Searching for Courage
On the surface, hearing God and following His commands seems straightforward. However, when God calls us to do something that generates fear in us, finding the courage to obey such a call is overwhelming. Today, we will explore the call God gave to Gideon and see how we can follow Gideon’s courage to obey God.
Searching for the Abundant Life
Jesus explicitly explained his purpose when He said “…I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). Yet many people struggle with loneliness, anxiety, anger, fear and shame. These are clearly not the dominant features of an “abundant life.” Today we’ll explore this disconnect and discuss how to overcome this very real gap between our experience and what Jesus promised.
Searching for Real Friendship
Some relationships may imitate friendship, but there’s no substitute for the real thing. Exploring the relationship between David and Jonathan in the Bible, we’ll identify some distinguishing features of friendship that are often overlooked and discover how to infuse our relationships with these essential ingredients.
Searching for the Right Word
Have you ever said the wrong thing at the wrong time or misunderstood what someone else was saying and experienced unfortunate results? Finding just the right word and communicating effectively with another person is one of the most frequent challenges we face. Let’s take a step of growth in the words we choose together!
Isn’t God’s Grace Unfair?
Part of being human includes an unwritten set of rules that emphasize earning, winning, and achievement. God calls us to a different way of being—where we are accepted and loved because of who God is and what Jesus has done for us rather than what we can do for him. God’s grace dramatically changes the way we relate to God, others, and even self.
Science and Christianity
In every culture there’s a set of ideas or beliefs that many people simply assume to be true. One of these ideas is that there is an intrinsic conflict between science and Christianity. Today we’ll talk about some of the apparent conflict and consider how believers in Christ might benefit from thinking more like a scientist.
Invest in the Next
What does the word “invest” mean to you? What does investing in the next generation mean to you? This week we will look at three different ways we invest in the next generation and influence them to find and follow Jesus.
Eternal Life: Heaven or Hell?
Many people struggle with the idea that in Christianity God is both a God of love and of justice. They believe that a loving and forgiving God who accepts people into heaven can’t also be a judging and sometimes angry God who sends others to hell. What can we learn from the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man that will help us to move along a heaven-bound trajectory?
The Problem of Injustice and Suffering
If God is loving and all-powerful, then why is there injustice, suffering, and pain in the world? This question represents one of the most difficult reasons people struggle with belief in God. This week, we’ll compare a secular worldview to what God’s Word says about pain and suffering and the role they play in the Christian’s life.
Can I Trust the Bible?
Loud and persistent voices attack the trustworthiness and relevance of the Biblical text. At times our quieter, inner voice may raise sincere questions about the Bible’s reliability, but if we can’t depend on the Scriptures then our faith can’t stand. This weekend let’s explore, why it’s reasonable to rely on the witness and the words of the Scriptures.
Doubting Doubt
Doubt is the presence of uncertainty. This uncertainty can present itself at anytime, for both believers and skeptics alike. The aim for both is to consider their own positions of doubt and consider these beliefs in view of a risen Jesus. Whether a believer or a...
LifePoint Kids – May 28
God is with you even when you have questions. We end the month in Acts 8:26-40 and discover a Jesus-follower named Philip. An angel told Philip to travel toward the desert. On the way, Philip met an Ethiopian official who was reading the Jewish Scriptures. This man...
When Jesus Restores…
Receiving forgiveness and experiencing restoration can become pivotal moments that shape our character. Peter received a course correction for life as Jesus gently but powerfully restored their relationship and Peter’s role. Together, we can grow deeper into Jesus’ restoration work in our lives and the implications for how we follow Jesus after being forgiven and set free.
Overcoming Failure
Failing is a common but disappointing life experience that always seems to catch us by surprise. When our failures are placed into the hand of Jesus, he can use even our shortcomings to fuel our growth. Let’s discover the part failure played in Peter’s life and how we can take positive first steps following failure.
LifePoint Kids – May 21
God is with you no matter what. In Acts 3:1-4:21, we see that Jesus’ mission wasn’t going to be easy for the disciples. Luke tells us that Peter healed someone in the name of Jesus and ended up causing quite a stir. As people gathered, Peter and John used this moment...
