Growth to the Seeds
When we do God’s assigned work, the work matters, but we don’t control how those seeds we plant take root and grow. Only God can give growth to the seed. We should care about the outcome of sharing our faith, but also realize how and when that outcome comes to fruition isn’t part of our responsibility.
Faith and Family
When asked how their parents have influenced their faith, the Swann children summarize it by using phrases like “unwavering consistency” and “immeasurable generosity.” Dave and Dawn’s selfless example of giving of their time and resources to share God’s love have made an impact for generations of believers to come.
The Bells
Communion is a reverberating cymbal which floods our memory with the sacrificial love of Jesus toward us. The Lord’s Supper is more than a modest meal: it is a celebration.
The Simple Daily Things
Too often we look for God in the extraordinary when all the while, He makes His home in the ordinary. Maybe we can get our lives back by inviting Jesus into our everyday routine of life. Pay close attention to your heart. Then include God as a normal part of your life.
LifePoint Church – August 28
God has a plan to show love to the world. That man was Abram—later called Abraham. We’ll discover Abram’s story as we jump ahead to Genesis 12:1-9, 15:1-6. God promised Abram that his descendants would become a great nation that would show love to the world. God told...
Hope Deferred
Our plans may be pushed aside, re-arranged, or dashed altogether. Proverbs 13:12 addresses this human dilemma: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Hope may be deferred, but hope isn’t lost. What we hope for may change; Who we hope in remains.
The Hidden Life of God in You
Does it ever feel like you’re just going through the motions in your faith? You go to church, pray, read the Bible, but it feels as if God is hiding away somewhere. The good news is God is closer than you think. He may even be right in front you, just waiting for you to notice.
LifePoint Kids – August 21
God loves us no matter what. We explore this idea in week three, as we head to Genesis 3. Here, we see that although Adam and Eve had an unbroken, loving relationship with God, ultimately they decided not to trust God’s plan.God gave them one simple rule to obey:...
Wasting Time
We can get caught up doing a lot of things for God, or asking him to do things for us, and neglect simply being with God. Enjoying Him, losing ourselves in the pleasure of His goodness, is what will sustain us for everything else.
All for One: Celebrating Baptism
Baptism is a celebration of our commitment to follow Christ. In placing baptism on my heart, God was calling me to be obedient to Him, to take the plunge and step out of my comfort zone in faith. It’s a public declaration because God knew we weren’t designed to walk alone. I realized the eyes in the crowd weren’t just on me, they were with me, supporting me and celebrating with me. This was their celebration too.
Believe
Faith is far more than a feeling. Just because we don’t feel God doesn’t mean He’s not there. But choosing to believe in the power and presence of God is a choice. We must make that choice every single day. And each time we do, it becomes easier the next time.
LifePoint Kids – August 14
God made us to take care of eachother. As we travel back to the creation narrative in Genesis 1-2, we read how God created the world . . . and it was good. God created people—Adam and Eve—to live in the world, enjoy it, and cultivate it. Adam and Eve had a close,...
The Risk in Rushing
It’s not wrong to have enthusiasm for what is coming next, or to plan for life directions we hope to take. But rushing is different. Jesus doesn’t rush. In fact, He takes the opposite approach, embracing what we might see as delays or distractions.
The Gifts of Memory
For us, time travels in only one direction – once a moment is past, it’s gone forever. We easily forget, which is why God so often commanded the Israelites to “remember.” God has given us the gift of memory and our memories can bring us closer to Him.
LifePoint Kids – August 7
Love God by loving others. Jesus explained this idea perfectly in Matthew 22:34- 40, which is where we begin this month. The religious leaders asked Jesus: out of the hundreds of laws the Jewish people were to follow, which were the most important? Jesus said that...
Vacation Bible Saved
The faith I have today comes from hearing the good news of Jesus Christ in a little white chapel with red front doors filled with faithful believers who did not keep that news to themselves. They opened their doors and their hearts and invited all to hear this wonderful message that not only changed my eternity, but my future.
Caring for the Neglected Places in Your Soul
In our culture, we present our occupation title as a means of describing who we are, associating our vocation with our worth. We often neglect places in our soul by living from these self-sustained versions of ourselves instead of our true selves in Christ. Our hope is to choose a new path towards reunion with our true identity and God.
LifePoint Kids – July 31
God gives you the power to have self- control. We finish up our Make Waves series discovering more about James 3:1-6. Our words have power. James uses practical images like a horse bit, a ship’s rudder, and a flame to show us just how powerful they are. They can hurt,...
Surrendering the Self Life
Over time, almost imperceptibly, we can get stuck in the trance of constructing our role in the world, building our identity, and completely miss what God is doing around us. We can spend a lot of time and energy protecting this Self we’ve created at all costs. As counterintuitive as it may seem, it’s when we surrender this Self that we get what we were trying to build all along: our life.
LifePoint Kids – July 24
God can give you the strength to be gentle. For week four, we get a glimpse into the heart of Jesus in Mark 10:13-16. Mark records a time when Jesus welcomed children, gave them his attention, and blessed them. Back then, no one thought very highly of children, and...
Weight of Grief, Strength of Heart
When I feel God in joy, it’s like being a parent on Christmas morning. He is right there in the room with me, watching me open my gift with delight, sharing in the joy that He has delivered. But when I feel God in grief, He is holding me in His arms.
Remembering Who You Love
The twists and turns of life can sometimes threaten our confidence that God is good. In these instances, we must actively and intentionally engage our hearts in loving the One who first loved us. In loving and surrendering to God, we are able to realize again how wonderful and loving God truly is.
LifePoint Kids – July 17
Be faithful so others can count on you. In week three, we jump back to 1 Samuel 18-20 and 2 Samuel 9. We dive deeper into the amazing friendship between David and Jonathan. Jonathan was a faithful friend to David when King Saul chased David and tried to kill him....
I Run To You
When I am afraid, I reach and flail for whatever is closest and promises the quickest relief. The endless, immediate options tempt and mesmerize, but none of them can ultimately heal my frightened soul or challenge the fear at its source.
Allowing for Transitions
Doesn’t it seem like the space between “what was” and “what’s next” makes us uncomfortable? The in-between quiet spaces of life create disquiet in us. However, our transition moments (the big and small ones) can become a place where we discover the presence of God in our lives.
LifePoint Kids – July 10
Show God’s goodness to others. This week, we head to Matthew 5:14-16. Matthew records the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus taught His followers what it looks like to live as part of God’s Kingdom. Jesus says we are like light in the darknessand salt to flavor food....
Mixed Feelings
The more we experience life, the more we feel these mixed feelings, these inherent tensions. But sometimes we’re less comfortable with tension in our faith journey. We struggle to trust in a loving God when we see the pain of an incredibly broken world. We prefer to view controversial issues as black or white, for or against, rather than navigating uncomfortable nuance.
Get Outside
Here’s a disturbing reality: we spend most of our lives indoors. But something special happens when we encounter God outside. Nature has the power to calm and quiet us. There is something restorative about an encounter with God under a canopy of stars or by the crashing waves of an ocean.
LifePoint Kids – July 3
Show kindness to everyone. We start our month in Luke 10:25-37. When the religious leader questioned Jesus about the sorts of people we should love and show kindness to, He told the familiar parable of the Good Samaritan. With this story, Jesus completely changed how...
Who Is Really King?
Lately I have been thinking about how my need to be prepared impacts my relationship with God. By trying to control all situations around me, aren’t I doubting His ability to provide for my needs? By always scheduling out the hows and whens of my time with God, am I missing the times that He wants to speak to me?