The Greater Than Message for 2022 is about learning to ask God for help. But, we have to realize, God may require us to dig a ditch to prepare for what He is going to do. Have You Been Here Before? A little boy was playing in his sandbox. He had his box of cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a red plastic shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox. The lad dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt. With no little bit of struggle, he pushed the rock across the sandbox by using his feet. When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found that he couldn’t roll it up and over the wall. The little boy grunted, struggled, pushed, and shoved. But his only reward was to have the rock roll back, smashing his chubby fingers. Finally, he burst into tears of frustration. All this time the boy’s father watched from his living room window as the drama unfolded. At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow fell across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy’s father. Gently but firmly he said, “Son, why didn’t you use all the strength that you had available? Defeated, the boy sobbed back, “But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!” “No, son,” corrected the father kindly. “You didn’t use all the strength you had. You didn’t ask me.” With that, the father reached down, picked up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox. I wonder what dreams or needs you might be bringing into 2022.  What Big Rock Is In Front Of You That You Need To Be Moved?   We are going to look at the scripture today for encouragement on how to come to God for help. Background…3 kings set out to go after an opposing army. 2 kings from God’s people (northern/southern kings) and another ally. They are supposed to fight against an enemy that they should have been able to defeat easily… And we pick it up right here in 2 Kings 3:9: So the king of Israel set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After a roundabout march of seven days, the army had no more water for themselves or the animals with them. There had been famine in the land, a drought. The kings had been running their kingdoms with not much thought to God. But, when you run out of water, you look to God real quick.  But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?”  An officer of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.”- 2 Kings 3:11 This was a very common thing in the Old Testament. Ask a prophet to ask God and tell us what to do.  What need do you have in your life that only God can meet? What thing beneath the surface of your smile is bothering you at night that no one knows about because you are too embarrassed to admit it. You can do all you can do…but only God can make it rain. You need something only God can give. “The Lord says, ‘Dig a lot of ditches in this valley.’ – 2 Kings 3:16 Only God Can Make It Rain, But He Wants You To Dig A Ditch.  They dug ditches to hold the water. God was saying, “I’m going to bring the water, you get ready for it by digging the ditches.” Before God sends the rain in your life, often He will call you to dig some ditches in preparation for the rain. What ditch is God calling you to dig in an area of your life in preparation for the blessing He wants to send? You answer that question, you will be living out your faith. If we do what we can do, God will do what he can do! Our mission at The Village is helping people experience Life change, Life Growth, and Life Purpose:  Life Change:  Faith/Repent/Confess/Baptism/Live the Christian Life, Daily Prayer, Daily Bible reading, taking that next step in generosity, inviting friends to church so their lives can be changed. Life Growth:  Join a Lifegroup, Reaching out to others to connect and experience community. Life Purpose:  Serve (dig ditches so others can experience God’s Grace). You dig a ditch, God will bring the rain! Don’t stop digging. Do it because the Lord says, ‘You will not see wind or rain. But this valley will be filled with water. Then you, your cattle and your other animals will have water to drink.’ “That’s an easy thing for the Lord to do. The next day, the time came to offer the morning sacrifice. And then it happened! Water was flowing from the direction of Edom! The land was filled with water! 2 Kings 3:17-20 Ask God To Help You Do Greater Things Every year, we come before God and ask for his blessing on another year. Each year, He is faithful and does way more than we could ask or imagine. Every year, we remind ourselves of Jesus’ words in John 14:12 which say: “Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father.” We believe these words of Jesus, that together, everyone giving room for God to work and us doing what we can do (“digging ditches”) that this is true.   What ditch is God calling you to dig? Where do you need to step out in faith and give him room to work? You might be tired, you might be worn out, just keep digging. Keep serving. Keep believing!  

On December 12th, Julianna Pena – a +850 underdog – managed to defeat Amanda Nunes for the bantamweight championship. Amanda was the No.1 fighter in ESPN’s women’s pound-for-pound ranking and a winner of 12 straight fights. She was considered one of the greatest MMA women fighters of all time. Many UFC analysts suggest this upset defeat by Pena was one of the greatest upsets in MMA history. Some argue that Pena will not be forgotten after this past weekend’s fight.   As Christians, we know this MMA historic event will soon be forgotten. Although the excitement of the fight is still fresh in the minds of many, one story of one person continues to stand the test of time. Today I want to talk about why Jesus’ arrival to earth is still remembered after all this time. He did not win a fight or an MMA belt, but He did redeem humanity. Sinless Yet Human Jesus Christ came in the flesh and is fully God. He arrived in human form to live a fully human life. He cannot take our place receiving the full punishment of sin without living and experiencing all that a human can encounter in a lifespan. Jesus was born into a body that was not sinful. He cannot sin, but he obeyed the limitedness of his physical body. He did not use the power that he could have as God while on earth. Jesus’ body “contained” his power, in other words.  Contrary to popular belief, Jesus did not come into a sinful body; let me explain. He could not have been put into a fallen body because that would assume that Jesus Christ is sinful. 2 Cor. 5:21, Paul tells us that, “God made him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (ESV) 1 Peter 2:22 tells us that Jesus, “who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth…” (ESV) The author of Hebrews, verse 4:15, states that we do “not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (ESV). Jesus Suffered For Our Sins Jesus chose to take on the full weight of all sin of the world to save humanity from God’s punishment. The scholar, Wellum tells us that while Jesus did not possess the moral corruption brought on by the fall, He did suffer from the fall’s amoral effects. These effects are grief, weariness, prolonged hunger, opposition by enemies and even neighbors and family members…and the physical agonies of dying. Putting it differently, it is like a person having flu-like symptoms but not having the flu. Jesus felt the effects of the sin but is not sinful himself. To close, Jesus Christ took on our human nature without human sin. Praise God! Our precious Savior is the only one who could take our place on the cross. Jesus Christ came to this world to save you and me from the punishment of sin. Put your faith in Jesus Christ and He is faithful and able to redeem you from the hands of evil and darkness. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. – Acts 4:12 (ESV)