Forgiveness
As God has forgiven us, we are to forgive each other. In the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, Jesus teaches that forgiveness should be in like proportion to the amount forgiven. When someone offends us, we should be willing to forgive him or her from a heart of gratitude for the forgiveness we have received from God.
LifePoint Kids – May 14
God sent the Holy Spirit to help you. In week 2, head to Acts 2:1-41 and find out how the disciples found the confidence to tell the world about Jesus. The disciples had a huge mission: to share the message of Jesus with the world. Thankfully, Jesus also promised that...
Peter’s Confession and Jesus’ Church
Jesus accomplishes his mission through his Church, but our part in a local church can be challenging as well as rewarding. In Matthew 16, we discover part of the foundation for God’s work through his Church and our part in it. How might God be calling you to be part of his mission through LifePoint Church?
LifePoint Kids – May 7
Share God’s love with others. We start off the month in Matthew 28:16-20, Luke 24:50-53, and Acts 1:1-11. Before Jesus went back to His Father, He gave His disciples a huge mission: to tell the world about Him. The message of Jesus is for everyone, and it was the...
LifePoint Kids – April 30
Put others first by making things right. In John 21:1-19, we discover how Peter and several other disciples were out fishing on the Sea of Galilee without catching a single fish. Suddenly, they saw a man standing on the shore, who told them to try the other side of...
Get Back in the Boat
Fear can creep into our lives at any time, especially when our happiness, comfort, or success is threatened. As we’ll see from Peter’s example, following Jesus doesn’t automatically eliminate our fears. However, we can also see how our fears fade into the background each time our attention turns back to Jesus.
LifePoint Kids – April 23
Put others first by helping them understand. In Luke 24:13-35, we find two followers of Jesus on their way to Emmaus. From what we read, it seems these men were sad and confused about Jesus’ death on the cross. Little did they know that Jesus was walking with them!...
Butterfly Effect
Getting started is often the hardest part of any effort. Fortunately for Peter, when he started to follow Jesus, he found help from his brother. Influencing others to find and follow Jesus is the heart of our mission. Let’s explore the value of introducing other people to Jesus.
LifePoint Kids – April 16
Put others first because Jesus put you first. In Philippians 2:3-8, Paul explains how Jesus is the ultimate example of humility. He writes,“As you deal with one another, you should think and act as Jesus did. . . . He was humble and obeyed God completely. He did this...
Hope Released
At Easter, God’s new creation work bursts out onto an unsuspecting world with new life and new possibilities for hope. We join that never-ending celebration of God’s faithfulness, compassion, and power by responding and living with confident hope. How does life change for us right now and in the future because we are filled with the hope that Jesus’ resurrection brings?
LifePoint Kids – April 9
Celebrate because Jesus is alive. For week 2, we celebrate Easter by taking a closer look at John 18:12-20:23. The religious leaders were up in arms because Jesus had claimed to be God. It didn’t matter that this was TRUE; the leaders were still readyto dish out the...
Hope Delivered
Shortly after having our third child, my husband took a huge leap of faith and left the corporate world to make a career switch. He had hoped this change would allow more time with our family, but when this did not pan out, he found himself returning to the corporate ladder on a much lower rung. His salary was barely of third of what it had been.
Hope Deferred
“Do you want to be happy?” The psychiatrist’s question sounded more like an accusation, and I sullenly mumbled something about happiness not being my MO. Though I cannot remember her exact response, the message was indelible: if I didn’t, she couldn’t help me. I glanced shamefully at my mother, who had already driven me hundreds of miles to other professionals, desperately hoping someone could lead me off this road of self-destruction.
Living with Hope
At my lowest moments, instead of drawing on the truth that Jesus loves me and wants me to live the abundant life, I focused on my angry list of all that God was allowing to happen to me. The more songs and hymns and platitudes I heard, the more I steeled myself against His embrace.
Wishing and Hoping
Have you ever made a wish? Not the wish you make every year on your birthday, but a wish that comes from a yearning so deep and longing that you would be willing to give up anything and everything for it to come true?
For eleven years I have been living with the pain of multiple sclerosis