Articles Tagged 'Ointment'

Merry Christmas!

We pray the Lord blesses you with the grace of Jesus' presence this Christmas!

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When Endings Are Complicated, God Is Still Gracious

What do you do when the endings are not always happy ones?

Ron Rose reminds us that not all faith stories have happy endings and that sometimes we have to wade on through tragedy with faith.

Don't Settle for a Small Destiny

What do we let define us, call or catastrophe?

Max Lucado from his book "You'll Get Through This" encourages us to not let our disappointments define us but instead let God's destiny for us define us.

ToGather: Interrupting the Silence of Foolishness (April 17, 2022)

Before Jesus’ resurrection, to believe in a crucified savior was a ridiculous and foolish!

Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware combine to bless us with a powerful Resurrection Sunday message on Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection and the power God blesses us with to triumph over sin and death.

Hope Is

Hope is the life in our veins, the breath in our lungs and the courage for tomorrow.

Melissa Troyer looks at our cold world as we ensure the cold of later winter and trust life will come back in the Spring and reminds us to trust life is coming.

ToGather: Time to Reclaim the Joy! (April 4, 2021)

Jesus is our source of joy because he lives and he's coming back to take us home with him.

Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in a virtual, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to glorify God as we remember Jesus' triumph over sin, death, and hell through his resurrection from the dead.

ToGather: The Spirit Helps Us Pray (March 28, 2021)

Prayer can be an incredible blessing for us as God's children. However, prayer can also feel frustrating and bewildering to many who are trying to follow Jesus.

Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in a virtual, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to glorify God as we remember that prayer is about relationship and Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to help us know our hearts are heard.

Jesus Smiled

Our God is the God of surprising opportunities, fresh hope, and new life.

Phil Ware reminds us of John Mark's failure when he deserted the mission field and the mission team and describes how God used this mess and the grace, mercy, and love of godly men to bring great good out of potential disaster.

Making It Count!

It is simply not true that your best is always good enough; there are countless people every day who could witness to that.

Patrick Odum reminds us that sometimes our best isn't good enough, it doesn't count, unless our focus is on the Lord Jesus and his work, then his resurrection ensures our work is not in vain!

A Story That Must Be Told!

Regardless of our reasons in the past, let’s make sure we honor the Lord’s wishes in this circumstance and others like it.

Phil Ware continues his series of messages of how Jesus values women, focusing this week on the loving and extravagant gift of the unnamed woman who broke her alabaster jar and anointed Jesus with expensive perfume.

On Getting What We Deserve

Fans sitting around him (some who had tried to make the catch themselves) berated him, threw beer and food at him, and threatened him.

Patrick Odum shares an insightful take on the target of Cubs' fans wrath for the past years for interfering with a foul ball trying to be caught by Moises Alou.

The Struggle to Find Faith

I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!

James Nored and Phil Ware look at C.S. Lewis and his struggle to find faith and our own challenges in believing.

'yada, yada, yada'

How do you cope with a world gone crazy and violent and depressing in the time you are supposed to give thanks?

Ann Voskamp reminds us of the yada in Thanksgiving and redefines it to fit the truth of God.

Don't Settle for a Small Destiny

What do we let define us, call or catastrophe?

Max Lucado from his book "You'll Get Through This" encourages us to not let our disappointments define us but instead let God's destiny for us define us.

Art by Faith

How can someone who is blind still paint beautifully?

Tammy Ruggles is a legally blind artist, photographer, and writer who paints by faith and not by sight and uses her gifts to bless and inspire.

Losing Your Footing?

What do you do when you lose your grip?

Rubel Shelly reminds of where to go in our troubling times.

Sometimes There Are No Answers

What do you do when you can't figure out the answer?

Tom Norvell reminds us that there are a lot of questions in life that we cannot get answers to; but more than answers, we need God's presence.

When Your Hero Falls

What do you do when your hero makes a big mistake?

Just as Isaiah had to overcome Uzziah's failure, we have to deal with the failures of others. We need to learn to turn to God at times like that.

Discovering the Character of Your Church: Personal vs. shared Values

Why can't we just do it the way I see it?

Phil Ware continues the series on values and leadership, especially conflict in the leadership because they cannot discern operational, personal, strategic, theoretical, shared, and other types of values.

The Prize

Why keep getting up?

Terese Bell Kindred shares a story of a friend she admires and compares her to a prize fighter because she keeps getting up and going on after bad things and cancer.

Bribery, Cursing, and Lying

What do you see around Jesus?

Brian McCutchen reminds us that the Cross is a nasty, hurtful, despicable place where Jesus died.

Roads Without Potholes

Why would we ever want potholes in the road?

Rubel Shelly writes about potholes, discouragement, disappointments, pain, grief, wounds that occur in our lives and how they are part of the fabric of life and necessary to develop our character.

Living in the Misunderstood Kingdom

What would you say after the coffee shop bomb?

Ron Rose challenges us to look at Jesus' upside-down kingdom and what it means for our life today.

Bigotry: The Shoe Is on the other Foot

Some would make religion the reason for disqualification?

Rubel Shelly comments on the recommendation of Francis Collins nomination for the head of NIH and the Sam Harris criticism of his nomination.

Get Our Hopes Up

How do we find the bright lining in the dark clouds?

Tom Norvel talks about being disappointed in a predicted snowfall that was nothing more than a light dusting.

Is It Really Over?

So what do you do now that it has come to an end?

Tom Norvell looks at how the disciples must have felt right after Jesus' death and then talks about a year ending and the New Year beginning.