Do you find it uncomfortable to talk about your faith? Are you uncertain of how to approach people or tell them about Jesus? Or maybe you have the opposite problem and you’re able to share but it doesn’t always go well. It’s something many of us struggle with, but fortunately, God has a plan. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. -1 Peter 3:15 THE PROCESS Life on Mission teaches the process of how to share our faith. It explores the concept of witnessing, as opposed to being the lawyer, police, judge, or jury. This provides valuable insight into a Christlike (and non-weird) process for sharing what God has done in our life. It’s important to balance being both the salt AND the light. And yet, many of us still struggle to feel prepared at times. We know what to do but not always how to do it. When I first returned to church, I remember thinking that I would not be the one to witness, that there was NO way God called ME to do that work. I was too this and that and not enough (fill in the blank). However, a recent experience has changed my mind and my heart. OPPORTUNITY Recently, some friends of mine and I went on a girls’ trip. Because we were in Life on Mission and I was being prayerful for opportunities, I mentioned to one of my friends (also a believer) that we should do a devotional with the group one morning. Not everyone was a churchgoer or believer on the trip so I felt it would be a great way to try and witness. We invited everyone without pressure. Fortunately, our friends chose to attend (AKA- God wanted this to happen!). Before the trip, we picked some scripture from Hebrews and my friend wrote the devotional. After completing the devotional, the group discussed how it applied to life today, particularly friendships. By the end, my friends who do not understand our faith, began to ask questions. They were hard questions; questions without easy answers. They expressed their frustrations and beliefs about organized religion. They were honest. In my past, I would have either agreed with them and joined in or felt defensive and challenged. But now, having the relationship with God that I do, I found myself excited- a sure sign the Holy Spirit was at work! WITNESS Going in, I had prayed not only for an opportunity but discernment. As recent as that morning and right before the devotional, I prayed for the Holy Spirit to give me words. So in the face of questions that should have been difficult, I saw their worldly understanding as a lack of knowing Christ. I found myself acknowledging with a genuine heart their concerns. I used it as an opportunity to explain things that the world does not tell us about what it is to be religious, to be a Christian, and most importantly, to have a relationship with God. While I’d love to say that all of my friends are now regularly attending church, we know that is not realistic. But it’s also not the goal. The goal was to witness and give God space to plant seeds. PRAY I encourage you to pray for opportunity and to pray for the Holy Spirit to guide your words and your heart in these difficult conversations that you’re praying come up. I encourage you to have those conversations when you can, even if you’re uncomfortable. Be vulnerable and OK with saying “I don’t know.” Remember that they won’t be your words, because if you’re prayerful, the Holy Spirit will most certainly speak through you. Pray for discernment and let God work.

The big question during these times is, “how do we disagree and still get along?” Would you agree? Keep reading and gain some insight and learn some ways to foster good relationships without compromising what you believe. Today’s blog is a follow up to Nate Ferguson’s message at The Village Christian Church when he taught on how to show compassion within our relationships. As a clinical therapist (in training), I often teach cognitive skills that help people improve their relationships at home. The main type of relationship that people need help with is between parents and children, both young and grown. There are several paths to discuss this challenging topic, but I want to focus on the main thing that tears down the relationship between children/young adults and their parents. What Is The Cause Of The Problem? Invalidation is the main reason relationships suffer at home between children/young adults and their parents and it occurs often within these relationships sadly. A person’s self-worth is taken from them when he/she feels like what they have to say is not important. In many cases, parents listen to “answer” rather than listening to “listen.” The latter expresses a message that although a parent may not agree with the child, the content is much less important than validating the perspective of the child. However, the moment a young person feels invalidated, he/she will experience a great deal of shame. Sometimes they may feel like they do not matter, that what they have to say is not worth listening to.  The disagreement between a young person and a parent worsens when this type of invalidation is not dealt with. The problem turns into the issue of a young person’s self-worth crumbling. Nothing is more painful for a human being than to feel like they don’t belong. Research tells us that not feeling like you belong is one of the main reasons why a young person does not want to keep living. Although this seems extreme, this often occurs in homes where families appear as though everything is “alright.” Another major component that comes up is the feeling of self-hatred because of being invalidated. Self-worth decreases which can lead to a person feeling like who they are is not important. This same person can experience the feeling of being alone because their perspective continually is being ignored or unappreciated. What Does Scripture Say About It? Proverbs 11:9 (ESV version) says that: “Evil words destroy one’s friends; wise discernment rescues the godly”. Proverbs 11:17 (ESV version) also tells us that: “Your own soul is nourished when you are kind, but you destroy yourself when you are cruel.” Lastly, in Matthew 12:36 (ESV version), a great warning is presented to us as believers: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give an account for every careless word they speak.” Words are powerful and without the discernment given to us by the Holy Spirit, many of us harm those that we love dearly without intent by our words. Further, the harm may be extended to those outside of our family; friends, co-workers, and relatives can also be harmed by our careless words. Practice The Art Of Communication To find the middle path, we can disagree with our loved ones AND still find a way to bring about comfort and acceptance of their self-worth. The art of communication is difficult to do well. For the sake of the glory of Christ, I think it is worth taking this art seriously. I want to share with you all three main ways that you can disagree with a loved one and still validate their self-worth and their perspective, i.e., the middle road is not compromising. Validating someone’s perspective does not have to mean you agree with their perspective.“I appreciate your perspective. I want to think a bit more about what you are saying. Maybe we can get together again soon to chat some more about this?” Disagree with the content of someone’s perspective, do not make it personal.“I have to share with you that I do not know if I come to the same conclusion you do about that passage in Scripture. Maybe you and I can talk to a pastor about our disagreement?” Build trust and rapport before you start disagreeing. Trust binds together those that disagree about many things.“I appreciate you so much and I know that we do not agree about a lot of things. I’m so thankful that we can disagree and still care about each other. I would rather be together than disagree harshly and never speak again.” Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! -Psalm 141:3 (ESV)

Have you ever wondered how to incorporate Jesus into your daily life? Have you ever wanted an instruction manual for how to be a Jesus follower? You love Jesus, but maybe you just don’t know where to start or how to grow closer to Him. Those are common questions that I come across. We are in the midst of a series at The Village titled, Here’s How, that addresses some of those questions. I want to start by referencing this verse… Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. -1 Peter 2:1-3 Get Rid Of The Bad Stuff In short…Get rid of the bad stuff and replace it with good stuff. In the message, I challenged everyone in a couple of ways to put this into practice. One of those challenges was to only listen to Christian radio while in the car for a month. This was especially pointed at ME (just in case you don’t realize…a lot of what I teach I’m struggling with…just like you ?). At this writing, I’m 4 days in and continuing to push forward. It’s remarkable how much I miss my talk radio! I miss everyone being crabby about the Chicago Bears and other political pundits creating division. Why do I crave the bad stuff? Ugh! Find The Time For The Good Stuff At the same time, for me, my only time to step away from work is in the car. The ride to and from work, lunch, or a meeting is a respite from the busy schedule. I’m pretty much in the car every day. If you don’t know me, I tend to be a bit high-strung. Now in my times of stress, I get in the car and “escape” to the Good Stuff!!!  It’s so good to hear (through music) God’s reminders for my soul. This daily time in the car is a great time to incorporate Jesus into my everyday life. It’s so important to continually remind yourself of who you are in Christ. To be honest, I do miss the ugly stuff. However, while I miss the ugly stuff each day I’m finding a difference in my life by only putting in the good stuff. What’s the bad stuff for you? I encourage you to take the time to think about it. Make a plan to eliminate it and replace it with the good stuff. What’s the good stuff for you? Think about it, make a list. Consider this question, what do you think God may do in and through your life? If you need help finding the good stuff let me know, I’d love to help you. There are many ways you can incorporate Jesus into your life every day. Sometimes you just need to slow down, spend some time thinking about it, pray about it, and ask God to help you figure it out. Check out the entire message, Here’s How To Stand Out

