Erin Church of the Nazarene

Pastor Daniel Medders introduces fasting through ECN’s growing discipleship culture and his experience completing a two-day fast with the Men of the Ridge, which brought unexpected focus and mental clarity. Using Matthew 6, he explains that fasting is a normal Christian discipline practiced privately to seek God, not to gain attention or manipulate God into granting requests. The examples of Moses, Esther, and Jesus show fasting accompanying focused communion with God, intercession, difficult decisions, and preparation for ministry. Fasting also helps believers identify with Christ’s suffering and teaches them to bring physical and mental impulses under control, including temptations involving anger, speech, lust, addiction, and food. Pastor Daniel encourages believers to combine fasting with prayer when seeking discernment or carrying a burden, asking God to use the practice to deepen their faith and strengthen their self-control.

Pastor Daniel Medders uses stories about his friend Ronnie Mitchell and the gradual filling of Kentucky Lake to introduce the idea that things left idle tend to decline or return to what they once were. Drawing from Matthew 25 and the parable of the talents, he explains that God expects people not simply to preserve what they have been given, but to invest, develop, and faithfully use their gifts, relationships, and spiritual lives. Through examples involving money, unused equipment, marriage, and natural ability, Pastor Daniel emphasizes that neglect is not neutral and that growth requires intentional investment. He challenges listeners to recognize what God has entrusted to them, develop those gifts rather than coast on them, and use them to glorify God so that they may one day hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Pastor Daniel Medders reflects on the human desire for control, using humorous examples from his own life before sharing how knee surgery and the unexpected death of a close friend reminded him how little control people actually have. Drawing from Adam and Eve, Israel’s demand for a king, the rich young ruler, and Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, he shows how the desire to control our future, decisions, possessions, and circumstances can keep us from trusting God. He distinguishes biblical self-control from the attempt to control everything around us and challenges the idea that confidence in our own abilities can replace dependence on God. Pastor Daniel encourages each person to consider what they are still trying to control, including finances, family, possessions, decisions, and future plans, and to instead seek God’s guidance and trust Him with what has been entrusted to them. He closes in prayer, asking God to reveal where people are still “holding the reins” and help them grow in dependence on His direction.

Pastor Daniel Medders reflects on ECN’s recent growth, describing expanding discipleship groups and increasing generosity as evidence of the Holy Spirit working through the congregation. He introduces “The Next Chapter,” a plan to transform the REC into a larger multipurpose worship space that can support continued growth and ministry. Looking back at generations who faithfully provided spaces for those who came after them, Medders invites the congregation to consider its opportunity to do the same for future generations. He encourages individuals and families to pray about how God is leading them to participate as ECN prepares for its next chapter.

Pastor Daniel Medders connects ECN’s season of preparation with Jesus’ teaching about the wise and foolish builders in Matthew 7, emphasizing that a life’s strength comes from what it is anchored to. Through personal stories of building, machinery, and flooding, he warns that confidence in ourselves can quietly replace dependence on Christ. Life’s storms reveal whether our faith is anchored in personal ability and preference or firmly in Jesus. As ECN prepares for changes ahead, Pastor Daniel closes with communion and a reminder that whatever the church builds must remain grounded in Christ and bring glory to God.

FUSE Small Group Leader Abby Rouse and two ECN students reflect on how NYC revealed God’s greatness through worship, teaching, relationships, and personal encounters that assured them they are seen, loved, chosen, and included in His good plans. Youth Pastor Lucas Baggott recalls how NYC shaped his own call to ministry and challenges every believer to serve wherever God has placed them, step beyond comfort, and recognize Houston County as a mission field. Associate Pastor Jeremy Byler draws from Isaiah 64 and the DeafBlind Potter’s testimony to explain how God uses pressure and stretching to shape His people, urging them to remain centered in His hands through worship, Scripture, and prayer. He also recounts how God repeatedly answered prayer by speaking through the NYC messages to a struggling student, demonstrating the lasting impact of the church’s prayers and support.

Pastor Daniel Medders warns Christians not to delegate spiritual instruction and evangelism entirely to church programs or pastors because believers themselves are the church. Drawing from Galatians 6, he explains that Christians are called to restore brothers and sisters caught in sin gently, like carefully resetting a broken bone, rather than approaching them with judgment or superiority. This work requires humility, sustained involvement, and vigilance so that those offering help are not drawn into the same sin. He concludes that believers should examine their own faithfulness without comparing themselves to others and use what God has entrusted to them for His purposes.

Pastor Daniel Medders reflects on America’s 250th anniversary and ECN’s founding on July 4, 1898, drawing lessons from Israel’s journey out of Egypt while making clear that America is not a “new Israel.” He warns against defining imperfect leaders and historical figures only by their failures while overlooking the blessings made possible by those who came before. Through Israel’s repeated blaming of Moses and longing to return to Egypt, Pastor Daniel illustrates humanity’s tendency to complain, avoid responsibility, and forget what God has already provided. He calls Christians to pray for their leaders, recognize the blessings they often take for granted, and learn from the past so they can faithfully follow and serve God.

Pastor Daniel Medders contrasts the temporary feeling of having “arrived” through life’s milestones with the deeper pursuit of lasting meaning and purpose. He explains that purpose is not found in pleasure, self-focus, a career, parenting, or any other temporary task, but in knowing God and understanding our place within His kingdom. Following Jesus’ example, believers are called to embody Christlikeness wherever they go by loving God, serving others, and remaining attentive to opportunities along the way. The church is not merely a building or weekly activity, but God’s people living out their created purpose through worship, faithful responsibility, gospel-centered service, and Christlike love.

Pastor Daniel Medders explores Galatians 2 and what it means to say, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” He explains that following Christ is not simply adding faith to an existing life, but allowing Christ to transform our identity, priorities, and behavior. The defenses we developed during painful seasons may have once protected us, but toughness, distrust, callousness, or withdrawal can eventually hinder compassion, growth, and ministry. This message invites us to surrender those outdated patterns so that our lives reflect less of who we have made ourselves to be and more of Christ.