birds: Correcting a culture that often values animals and environment over people—God says you are of greater value.

• Security in the Father’s hand: No one can pluck Christ’s sheep out of His hand or the Father’s hand (John 10:27–29).

• New identity, new family, new future: Adoption, inheritance, reservation in heaven, and the peace that passes understanding.

• Relational impact: When we know we are loved, wanted, and secure, it reshapes how we parent, mentor, and disciple others.

Next Steps: If you’re unsure whether you’re truly a child of God, start there: read John 1:11–12 and John 3:16–18, and honestly ask, Am I trusting my goodness—or Christ’s finished work? If you haven’t, call on Him in faith and receive Him as your Savior.

If you belong to Christ but struggle with doubt, write down John 10:27–29, Romans 8:15–16, and James 1:17–18. Pray through them this week and, whenever accusation comes, “drag it back to the cross” and rest in what God has promised, not what you feel.

Then, ask the Father to help you live like His child: choose one way to reflect His generosity, patience, and delight—whether toward your kids, your spouse, or someone younger in the faith. Thank Him that there is grace enough for the saint, grace enough for the sinner, and grace enough for you.

Description: In Part 15 of Relationships in HD, Pastor Eric turns the camera toward the character of God the Father—and shows how His heart, His patience, and His approachability form the pattern for every parent, grandparent, and mentor in the church. This message speaks not only to moms and dads, but to everyone called to disciple the next generation. If you belong to Christ, someone younger in the faith needs you.

From John 1, John 8, and Romans 8, Eric walks through one of the most essential truths in the Christian life: not everyone is automatically a child of God, but everyone who believes in Jesus is adopted, loved, forgiven, and welcomed as a son or daughter. Out of that identity flows our calling: to reflect our Father’s heart to those entrusted to us.

Using the Prodigal Son as the centerpiece, Eric shows how God parents us—with generosity, patience, kindness, open arms, and restorative grace—and challenges parents to build the kind of character that causes their children to come home when they fall. This message also addresses the dangers of absent parenting, angry parenting, overbearing parenting, shame-based parenting, and the tendency to treat our children as interruptions rather than priorities.

Practical, gospel-soaked, and deeply pastoral, this is a call to imitate our Father in heaven and become safe, steady, compassionate mentors in a world starving for spiritual mothers and fathers.

Key Scriptures (NKJV): John 1:11–12; John 8:44; Romans 8:15–16; Galatians 4:6; Matthew 6:5–13; Matthew 11:28–30; Luke 15:11–24; James 4:6–10; Hebrews 4:14–16; Jeremiah 31:3; Psalm 145:8.

Highlights:

• Spiritual parenting: why every believer—parent or not—is called to mentor the younger.

• Not all people are God’s children—only those who receive Christ are adopted into His family.

• God the Father as the model: available, approachable, generous, compassionate, slow to anger.

• Parenting through God’s character: kindness, mercy, patience, and truth.

• The Prodigal Son: a picture of the Father’s heart and a pattern for restoring relationships.

• Why children need space to grow—and why helicopter parenting harms development.

• Making children a priority (without making them idols).

• The power of humility: repenting to your children when you’ve blown it.

• Being a refuge for your kids—someone they run to, not run from.

• Grace and discipline: discipline as training, not punishment.

• God’s open-door invitation: “Come to Me… I will give you rest.”

Next Steps: Ask God to help you imitate His fatherly heart this week. Choose one concrete way to be more available, more patient, more compassionate, or more approachable to your child—or to someone younger in the faith. If needed, take the humble step of apologizing for past failures. Then pray Romans 8:15–16 and thank God that He is your Father—and ask Him to make you a living picture of His grace.

Description: In Part 13 of Relationships in HD, Pastor Eric unpacks what it means to parent—and disciple—with the end in mind. From Titus 2 to Proverbs 22 and Ephesians 6, Scripture shows that biblical parenting isn’t merely about raising compliant kids, but about shaping men and women who love Jesus, think biblically, serve faithfully, and stand strong in a culture that pulls them the other way.

This message expands the circle beyond biological parenting. Every mature believer—older men, older women, mentors, youth leaders, and spiritual fathers and mothers—carries a responsibility to invest in the next generation. Pastor Eric walks through the voices that shaped him: parents who were purposeful, a father-in-law who discipled him to Jesus, a youth leader who said “yes” when asked, and a pastor who taught him to keep his feet on the ground and his heart faithful.

With honesty, humor, and real-life stories (from toddler defiance to raising sensitive sons and strong daughters), Pastor Eric shows why we must train up children according to their way—their God-given wiring, personality, gifting, and calling—while grounding them in the unchanging truth of God’s Word. Parenting with the end in mind means raising boys to become providers, protectors, and humble leaders; raising girls to become wise, strong, compassionate women of God; and raising all children to become functioning members of society and faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.

The goal is Jesus. The foundation is Jesus. And if we miss Him, we miss everything.

Key Scriptures (NKJV): Titus 2:1–8; Proverbs 22:6; Deuteronomy 6:6–9; Ephesians 6:1–4; 1 Corinthians 11:1; Romans 5:6–8; Matthew 19:13–14.

Highlights:

• Parenting is both biological and spiritual—every mature believer has a role in shaping the next generation.

