Heroic Faith In Troubling Times
We are living in unprecedented times. Who would have thought that 2020 would be the year of a global pandemic, an increased awareness of social and racial injustice, protests, even riots in the street, economic uncertainties, fires, hurricanes, and a “derecho” that hit the Midwest? I have never heard of a “derecho”, have you? Where is the church in all of this and what difference can it make in these post-Christian days?What words of hope can you offer your friends, co-workers, and neighbors as they face these challenges?
Daniel: Heroic Faith in Troubling Times is a series that begins this Sunday to remind us that when all you have is God, He is enough. As we look at this book, we will see that troubling times are the very breeding grounds for heroes of faith to appear. Change, trials, and challenges to our faith are the means by which God increases our faith. God uses the tough and difficult times to make us more and more into the image of Christ.
Together we will look at what faith looks like in troubling times. How can we be transformed into Christ-likeness by our circumstances, not conformed to the culture by them? We will learn how to face the test of impossible situations as well as those of success. Join us these next weeks as we learn how to follow Jesus together in these unprecedented times.
What is the value of preaching about end-time events? Does it have anything to do with present-day needs and stresses? We need strength as we struggle with stress, strains, anxieties, so how does what is happening in the future help us? We will gain wise insight when we look forward to the things found in Daniel 12. Daniel received a personal word to encourage his heart at the end of the book of Daniel, "Heroic Faith in Troubling Times."
How bad will things get for us? How is it possible to have joyful optimism even when the world is crumbling & the pandemic crushes our spirit? While the gloom of winter settles over us, we can shine bright. How? When we have heroic faith to believe that while culture goes from bad to worse, God works inside of me to supply peace, strength and courage for every day.
What is going on in the world today? Have you sensed that it might be more going on than what we can see and experience? Join us this Sunday as God pulls back the curtain and reveals a supernatural view in “Spiritual Warfare.”
The election is almost over. Whether or not we think our country is heading in the right direction, heroic faith prays for the nation. What is the most effective way for us to pray for our country? Does confessing the sins of others even work? Optimism comes when we realize that God's plans are perfect, even in troubled times. Heroic Faith believes that God's atomic clock will be right on time.
November 3rd, election day, is over, those who predicted a blow out for one candidate or another missed it by a mile! When you and I make predictions and projections, they are, at best, calculated guesses. Yet, for God, His predictions (prophecies) are always true. This Sunday, let’s look at the benefits of studying prophecy today in “Faith to Live By”.
We are facing one of the most contentious and divisive elections that I have ever experienced. Yet, someone has shared the etymology (word origin) of the term “Politics”; Poly meaning many and Tics meaning blood sucking parasites! Wow! Will this election determine our destiny or is there someone or something greater at work? Join us this Sunday as we take a fresh look at apocalyptic literature in Daniel 7 this Sunday in “Political Animals.”
Do you feel the tension today? Are you sensing the pressures to conform, to keep your mouth shut, and even to try and avoid the loud voices and opinions championed by the media, politics, or popular opinion? There’s a familiar Sunday school story you may have heard as a child that was written for us today. Join us this Sunday as we look at the heroic faith of Daniel in “Trusting God.”
Could a simple act of service change a life and impact the world for good? Steve Reynolds, a World Vision staffer, was serving in relief camps in Ethiopia in the 80’s during one of the great famines of a generation. A young European couple, Paul and Ali Hewson wanted to visit there and World Vision asked Steve if he would help. Ali and Paul stayed a month watching Steve work, helping out, with Paul, a musician, writing some songs to entertain the kids. Paul and Ali went home, committing to continue to help. We know Paul better by his nickname, Bono. Since that trip in 1985, Bono and his Irish rock group, U2 has traveled the globe and become an advocate to the poor, persuading govern ments and leaders to give billions of dollars of aid to the poor. It all started with a servant named Steve who served the poor and helped others do the same. How might God use you to change this world we live in today? Join us this Sunday as we continue our series in Daniel as we look at Leading With A Serve.
This Sunday we will be continuing our series of Heroic Faith in Troubled Times by going through Daniel chapter 4. I believe that God has a lot to say to us through the story of King Nebuchadnezzar, both as an encouragement and as a warning. You won't want to miss it!
As we continue through the book of Daniel, we reach a familiar story that I’m sure most of you have heard before. But instead of a children’s story with a basic moral, we dive deeper into the implications this story has for our lives and the way we live them. What this story has for us will challenge us on different levels. Let us see what happens as we let God speak to us through His word.
I love a good movie. For me, the most compelling movies are the ones with a good story; a narrative that grips you. The Bible is full of amazing historical narratives that could easily be made into a movie, and Daniel 2 is one of those narratives. Within this movie-script-worthy-narrative of Daniel 2 emerges a protagonist, an antagonist, action, conflict, and resolution. Join us Sunday as we dive into this narrative to discover how Daniel responded to a very troubling situation, and what that means for us when we face troubling times.
If you knew then what you know now, would you make a different choice? Consider the California couple who went to a park last Saturday for their gender reveal party. They used a “smoke generating pyrotechnic device” at the El Dorado Park in Yucaipa, 70 miles east of Los Angeles. A wildfire erupted and, as I write this, over 11,000 acres have burned, hundreds of people have evacuated and it’s become one of the worst fires Yucaipa has ever seen. We make choices every day, but some choices change us. How do we choose wisely? Join us this Sunday as we see how Daniel and his friends show us how to Choose Wisely.
Living through this pandemic, struggling with the sin of racial division, experiencing the chaos of riots, troubled economy, a politically divided country...where is God in all of this? How can we follow Jesus together in the loss and chaos of life. Join us this Sunday in the parking lot or LiveStream as we begin a new series in the book of Daniel, Facing Troubling Times With Faith.