“Be careful what you wish for” is a phrase we have all heard and felt before, I’m sure. Most of us consider this phrase following something difficult. But have you ever experienced it in a good way? I have and maybe you will find that you have too. The past few weeks, I’ve been thinking that phrase quite a bit. Usually, I’m smirking and shaking my head at God’s plan for me lately. Between Life on Mission, the 60-day prayer challenge, Discipleship Journey, daily devotionals, and Lifegroup, many of us are praying for a closer relationship with our Father. For God to show us opportunities to witness. Well, ask and you shall receive, right? In my own life, I’ve noticed every one of my “buttons” being pressed and my patience being tested. I feel like God is all but screaming at me to lean into Him and yield to His will. It’s been TOUGH, but worth it and I’m happy I’m not “careful” in what I prayed over. When we pray for life growth, life change, and opportunities, God will deliver! That’s not always easy because change is difficult, to say the least. But without it, we cannot grow closer to our Father and carry out His mission to expand the kingdom. The good news is that we can call upon the Holy Spirit, dive into scripture, lean on our church family, and pray to Our Savior to carry us through. Romans 5: 5 reminds us that, “hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” We can call to God at any time for help, seeking strength in the Spirit! And while we struggle in an abundance of opportunity, we can rest assured that God is working in our hearts and using us even in those times. Even if you feel like you can’t serve God where you’re at, He promises that He is using you. Throughout the Bible, we see examples of God using imperfect people to fulfill His mission. We can find comfort in knowing that He loves us, wants the very best for us, and is a perfect God capable of using our imperfect lives for His mission. So if you find yourself struggling, know you aren’t alone and the work you are doing is good: you are working to be closer to our Lord and share the good news! Yes, be careful what you “wish” for. Give care to your prayers and watch God work through them!

Do you ever wonder what heaven will look like? Many people do. Will it be peaceful? Will we see angels?  Lots of Fans When I travel, one of my favorite things is to go and visit sports stadiums. The second week of October I was in the Knoxville area and had an hour to kill so I went and visited the University of Tennessee Football Stadium. WOW! Just WOW! I was able to walk right in, and with the permission of the gatekeeper take some pictures.You can kind of get a feel for what I saw in the picture at the top of this blog, however it’s so much better in person. Did you know there are enough stadium seats for 102,455 people? I tried to imagine 102,455 people singing “Rocky Top” after a Tennessee touchdown. I almost extended my stay to see if I could get a ticket to check this out. This visual reminded me of a passage of the Bible where the apostle John is trying to describe Heaven. In Revelation 5:11 it says… Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Lots of Praise I did some quick math…10,000 X 10,000 = 100,000,000 (100 Million). Can you imagine 100,000,000 angels singing to Jesus in Heaven?   What blew my mind with a 102,455 stadium is 1/1000th of the number of angels who will be singing to Jesus. Think about that. The University of Tennessee Football Stadium filled to capacity times 1000. Think about what that would sound like. Think about what that would look like. That’s something to look forward to!  By the way…just a reminder that we have the opportunity every week in Minooka/Seneca/Online to worship God. The more the merrier! See you Sunday!

Did you know there are people all around you that don’t know the truth about God, Jesus or the Bible? God put you right where you are so you can share your story with them and plant a seed for Him to water. Your story, who you were before God intervened and the way He changed you and made you new is unique and powerful. I would bet that sometime in your life, someone shared their story with you. Sharing your personal, real story with someone who doesn’t know God is one of the best ways to introduce them. “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” – 1 Peter 3:15 So, here is my story. The Lie For most of my life, I was told to be self-sufficient, I had to make it on my own, and that I was the only one who could change my circumstances. I always struggled, in a constant state of anxiety, stress and worry. I just couldn’t do everything on my own. So, I depended on my family and friends for help emotionally, physically and financially. The more I found myself dependent on others, the more I felt insufficient and worthless. I was miserable because I believed the lie that I should only rely on what I could do for myself. For those of you who don’t know me, I have had a very colorful past. I thought I was dealt a bad hand, that I wasn’t good enough and I beat myself up a lot. The Truth Eventually I learned God never wants that for his children. Thankfully, He put a beautifully insistent woman of grace literally right next to me! My neighbor encouraged and helped me seek my rightful relationship with God. Now I can honestly say the day I gave my worries and fears over to Him was the day my life started growing in joy. Understanding God sent His son to bear the weight of all our sins and faults and how Jesus brings us to the perfection God created us for has opened my heart fully. Suddenly, everything started falling into place in my life without stress, fear, or a sense of failure. Now I see the more I pray, the more I submit to His will and have faith in His longing to bring relief and happiness to myself and my loved ones. I am truly joyful, grateful, and wholly blessed! The Freedom Now, I have come to see the truth. I wasn’t made to be dependent on myself or any other person. I was created as a child of God, loved perfectly even with my imperfections. God created me with purpose. All I had to do ALL those years was believe that one thing. “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.” – Galatians 3:26 Ask God today who you can share your story with and watch Him change their life.

