We’ve all done it! We’ve made choices and decisions we regret. Not knowing what to do, we recognized after the fact that our choice was foolish. So, how can we make wise decisions? How can we have a life that isn’t marked by regrets? It’s been said, "We are the sum total of the choices we make." That being the case, let’s learn how to make wise decisions.
It’s a fear of the unknown. It’s unexplored territory. It’s sudden changes. It’s about living overwhelmed, not knowing which path to take. All of us face curveballs in life. One text, an email, a doctor’s visit, or a call from a child can change our lives. In those moments, we move into uncharted territory. It’s a road we’ve never traveled. It’s a season we’ve never experienced. It’s in those times when God’s leadership in our life is critical. It’s when following Jesus shines light into the dar...
Most everyone has a sense of smell. Some smells are mouth-watering and pleasant. Others are painful. Oftentimes, we don’t recognize the smell we bring into a space. God designed us with the ability to smell but also with the ability to create a beautiful fragrance. Everywhere we go, we have the opportunity to spread God’s beautiful fragrance.
God is active throughout all of history. In His sovereignty, He can do what He wants, when He wants. Yet God's primary means of working and accomplishing His plan is often through people. It’s quite simple: God uses people to accomplish His plan. While gender, ethnicity, race, or wealth vary, God chooses to unite people into an amazing group of passionate warriors to accomplish His purposes. And there is a place for you.
Peter Damaska, Lead Pastor, North Branch Wesleyan Church, North Branch, MI
Do you ever find yourself wondering, "Why doesn’t God work here? Why doesn’t God work right now?" We often hear stories about what God is doing around the world. The power of God is being displayed. Whole towns are changed. The miraculous power of God is evident for all to see. Has the Holy Spirit left us? Or does Jesus want to do a fresh, powerful work right here, right now? What He did in the past, He can do again!
Some people live a life of division. They create division and discord wherever they go. Some people live a life of subtraction. They take more out of life than they give. Others live a life of addition. They add a bit more than they take out. But God’s plan is a life of multiplication. Throughout scripture, God multiplies what he touches. His plan is for us to be multipliers.
Special guest Bob Andrews from Devon Oasis Center in Chicago, IL.
Healthy families don’t automatically happen. So how do you know if you are on the right path towards being a healthy family? What’s it like to be part of a healthy team? It’s fascinating that secular research fully supports sound Biblical principles on the characteristics of a healthy family. Let’s take the test together and discover what changes and adjustments we need to make to move towards health.
Moving parts can cause friction. Friction creates heat, and heat can cause damage. That’s the way it often works in our relationships. Whether it’s with a friend, at church, at work, with a neighbor or in our family, it’s easy to relationships to become strained. Because God is a God of relationships, He desires His children to work towards healthy relationships. That means for us to take the right steps towards repairing damaged relationships.
There is tension building. Wherever there is an established community, it will always be difficult to invite new people into the fold. New people bring different—different customs, different beliefs, and different ways of doing things. At the extreme, new people sometimes don’t share our core values. In the midst of all the tension, can the Body of Christ welcome in new and different?
Healthy relationships aren’t automatic. They don’t just happen. It’s not about being lucky. Healthy relationship take work—hard work. It takes intentionality. It takes time. It takes humility. It takes God’s perfect love flowing through us. Fortunately, God loves us so much that He gives us a blueprint for constructing healthy relationships. When we follow His blueprint and put the building blocks in place, we can move towards healthier relationships and deeper joy.
God is a God of relationships. He desires to have a personal relationship with us. Out of that relationship can come healthy relationships with each other. When our vertical relationship is right, our horizontal relationships become healthier. Yet because of our bent towards sin, we often mess up our interpersonal relationships. Only when we deal with the greatest relationship-killer will we truly experience what God intended for us.
No one lives to themselves. We didn’t arrive to where we are without others. We won’t get to where we are going without impacting others on the journey. Life isn’t a sprint. It’s a relay. In any relay, the hand-off is essential to winning. Dropped batons ruin the race. Learning to receive the baton correctly and handing it off precisely makes for a winning race.
In the Upper Room, Jesus is preparing his disciples for life after His death and resurrection when suddenly, He breaks into prayer. Jesus welcomes us today into this divine, intimate conversation He has with the Father. Not only are we invited into the conversation, but Jesus prays specifically for the future Church (us). His plea to the Father? Complete unity.