• Titus 2 discipleship: older men and older women teaching those coming behind them.

• Why rebellion isn’t inevitable—Scripture calls all believers, including teens, to holiness and self-control.

• Train up a child according to his way—guiding each child’s unique wiring under God’s design.

• Raising sons to provide, protect, lead with humility, and treat women with dignity.

• Raising daughters to love their families, walk in strength and wisdom, and live self-controlled lives.

• Modeling repentance and honesty—children don’t need perfect parents, but parents who walk with a perfect Savior.

• The church’s calling: producing the next generation of Ricks, Kens, Debbies, and faithful disciplers.

• The ultimate end: pointing every child—ours or others—to Jesus, the only One who can save.

Next Steps: Identify one young person in your home or church you can intentionally invest in this week. Pray through Deuteronomy 6, look for natural moments “when you sit, walk, lie down, and rise up,” and bring God into real-life conversations. Then choose one simple practice—an apology, a conversation about Scripture, or an act of sacrificial love—that points them toward Jesus.

Relationships in HD — Part 12: Parenting with Christlike Honesty

Description: In Part 12 of Relationships in HD, Pastor Eric continues the series with a heartfelt and practical message on honesty in parenting—how truth-telling reflects the very character of Christ and builds the foundation of trust between parent and child. From 1 Peter 2 and Ephesians 4, we see Jesus as both the model and motive for integrity. He never lied to His disciples, His bride, or His enemies—and neither should we.

Eric walks through the subtle ways Christian parents sometimes compromise honesty, from Santa Claus to empty threats (“Don’t make me turn this car around”) and shows why every word shapes a child’s ability to trust both us and God. Through powerful personal stories—including a raw moment of apology between father and son—this message invites parents to trade manipulation for humility, control for connection, and pride for grace.

The challenge is simple but life-changing: children don’t need perfect parents, but they do need humble ones. Be honest. Own your mistakes. Win and protect your child’s heart—because if you don’t, someone else will.

Key Scriptures (NKJV): Romans 5:8; 1 Peter 2:21–25; Ephesians 4:25; Matthew 5:37; 2 Corinthians 3:2–3; Proverbs 12:22; John 10:27–30.

Highlights:

• Jesus as the model for truth and trust in every relationship.

• Why small lies (“Santa,” “five more minutes”) create big cracks in trust.

• The danger of manipulation and false threats in parenting.

• How honesty builds security and spiritual confidence in children.

• The power of sincere apology—honesty means ownership.

• Restoring broken trust through humility and confession.

• Protecting your child’s heart from the world by modeling Christ at home.

Next Steps: Ask God to show you one area where you’ve lacked honesty with your child—or anyone under your influence. Confess it, take ownership, and seek forgiveness with humility. Then commit to letting your “yes be yes and your no be no,” so your home reflects the heart of Jesus, full of both truth and grace.

Relationships in HD — Letters to Our Children (Father’s Day)

Description: On Father’s Day, Eric zooms in on one of our most sacred callings: being living letters of Jesus to our kids and the next generation. Before we ever talk parenting strategy, he goes straight to the foundation—reconciliation with God through Jesus. From 2 Corinthians 5, we see what it really means to be “in Christ”: rescued from sin and hell, made new, adopted, and kept forever by a God who cannot lie.

From there, Eric reminds us that our families are our first mission field. We’re not called to sacrifice our kids on the altar of ministry—or to worship them as little gods—but to model a faith that is real, humble, and dependent on grace. Our children (and the kids in our church) “read” us long before they understand a sermon; we are living epistles, showing them what Jesus is like in how we love, repent, forgive, correct, and prioritize.

With stories about Peter sinking and being rescued, kids coming to Christ, “Happy Birthday Jesus” gifts, Santa vs. grace, and the dangers of child-centered homes, this message calls moms, dads, grandparents, and spiritual parents to embrace their ministry of reconciliation—starting at home—and to help little hearts meet a big Savior.

Key Scriptures (NKJV): John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 3:1–3; 2 Corinthians 5:17–21; 1 Peter 2:24; Romans 5:8; Matthew 14:28–31; Titus 1:2; Genesis 22:1–18; Mark 10:13–16.

Highlights:

• What it really means to be “saved”: rescued from sin, hell, and death, and made a new creation in Christ.

• God as Father: not everyone is automatically a child of God—adoption comes through Jesus.

• You are a “living letter”: your kids (and church kids) are learning what Jesus is like by watching you.

• Family as first ministry: don’t sacrifice your family on the altar of ministry—and don’t worship your children either.

• Using the tools God gives: church, kids’ ministry, pastors, and mentors as allies in bringing children to Jesus.

• Teaching grace at home: gifts as a picture of the gospel and why “Santa theology” (earn it) is the opposite of grace (receive it).

• Hope for imperfect parents: when you fail, repentance and honesty become a powerful testimony of God’s mercy.

Next Steps: Ask God to show you one child (yours or in your church) you can intentionally point to Jesus this week. Pray 2 Corinthians 5:20 over yourself as an “ambassador,” then choose one concrete way to model grace at home—an apology you need to make, a conversation about the gospel, or a simple act of undeserved kindness that reflects your Father’s heart.