Our hope is only as good as what it is in. When what we hope in fails us, we are devested, wrecked, and may not recover. It is so important to take an honest look at what our hope is in and what are we hoping for. There is only one sure hope, and it is Jesus Christ. He needs to be where our hope is. Many of you reading this may already know that, but let me ask you that other question, “What are you hoping for?” You may say you have hope in Jesus, but what do you …
Are you a glass half full-person or glass half-empty? Some of that is related to personality, I realize. Just going around optimistic all the time may sometimes be more about ignorance and avoidance than virtue (according to the pessimist), but being thankful is a choice. Being thankful is not thinking everything will work out right. Being thankful should not be contingent on a perfect world or a perfect situation in your world. Giving thanks is a choice to acknowledge the blessings we have, even when they exist together with many troubles. More than that, giving thanks does something in our …
Join us today as we celebrate Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Sunday here at Elimsport! This a a kid-centered event with upbeat songs from previous Vacation Bible Schools and other special elements designed with kids in mind. We will be learning more about Samaritan’s Purse OCC program, watch a recorded testimony of how a shoebox changed the life of a Filipino girl, and then spend some time praying for God to bless and use our shoeboxes in great ways. I hope you can join us!
I was reading over some of my daughters notes from her class on conflict resolution. I was struck by all the ways that we as humans can be different from each other: Different in gender, different regarding our family of origin and its structure, different regarding our culture and ethnicity, different in temperament, different in skills, different in social status, and on and on the list goes. These differences make us look at our world differently and interact with it differently. It also makes it hard to determine what is truth and what is just my perspective? What should be …
At the time Paul was writing the letter to the Ephesian church, he was a prisoner of Rome. Jewish leaders that hated him and the Gospel that he preached, had brought false accusations against him. He had a strong case for his innocence, but had appealed to see Caesar in Rome because political pressures in the Judean region were preventing him from getting a fair trial. This resulted in a lot of waiting and a lot of time in jail or under house arrest. Throughout this difficulty he came to know what it meant to stand strong in the Lord, …