Jesus gives some instruction to His disciples and prays for them in John 14-17, which is often referred to as the Farewell Discourse. He is preparing them for what life will look like after He is resurrected and ascended. What if those of us who have trusted Christ as Savior were to look at this section of Scripture and consider how it is reflecting our current faith journey?
History is loaded with pivotal moments. For Americans, it’s the American Revolution and the Civil War. In the world, it’s the invention of Gutenburg’s printing press. These are moments that forever changed the course of history. In Peter’s life, there’s a pivotal moment that’s often overlooked. His moment described in Acts 10 impacts every believer’s life. It’s the moment that opened the door for most of us to become followers of Christ. That pivotal moment is loaded with great lessons for us....
Before and after pictures are amazing! Oftentimes, it’s hard to believe it’s the same person. Over time, people change. More than physical changes, when the Holy Spirit fills a person, there are radical spiritual and behavioral changes. The man called Peter in the Gospels is transformed into a fearless warrior in the book of Acts. What God did for Peter, He can do for you!
How do you come back from failure? How can you move forward after direct disobedience to God? Peter’s Here to There journey no longer looks the same. Peter denied knowing Jesus three times after he boldly proclaimed that he would never abandon Jesus. How do you come back from that? Will God use the unfaithful to fulfill His plans? John 21 gives us insight into how God restores His disciple, Peter, and how we, too, may be restored in our Here to There journey.
It is the low point in Peter’s Here to There journey. Jesus told Peter it was going to happen. Peter told Jesus there was no way it would happen. As we examine this low point where Peter denies Christ three times, there is challenge and guidance we can apply to our own Here to There journey.
Can you imagine what it would have been like to walk with Jesus? At this point in Peter’s Here to There journey, he has seen Jesus heal people, seen Jesus cast out demons, and he himself has walked on water! In Matthew 16, Peter and the disciples are put on the spot when Jesus asks them, “Who do you say I am?” Jesus is still asking His followers today, “Who do you say I am?”
It’s easy to become satisfied and complacent. Doing the same old thing everyday can become an easy but unwilling routine. Yet there’s something more that God has for us. There’s a stirring in our souls and a hunger in our hearts that can only be met by fulfilling God’s mission for our lives. It’s time to move from here to there!
The call for peace is universal. It’s the deepest desire of most every heart. Yet, it remains elusive. Conflict marks human history. From the first two brothers to today's world, peace seems distant and unattainable. But when Jesus enters the picture, everything changes. He is the Prince of Peace. True peace comes only through Jesus.
What’s the first word that comes to your mind when you hear the word "father"? Everyone has had a father. The mere mention of that word evokes memories: some enjoyable, while others painful. It's that word—father—that Isaiah uses to describe Jesus, our perfect Father.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, MIGHTY GOD, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. In our weakness, pain, and trials, we do not serve a God who is unable to save us; we serve a Mighty God. Our Mighty God is capable of all things. His power knows no limit. Jesus was mighty, is mighty, and will always be mighty and capable to handle anything life throws at us.
While knowledge is exponentially exploding, wisdom seems to be disappearing. We may be smarter, but it’s questionable if we are wiser. Wisdom increases when we link ourselves to its source. A growing relationship with Jesus and learning to walk in His Word gives us great guidance for every step of our journey.
There are some things that only Jesus can do. One of those is to totally and eternally transform a person. When Jesus steps into a life, the old has gone, and the new has come. That which was broken is made whole. That which was hopeless is hopeful. When we meet Jesus, nothing again will be the same. He was, is, and is to come!
The greatest need in the world today is only met by Jesus. All other efforts, while important, will only deal with symptoms. Through His work, Jesus deals with the core problem and offers true life transformation. He alone takes us from darkness to light, from death to life. Jesus was, is, and is to come!
Great moments are exciting. They give us a thrill, a high, an adrenaline rush. Great moments are to be celebrated. Yet great moments aren’t enough. Great moments need to be more than a just a moment in time; they need to be converted into substantial change. It’s all about turning moments into movements. Moments, unless turned into movements, fade away and are soon forgotten. Movements provide sustainable and reproducible fruit. They live beyond us.
Today and the week following, 100% of undesignated gifts will be given to area food pantries, partners and our FMSC MobilePack event! Because of your generosity, we are looking to bless as many as 75 food pantries and organizations and feed people all over the world. Here are a few ways you can be generous through Let's Give it all Away!
