Storms are inevitable. We all experience shaking, uncertainty, pain, doubt. And it is clear that our world is as tumultuous as ever, while people trust in all sorts of ideologies, leaders, and systems to bring peace. The Psalms exemplify what it looks like to have the type of trust that anchors us through the storm, a trust rooted in the only immovable foundation.
There is no shortage in our culture of voices to be heeded, goals to be achieved, content to be consumed, and tasks to wrap up. Busyness is seen as a badge of honor, as a symbol of importance. The first Psalm offers us a pathway out of our anxious, hectic lives and invites us to dwell on the one voice that matters, the voice that guides us into intimate relationship and fruitful lives in all seasons.
In our Easter Sunday message Derek Brokke shares three implications of the Christ's statement "it is finished": the end to our subjugation, condemnation and separation.
What is speaking in tongues, and how does it function in the church? Is it meant only for the congregation, or does it have a personal function as well? What is the benefit of speaking in tongues, and how does it build up the body? This sermon addresses these questions and others as we explore the place of tongues and interpretation in the local church.
Service is not just something we do: it's who we are. Just as Jesus came to serve rather than be served, we are never more like him than when we take on the nature of a servant. The church thrives through every member knowing their gift, functioning in their role, and building one another up in love. The question that can help us start to step out in our role is "what is in my hands?"
Naomi’s despair paled in comparison to what she gained. Although the loss of her husband and two sons was devastating, God restored through Boaz and Ruth not only another son, but ultimately brought forth the greatest king Israel had ever known. What neither Naomi nor the author of Ruth knew was that God himself would come to earth through her line, being himself the redeemer for all mankind. Through Christ, humanity’s eternal despair is transformed into eternal hope.