When I started dating my wife, Rachelle, in college and wanted to get serious, I was willing to do whatever it took to show her how much I loved her. Can you imagine if rather than trying super hard, I instead asked her….Rachelle, what’s the bare minimum I need to do in this relationship for you to be interested? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the relationship would not have lasted very long! The Bible teaches us that when we enter a relationship with God, there are specific steps that we need to take. Step 1. Faith John 3:16 –  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. We don’t just kind of believe or say a simple prayer. This is a heartfelt, I’m “All IN” for the rest of my life moment! Step 2. Repent Acts 3:19 –  Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. We don’t just sort a kinda walk away from our sins. We do a complete U Turn! And God meets us there and helps us continue to honor Him! Step 3. Confess Romans 10:9 –  If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. We don’t just say words to get what we want. We publicly declare our love for Jesus because we love him. Just like we would our spouse and children. Step 4. Baptism 1 Peter 3:21 – And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. Baptism isn’t just getting wet. It’s the pledge of doing our best for God for all the days of our life. Step 5. Living the Christian Life Living the Christian Life (Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will) When we go through the first four steps, we don’t just stay infants in Christ. We grow daily by focusing on Him and in turn figure out His will for our lives. I began by sharing about my relationship with my wife, Rachelle. We began dating in February of 1992 in college. We were married in December 1996. At this writing, for 29 years I have been pursuing her. She is the love of my life. In the summer of 1984 I began my relationship with Jesus. I walked through each step, and for the past 35 years I have pursued Jesus. I’m ALL IN in my pursuit of him and will be for the rest of my life. How about you? Are you looking for the bare minimum….or are you looking to take every step and continue to take every step in pursuing a relationship with Jesus?

Have you ever noticed that your challenges seem to grow the more you seek God? Have you ever wondered why things seem to get more difficult in your life even when you’re intentional about your time with God? Or perhaps you are new to having a relationship with God or working to renew it, but find yourself feeling defeated by seemingly worldly issues. It is during these times that it is important to remember God’s warning to us about spiritual warfare.   When my husband and I began Rooted at The Village earlier this year, we were warned about spiritual warfare the first night. I remember doubting this warning entirely and thinking spiritual warfare wouldn’t happen to me even if it was real. Spoiler alert: my pride and arrogance proved wrong. As I continue to grow in my relationship with God, I realize how very real spiritual warfare is and its enormous impact on our lives. Why? 1 Peter 5: 8-9 warns us that “the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Hearing this, I guess that if you haven’t already started, you can easily recall moments in your own life when the enemy was seeking to destroy you. This is because Satan wants to keep us, including you, from God. He is the enemy, opposite to all of God’s love and plans for us, and he will try to ruin those working to advance God’s kingdom at all costs. As warriors for God, we can certainly expect his attacks.  The closer we walk with God, the more Satan’s mission is at stake. You will feel him up the ante and begin to hit you harder, seeking to drive you away from God. This warfare may come packaged in many worldly forms, such as temptation. But we also know from 2 Thessalonians 3: 3, “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” What Can We Do? Therefore, when we remain obedient and faithful to God, we have his strength and protection. God is more powerful than Satan; He can defeat him, He will defeat him! So during all times, including when we are under attack, we must not turn from our Father. We must seek to walk closer to our Father, keeping our eyes on Him for guidance. We must remain diligent and intentional in growing our relationship with Him through prayer and spending time with Him. Don’t ever forget we can call upon the Holy Spirit to guide us. God tells us to dawn the armor (Ephesians 6: 10-18) that He has provided us, which includes reading the Word. It is also important to surround ourselves with other believers, joining Lifegroups and attending church. Through these weapons, all rooted in the love and protection of Our God, we can overcome the enemy’s advances. And, as my church family warned me, remember that the enemy attacks in response to our work for God. How great your work for God must be for the enemy to attack you so viciously!

Did you know there is a worldview that rejects God? For example, a person may believe that science dispels the idea that miracles exist because it goes against scientific principles. If this is true, then a person is going to reject miracles that occur in the Bible. If you deny miracles, then you deny that Jesus rose from the dead. Although some may believe this rationale is ridiculous, some people do hold to views like this one.  God Created The Heavens And The Earth Modern science assumes a non-Christian worldview. I cannot put God “under a microscope” so God cannot be real. Physical matter is all that is real for a person that holds a worldview that is not Biblical. I argue, however, that science and a Christian worldview are compatible. A person who rejects God (i.e., worldview) argues that God is restricted by the laws of the universe. To put it simply, God must follow laws like no energy is created nor destroyed in the universe. If this logic is true, then God cannot create anything out of nothing. However, the Bible tells us this… In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. – Genesis 1:1 A warning is given from Scripture about identifying with a worldview that opposes the concept of God. Although people who identify with this worldview desire to pursue truth, God tells us there is one way to find truth and that is found in Jesus Christ. No other way exists to find truth in this world (John 3:16, ESV). The Bible teaches that Jesus is the only way to know God. Although people who reject God suggest that God is unknowable, the Bible tells us that all Scripture is “God-breathed…” (2 Tim. 3:16, ESV). God speaks to us continually through His Word and His creation. John the Disciple sharply points out that “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1, ESV). As people desire to seek out their truth, God gives them over to the desires of their hearts (James 4:7, ESV). Believe to understand rather than attempting to understand so you can believe in Jesus Christ, St. Anselm of Canterbury suggested many decades ago. What To Do When Someone Rejects God I want to share with you practical ways to communicate with a friend, loved one, or a family member who may hold to a worldview that rejects God: Jesus builds relationships through us, not destroys them. Build a relationship first with someone before you suggest their worldview is not biblical. People know you care when you listen to understand them. Listening to listen is not listening to respond. Changing someone’s heart is Jesus’ job, not yours; be patient with those that do not hold the same worldview you do. Jesus saved you while you were yet still a sinner. Agree to disagree builds trust and respect in a relationship. People are more willing to hear about a Christian worldview when their worldview is respected. Simple statements that encourage ongoing discussion with your people who reject a worldview that believes in God. Here are some examples:  “Thank you for spending some time with me to talk about this challenging topic.” “I appreciate the time you spent with me to share your story. Let’s catch up soon so we can talk more.” “I just want to hear your story about your belief in God; I am not here to judge it.” “We may not agree in the end, but I am glad we had this discussion. I enjoyed getting to know you.”

