Life is filled with setbacks, challenges, disappointments, and failures that can make us question whether we have the strength to keep going. The world tells us to move on or power through, but what if perseverance is about something deeper? What if the sufferings we face are not just difficulties to endure, but tools that can shape us into who we were meant to be? The difference between failure and greatness, defeat and transformation, is not talent, intelligence, or even opportunity … it’s the ability to press forward when everything inside us wants to quit.

But how do we persevere when we feel weak? How do we stand firm when circumstances threaten to shake our faith? Scripture offers a perspective that goes beyond self-determination and bootstrapped fortitude – it reveals the strength, purpose, and reward found in rooting our identity and vigor in the very One who designed us to flourish. The answers we often long for in times of struggle are closer than we think, and they have the power to change the way we face hardship forever.

#Resilient #Perseverance #Hardwork #Diligence #Dependance

Life is full of unexpected challenges - circumstances we never chose, but must somehow navigate. When difficulties arise, where do we turn? Everyone needs a safe place - a refuge where we can be honest about our struggles, find encouragement, and regain strength to move forward. But what makes any place truly safe? And how do we find one that doesn’t just offer temporary relief, but truly helps us grow stronger in the midst of life’s hardships?

There’s a way to face life’s hardships without being crushed by them. Discover the power of having a space where we are seen, known, and strengthened - where faith deepens, hope is renewed, Jesus is found, and resilience takes root. The right safe place can change everything, giving us the courage to step forward no matter what challenges come our way.

#Resilient #SafePlace #Community #HealthyRelationships

If recent events have taught us anything, one clear lesson is that frustration and negativity come readily enough - but what if a simple (though not easy) perspective shift had the power to change everything? Choosing thankfulness over complaining isn’t just a mindset shift … it’s a spiritual renovation that brings peace, joy, and a deeper trust in God. 

Even in life’s hardest moments, there’s a way to see His hand at work and to respond with faith instead of frustration, grumbling, or complaining. We can step into an approach to life that transforms burdens into blessings and everyday struggles into opportunities for grace and growth - but it won't happen by accident! 

#Resilient #NoGriping #NoComplaining #Gratitude #Thankfulness

All of us experience pain and heartache - it’s a universal condition of the human race. At times, it's simply the brokenness and fragility of the world that brings tragedy. At other points, it’s the cruelty, indifference, or mistakes of others that wound us. And the more and more this happens, the more and more bitterness takes seat in our hearts.

Even so, we were never designed to bear the weight of suffering, either the initial act or the malingering, festering results of holding on to these injustices. We do not (and should not) excuse, ignore, or explain away the wrongs done to us. Rather we need to find a way to face them while not becoming enslaved to them. And God has let us know just the path we need to walk - but it is not an easy one!

#Resilient #OfferForgiveness #Freedom

One of the most basic, fundamental questions humanity asks is "Why?" From the minor & inconsequential to the most weighty of issues, we question the purpose in so much of life. We want to know the reasons behind decisions, actions, and circumstances. This is both good and hardwired in our very nature.

When things are bad, though, this can be especially daunting. We often feel like there can be no good or right or beneficial purpose to the less-than-good stuff that happens. This, too, is both understandable and comes from a good place. Evil should NOT  exist. Death is NOT supposed to be here. Suffering is NOT part of our design. But since evil, death, and suffering ARE all part of this life, there is a remarkable truth that there can still be purpose and meaning found DESPITE that reality. And that can be found in the most beautiful of places.

#Resilient #FindMeaning #PurposeInPain

Life has a way of throwing unexpected challenges our way - disappointments, setbacks, tragedies, and struggles that can all feel overwhelming. Too often, we either bottle up our emotions until they explode or act like nothing is wrong … only to feel lost, adrift, and alone. But what if there was a way to navigate these moments with authenticity, actually acknowledging even life’s most bitter challenges rather than putting on a mask and pretending like everything is OK?

There are powerful truths that can transform how we face hardship. It is possible to express our brokenness in ways that heal rather than harm, to name our pain without giving ourselves into the gloom of hopelessness. How things are is not how they were designed, and a foundational step to finding our way back into that design is admitting that we’re not already there.

#Resilient #ExpressIt

We all love a good story. We read books, go to movies, and watch shows that tell us tales of adventure and intrigue and excitement. And the thing about stories is that they're only good if there's a problem, something to resolve or overcome. We love the hero, but every hero needs a villain. We tend towards these stories because we can vicariously join in the victory without the cost of the struggle. 

