From the Blog
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I’ll Stand By You
This week we're inspired by the song, "I'll Stand By You" by the Pretenders.
Does knowing that you have a friend that will stand by you help you face the difficulties and uncertainties of life? Maybe you’re facing a difficult situation or an uncertain future today? Maybe there’s someone here who’s facing a surgery. The outcome is uncertain. It causes fear and anxiety. Someone else is starting a new job. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure beset you. Someone is planning to move to this area. Feelings of loneliness and uncertainty about the changes worry you. Someone is getting married, the date is set, the dress and the tuxes are ordered, but are you sure doing the right thing?
In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses told the Israelites that could face the future without fear knowing the Lord Himself would always stand by them. We can face the future without fear knowing that the Lord always stands by us. -
Dust in the Wind
This week, we are inspired by the song, "Dust in the Wind," by Kansas.
Do you ever feel the way these lyrics suggest, like dust in the wind? Like nothing lasts? Even those of us who had never thought about the brevity of life, had to have given it some serious thought this past year. 2020 – the year of COVID 19. The year when half a million Americans died from a worldwide pandemic. But COVID only brought into view that which has always been true–– we are mere mortals. We long to live forever, to live with some kind of purpose, to leave a lasting legacy, but we are like “dust in the wind.”
In Psalm 90, Moses prayed that God would teach His people to wisely spend their days living for Him. We can see how God teaches us to wisely spend our days living for Him. -
Fix You
This week, we're inspired by the song, "Fix You," by Coldplay.
Have you ever seen someone that you love going through such a difficult situation that you wished you could just fix them? Maybe they lost a loved one and were in deep despair and grief. You wish you could fix their pain? Perhaps they are struggling with an addiction and you wish you could take away their habit? Or maybe it’s you? Maybe you’ve had tears streaming down your face and wish somebody could fix what’s broken and hurting in you?
There was a man in the Old Testament named Hezekiah, he was the king of Judah, his city of Jerusalem was being besieged by an Assyrian army as he lay sick on his bed from a terminal disease. He had tears streaming down his face in sorrow. He needed someone to fix him. -
From Now On
This week, we're inspired by the song, "From Now On," from the movie, The Greatest Showman.
Have you ever made that kind of statement: “From now on… I’ll start spending my time with my family.” “From now on… I’ll stop losing my temper.” “From now on… I’ll stop drinking or drugging.” “From now on… I’ll start living for God and praying more.” “From now on…” How’s that working out? Do you find that you need help to make such a commitment? Do you see the need for God’s help in order to make real life change?
In today’s sermon, we’re going to look at a story about a man who was the general of the Syrian army, a great man and highly favored by his king. He had everything a man could want, but one thing he lacked… his health. He had leprosy. Yet, he encountered the living God in Israel and made the commitment: “From now on… I will only serve the LORD.” -
Let Somebody Love You
This week we're inspired by the song, "Desparado" by The Eagles.
Have you come to your senses? Or are you still out there hiding behind your fences? Have you opened the gate to let somebody love you? You might’ve been hurt and now you’re afraid to open up your heart again. Or you’ve been looking for the perfect relationship and so judgmental of others, that no one measures up. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus told a parable about a man who had two sons who had not yet understood their father’s gracious love for them. -
Love Remains
If you could identify the way people treat one another lately, would you characterize it as loving? I imagine you wouldn’t. What have we seen? A nation at war, not from without but from within. A people who have polarized themselves on the grounds of politics, color, science, beliefs, gender, and so on. Love does not define us, our differences define us.
In 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul told the church at Corinth there is a better way to live: Living out Christ’s love. We can live a better way by living out Christ’s love. -
Hope Remains
Fear has the same power over the mind and body, but equal and opposite to hope. What are you afraid of? What fears have caused you to be stuck in the mud, what fears have caused you to lose hope? One of the most common fears is simply the fear of the unknown and in these unpredictable times that fear becomes very real for so many of us. It can be difficult to know even what to hope for much less how to sustain hope. So many of grew up with big hopes and dreams until we had to deal with the fears and pains of “real life.”
In the letter to the Romans, Paul wrote that present sufferings did not compare to the hope of glory in Christ Jesus. We too can put our hope in the glory to be revealed in Jesus. -
Faith Remains
Do you ever feel so uncertain that you feel stuck? Do you feel like the changes to your environment especially over the last year have crippled your decision making or even stopped you from dreaming of a better future? All of us are facing this in some way. Every one of us have had changes at work, changes with education, changes in parenting, even changes in just how we go to the grocery store. Even the stablest personalities might be sick of all the change.
It should comfort you to know that although the world and everything in it is in constant disarray, the Word of God stands firm and God’s promises to us are immovable.
Faith remains! God has given us faith that stands strong under trial and encourages us through hardship. In Philippians chapter 3, the apostle Paul told the believers at Philippi that everything in life depended on faith in Christ Jesus. We can have the same perspective as Paul and live by faith in Jesus. -
New Mission
What’s your mission in life? Is it to make more money and own more things? Wouldn’t you love to stop living for things? And to start really living the way God intended?
In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus gave His followers a new mission to stop living things and to start living for God. We can follow Christ’s new mission to stop living for things and to start living for God. -
New Management
Do you run out of money before you run out of month? Do you get anxious about your debts, how you will pay them? As Ben Franklin said, “He that goes a borrowing goes a sorrowing.” Are you experiencing the sorrow of out of control spending and indebtedness?
Wouldn’t you like to know how to manage your finances, so that you are able to get out of debt, meet your families needs and be more generous with God and others? In the book of Luke, Jesus taught his disciples a parable to illustrate how to wisely manage money and possessions with an eternal perspective. We can wisely manage our money and possessions with an eternal perspective.