Morningside Community Church

Probably some of the most common questions that people ask those of us who are pastors — or in full-time ministry in some capacity — are those deaing with hearing God!

“How do you recognize God’s voice?”
“How do you know when God is speaking to you?”
“How can I know what God’s will for my life is?”
“Does God really even want to talk to me…I’m just a normal person?”

Oh, and one of my favorites…

“Would you pray for me about [miscellaneous big decision]?   Since you’re a pastor and  you can hear what God wants to say better than I can?!”

Well, believe it or not, God wants to talk to…YOU!   In fact, He wants to talk to all of us, if we would just learn how to listen!

In this 7-part series, Pastor Joe teaches us how to hear God’s voice better.   And if you are like most of us (yes, even us pastors!), then this is an area where you have room to grow!   After all, we are all humans trying to learn how to have a better relationship with GOD, the Creator, a diety!   This is pretty big stuff!   It’s no wonder why many of us assume that only “special” people can hear God…but the fact remains that He CAN and DOES want to speak to me and you!   How?   Join us as we find out…

Read the rest of this entry »

Has this sermon series impacted your life?

Do you want more people  to hear it?   Maybe a loved one or a co-worker?

Would you like to take  the small group  that meets in your home or workplace through this study?    Or maybe you’re thinking of volunteering to lead a class of people at your church?

Or…do you simply wish you could have the messages available to you, so that you could  study them even deeper in your own personal study…in your own pace, on your own time?

This entire series is one of those vital “life messages”, and is important enough that we should all be giving ourselves occasional reminders.   In other words,  to keep the central question in this series of messages fresh in our minds, we need to be regularly asking ourselves, “What would you do if you knew you only had 30 days left to live?”

Well, we here at Morningside Community Church are very excited to be able to offer,  for the first time ever, a full series of messages in a very attractive package of CDs,  which we are calling  the “Live Like You Were Dying series: Ultimate Small Group Edition”!   And what better  one to start with than this life-changing series?!

Ok, so if you’ve read this far, then I’ve probably at least piqued your interest enough that you now want to know, “What exactly is included in this set?”   Well, if so…click…right here…to find out… Read the rest of this entry »

God is transforming lives here at Morningside through this “Live Like You Were Dying” series!   Small groups are meeting and having some amazing discussions, sharing cross-generational encouragement and many people…both young and old, both married and single…are experiencing some much needed fellowship with other believers!

This week Pastor Joe really challenged us to step out of our comfort zone and “love others extravagantly…shock those around you by doing something for someone else that nobody would expect you to do!”   And it’s working, the stories people are telling are inspiring!   It is truly exciting  and convicting to hear what God leads us to do when we will just listen to His leading and then go and demonstrate His unmeasurable, uncontainable  love for others!

Maybe  you are at a place where you need to know that you are loved, that you are special, that you are not forgotten.   If that is you…we encourage you to do  four things: Read the rest of this entry »

A few days ago our  Music Ministry held our first (annual?) “mini” worship conference.   In one sense, it wasn’t anything to write home about;  ten people came, including myself.   For months we had planned on attending a larger conference  that is hosted by a  big  church in Sioux Falls, but  with less than two weeks away I found out that the other conference was cancelled this year!   As difficult as it  can be  to get a group of  individuals to commit to something you try and schedule, I wasn’t going to let that weekend get away from me, so… Read the rest of this entry »

Week six in Pastor Joe’s 11-part series about PROBLEMS.

In this week’s message Pastor Joe’s Easter message teaches us that no matter how we’ve felt, or what people, society or the media have led us to believe…we have NEVER BEEN UNLOVED!

This message is perfect for the person who struggles believing that they are loved, cared for, desired, valuable…If you know someone who has a difficult time believing how much they are worth, both to God and to others, download this message for them to hear!… Read the rest of this entry »

To close the year Pastor Joe shares a message that encourages us to both reflect on what God has done for us and to share it with others.

As an added bonus, we’ve also included a song performed by our Youth Pastor Seth Sandau and one of our teens, Jenna Manzey, called “None But You”.

(NOTE: Because of space issues, the following message and  song have been removed from the website.   However, if you would like a copy of the message and/or  song…or any other songs, messages or full series, either  on an mp3 CD, a regular audio CD, or as an mp3 download, please  contact Pastor Tim. Thank you for your interest and your understanding…we apologize for any inconvenience!)

What’s Your Story?  - A New Year’s  Eve message  to close up 2006.   This message was recorded live on December 31, 2006.

None But Jesus - Sung live by  Jenna Manzey and Seth Sandau  at Generation Sunday: New Year’s  Eve.   The original song was written by Brooke Fraser and can be heard on the Hillsong United CD, “United We Stand”.

 Instructions for Downloading Sermons

Right-click  on  the link above (the message title)  and select “Save Target As…”     You can then select a location on your computer to save the message.   Once finished downloading, you can open the file using Windows Media Player, iTunes  or another mp3 player.   If you have any trouble downloading the message, please contact us here and we will respond as soon as possible.

Note: If you haven’t read it already, please view our Recording Usage page.   Thanks!

Have you ever wondered if your life has any purpose?   Do you matter to anybody?   Is life worth anything at all?

If so, we hope you will find great encouragement in knowing that you DO have a purpose…you DO matter…you ARE valuable and significant…and you can find security in knowing who you are!   How?

Well, in this message Pastor Joe helps us see who we are according to God.   Take a listen…and if you are still struggling after hearing what God Himself thinks about you…please contact us!   We’d love to hear from you and be able to talk and  pray with you!

NOTE: The song  near the end of this message is “Who Am I” by Casting Crowns and was  sung by Tim Bariteau  (the Music Pastor at Morningside)  and Jenna Manzey, a high-school senior in Brookings, SD.   To hear the original version recorded by Casting Crowns, go to www.myspace.com/castingcrowns.

Who Am I? - Answering the  question that we can all struggle with at times…do we matter?   Are we significant?     This was recorded live on September 10, 2006.  

NOTE: Because of space issues, this message has been removed from the website.   However, if you would like a copy of this or any other messages or full series, either  on an mp3 CD, as a set of regular audio CDs, or as individual mp3 downloads, please  contact Pastor Tim. Thank you for your interest and your understanding…we apologize for any inconvenience!

 Instructions for Downloading Messages

Right-click  on  the link above (the sermon title)  and select “Save Target As…”     You can then select a location on your computer to save the sermon.   Once finished downloading, you can open the file using Windows Media Player, iTunes  or another mp3 player.   If you have any trouble downloading the sermon, please contact us here and we will respond as soon as possible.

Note: If you haven’t read it already, please view our Recording Usage page.   Thanks!