Interesting links, articles, book reviews and information for the people of Hope Fellowship
When we looked at Galatians 5:16-17 we spoke about the flesh. But it is more than simply the flesh that threatens to undo us in this life. Ephesians 2:1-3 speaks of the trifecta of difficulty we face in sanctification. ...
In our sermon last week we looked at Galatians 2:20, the description of the decisive death to our old person that has happened when we believed in Jesus and where crucified with Christ. In this quote from John Stott see three ways that Scripture speaks of this union with Christ in his death and the kind of death(s) that we die....
On Sunday morning we spent some time in Psalm 119:9-40. My main goal was to begin this new school year (and re-entry into post COVID??) by helping us desire to be nourished by the Word of God. We didn't spend time on the "what does this look like practically" or "how can we try some new ways to study God's Word" because I wanted for us to desire God's word before we looked for ways to satisfy that desire. In this and the next few blog posts, I want to give a few practical tips for how you can practically infuse more Bible into your daily lives. ...
We should be set free from the view of planning and decisions that make us put the weight on ourselves that only God should bear. We will not plan for everything. Sometimes we won’t know what to do. Even in our best plans, there will be the unexpected that arise. We take comfort in a God who is in control and who works all things according to his purposes....
Join other Hope Fellowship women on October 8th & 9th in Bristol, WI as Nancy Guthrie leads ladies through the basic makeup and storyline of the Bible. She'll trace major themes that run from Genesis to Revelation and demonstrate how a better grasp of these themes can help to understand and apply the Bible rightly. Find out more information or register to join ladies from Hope for the Biblical Theology Workshop here. Early bird registration ends August 31 - current cost is only $20!...
If you have been around Hope for any length of time, you have probably heard us talk about the “functional centrality of the gospel” from the pulpit and in our mission groups. Starting the last week of August we’ll be unpacking what it means that the gospel is central and functioning as it should in our lives and church. My desire is that this short series serves to help people connect with one another as we begin our mission groups and welcome those who are new to Hope....
In Psalm 90:12, Moses lays out a long list of petitions, asking God to act. What does he request of God? I suggest that each of you read these and pick out one or two of them to focus on this week. They can serve as a starting point to recalibrate 2019 in light of who God is and who we are....
Many of my books sit on the shelf only being referenced once every year or two, as need arises. There are other books like "Jonathan Edwards on the Christian Life," by Dane Ortlund that I come back to again and again. And there is one chapter in this book that I find exceptionally helpful to me personally as I seek to grow in my faith; his chapter on "Gentleness: The Aroma of the Christian Life."...
By “reason,” I mean rational thinking and God-given common sense. Proverbs 3:5 does not say, “do not use your understanding” but rather, “don’t rest on human understanding, don’t make it your ultimate rule; don’t put all your weight upon it!” Instead, put all your trust in God who rules and over-rules all human decisions. There are always gaps in our knowledge. Even the most logical decisions necessarily have some unknown factors. So what is the proper role of reason? ...
Of all the issues that cause stress and confusion among Christians, the question of divine guidance must be near the top. How can I know God’s will for me? Are there certain steps we need to learn in order to access information from God that we would not otherwise know? How does God guide me?...
A friend of mine once told me that when he moved into a new house as a kid that he tied all of his best toys on the back of his bicycle and rode around the neighborhood trying to attract friends. If you’ve started a new job or moved into a new community, you’ve probably learned from experience that people usually don’t come knocking on your door to get...
Keep ReadingAs long as Rachel could remember she wanted to be an attorney. While it was a little awkward to be the only kid at halloween carrying a briefcase, she stuck to her dreams until she passed the bar exam on the first try. If people thought she was driven during law school they would have been surprised to learn that she actually had another gear in the workplace; no amount o...
Keep ReadingIn the 1970 movie, Love Story, Ali MacGraw’s character says the now famous line, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.†It seemed to fit in the movie (if you like that sort of thing) but frankly, it doesn’t sound to me as if it was good advice. It must not have clicked with John Lennon either because he quipped, “Love means h...
Keep ReadingI read that if you want to count to a million without stopping it would take you 6 days, 22 hours and forty minutes. If you want to count to a billion it would take you 31 years and 252 days. A Trillion? Forget about it. 3,170 years. What does this tell me? First, who sits around thinking about this stuff? and second, I’m not even going to try to count to any...
Keep ReadingRemember the Palm Pilot? Still use one? Probably not. Why? Because the palm pilot has gone the way of other first generation technology devices and disappeared into the realm of trivia questions (What is a bag phone?). But just a half dozen years ago you could have thrown a rock into a crowd of ten businessmen and hit twelve PDA’s. Now just try to go and buy o...
Keep ReadingI’ve not been to a high school reunion yet, but I don’t really feel like I need to go to one since I can see how much my friends have changed and how messed up they are in real time on facebook everyday. Since I wasn’t a believer in high school, not only do I wish that I could go back and have those years to do over again as a Christian, but I often th...
Keep ReadingI once went on a week long trip to Daytona Beach with other college students during Spring Break—no, not that kind of spring break trip— it was with a campus Christian group! What I didn’t realize when I signed up for the week at the beach (or I blocked out of my mind) was the fact that we were going to walk up and down the beach and talk to students ...
Keep ReadingOne of the lessons I am trying to learn in parenting is to try and empathize more with my daughters when they are deeply distraught about something that I can’t quite understand. It’s tempting for me to think when the lost blankie can’t be found before bed or when the doll that they love was forgotten at a friends house that they just need to calm dow...
Keep ReadingHistory shows us that no army will get far without supply lines that link them to more materials, ammunition, and fuel for the battle. I feel the same way if we’re going on a camping trip— we’re only staying as long as we have good food and dry clothes— after that, I’m out—which means we don’t typically camp! ...
Keep ReadingNo one has to twist our arms to speak about things that we value––we easily speak of that which we love. Just ask someone why they bought the car they just bought. Or where they found a deal on something they were looking for. Or their favorite sports team....
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