Life is present in every community; and the challenge life presents to us is to find it, grab hold of it and run with it because life is moving on. We have a choice, of course. Life or Death. God says, “I am offering you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so […]
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Imagine how different your outlook on life would be if you had absolute confidence that God was with you, right here, right now? Imagine how differently you would respond to difficulties, temptations, and even good things if you knew with absolute certainty that God was in all of it and was planning to leverage it […]
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This will be the third journey to Haiti in as many years. I’ve made this journey each year to reconnect with my spiritual roots, feel something spiritual and to see life from a completely different perspective I can’t find around here. So I travel to a place that is about as different from my ‘normal’ […]
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What is FAITH? Simple Definitions Quiz Match the words Faith, Hope, & Trust to their corresponding definition. (1) Once, all villagers decided to pray for rain, on the day of prayer all people gather and only one boy came with an umbrella — That’s called _______ (2) Example of feeling of a one year old […]
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In Part 1 of our series, Faith that Works, we described the essential elements that distinguishes faith from belief. Belief is a mental activity that agrees with something, but does not necessarily act on it. Belief is essentially passive in nature. Faith, however, is active and risks life and limb out of a deep sense of trust […]
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Faith has two elements: 1) being convinced of the truth, being certain of reality, having evidence of unseen things, and 2) then acting upon those truths to achieve a certain outcome. “There are things, say in learning to swim or to climb, which look dangerous and aren’t. Your instructor tells you it’s safe. You have […]
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“[Saint Anthony] said, in his solitude, he sometimes encountered devils who looked like angels, and other times he found angels who looked like devils. When asked how he could tell the difference, the saint said that you can only tell which is which by the way you feel after the creature has left your company.”― Elizabeth […]
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In the movie “The Bucket List” Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson are two of the most unlikeliest of characters who are thrown together because of they share a common enemy, DEATH. They have both been diagnosed with cancer. They now come face to face with Ultimate Truth, perhaps for the first time, they are mortal. […]
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“Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got […]
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This I Believe I believe I need a shepherd. Because I am sometimes timid and other times overconfident, because I often don’t know the best path yet pretend I do, because I rush into dead ends or lead others into hazardous places, because my brightest ideas are seamed with darkness, because the things I crave […]
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I had to take my car into the garage last week for a tune-up. It was running very rough and wouldn’t even idle when in gear, which meant I had to put it in neutral every time I came to a stoplight or traffic slowed down. What a pain! I think it was actually misfiring […]
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I just returned home from a weekend of spiritual reflection and renewal with some challenging thoughts. We did an exercise where we were asked to draw a picture of OUR spiritual journey. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, put your thousand word journey of spiritual growth in a pictorial representation. My initial thought was […]
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A man and his best friend were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that his friend walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came […]
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“…and Jesus grew in Wisdom, Stature and Favor with God and Man.” Luke 2:52 We want every child to grow up to learn the value of … Wisdom – “I need to make wise choices.” So I will… Trust and follow God’s design Spend time getting to know God Do whatever God says Discover God’s […]
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Good News for Ladder People! Since we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always […]
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Audio Podcast available here Based on Luke 16:19-31 Worship 04.17.11 Myths 6 Hell 2 Blessing of the Palms What is hell, then? It is God actively giving us up to what we have freely chosen-to go our own way, be our own “the master of our fate, the captain of our soul,” to get […]
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We reach out to people and welcome them into the church We have a direct responsibility for people of the “world” around our church, the community in which we study, work, shop, play, and so forth. In this world are people with many hurts, doubts, and questions. There are some who are new in the […]
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Igniting a Passion for Christ and His Church n Is the Great Fish God’s Punishment or Grace? Punishment – God causes pain to keep us in line and on task. Gift – God uses pain to reveal our deepest need and His Presence n In the Belly of a Whale Jonah finds Immanuel “Where can […]
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In this powerful drama, kids talk about all the things their Christian parents make them do, from saying their bedtime prayers to being “restricted” when misbehaving. Patterned after a current TV commercial, this message really hits home. Related posts: Haiti Mission Society Video Should Churches do Commercials? Missional Church…Simple The Invisible Woman
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>> I’m reposting this article in order to help any reader who happens upon it. [Orginial by Rebecca Hagelin] You would think that teenagers growing up in the most prosperous society in history would be abundantly joyful. Even in these economic days of woe, teenagers spend an estimated 200 billion dollars a year on trinkets, toys, music […]
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This past Saturday our church hosted a Chili-Cook off to benefit God’s people in Haiti. It was an amazing success and I’ve been reflecting on why. I’ve come to some conclusion that I would like to share, so take it for what it’s worth. (1) I was focused on a clear purpose that was not […]
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In the recent aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, many people have begun to ask why such things can happen. How should a Christian respond? If God is good, righteous and loving then why is there such devastation, death, and destruction through “natural disasters” like earthquakes and tsunamis Of course some people have been quick to […]
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CS Lewis’ writings have never stopped engaging my mind, challenging my faith, and opening new doors of Christian life and thought. For me the adventure really all began with Mere Christianity. Lewis’ clarity and ability to ask questions he know we all have and then provide the answers is like talking to an old friend […]
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By George Bullard What does it take to become a missional congregation? Not to co-opt the name and claim that is who you are, but to truly become a missional congregation. As a popular name or designation in many places, missional as a concept is being watered down. First, let’s start with a definition. Another […]
READ MORE »I think we all love a good story about an underdog that has been discounted and ridculed, only to rise above and be far more than anyone ever thought. These are the stories that leave us speechless and crying out for more. They are little glimpses of light that not everthing is as it appears. […]
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This week’s reading is from Jeremiah 3:11-22. It is the story of God, speaking through Jeremiah, pleading for the people to return to Him. As I read this passage as part of this week’s Lectio Divina, I was caught most not by the words of God, but by the voice of Jeremiah. Who is Jeremiah […]
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Lectio Divina Isaiah 43:15-21 I am the LORD, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator, your King.” This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: […]
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Lectio Divina This morning’s mediation is from Jeremiah 31:16-25 The weeping prophet speaks of hope and of a Father that does not forget his children. The Father has spoken of the pending disaster that comes to those who reject Him and speaks of the folly of youth. I certainly have been guilty of my share […]
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Dr. Steve Gedon