Part One: The Beginning

In the beginning God created our world in six days. On the seventh-day, God created something special by not creating anything at all. On the seventh-day, He does something by not doing anything.  When God chooses to rest, He creates a day, then blesses, sanctifies, and makes it holy- making it a Sacred Gift for all mankind.  Pastor Tim Madding explores the Sacred Gift of the Sabbath, beginning a new seven-part message series.

Part Two: A Place for Margin

We live in a frantic, highly connected world where the culture to “get more” creates a psychological stress that seems to press upon us constantly.  In this second message of the series Pastor Tim shares that when God created the Sacred Gift of the seventh-day, He carved out a place in time where we can experience a renewal that leads us on a path toward wellness and the life God created for us.

Part Three: A Consecrated Symbol

The essence of a Christian life is a relationship with God. Such a relationship grows and becomes more meaningful through the time and opportunities for worship, service, meditation, and fellowship provided by the seventh-day.   In the third message of the series Pastor Tim explores the Sabbath as a symbol given by God, revealing His desire to fellowship with us, His people and participate in His Sacred Gift.

Part Four: A Symbol of Grace

For some, the seventh-day is perceived as a day of obligation— a day of restriction or bondage under an Old Testament covenant.  Yet Pastor Tim reveals in this fourth message of the series that the Bible Sabbath is rather a Sacred Gift that illustrates freedom, grace and the gospel message of righteousness by faith.

Part Five: A Cherished Gift

When someone gives you a cherished gift of great value— either financial or sentimental, it’s worth protecting.  In this message of the series Pastor Tim helps us explore the value of the seventh-day— that when fully received can bestow a blessing unlike any other day can provide.  To cherish this Sacred Gift, we will guard and protect it, honoring the One who has given it to us.

Part Six: A Stolen Day

The Bible provides a vast portfolio of the meaning and value of the seventh-day as seen in the commandments, narratives and promises of the Old Testament and affirmed to no lesser degree by the ministry and teachings of Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament.  Despite this vast revelation of God’s faithfulness, Pastor Tim shares how the church that claims the name of Jesus Christ tragically chooses not to retain this blessing and abandons the Sacred Gift.

Part Seven: A Confrontation of Signs

According to Revelation’s prophetic depiction of the end, in a cosmic conflict between good and evil, human beings are given the choice between two conflicting signs— each representing the two sides of the conflict.  In the concluding message of the series Pastor Tim elaborates on this climax of prophetic revelation and the how the Bible reveals the resolution in the lives of those who faithfully follow Jesus Christ.

Tim's story begins in a backyard tent behind a neighbor’s house—a homeless teenager abandoned by the people who were supposed to love him most. Battling rejection, poverty, and hopelessness, he was just another forgotten kid slipping through the cracks. But everything changed when a Christian family opened their home—and their hearts—to him.

The Boy in the Backyard isn’t just a memoir—it’s a testimony of how community, compassion, and the grace of God can rewrite a life.

If you’ve read it, share your experience.

If you haven’t—now is the perfect time to start.