Real life, though, is different. It isn't a neatly crafted narrative where the good guys always win and the calamity is avoided in an episode or a quick series. In reality, we all have to face hardship, pain, suffering, and grief … and it takes something special to navigate these treacherous waters: a resilient faith. And it's way more than just gritting our teeth and bearing it. 

#Resilient #Strength #Love

“I don’t believe you.” That can be one of the hardest things we can hear from another person, especially when they matter to us. We instinctively want others to trust us, to count on our words to be viewed as containers of truth. When that belief is compromised, relationships suffer. But belief is more than just trust in the trustworthiness of another.

On a deep level, what we believe about the world shapes every decision we make, every emotion that we feel, and even every thought we think. Because of this, if our beliefs are not rooted in reality, in “true truth” as it were, our lives will invariably face turmoil and dissonance. Part of being a community that is resilient in the face of great difficulty is being a place where we’re all called to experience, wrestle with, and ultimately embrace the truest of truths. And, for Jesus-following people, this starts with the One whose name we bear.

#Resilient #BELIEVE

The world we live in is tough - there’s no denying that! But what makes the difference between navigating those difficulties and succumbing to them? Resilience - which is about developing the strength to endure challenges and return stronger, especially in matters of faith.

A resilient faith thrives in a community where genuine belonging, love, and support are present. It’s not just about holding the right beliefs but also actively living them out in relationships and within the culture, demonstrating truth and love in harmony. This kind of faith transforms lives and inspires others to experience help, hope, healing, and connection through shared purpose and intentional care.

#Resilient #BELONG

Music is a nearly universal language. It communicates in a way that transcends words, and we build soundtracks for our lives in an almost unconscious way, creating a backdrop for who we are. Let's rewind our church's 2024 "soundtrack" as we start 2025. To really understand where we're headed, we have to understand where we've been. Our past shapes and guides and informs both who we are today and who we will become. It doesn't define us, but it's an important piece of our identity.

The Christmas season is one that comes in a flurry of excitement, busyness, and nearly constant activity for most of us, and yet it seems to fade quickly into a distant memory days or even hours after it has passed. But should this be the case? Shouldn’t the coming of the Savior of the world be remembered and cherished and heralded all the time?

In the Christmas story, as it is often told, we learn of the Wisemen, a group of scholarly and kingly men who traveled far and long to encounter Jesus once they learned of His coming, enduring much to simply meet the newborn King. From their story, we learn just a little bit of what it means for Christmas to impact our lives long after the fanfare has subsided.

#SomeoneIsComing #andHasAlreadyCome #Wisemen #Christmas

This time of year, one of the most common phrases we hear is something akin to, “Are you ready?” The answers often allude to things like house preparations, shopping lists, gift wrapping, and sundry items related to celebrations and traditions wrapped up in the Christmas holiday. But, while all of those are good things to consider, none of them are the best way to answer that question.

2000 years ago, the whole of creation, whether aware or not, was desperately waiting for a singular event to take place - the arrival of a desperately needed Savior.  And the world was being asked a question then as we, too, are asked today: are you ready? Are we ready to face what it means that we do, in fact, need a Savior? Are we ready to wrestle with what it means for us to accept that rescue? How we respond to this substantively important, fundamental inquiry will radically impact our lives today and for the whole of the vast stretches of eternity.

#SomeoneIsComing #AreYouReady #Simeon #Anna #Christmas

In the children's book (and subsequent movie), The Never Ending Story, the basic premise is that there is a grand, fantastical tale that one can read about and yet mysteriously be a part of - in fact, the inconceivable notion is that the reader is truly a main character. At one point, as this line between audience and participant begins to blur, the central character Bastion cries out, “But that's not possible!” 

And that's a common belief, even if unspoken, that many hold today when it comes to the story of Christmas. It can seem impossible that God could (or even would) set right the wrongs of this world (there are so many, after all) and that He would pay the cost Himself and become like we who do so much evil. It's even more incredulous that we would be invited to be part of this story. But that is exactly the truth of Christmas and the coming of Jesus into our world - even if some say that it's impossible. 

#SomeoneIsComing #SomeSayItsImpossible #Zechariah #Christmas

Across the great expanse of human history, we find a common thread in the presence of story. Every civilization, every culture, every society has stories and tells stories. From epic and fanciful works of fiction to robust recountings of actual events in days gone by, people are both drawn to hear and to tell their stories. And virtually every story that’s been told (or is worth being told) includes some kind of rescue.