Have you ever looked at someone or something and made judgments based on appearance? It’s easy to do based on what we think something or someone should look like. Society, our friends, and our experiences may shape those judgments.  You know, when I was a kid, I made judgments about bikers. I thought bikers were rough people; maybe even bad people. Most of society probably had an opinion that bikers weren’t the best people to hang out with. I mean, think about it. They usually had long hair, long beards, tattoos, wore leather jackets, and often smelled like smoke. And they all rode loud motorcycles that typically sounded pretty scary.  Later in life, after I graduated from high school and went into the service, I purchased my first motorcycle overseas. I had the opportunity to hang out with some bikers and you know what I discovered? Surprisingly they were a lot like me in many ways. They had hopes and dreams, just like I had; they had families and bills and carried worries just like I did. I discovered my judgments based on appearances were wrong.  What The Bible Says About Judgments Based On Appearances This reminds me of a story in the Bible when the Lord sent Samuel to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be King. Samuel was instructed to sacrifice a heifer and invite Jesse and his sons. When they arrived, Samuel saw Jesse’s firstborn son, Eliab, and thought “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” Why did Samuel think this? Probably because Eliab looked very “kingly”. We know he was tall and had fair features according to the Bible. He probably looked like a leader, like he wouldn’t have any problem convincing people to follow him.  But the Lord said to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7,  “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Isn’t it wonderful that the Lord doesn’t judge us by our outward appearance, but by the condition of our heart?  What Does The Condition Of Your Heart Look Like Today? I’m just a man myself and there is no way for me to know the condition of your heart. I can’t tell if you have a relationship with the Lord or you don’t. Only you and the Lord know that…  But what I do know, is that God’s word tells us, no matter your appearance, no matter what baggage you carry from your past, no matter how much wrong you’ve done in your past, you can be saved and have the assurance of knowing that when you die, you will live for eternity with God. His word says it like this…  “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9 Take some time to assess the condition of your own heart today and if you know you need Jesus, don’t delay!

Have you ever thought about being a warrior for God? Do you ever read your Bible and think about all the battles God fought and how He used people to do so? God’s strength and power won these battles. Today I want to share an example of that with you.  Over the years, my husband Tim and I have had the privilege of serving at Roseland Community’s Good News Day Care, directed by Ms. Pearl Willis. She is literally fighting a battle for God in her community. Good News Day Care provides free Christ-centered care for children so moms can get an education, work, and provide for their families. This is in the Roseland community of Chicago, Il. on the south side of the city. Gangs, drugs, prostitution, murders, unemployment, and hopelessness are prevalent. Good News Day Care provides a nurturing environment giving encouragement and hope back to the community. Recently, we were able to take some volunteers from The Village Christian Church family for a 2-day serving opportunity at Good News Day Care.   During the summer, Ms. Pearl offers a 6-week long day camp, serving approximately 55 children. They arrive in the morning and are fed breakfast, lunch, and a snack. Daily activities include worship, learning about God, and experiencing fun activities in their community. Impress Them On Your Children While I was serving there, I was reminded of something from the Bible that Moses stressed to the Israelites. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” Deuteronomy 6:5-7 NIV The Bible says we are to be devoted to the ways of the Lord. Our life purpose is to share those ways. We are to pass on his vast mercy, love, and grace to those around us, particularly our children. This includes not only our biological children, but all children. Good News Day Care has written these commands everywhere. There are bookshelves full of Bibles and Christian books for the children to read. The children are taught to pray over all of their meals and snacks. The adults in their lives are learning the ways of the Lord. They are becoming mature in their faith, and attempting to guide this next generation to love God and to love others. On our second day at the day care, the Bible lesson was taken from Joshua 6 about the fall of Jericho. The Lord says to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and it’s fighting men.” Joshua 6:2 NIV Be A Warrior For God While we read these words to the children, they were lifted off the page and brought to life for me. God has delivered this land in Roseland to Ms. Pearl’s hands and she is a warrior for God. As our volunteers are serving, they are being warriors for God.  Little by little, she has taken properties on that block and turned them into land used for good. These victories for the Lord are by His words, His power, and His glory. They are evident in the beauty of her buildings and the lives that are changing from hearing God’s word there.  So, I urge you to become a warrior for God. When Jericho fell, there were many Israelites involved in the battle. Some walked, some blew a horn and some carried the ark, but all were used to tear down the walls of Jericho and turn it into a city that was used for the Lord. Your service in God’s kingdom does not have to be equivalent to Ms. Pearl’s or Joshua’s, but you can certainly stand alongside them in the missions they have started. The world needs followers of Christ who are willing to help their church, local organizations, or national organizations spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and to be unwavering in doing so. 

Have you heard the phrase “the body of Christ” and wondered what it meant? The Church consists of its members who are the living body of Christ. In many ways, God’s work is accomplished through this body of Christ. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. God designed each person in the church to use their God-given gifts to advance God’s kingdom. You Have A Purpose I believe that most people become Christians to secure eternal salvation with our Lord. That’s a great start! However, God is so gracious, kind, merciful and he loves us so much that He has given us a very important purpose. He has given us the job to bring others to Christ and to give them hope. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12 We were created by God in His own image to bring other people to Him so that they may also be saved. God wants His whole creation to be with Him in relationship here and eternally. I desire for Christians to understand that God gives us love, mercy and grace with forgiveness of all our sins, past, present, and future. And we are called to love and forgive others in the same way. Love The Lord, Your Neighbor And Your Enemy We are called to break the cycle of sin, so love goes much further with this next scripture from Matthew 5:43-45. “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” I would also like to add that Jesus showed us how to love our enemies through His example which you can read about in the Gospels (The books Matthew, Mark, Luke & John in the Bible). Loving your enemy is a very tall order and takes a lot of work not to conform to the patterns of this world. It’s easy to get distracted and lose sight of God when we get angry, sad, depressed, or fall back into our sinful nature. This is why it’s so important to be plugged into the Church in community, scripture, worship, lifegroups, and serving. Another example Jesus gave us is “The Lord’s Prayer”. I hope you will read it out loud and pay close attention to the meaning of this prayer. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” – Matthew 6:9-13 There Is Freedom In Forgiveness We are called to forgiveness; it’s not an option for Christians! Forgiveness frees our minds to focus on our Lord and the work He has for us without distraction. Forgive, move on and experience the joy of pursuing, serving, and being in close relationship with our Lord. The goal is to experience a heart filled with the love of God and to share it with the world.

