Pastors Blog

Overcoming Doubt and Despair

Doubt and despair. Who hasn’t experienced uncertainty and the lack of trust in something or someone? Doubt can make us hesitant in making decisions or question someone’s motives or capabilities. Despair is the feeling of hopelessness. It’s when we end up in a place in our minds that keeps us caged and feeling defeated and doomed. Difficult and painful circumstances in life can lead us to despair. In life we will all find ourselves in times of hopelessness, discouragement and even doubting God’s presence or goodness. But the good news is that there is a way out of doubt and despair.

Hope for Those Who Feel Alone

The church is God’s family, it’s God’s remedy for loneliness, and it’s God’s strategy for bringing His Kingdom on earth. No matter your family situation or marital status, this is good news for all of us who follow Jesus! We never walk alone. God has given us His family all over the world, but especially in our local church context. That being said, this profound and exciting truth comes with a challenge to each of us who desire to live out Jesus’ command to love each other as God’s household of faith.

Expanding the Boundaries of your Life

In April 1932, something that was previously thought impossible happened. In a Cambridge laboratory, two men, John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton, split the atom and paved the way for the creation of the nuclear bomb. It was then that the world discovered something that is just as true in the spiritual world as it is in nuclear physics; the greatest release of power does not come by making bigger bombs, but by making changes on the smallest level. In nuclear science it came from splitting one of the smallest things in the world, the atom. In life, the biggest changes come from renewing our minds.

Enduring Your Heartbreak Hill

We can know that God will provide will be a place of refreshment in the face of our biggest challenges in life. Maybe a worship song will come to you, or a friend will send you a Bible verse. Refreshment often comes in times of fellowship at church or when your Life Group prays for you – but these places are not parking lots. Can you imagine a runner sitting down and taking a nap at a water station? They keep running! There is a goal ahead and they don’t lose sight of that in the middle of a hill.

Why We All Need An Interpreter

Whenever you’re reading your Bible, pray first and ask the Holy Spirit to be your Teacher and to give you understanding of what you’re reading. You will notice a marked difference when you recognize your need for the Holy Spirit to give you illumination and when you acknowledge Him as your Teacher and Interpreter.

Finding the Road

Much like Christian in Pilgrims Progress, we too are pilgrims heading toward a Celestial City. On our way there, there will be valleys and mountains, but in every step, God will remain faithful and provide us with what we need to return to the road and enter through the narrow gate.

Evangelist Isn’t a Dirty Word

In the Bible, there is a clear gift of evangelism, just as there is a clear gift of being a pastor or teacher. But sharing our faith, as Peter mentioned, is the responsibility of every follower of Jesus. Most of us probably won’t be preaching to mass crowds in stadiums like Billy Graham, but we all have people in our lives who need to hear about the hope inside of us. Evangelists are to be treasured gifts to the church, and my hope is that we can reframe the image of what an evangelist is through the journey of reading this classic book. An evangelist is one who is motivated by love, one who asks sincere questions, and one who is quick to point the way toward Jesus.

Three Essentials For Our Journey Into 2023

Whether you have clear goals or maybe you are still figuring out what this year will look like. Let’s be sure to remember these three essentials: Love the Lord your God, Obey His Voice, and Cling to Him. Just like the people of Israel who were entering into a new phase of their journey with God, filled with hopes and fears, we may not know all that will happen, but we can trust the Lord who is faithful and who’s love for us never fails.