The story of Christmas is no different. Surely, the story is about the coming of Jesus in the manger and all the trappings we hear about that amazing day. But the reason Jesus came and the result of that coming is all about the rescue that all of us so desperately need. And like all great tales, the rescue Jesus brings comes in ways and means that nobody really expected and in greater glory that we could have imagined.

#SomeoneIsComing #ToTheRescue #Joseph #Christmas

For most of us, the Christmas season is something that we look forward to, a time to connected with loved ones and participate in traditions, old and new. There can be heartache, too, but there is generally a sense that good things can and should be happening as we look ahead with expectation to the things that bring us joy this time of year.

If we’re willing to step back just a bit, we’ll see that all the good that we expect to had its beginnings in something (in someone) quite unexpected, a series of events that took place in manners and ways that no one anticipated. And, if we’re willing to take the time, we can revel in the beauty of the unexpected way that Jesus came and still comes into our lives today this Christmas season.

#SomeoneIsComing #Unexpected #Mary

It's been said that one of the most troubling conditions in our culture is an epidemic of ingratitude - meaning that we tend to see and fixate on everything that is wrong or lacking in our lives while minimizing or ignoring the good. And it's an easy trap to fall into for most. There really is evil in this world. We really do face injustice. Bad things have and will happen to us and those we love. But that is not the whole story.

It's also been said that many Christians focus on the events of Genesis chapter three (when sin & death entered into creation) at the expense of chapters one & two (when the beauty of all creation, culminating in the formation of humanity, is manifested and extolled by our Creator). Now, we absolutely must deal with the reality, the effects, and the resolution of sin. But we also must remember that God has infused the universe with beauty and glory (generally) and that He's marvelously imprinted humanity with His own image (specifically). This means that, despite the brokenness around us, we can and should revel in all that goodness in our created order and in one another, showing our gratitude for life and all that God has done to restore that goodness through Jesus, both now (in part) and one day in eternity (in full).

#Celebration #CelebrationSunday #Gratitude #Thanksgiving

One of the most fundamental teachings in Scripture is found in the very first chapter of the Bible, where God emphatically declares, "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him - male and female, he created them." (Genesis 1.27) Humanity, in all its glorious diversity and uniqueness, derives that glory from this paramount reality: we are all, each of us, made in God's image. It is from this image-bearing intrinsic to every member of the human race that we carry such worth, value, dignity, and honor. And it is why Jesus links the fulfillment of the greatest commandment (to love God with everything we have) to the absolute necessity for us to love others as ourselves. As we honor the image of God in others, we honor the One whose image we bear.

Unfortunately, shortly after we learn of our creation in God's image, we learn of sin entering the world and lamentable degradation of that image. Humanity quickly gives into pride and selfishness, dishonoring the glory of God woven into the very nature of humanity itself. And one of the most insidious forms this dishonor & destruction takes is that of racism. Throughout all of recorded human history, we find examples of people degrading and victimizing others on the basis of race, ethnicity, and skin color.

Jesus came to set right what humanity broke so long ago, including racism and all its trappings. Tragically, those who claim to follow Him have not always done so in this regard, even up till this very day. If Christianity is to be true to her Lord, those who fill her ranks must be brave and humble enough to admit our shortcomings and actively advocate for the beauty of the Kingdom of our King. If we claim to be in Christ, we must think and act like Jesus who has given us new life.

#Racism #ImageOfGod #WeDontTalkAboutThat

“What's your least favorite topic to preach about?” It's a question most pastors are asked frequently, and (despite vast differences in theology, training, personality, and more) most answer with a single word: money … and for good reason! It's a highly personal topic, and the church-at-large has a less-than-stellar reputation for both how it's handled money and how it's talked about it. Scandal, greed, hypocrisy - all of these have been descriptors of the historical church in recent memory when it comes to this topic.

But that's exactly why we need to talk about it. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that what we do with our money & resources is one of the clearest indicators of what we truly worship. In fact, Scripture talks about money more than it does heaven & hell combined! If we're going to be the kind of people that truly follow after Jesus, we need to manage the resources He's entrusted to us in a way which demonstrates that commitment and which helps build God's kingdom here on earth.

#Faith #Money #WeDon’tTalkAboutThat