Have you been away from the church for a while? Are you resting in the idea that you don’t need to go to church to be a Christian? Or perhaps you have never been involved with a positive church before- or a church period. If these or similar ideas describe how you’ve been feeling lately, then I invite you to read on about why The Village wants to see you at church. Many of us have heard statements like the ones above time and time again. While this message is not about proving those wrong, this message is about showing you a clearer, more complete picture of the purpose of the church. You see, those statements above are more closely aligned to what the enemy wants us to believe about the church experience, rather than what God says about it. They are easy to believe and require less effort than going to church. They come with less accountability too. That’s why I believed them for most of my life and why I think it’s such an easy trap. But Scripture tells us that God wants us to join together in 1 Corinthians 3:9: “For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” God wants us to work together and He has many reasons for this. When I heard the message during Student Takeover week, Carder Ferguson spoke about reaching out to someone and simply inviting them to church (without making it weird). His message was filled with care for others and helping them to know Christ. As I left church that Sunday, I was moved by a number of his statements. I found myself reaching out to others but I also found myself reflecting on why inviting someone to church is so remarkable. Purpose of Church Traditionally, people believe that the only thing happening at church on Sunday is hearing the Word of God, worshiping Him, and growing closer to Him. While this is important, it should not be the only factor. At a church like The Village, you’ll see more on Sunday: families connect, people feel included, you walk away feeling closer to God, you talk to people you might not otherwise, couples grow closer, kids have fun while learning about Jesus, and, somehow, everyone has a place and purpose. And yet, I still haven’t captured what God does every Sunday at The Village! This is because The Village is obedient to God’s intended purpose of the church. The Word tells us in Romans 12: 4-5: “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” We all have a collective purpose in furthering God’s kingdom. We know from verses like this that He intends for us to use our gifts in community with other believers. It is part of His mission and plan for us. Benefits of Church God wants this joining together because He knows how much it benefits us. At church, we find power in collective prayer. We find strength in numbers (it is easier to fight a battle with an army after all). “Iron sharpens iron,” as Proverbs 27:17 tells us and, of course, there are others too. Not only do they all further God’s work but the enemy hates them all for this very reason. Scripture tells us in Hebrews 10: 24-25: “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.” The enemy hates this because, as the Word promises us, the church strengthens our relationship with Christ. So in the spirit of what God desires for us as believers, we invite you to attend one of our services this Sunday! The Village has three campuses now: Minooka, Seneca, and Online. We are a church that is centered on Christ and the Word of God. We care about finding life change, life growth, and life purpose through our relationship with Christ. If you have never been to our church before, come and get to know us! If you have attended church in the past but are looking for a sign to join again- look no further! This is your sign. We can’t wait to see you!

Because God Made Us That Way Do you struggle with loneliness or the inability to maintain relationships? Does that lead to feelings of depression or anxiety? Are you looking for the right connection? God created you to have a relationship with Him and others. He created you to be connected to Him, to receive the blessings He has planned for you. He created you to be connected to His body, the church, to help you grow and mature. Nate Ferguson, the Lead Pastor at The Village Christian Church, gave a message about the idea that all people are hard-wired for connection. As a Christian who loves neuroscience, mental health, and psychology, my mind quickly became curious. I started thinking about the various nuances regarding how people are hard-wired to connect with other humans. Isn’t it wonderful to marvel at the way our Sovereign Lord has designed us? God has created in us the right neural structure, nervous and biological system to connect with other humans. The right connection. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made – Romans 1:20 – ESV Seeker, I pray that God gives you the eyes to see the great Designer of this universe. Science Shows We Need Connection Biological science tells us that we are the only species that have the neural structures in our brains to engage the way we do. Social engagement is critical to our survival. Mental health research strongly shows what happens when children experience emotional, mental, and physical deprivation. The outcomes are tragic, and yet this occurs throughout the world. Scans show that parts of a child’s brain experience developmental deficits when they do not have a caregiver near them validating their emotions before the age of 4. Emotional regulation issues arise as these same children grow up, creating difficulties in their lives. People, as God designed it, need one another. We are hardwired to connect. The most important things that any child needs at any stage in their development are “connection, presence, and affection” (Tangeman, 2021). Dr. Ed Tronick conducted the famous “still face” experiment. In short, the study involved a mother and a babysitting face-to-face and playing. During the first phase, the mother played and mirrored the emotions and expressions her baby was making. In the second phase, however, the same mother displayed a “still face” or a lack of responsiveness to her baby for two minutes. The scientific take-a-away from this study is that the baby begins to cry and screech when the mom does not validate the emotions and expressions of her baby. The baby becomes greatly disturbed releasing a large amount of stress and worry hormones, harming her overall health. What Can We Do? As believers, the thing we can take away from this major research finding is that we can help people “re-wire” their brains by being present, connected, and affectionate towards those that are closest to us. Science and Christian theology teach that we need each other to be healthy, spiritually and mentally. Scripture tells us connection, presence, and affection are built in us. The writer of Colossians says: “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:14 – ESV Paul tells the Christians at Thessalonica, “and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,” 1Thessalonians 3:12 – ESV A humility that motivates us to connect with people comes when we look to Jesus’ display of the ultimate act of humility; Jesus came to earth and took the form of a man to suffer like all humans; He would put himself on the Cross to die in our place. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 – ESV So, scientific research only further supports what Scripture has taught for over 2000 years. Here are some practical steps to have the right connection with people: Connect by listening to understand, not to respond. Be present by maintaining eye contact and reflecting on the things that people share with you, especially when they share deep-felt life experiences. Show affection by praising people when “they open up to you” (e.g., Thank you for trusting me with your story). Connect with people instead of correcting people-people desire to be heard and loved for who they are. Connect In A Lifegroup

