Cheryl Stewart

We continue to wrestle with uncertainty, not only in our world, but also in our personal lives. But God wants us to live with confidence and peace. So how do we do that? Part of the secret is knowing who we are, as well as knowing who we are not. So join us as we continue with part 3 of our new series, Living Confidently as a Child of God, a study of the letter of 1 John!

This year we are once again faced with unsettling uncertainty. Will COVID subside? Will inflation continue to rise? Will Russia invade Ukraine? Will we continue to experience supply chain issues? When you add our personal challenges, life can seem overwhelming. But amidst these perpetual uncertainties of life, God wants us to live with confidence and peace. So how do we do that? Join us this Saturday, January 29th, at 5pm as we continue with part 2 of our new series, Living Confidently as a Child of God, a study of the letter of 1 John!

As we begin a new year, we are once again faced with unsettling uncertainty. Will COVID subside? Will inflation continue to rise? Will Russia invade Ukraine? Will we continue to experience supply chain issues? When you add our personal challenges, life can seem overwhelming. But amidst these perpetual uncertainties of life, God wants us to live with confidence and peace. So how do we do that? Join us this Saturday, January 22nd, at 5pm as we begin our new series, Living Confidently as a Child of God, a study of the letter of 1 John.

Part 1 of a 2 part series from Heather Holleman, from CRU.

God not only seats us with Christ, He also sends us out on a mission; it’s really an extension of the same mission that the Father sent Jesus His Son to accomplish. That mission is not a burden for us to carry, but rather an exciting adventure—a momentous journey on which Jesus not only sends us , but a rewarding mission in which He promises to be with us as He uses us to see lives transformed for His Kingdom and glory. And here’s the kicker—accomplishing His mission is much easier than you think! How so? Stay tuned….

The story of Anna and Simeon

For some of us, Christmas can lose its wonder. We have repeatedly heard the Christmas story about Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men told by Matthew and Luke in their gospels. But the Christmas story is also alluded to by other New Testament writers as they reflect on the incredible wonder of the incarnation of Christ Jesus our Savior. So ask God to restore your wonder and join us as we anticipate Christmas in our new message series Come Let Us Adore Him: a look at Christmas outside the gospels!

Raymond McHenry shares this story about Alexander Solzhenitsyn: “There's a great story about Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Russian writer who spent years in a Siberian prison. At one point he had become completely discouraged and decided to give up and die. His plan was to stop working out in the field, to lean on his shovel, and wait for the guards to come and beat him to death. However, when he stopped, another prisoner reached over with his shovel and quickly drew a cross at his feet, then erased it before a guard could see it. “Solzhenitsyn later said that his entire being was energized by that little reminder of the hope and courage we have in Christ. He found the strength to continue because a fellow believer cared enough to remind him of our hope.” As Christ-followers we follow One who has gone before us, endured the most difficult journey that any man has ever faced, and yet crossed the finish line with endurance. He promises us the power to do the same. But how?

In his book, God Distorted, John Bishop describes the common phenomena in endurance sports of runners and athletes “hitting the wall.” He quotes an article in Harvard Health which appeared one day before one of the Boston Marathons. It describes what would happen to thousands of runners: “Come tomorrow morning, about 27,000 runners will begin the annual 26-mile, 385-yard (42,195 kilometers) mass run from suburban Hopkinton to Boston. But if past marathons in Boston and elsewhere are any indication, perhaps up to 40 percent of these optimistic and determined souls will slam into a sudden sensation of overwhelming, can't-do-this fatigue several miles (typically about five) before they get a chance to experience the glory of crossing the finish line.” Life is an endurance race, in which we all will at some point "hit the wall" and want to quit. We will all experience our own Heartbreak Hill where the steep challenges and disappointments of life drain our spiritual strength. So what should we do when we hit that wall of discouragement? Let’s talk!