The Alternative

Tragedy – that word is meant for other people, not us. At least, that is what we would like to pretend. But tragedy visits every human life. Each of us will face our own personal tragedies. While we might compare our tragedies with those of others and try to come up with some type of measuring standard to determine who has suffered more or less, the truth is, we all have, or will someday, face moments when our world explodes. 

A man named Job had his life fall to pieces one day. He literally lost everything. You might have read his story in the Bible. It is a long one, over forty chapters. At times it is confusing, at times repetitious. But one message comes through as clearly as the sun breaking through the clouds after a rainstorm – he never gave up on God, no matter what. 

You might remember Job’s words, “The Lord gives. The Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!” No, he didn’t say that with a big smile on his face; his heart was not singing with joy. He may well have muttered those sentences through clenched teeth while hot tears poured down his face. So why did he say them? Because he knew the alternative. He knew that if he gave up on God, he had nowhere to turn, no hope – not for that moment, not for eternity. While Job didn’t have an understanding of Christ the way we New Testament Christians do, he did comprehend that nothing could separate him from the love of God – not even tragedy. 

If you are struggling with doubts about God’s goodness in the middle of a time of suffering in your life, join us for one of our Sunday morning services. God is and always will be your best alternative. 

Worship service times: Sunday: 9:00 am & 10:30 am.

I Would Be Happy If…

 

How did you finish that statement? Did you have to think about what would make you happy or were you able to answer in a split second? Maybe you just aren’t sure? 

The pursuit of happiness is elusive, even though we dedicate most of our lives to achieving it. Sometimes we are frustrated in that pursuit, other times, we get what we think will make us happy and then, to our great disappointment, find that what we thought was so important for us to have, really wasn’t. 

Even a definition of happiness is hard to pinpoint because what makes some people happy makes others miserable. 

And maybe the most frustrating aspect of our search for happiness is that we try so hard to be happy and so often when we ask ourselves, “Am I happy?” the answer is negative! 

As with all the major questions in our lives, we need to go to God for the answer which will satisfy us consistently for the long term. This weekend we continue our series Fact Checking Urban Legends by looking at the statement, “I’ll be happy when I get what I want.” At first glance that thinking might seem right, but when we compare it with what Jesus Christ said about happiness, we find a huge difference. If you are exhausted from the rollercoaster of trying to find happiness on your terms, join us for one of our worship services. Happiness doesn’t have to be an all-consuming obsession. 

Worship service times: Saturday: 6:00 pm, Sunday: 9:00 am & 10:30 am.

Are We Victims of Circumstance?

 

The question of whether a human being can make significant changes in behavior is undergoing a drastic re-evaluation. The idea of humans having the capacity to make moral choices which reflect the principles of right and wrong/good and evil are fast giving way to the belief that all human behavior is caused by physical, chemical reactions over which the individual has little if any control. The upshot of such a hypothesis is people see themselves more and more as victims of circumstance. “Why try to change destructive lifestyle habits if my behavior is already pre-determined by chemistry?” If such thinking is true, it paints a grim picture for the future!

The good news is, the idea “I can’t change!” is another of the many popular urban legends which sound sophisticated but have little substance to support such views. We are not victims of circumstance. Just the opposite, we not only have the ability to change our lifestyle, we have the promise of the God who created us that he will be the primary driver in that change. You’ve heard the saying, “God loves us too much to leave us the way we are.” That’s true! Join us for one of our weekend services and learn what that means in your life. It could be the beginning of the change you’ve been looking for. 

Worship service times: Saturday: 6:00 pm, Sunday: 9:00 am & 10:30 am.

Nothing tears apart the human psyche like a gnawing, deep seated hurt which settles into our souls like a cold winter storm. Depression takes over, tears flow spontaneously, and we wonder if there is hope. And often, we doubt there is a God who cares. Pain has a way of shaking the foundations of what we build our lives on and what we believe to be most important. Questions ricochet inside our minds asking, “Why me? Is God angry? What possible good can come out of this?” Above all, we want it to end, to be free from the hurt. But sometimes, that just doesn’t happen, or maybe it doesn’t happen as quickly as we think it should.

In times of hurting, our natural reaction is to wonder if God has lost his temper, his control or even his mind. We’re so programmed to associating pleasure with blessing and pain with punishment that we don’t even entertain the thought that through the hurt God might well be bringing about a healing we would never imagine.

Someone has said, “If you’re not suffering now, you’re near someone who is. If you’re not suffering now, you will someday.” To pretend to ignore the pain of human life is to live outside of reality. For if there is no greater reason for the hurt we feel other than a series of random chance coincidences over which we have no control, then we are lost in a sea of hopelessness. Human suffering must be faced head on and we must find a solution for it. Jesus Christ is that solution. Join us for one of our weekend services. Together let’s start the process of God turning our hurt into healing.

Worship service times: Saturday: 6:00 pm, Sunday: 9:00 am & 10:30 am.