Blog (Page 21)

“Why can’t I ever feel happy?” is a common question people ask themselves.  It seems like no matter how much stuff we have or how busy our schedules, we always feel like we are still missing something.  We are always just one gadget away from true happiness (perhaps the iWatch) or one exciting friend away from having a really good time on the weekend. Sometimes this feeling of longing for something missing is referred to as thirst.  We find that…

Colossians 3:2-3 – “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (NIV) Death. A part of life. But not something most people like to talk about. Yet, when you look at Christianity, we see death talked about and seen all around. But there is something that is strikingly different about the death mentioned in the Bible.  We are so used to life and death. People…

James 1:2-4 We all avoid painful situations. Things that hurt, that make us uncomfortable, that cause us to struggle. We when see a potentially trying situation coming at us, we run, avoid, and do just about anything we can to protect ourselves.  It’s human nature, really.  But what if there’s something significant in those painful situations we avoid and dread? James seems to think so. He tells us in this passage not only to not avoid or protect ourselves from…

Casablanca, The Breakfast Club, Titanic – a famous goodbye scene is what turns a movie into a classic.  The final farewell is where all the emotion of the main characters’ journey together comes to a climax and us, the audience, are left in tears. I imagine many tears were shed during Jesus’s final night with his disciples before his crucifixion on a cross.  In John 14, we read about this climax of emotion between Jesus and his traveling companions of…

Take this weekend to reflect on what God is showing you through the reading of his word.  I know it can be hard to find a time of quiet and solitude, but see if you can find some time to sit and meditate on what God has shown you and wants to tell you. Questions to Consider: Look back at the key verses.  Is there one you should commit to memory? Where do you need to repent of sin and…

Studies show that most people, when asked to evaluate themselves, rate themselves more highly than they really should.  It’s human nature to believe that we are right in our decisions, sure of our actions, and more capable than most people around us.  And the reason it’s human nature is because it’s sin – the deadly disease all of us are afflicted with. The problem with this sin is that if we all feel more important than those around us, then…

Reading Psalm 30, you feel a little bit like you are on a roller coaster. Praise and pit. Healing and hurt. Weeping and joy. Wailing and dancing. We could almost recommend a good counselor or medication for David’s up and downs. That is until we remember we function much the same.  As David remembers the ups and downs of his life, what ties everything together is God. When life has been great, God was there. When he was in despair,…

Early in our marriage, Kerri and I wanted to buy a house. Being the poor newlyweds, the only houses we could afford were “fixer-upers.” They required time, energy, and money to repair and remodel. It wasn’t an easy process, but we always loved the final result. When new flooring was installed. When a new coat of paint went on. When the avocado green appliances were replaced! In Romans 12, Paul talks about a transformation of a different kind. This is…

Galatians 5 is such good news to anybody who wants to know how to be with God.  You don’t need to follow a bunch of steps.  You don’t need to be circumcised.  You don’t need to be perfect.  None of that matters.   Instead, all you need is faith in Jesus Christ who died on the cross to set you free from sin. Granted, Paul immediately follows that statement up with a warning not to use your freedom to sin,…

In yesterday’s message, we challenged everyone who calls Ashworth Road “home” to join us in reading the Bible together for the next 21 days.  Our hope is that each of us wants to be more like Jesus at the end of 2015 than we are right now.  And the only way for us to become more like Jesus is to spend time with him.  Thoughtfully reading one select chapter of the Bible each day is one of the best ways to connect…