New Life Community Church, Atwater, CA

Take the Plunge (part 6) “The Search for Significance” John 6

If simply believing is the key to the Gospel, why is believing tricky for so many? Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus engages with those who would struggle with belief. Even the growing crowds gathered looking for answers but missing the point. Many today continue to pursue the idea “there must be something more” only to find these paths are dead-ends. We search for significance in all the wrong places, Jesus invites us to the bread of life.

Take the Plunge (part 5) “Hope for the Disappointed” John 11:17-37

If simply believing is the key to the Gospel, why is believing tricky for so many? Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus engages with those who would struggle with belief. Even for those who knew Jesus, painful circumstances could be an impediment to faith. What can we do when we feel God has let us down? Today we’ll step into the deep, where God seeks to meet us.

Take the Plunge (part 4) “Overcoming a Critical Spirit” John 1:43-51

If simply believing is the key to the Gospel, why is believing tricky for so many? Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus engages with those who would struggle with belief. Even in the stories of the calling of his disciples, we confront judging/prideful attitude and Jesus inviting him (and us) to overcome that critical spirit.

Take the Plunge (part 3) Nicodemus “Getting Over Ourselves” John 4:1-26

If simply believing is the key to the Gospel, why is believing tricky for so many? Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus engages with those who would struggle with belief. Either we feel God is no longer trustworthy or we are no longer deserving. Today we look into an encounter with a woman who struggled with both, and how Jesus invites us to close the gap.

(part 2) Nicodemus “Being a Christian without being Religious” John 3:1-15

If simply believing is the key to the Gospel, why is believing tricky for so many? Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus engages with those who would struggle with belief. Today we look into an encounter with a very religious man, one actually trapped by his religious piety. What do we miss when we trust in rule following and who gets excluded when such rules are what the church seems to offer?

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.