Homicide and suicide are on a historic rise in the United States. A recent Harvard study shows that "loneliness appears to have increased substantially the last two years". And according to a national poll, 81% of Americans say that life will likely never return to normal. Participants were asked to select the word or words that best [...]

Can we be hopeful in times of disbelief? Being a follower of Christ is hard these days. These are days of disbelief and as a result, many feel hopeless. (Psalm 2 ) begins with "Help, Lord." This is a familiar prayer these days isn't it? In this brief poem King David complains that there is no [...]

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want..." Psalm 23 is one of the most recognizable chapters in the entire Bible. We learn it in Sunday School, see it in funeral programs, and notice it on church décor. Even those who do not attend church have likely heard this psalm before. I know it is familiar [...]

From last week: When we worship and trust God, not because of our circumstances but despite them, we please the Lord of the universe in ways that empower and transform us and our witness. For this week: We see this type of faith throughout the Scriptures: from Joseph, who saw God's providence in his brothers' betrayal (Genesis [...]

In Psalm 69, David cries out: "Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with [...]

"All these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 28:2). Just as the blessings of the Lord come with a condition, they also carry a warranty. Pastor Mark Batterson comments: "In contractual law a warranty protects us against a manufacturer's defect or seller's default. Those warranties [...]

For the last two weeks we have been talking about ways that we can help ourselves and others facing the storms of life. We know that Satan is the enemy behind these storms. Satan is the original terrorist. Jesus called him " a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44). The Lord warned us that "the [...]

When we face an enemy more powerful than ourselves, we need the help of someone more powerful than our enemy. Who is our enemy? As we discussed last week, Scripture makes it plain that we have one enemy, one adversary, the Bible identifies him as the devil, Satan. He is decidedly more powerful than humankind. [...]

When we face an enemy more powerful than ourselves, we need the help of someone more powerful than our enemy. It seems that in the days in which we live we have a myriad of enemies; the hordes are at the gates robbing us of joy and peace. But, let's be clear, as followers of Christ, [...]

Over the last two weeks we have been speaking of the Peace of God. We declared that it is what everyone desperately wants, but few actually find. So we asked the question: Why is the peace of God so elusive? Jesus gave to his followers a type of peace that endures through the most trying situation: [...]