Sunday Devotionals with John & Rachel

Have you ever heard someone say, "Don't worry! God has a plan for your life"? Many of us hear these words yet find ourselves struggling to fully believe it. In this sermon, we will wrestle with the reality of God's plan for our lives and how we can come to purposefully walk in it.

Worry is something we all wrestle with from time to time. Whether it's care or concerns about tomorrow, or preoccupation with the past, this is definitely an area we can grow to trust God more. What is worry? What are we actually doing to ourselves when we do? 

If we are honest, we can admit that believing in God and trusting God are two different things. Trust is a deliberate act of our will that requires vulnerability and confidence in those we choose to give it to. This series will explore the dynamics of trusting God and how it affects our lives. Has God earned your trust? 

Even Jesus' family history was full of drama and chaos, with some less than ideal characters to call ancestors. What can our family history teach us about God's faithfulness? How can we better trace God's greater purpose through our past and move into a deeper appreciation for what He still has in store for us?

As we reflect on God's goodness throughout this year, how can we better recognize the activity of God in our lives? What can we glean about our future from what God has already said or done? We are walking through the Christmas Story with new eyes in search of a fresh revelation. Don't worry. Ponder Purposefully.

When we think about the meaning of unity we often think about it in a corporate context. What can the story of Cain and Abel teach us about God's definition of unity? Family. Faith. Competition. Murder. Isolation. What does it really mean to be our brother's keeper? 

With many of us still reeling from historic injustices, it's comforting to find camaraderie with those who share our experiences. What would Jesus have to say about the racial and cultural issues in our society today? Who is our neighbor? What is God's definition of being neighborly? Lord help us with this one!

What is the purpose of the church today? How do we interpret the relationship between the church and our culture? What about Justice? How does Jesus challenge us to think and live in these perilous times?

This is a tough one. Many of us have experienced emotional, mental, and even physical harm from people we categorize as enemies. Our natural response to offenses are often retaliation and vengeance yet Jesus calls us to LOVE our offenders. How can we genuinely  do this? Lord help us with this one!

Family can be complicated but is very important to God. God reveals Himself to us as Our Heavenly Father and those who embrace His Son Jesus are His children. What did Jesus say about family dynamics? How are we to view and interact within our family systems from the lens of Christ? 

What Would Jesus Do? That's the question we seek to explore in this series as it relates to the relevant matters of our lives. Why is it so important for us to consider Jesus' words, actions, thoughts, and feelings in our everyday lives? We are going deep in this series!

God wants to be known by each of us and has gone to great lengths to reveal Himself to us throughout our lives. As we conclude this challenging series, may we all come into a greater recognition that to better understand God we must get to know Jesus beyond the surface.   

How does what we know about God correlate with what we know about ourselves? Is it truly possible to understand ourselves at our core without an honest pursuit of a deeper knowledge of God? 

Why were you born when you were born? Have you ever considered why you live where you live and the specifics of your origin? Could these factors all be preordained for you to happily find the God of Creation? God is NOT hiding from us!

If the God of Creation is self-sufficient what does this mean for us? How can we get to know "The Unknown God" better? We have to realize and confess...God DOESN'T need us. 

When was the last time you stopped to observe the mind-blowing vastness of the sky or consider the unreachable depths of the ocean? What about the purpose of Thunderstorms? What does everything we experience in creation teach us about God? 

Our conception of God directly influences how we live and see the circumstances in our lives. How can we better reconcile the harsh realities in the world around us with the relevance of God? 

We all have an idea of God but is our conception based on the God of creation or a god we've created? In this series we are challenging our ideas about God in an attempt to get to know Him better. Who is God? Is it possible to worship a God we don't know? 

We have been challenged throughout this series on how we see and embrace Starting Over. How can we more fully move forward into the newness that God has for us? We have to close the door behind us.

Starting Over is not always provoked by the consequences of our choices. Sometimes while we are living our lives change finds us. What do we do when our lives are "interrupted" by God? How can we become more aware of God's fingerprints in our lives?

When faced with the reality of Starting Over it's easy to feel as if all we have gained along the way is wasted with our efforts. What is your definition of progress? Failure? How do you measure it? How can we determine what is worth keeping? 

Uncertainty is scary. Coping with what may be ahead of us in light of what has been behind us can be paralyzing. How can we be certain that our next steps will be the right ones? Could Starting Over very well be in God's plan for us to end up where He always intended for us to be? What if?

The idea of Starting Over can create in us all kinds of emotions. Frustration, fear, and confusion are just a few we are well acquainted with. Ultimately, our peace is connected to our ability to trust and surrender to the path that God has us on and recognize, "in the beginning God."

Life is not always what we expect. We have ups and downs and can't always decipher our next steps. In these moments we can either keep going until we find our way or go to the beginning and start over. How do we know which one to do? What does starting over mean to God?

God's bountiful Grace toward us provides us all with an opportunity to have an authentic relationship with our Creator. This free gift is made possible through faith in Jesus Christ. What's the difference between Grace & Mercy? How can we grow in our appreciation for all that we have access to because of this? 

Have you considered the depths of God's Grace? Many of us are acquainted with receiving this amazing gift from God in relation to His mercy and forgiveness but is there more to this? Most certainly! There's a whole other side to God's grace. 

