New Life Community Church, Atwater, CA

Take the Plunge John 21:1-9

God’s love for us is unconditional, but there is a condition for receiving the benefits of that love. The condition according to the Bible is something called “belief.” Believing can be a tricky thing. Some people find it easier to believe than others do, and even for those who do believe, we find believing is harder at some times than others. This is the key theme of the Gospel of John and in John’s account we are introduced to a number of characters who struggle with belief. John reveals how Jesus engages our struggles and invites us to take the plunge. 

“We have a Friend” The book of Acts

Have you ever seen life as the empowering picture and ability that The Holy Spirit allows us. We have a friend, that helps us and guides us to see and do the goodness God wants us to do. We are ordinary people just like the people of the Bible, that God uses. Have we fallen short of truly allowing God to stretch us in the way he wants us? After all, he created us. There is something to be said if we truly trust in the Holy Spirit. 

The Fine Line of Fathering (Parenting) Ephesians 6:4

The Bible is filled with examples of fathers, some are better than others, and all but one of them flawed. It also has some guidance for us as we (regardless of age, gender or role) seek to bless the generations that follow. 

Help from the Psalms Part Six—”On Our Side” Psalm 124

Our lives are filled with ups and downs, both joys and sorrows, as well as times of peace and times of anxiousness. Our emotions flow from these highs and lows but can at times entrap us and hold us back. The Book of Psalms offers us several pathways to find voice and/or remedy for the negative emotions that effect our lives. What do we do when we’ve walked through a difficult trial and come out the other side? How can God’s goodness in the past effect the challenges we face today? 

Help from the Psalms Part Five—”Hope in the Dark” Psalm 42

Our lives are filled with ups and downs, both joys and sorrows, as well as times of peace and times of anxiousness. Our emotions flow from these highs and lows but can at times entrap us and hold us back. The Book of Psalms offers us several pathways to find voice and/or remedy for the negative emotions that effect our lives. But what can we do when we fear God has abandoned us? What can we do when our world is dark with despair? Psalm 42 expresses these very feelings and offers us a path to hope. 

Help from the Psalms Part Four—”Growing Gratitude” Psalm 136

Our lives are filled with ups and downs, both joys and sorrows, as well as times of peace and times of anxiousness. Our emotions flow from these highs and lows but can at times entrap us and hold us back. God’s goal for us is not to mute our emotions, but to manage life and our emotions in healthy ways. The Book of Psalms offers us several pathways to find voice and/or remedy for the negative emotions that effect our lives. 

We yearn for everything to be right, but there is always something amiss. The joy of life is often squeezed out by the unrelenting pursuit of something else. Today we’ll consider the growing in grace and gratitude following of Psalm 136. 

Help from the Psalms Part Three—”Breaking the Grip of Fear and Hurt” Psalm 55

Our lives are filled with ups and downs, both joys and sorrows, as well as times of peace and times of anxiousness. Our emotions flow from these highs and lows but can at times entrap us and hold us back. God’s goal for us is not to mute our emotions, but to manage life and our emotions in healthy ways. The Book of Psalms offers us sever- al pathways to find voice and/or remedy for the negative emotions that effect our lives. 

The World we live in is filled with threats, how can we break their cycle and find peace in the storm? Today we’ll consider the path of Psalm 55. 

Help from the Psalms Part Two—”Walking through Uncertainty” Psalm 19

Our lives are filled with ups and downs, both joys and sorrows, as well as times of peace and times of anxiousness. Our emotions flow from these highs and lows but can at times entrap us and hold us back. God’s goal for us is not to mute our emotions, but to manage life and our emotions in healthy ways. The Book of Psalms offers us several pathways to find voice and/or remedy for the negative emotions that effect our lives. 

All around us, uncertainty seems to reign. Where can we turn to navigate through confusing times? Today we’ll consider the path of Psalm 19. 

Help from the Psalms Part one—”Strength for This Day” Psalm 33

Our lives are filled with ups and downs, both joys and sorrows, as well as times of peace and times of anxiousness. Our emotions flow from these highs and lows but can at times entrap us and hold us back. God’s goal for us is not to mute our emotions, but to manage life and our emotions in healthy ways. The Book of Psalms offers us several pathways to find voice and/or remedy for the negative emotions that effect our lives. Today, Mother’s Day, is a day of enormous emotional range for many. We start with Psalm 33 to find strength to get through difficult times. 

Made for More “The Secret Sauce” 1st Corinthians 12-13

The church is re-opening, programs are re-starting, relationships that were put on pause are renewing and new connections are being made. Now is the time to come together, but better than before. Building community can be tricky, the lofty aspirations of unity, connection and service will always be spoiled without the key ingredient: love.