Growing in Christ.

  Elisha, Part 3 What do we do when we have nothing left?  Empty and out of hope.  Exhausted and low on faith.  Tapped and out of money and resources.  What is our next step when we don’t know if we have another step in us? I could not get my car to start.  Stranded at night a few miles from home, I didn’t know what to do.  Over and over I turned the key and cranked the engine.  The engine would sputter and chug for a second, as if to tease me, only to stall out and quit.  A quick call to a mechanic friend helped me diagnose the problem.  Though there was plenty of gas in the tank, somehow the fuel failed to[…]

  Elisha, Part 2 Does it work?  We ask this question all the time.  Will this new diet or exercise routine actually work for me?  Will this phone plan work for our family?  Will this computer work for my needs?  Can we say our faith works?  We all want a faith that works, right?  We want our beliefs to be effective, to matter, to lead me to the place I was destined to be.  We want to see God act. As a Jesus follower, real faith is a faith that works!  Ahh, but now we need to read that statement differently.  Saving faith is more than a head knowledge or a heart inclination; real faith acts.  We need a faith that works.  James 2:17 says, “So[…]

Elisha:  A Tale of Ridiculous Faith Is it ridiculous to aim big?  Who wants a great life or a quality marriage?  Who wants to put all that effort into raising spectacular children?  Everyone, right?  “Give me mediocre!” demands no one ever!  I don’t no a single person who aims for mediocre.  We want great!  We want spectacular!  We hope for something worth celebrating.  We want the ridiculous. The same goes for our faith.  We want God to do something amazing in our lives.  We hope for miracles.  We crave depth and peace.  Although we may hide or deny it, deep down at our very core we yearn for God to love us and work through us.  We want a faith that matters in a God that says we[…]

I Want to SEE! Do we want to see?  Most of us like to think we have a firm grasp on reality…we think we see pretty clearly.  But what might we be missing?  How do you see your present circumstances?  How about your future?  Are you riding high on life or fearful of when the next calamity will come your (or our) way?  It all comes down to perspective.  Are we glass is half full or half empty people.  What do you want to see? A common theme for Jesus was our pervasive spiritual blindness.  Religious people seemed to be especially afflicted.  They missed the obvious and I wonder if we do the same.  Do we even want to see?  Jesus approached a blind man[…]

Grow Up! Over these four weeks at Christ Church, we are partnering with our new Children’s ministry.  This four part series from Open.Life.Church challenges the young and old alike to move on to maturity and simply “Grow Up!”  Don’t worry, we don’t want to rush childhood.  But at the same time, nothing is more disappointing or sad than a childish adult.  The purpose of childhood is to learn and move onto adulthood well prepared and mature. Likewise, if we are followers of Jesus Christ, we have been born again (see John 3).  New to faith in Christ, we are like infants needing considerable care, support, and training.  Over time, we intentionally seek to mature in our faith, knowledge, and obedience.  We “grow up” in Jesus and move on[…]

Grow Up! Over these four weeks at Christ Church, we are partnering with our new Children’s ministry.  This four part series from Open.Life.Church challenges the young and old alike to move on to maturity and simply “Grow Up!”  Don’t worry, we don’t want to rush childhood.  But at the same time, nothing is more disappointing or sad than a childish adult.  The purpose of childhood is to learn and move onto adulthood well prepared and mature. Likewise, if we are followers of Jesus Christ, we have been born again (see John 3).  New to faith in Christ, we are like infants needing considerable care, support, and training.  Over time, we intentionally seek to mature in our faith, knowledge, and obedience.  We “grow up” in Jesus and move on[…]

  Anyone else a little nervous?  We desperately need some hope for today and hope for tomorrow.  With the upcoming elections, rapid cultural change, terrorist plots, foreign hacking, and the threat of war; the world we live in can be a little scary.  Some stockpile food and ammo, ready to wait out or fight back whatever tomorrow holds.  Some close their eyes, praying that Jesus comes to the rescue.  Be it fight or flight, we all have a gut reaction to the uncertainty of tomorrow.  Sadly, many today hold out little hope for a good tomorrow.  Its almost as if we expect trouble ahead. One of my favorite places at Disney World is “Tomorrowland.”  I love the hope it promised.  The movie by the same name[…]