I want to talk to you about relationships. There are a dozen ways I can tackle this topic, but I want to focus on one specific feature of relationships for this blog. Let’s talk about trust. If you have experienced broken trust in a relationship before, it can be difficult to learn to trust again. There is a way to restore broken relationships through the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Where It Starts Family research tells us that many children lose trust in their parents before the age of 4. Specific things need to happen between the relationship with a child and his/her parents at a young age. When this does not occur, mistrust forms the way the child(ren) grows up in the world. Research also tells us that by the age of 2, most children have a picture of what a relationship may look like through their eyes, healthy or unhealthy. When trust is lost, relationships decay from the inside out. Example My mom and I have not had a healthy relationship since my father passed away. I have not agreed with some of the choices my mom has made, and now feelings of hurt, betrayal, and mistrust underpin our relationship. I have given myself the freedom to harbor these feelings towards my mom because I believe I have the right to. May I be candid with you today, friend? I fear what my mom would do with my feelings if I shared with her how I felt because of the recent choices she has made. I fear that she would deny (i.e., gaslighting; Contact Me if you want to learn more about the effects gaslighting has on a relationship) how I am feeling. I fear that I would lose more trust in our relationship because of her disavowing how she has hurt me. Remember, trust (among other variables) generates an authentic relationship between a child and caregiver early on. So, I fear the love that I desire to receive, I will not get if my mom and I spoke. What Does The Bible Say About It? I admit that I do not trust Christ’s sufficiency to help me through the painful experience with my mom. I do not want to give control of my feelings over to God, because I trust I can care for them better than He can. In Philippians 4:8, Paul announces that God grants peace to those that praise and pursue “whatever is pure”.  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8 1 Peter 5:8 says that we (Christians) are to be “sober-minded”. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 In Luke 6:37, the apostle Luke tells Theophilus to “…forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37 Would you come alongside me to pray that God would grant me the courage to trust Him so that I can pursue healing in my relationship with my mom? Pray that God would enable me to hold onto Him to rebuild trust, through His grace, to sustain me regardless of how long it takes to rebuild trust.   How To Restore Relationships In Christ Friend, are you wondering how to heal the relationships in your life today? Put your faith in Christ, do not wait! His love, grace, compassion, mercy, and power will motivate you to push against cultural norms. Culture tells us today that individualism is prioritized over relationships. Relationships are the main way that Jesus Christ can show his love towards us. Steps to restore your most valued relationships: Choose to follow Christ – Christ’s power heals you so that he can heal relationships through you. Pray and read the Bible – build your relationship with Christ. Seek a prayer partner to teach you how to pray over broken relationships. Find a church to get connected with other believers; a deeper connection with the local church helps you deepen your connection with God (Ephesians 2-4, ESV). I AM THEY is a Christian music group that produced a song that I believe summarizes much of what I have been discussing with you all today. To close, may God speak words of love and grace to you through these lyrics: “So I’m thankful for the scars ‘Cause without them I wouldn’t know your heart And I know they’ll always tell of who you are So forever I am thankful for the scars Now I’m sending in confidence With the strength of your faithfulness And I’m not who I was before No, I don’t have to fear anymore” (Scars) Learn more about relationships through the series “Relation-Shift” available to watch at The Village Live. You can follow along on your own, with a friend, or with a group using these discussion guides:  Relation-Shift- Week 1-5.

Have you ever wondered why relationships have to be so difficult? Are you struggling in a relationship now? The relationship struggle is real! You are doing the best you can, but the results are still the same. Have you heard this saying before, “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is defined as Insanity!” May I lean in and encourage you to try a different approach? First, instead of focusing on the other person in the relationship, focus on you. That might sound selfish, but I can assure you in my explanation it is not. Check out this amazing verse from Ephesians 3:19… “May you Experience the Love of Christ.  Then, you will be made Complete, with all the Fullness of Life and Power that comes from God.” When you experience the Love of Christ, some pretty amazing things happen. How do you “experience” the Love of Christ? You understand that He loves you and gave His life for you. He took your place on the cross so you could be with Him forever. From your thankful heart, you in turn surrender your life to Him. Do you have anyone in your life that loves you unconditionally, no matter what? The answer is Yes! Every single person on planet earth has a God who loves them unconditionally. Once you receive that and continue to experience that, God goes to work in amazing ways! He makes you complete! What makes relationships difficult? When two incomplete people come together, they make a complete mess. But, when two COMPLETE people come together, who are completed by the Love of Jesus, God can do something beautiful. If you need help understanding God’s love so that you can experience it, please let us know. We’d love to help you. If you need help with Relationships, join us for Relationshift a biblical approach to what is best. You can follow along in your Lifegroup or on your own using these Study Guides. You don’t need to struggle in relationships anymore! Don’t keep doing the same thing over and over and again and expect a different result. Do things God’s way and watch Him go to work!

One thing that most everyone has in common is doubt. How many times have you thought to yourself, am I worthy of the call? Or another way to put it, am I qualified? It could be for many different things; a new job, marriage, parenthood, or being a leader. Regardless, there’s something you should know about the doubt. It is not what God wants for you. In fact, He has great plans for you! As people fairly new to The Village Christian Church, my husband and I have both found our minds swirling with questions recently. How should we serve? Should we serve at all? Are we the type of people God is calling at this moment for this task? Are we spiritually mature enough? Am I worthy of what God is calling me to do? When we ask these and other doubt-filled questions, we are typically reflecting through the lens of our mistakes, limitations, and the belief that we must be spotless before God will use us. But ultimately, when we ask ourselves if we are worthy of what God is calling us to do, we are questioning His plan for us. In voicing these questions to God, each other, friends, family, and new church family and mentors alike over the past few months, we have consistently been met with a similar answer. God wants to use (all of) us exactly where we are at right now. Yet, we find ourselves resisting God’s plan nonetheless. Understanding Our Resistance To understand the resistance we feel, we must start by recognizing two truths: God’s plan and the enemy’s. You see, those questions I listed above are rooted in our enemy’s mindset, not God’s. They are questions that doubt God’s plan and purpose. They cause us to hesitate instead of acting on faith that He has us exactly where we are supposed to be to further His mission. The enemy has two goals: to keep us from God and to sabotage His work. But God’s plan is greater than anything we could ever imagine. It is our job to respond to His love for us with obedience. We have to trust that it is He plans to use us in our imperfect state to carry out His perfect mission. God’s love wants to reach everyone so He uses all of us to fulfill that mission. You have been gifted a unique ability based on exactly where you are in your life to do God’s work. He already has the plan. You just have to answer the call. This can be scary. We are required to set aside our fears, doubts, and insecurities. It calls us to trust in Him by setting aside our plans and visions. It calls us to trust in something we cannot always see or understand. How Do We Overcome This? This naturally leads to questions about how we can overcome our doubts and resistance. But, fortunately, God has outlined this for us too. We can also use the armor of God, which includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, the sword of the spirit (the Word of God), and prayer (Ephesians 6: 10-18). During Nate’s message on the Bible, he reminded us that the enemy is not the flesh and blood, including ourselves; it is the devil. By adorning the armor that God created for us, we can equip ourselves in the way God knew we would need. The Word of God, scripture, is key to understanding our armor. It is the basis and foundation of our faith, revealing God’s plan. Specifically, by using prayer, we begin to strengthen our relationship with God. He wants a personal relationship with every one of us. Through faithful prayer, we further understand God’s purpose for us. We can also talk to fellow believers who are going to understand our doubts and remind us of God’s love for us and how to trust His plan. The Village offers opportunities to do this: Connect in a Lifegroup, experience Rooted, find a place to serve others, work through a discipleship study where you learn how to tell others about Jesus or get involved in other events the church offers. Take action because you are worthy of the call.  If you need help taking that next step or have questions, email The Village.