The relationship between Salt and Light is critical to our existence on Earth. In fact, everything on our planet is directly impacted by how these elements work together. What can we glean spiritually from this natural process? How can we more intentionally walk in this high calling to be Salt of the Earth and Lights of the world?

What's the difference between light and illumination? What role does our mind play in how we see and interpret our world and the things of God? Let's go deeper!

Jesus said "those who follow after me will never walk in darkness but have the light of life." What is this Light of Life? How can we better understand the spiritual role we play in God's ultimate purpose as lights in our dark world? 

Not only are we called The Salt of the Earth but we are also called Lights of the World. What is Light? What significance does this phenomenon have on our experiences and existence on this planet? What is Christ actually calling us to the world? This is going to get DEEP! 

Salt is vital to the preservation of life but what purpose does flavorless salt serve? Jesus said it is good for nothing. What does this mean for us and our interactions with one another? 

Have you ever considered the significance of salt? Its implications reach far beyond the satisfaction of our palates. In reality, this tiny mineral is vital to the maintenance of life as we know it on this planet let alone our everyday lives. What did Jesus mean when he said, You are the Salt of the Earth? 

How we leave one season usually sets the tone for how we will intepret what's next for us. What are your expectations for the coming year? How can we inspire hope in these perilous times? What does the Good News of Christ teach us about our responsibility to peace on earth and goodwill toward our fellowman? 

One of the most potent ingredients in the Good News is Hope in Christ. Our anticipation of things to come are intricately tied to our ability to Hope in the goodness of God. What can this season teach us about God's intentions towards us? Is it really possible to expect any good from evil?

With everything going on these days it can be difficult to maintain an anticipation of hopefulness. Each of us have been conditioned to expect certain realities in our lives. How can we bring our expectations in line with the promises of God? What does God mean when He calls something Good? 

We have discovered how powerful Gratitude is and its implications on our choices and experiences. As we conclude this series, how can we live this out in our everyday lives? How can developing a posture of gratitude and improve our ability to cope with life's uncertainties? Free people are grateful people!

How we see our circumstances most often dictates how we handle them. How can a perspective of gratitude help us cope with difficult situations in our lives? Is it really possible to recognize the good in every situation?

Our ministry partner Pastor Dave shares his miraculous testimony about founding Camp Grace and how we can discover God's calling for our lives! If you have a heart for seeing our at risk youth transformed by the love of Jesus you are not gonna want to miss this! True Gratitude to God should lead us to action! 

Is it really possible for gratitude to have physical, mental, and spiritual effects on us? Can how we see our present circumstances and future expectations be influenced by how grateful we are? Just how powerful is this transformative virtue?

Gratitude changes everything. How we see our circumstances, each other, and God are all connected to our posture and perspective. Join us as we delve into this transformational virtue and seek to grow in our understanding of what it truly means to be grateful people. 

So many people are hurting. These days many wrestle to find the hope and peace that only comes from a genuine relationship with Christ. We could not let this moment pass and not share what was on our hearts concerning the current state of our world. Please listen and help us pray for our world. We all need Jesus! 

What does it mean to pray in the Spirit? How can we stay in sync with God's Will in our prayer lives? As we bring this series to a close, may we all continue to grow in our communication with God. Just Pray.

What do you do when you are the one standing in need of prayer? Or if there's a need, you don't know to pray for? We've all been here at some point in our lives. Herein lies the importance of intercession. How can we come to grow in this area of communication with God for the benefit of others? 

It's no secret that opposition is a reality in our pursuit of the things of God. From personal distractions to societal influences our communication with God is often in the crosshairs. How can we better overcome these hinderances to sincere and effective prayer lives? 

Much like many other things in life, doing it together makes it better. Prayer is no different, especially when it's done the right way. Something special happens when we pray together. How can we become more effective in this area? Now more than ever Lord, teach us to pray...TOGETHER!

He healed the sick, cast out demons, and even raised the dead. For all these miraculously public wonders, Christ spent much more time praying in secret than in public. How can we grow in our prayer lives behind closed doors? There's something powerful to be said about secret prayer. Let's go deeper!

Many times we face circumstances in life that bring us to our knees. During these times it can be tempting to misjudge God's providential care and concern for us, let alone pray effectively. How can we better navigate these realites in our everyday lives?  

The Lord's Prayer has provided us a beautiful model for communication with Almighty God in this series. What lessons can we learn as we set ourselves to make our requests? What is the relationship between our requests and forgiveness? Let's go deeper!

Ever wonder what the ultimate purpose of prayer to God is? Many times when we pray we fail to truly understand the purpose beyond the scope of our own needs. How can we become more intentional and consistant in our communication with God? 

In this brand new series we will explore the purpose and power of Prayer. What is Prayer? Why is it so important? Join us as we delve into how we can better communicate with Almighty God. Now more than ever Lord, teach us to pray! 

In this intimate devotional we wanted to share our testimony and how this all started. From the vision, to the relocation, to where we are headed its been quite the journey so far. We pray that as our story unfolds you are inspired and encouraged to step out in faith on what God has called you to do. The world is waiting!