How do you choose to identify yourself? Many people find identity in the job they have. Some people identify themselves by the status they have in their family. One thing all believers have in common, your identity is found in Jesus Christ. But how do you find your identity in Christ? I have spent a great deal of time reflecting on Nick’s message when he talked about finding your identity in Christ. Nick is one of the Teaching Pastors at The Village Christian Church. His message had a big impact on me spiritually and I hope my experience relates to someone who reads this post. Many of us come home after a long day of work and wonder what we accomplished on that day. What we do for a living brings about a lot of purpose in our lives. Does the purpose we get from our jobs, successes, and relationships (yes, even this!) fade away sometimes? Now can I be honest with you for a moment? Listening to Nick’s message that Sunday morning, I immediately thought about how often I fill my cup with everything but Jesus. The message showed me that I often find value and worth in what I do instead of who I am in Jesus. Achieving success in our daily responsibilities is important, don’t get me wrong. But Jesus Christ must be where we find our true self-worth. The Holy Spirit showed me that I often find my worth in how “productive” I am at my job, relationships, and intellect. How Do We Find Our Identity In Christ? You ask a great and profound question, my friend! You can start by meeting with a wise person or two. They can help guide you on how to pursue a life where you find your identity in Christ. The body of Christ is in place to help each one of us grow in our understanding of how to find our self-worth in Jesus Christ. Accountability can be a scary thing for some people.  But, The Village Christian Church is a place where people will come around you full of compassion and love to help you in your walk with Jesus Christ. Another way you can find your identity in Christ is to find a Bible study partner. Find someone you can spend time reading the Bible with a few times a month. The best teacher is Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. He will show you how to live in Jesus Christ all the time. Friends, the mission is still not complete: Jesus Christ must be proclaimed all over the world. Find your worth in Jesus Christ, do it today friend! May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans15:13 (NIV) Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. -Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) Watch Bring Order Out Of The Chaos

Worries – we all have them, the big question is what do we do with them? Do we stress out, become withdrawn, or maybe lash out?  You will face many worries at different times in your life. Where does your mind go when you are bombarded by those big worries? What is the doctor going to tell me? Did I get the job? How will I pay rent, bills and buy food this month? The list is endless, right?!? I recently had a health issue I was worried about. I had a doctor’s appointment and was praying about what I did not want to see happen. A friend asked me how I was doing and I shared that I was ok, just praying it wasn’t going to go bad. Then my friend asked me two simple, yet helpful questions. Are you praying for your worries? And is that even biblical? Pray Best Case Scenario My friend encouraged me to pray for a best-case scenario that God can provide instead of a worst-case scenario that anyone could provide. So I changed my prayer, went to the doctor, and was blessed to get the best case news. The next day, I was reading my Bible in Numbers 13. The 12 spies checked out the promised land, which at the time was full of giants. The 2 good spies looked at the giants and believed God was bigger. They said in verse 31: “We should go up and take possession of the land.” The other 10 spies had other ideas. They said in verse 33: “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” In other words, this is a land of giants, we’ve got no chance. This is a worst-case scenario. So, the people listened to the 10 spies and rebelled against God. Which forced them to spend the next 40 years wandering in the wilderness, instead of taking an 11-day walk into the promised land. All because they were focused on what they could control rather than focusing on God, who is bigger than the giants. As you read that scripture think of those giants as your worries. God is bigger than those worries. Today I want to encourage you to turn those worries over to God. It may sound overly simple, and in some ways it is. God doesn’t want to make things complicated. He wants the very best for you. What are you focused on? Are you praying for your worries? Today I encourage you to focus on a God who can do anything.

What does your soul long for? Do you even know how to put it into words? Epic Hope is a great depiction of what God can do in your life. Epic is described as something heroic or grand. Hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised.  What Epic Hope Means For Us On some level, we realize we are broken. We are missing something important. Even when we are not sure what that “thing” is, we long to be whole, fulfilled, and complete. God knows us intimately because he created every detail of us. He knows what we need, even when we do not have the words to express it. God knew we needed something “epic”, something grand and heroic to fill the need we have inside our souls.  We long for hope, we want what is good, for things to be better, to be just, peaceful and right. There is no way for us to attain this on our own. We try hard, but in and of our power we are left feeling exhausted, frustrated, empty, lonely, and maybe even shameful. God knew we needed Epic Hope, so He sent His son to bridge the gap that sin created between His perfectness and our brokenness. The idea of God’s power is an overwhelming thought. We cannot even come close to imagining all that He is capable of. His wisdom, sovereignty, and love for us are on a scale so large, that our humanity cannot even grasp its depth. If you have ever felt like you have seen even a portion of God’s power at work, you may be inclined to know that it can almost be frightening.  In Exodus 33:20 while speaking to Moses, God said,  “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”  It’s hard to imagine that even being in the presence of God would be so powerful it would cause you to die. Plans For Hope And A Future I’ve struggled to see God’s bigger picture for me many times. Even when I can only see a small snap-shot of my current situation, I get wrapped up in what I think and how I feel, and I miss the heart of God.  When I think of myself through the lens of being a parent, I can best understand God’s heart and plan for me. As a mom, I want what is best for my kids. I want them to be safe, happy, grateful, polite, kind, patient, the list goes on. I have big dreams and hopeful plans for their futures. God wants these things for us as well.  I remember I took my kids camping a few summers ago. I planned a whole day for them. The plan was to have lunch and then go swimming at the beach. They were small and got easily excited and distracted. It would be a disaster to tell them the whole plan for the day when they woke up. They would be so excited about the fun parts that they wouldn’t be patient until it was time to go. It would be too hard for them to focus on the things I needed them to and our morning would be chaos. I knew they could not handle knowing all that was coming that day, so I withheld it until it was time.  My kids assumed I was not going to do anything fun with them. As we ate our boring lunch, they began to protest and complain and started to get grumpy They even accused me of not caring about what they wanted. I said to them, “Would you guys just please trust me? I have a good plan for you today!”  Oh my! As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized I had just spewed scripture at them. “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 Trusting God And Knowing Jesus  I thought this must be exactly how God feels about me. He knows what I need and the whole situation and the timing in which it will happen. God has a good plan for me and He also knows that I am too small to understand all that He knows. In His loving-kindness as a loving Father, He chooses to protect me from the things I’m not ready to know, yet in my immaturity, I assume he is absent or unaware of my need.  As our teaching pastors have shared with us during this series, we should not assume Jesus is distant, rather ask Him to help you and wait for his provision. Jesus knows you and wants you to know him. Ask him to reveal himself. God wants to bless you. He is capable of epic things as told in Mark 5. He can heal and raise the dead to life. What we may forget is that He cares about our day-to-day needs as well as the big issues we face. We experience Epic Hope when we go from knowing about Jesus to knowing Jesus.