Posts with the category “daily-faith-challenges”

  Let’s keep going. Notice God’s interaction with Eve. Genesis 3:15- 16 To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children.I’ve always understood this passage to mean, guess what ladies, giving birth was going to hurt. I got it easy with our two kids, besides not having to do anything, both of our kiddos came as C-section, ...  Read More

  Genesis 3:15- 15 And I will put enmity (hostility) between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”What else do you notice about the offspring?Point of reference, some translations also have seed for offspring. For the sake of the rest of our discussion, we are going to look at this passage as seed.The seed will crush the hea...  Read More

  Genesis 3:15- 15 And I will put enmity (hostility) between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”What else do you notice about the offspring?Point of reference, some translations also have seed for offspring. For the sake of the rest of our discussion, we are going to look at this passage as seed.The seed will crush the hea...  Read More

  This week we are unpacking Genesis 3:14-24, if you listened to the message from Sunday, you will know that we only got so far. There is much within this entire passage. It was also cool to hear of people taking time to unpack portions of this passage for themselves, not just unpacking during the message. That’s the value of giving you these faith challenges, to take what is shared on a Sunday an...  Read More

  If you missed last week, I strongly recommend going back and watching it because it sets us up for this week. Let me give you a quick recap.We talked about how the serpent confronted Eve with misleading questions and statements, Eve responded with some truth, but also some fallacies, Adam was an observer, not a protector. Eve took the fruit and gave it to Adam and sin broke into the world, which...  Read More

  This week we’ve been unpacking the first 13 verses of Genesis 3. My desire has been to help you “unsee” all the ways you have perceived Genesis 3 and begin to see the chaos of disorder that came through the serpent, the satan, sin. But to also see how God pursue us despite our choosing chaos over trust.I do want to draw our attention to hope. I do want to draw our attention to the significance o...  Read More

  Yesterday I shared this quote from Tremper Longmen from his commentary . “The story of Adam, though does expose the nature of sin. What is sin at its heart? Sin is rebellion against God, a refusal to accept him as Lord. Sin places oneself in the position of God, and like Adam and Eve, humans substitute their own ideas of right and wrong in the place of God’s definition. Sin rejects God… The acco...  Read More

  Read Genesis 3:1-6- Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, ...  Read More

  Notice how the serpent creates chaos for Eve and Adam. If that sentence doesn’t make sense, go back to yesterday’s Daily Faith Challenge for a review.If it does make sense, then read Genesis 3:1-6- Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the ...  Read More

  I don’t know about you, but once you’ve seen something one way, it can be really hard to see it another way or shall I say, “unsee” it? For instance, the classic optical illusions you would see in Psychology class. What stands out to you? Do you see a duck or a rabbit? Can you go back and forth between the two or are you stuck seeing one versus the other? My desire is to help you with that toda...  Read More

  Read Genesis 2:21-25- 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was...  Read More

  Read Genesis 2:21-25- 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was...  Read More

  Read Genesis 2:18-20- 18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock...  Read More

  Read Genesis 2:18-20- 18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock...  Read More

  Again, thank you to the elders last week for sharing in the service, as well as the daily faith challenges.We’re picking our series back up of Genesis- creation, failure, redemption, repeat and our mini-series of Genesis chapter 2 which is our last part of a four-part series, creation’s Divine intention, formation, and invitation. We saw that the creation story told by the ancients wasn’t simply...  Read More

  Think about a worship song that you really like; one that causes you to turn up the volume or start singing. Why do you connect with that song? Is it the melody? Is it the words? Does it reach your heart, your mind, your body? How does God work within you through that song? ...  Read More

  Communion Reflection: A Table of Grace and Gratitude Dear Church Family, When we come to the Lord’s Table, we are reminded that it is not just bread and cup - it is an invitation to remember, to receive, and to rejoice. In the breaking of the bread, we remember the sacrifice that opened the way for our salvation. In the sharing of the cup, we receive the promise of new life. And in both, we rejo...  Read More

  “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  John 15:4On Sunday, Sarah talked about Jesus’ invitation to his disciples to abide in Him.  To stay.  To dwell in Him.  To make Him my home.Yet, we struggle as we spend a majority of our lives abiding in other things.  BusynessExpectations of self and othersTechnol...  Read More

  Gail shared a story of a painful secret her family held for many years. She stated that unwanted things are going to happen in our lives. She also posed several questions and challenges.Reflect on your own life, what unwanted things have happened to you or those around you? How did you and those around you handle them? Was God present during all that occurred?“When you pass through the waters, I...  Read More

  Today, replace one "Lord, if only..." and choose to trust God with the outcome. Allow the Lord to be the Captain of your heart. Pray: "Lord, rescue me from myself. Not my will, but Yours be done." ...  Read More

  Let me finish with this thought that will lead us from Moses to Jesus to you.Moses is sharing this with the people of Israel before they go into the Promised Land.Read Deuteronomy 30:11-20- 11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we ...  Read More

  We have been looking at the Tree of Life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.The two trees are about trusting or taking. That’s why, even going back to the beginning of the passage, God gives us grace by inviting us to eat, eat all that he has given us. But if we believe God is holding out on us, we are going to take. Take what I think I deserve, take what hasn’t been given to me, tak...  Read More

  Read Genesis 2:16-17- 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”Here is a little play on both commands and God getting attention on what he is inviting us into. The phrase, free to eat, some translations have surely or certainly ...  Read More

  Read Genesis 2:8-9, 16-17- 8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil... 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free...  Read More

  If you haven’t been with us for the last few weeks let me catch you up. If you have been with us, let me refresh you. We are in the middle of our Genesis series, and we have taken the last few weeks to unpack Genesis 2. It was intended to be a two-part series but quickly turned into a 4-part mini-series. Here’s the recap. Creation is about a who, not just a how.Genesis 2 is about Creation’s divi...  Read More

  If we look back to Genesis 2:15 notice what God says. “15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”He gave us a command, it’s actually the second command he gave us, we’ll talk about the first one next week. But he gave us the command to work and take care of the garden. If we look deeper at the meaning of those phrases it relates to serving and...  Read More

  Yesterday we saw that God’s formation at creation was with purpose and for a purpose. Because Adam is an archetype, what we see God do with Adam is a model for us. God’s formation at creation was with purpose and for a purpose.Notice how we see God, the creator forming us throughout scripture. Jot down Psalm 139, “for we are fearfully and wonderfully made.” We are made with purpose, God’s purpos...  Read More

  Have you ever created something with just a few supplies or things or resources?We just celebrated the life of a long-time member, Jim Goostree, this past Wednesday. Jim was a modern-day MacGyver. Granted if you didn’t live in the 1900’s you might not know who that is. But MacGyver, as well as Jim, could take a few supplies (especially duct tape) and make anything. One story of Jim’s was that he...  Read More

  We are going to look at a few passages in Ezekiel. Ezekiel is referred to as a major prophet like Isaiah and Jeremiah. Whereas the minor prophets are like Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah. The reference to major and minor isn’t about importance, it is more about the length of each of the books. Major prophets are longer and minors are shorter in length.Read Ezekiel 36:26-27- 26 I will give you a new h...  Read More

  Last week we jumped back into Genesis 2 and wrestled with how does this ancient text relate to today, much less relate to the creation story in Genesis 1? We dialoged around the beauty and the mystery of not simply reading the text through our 21st century, American eyes, but that when we take the time to dive deeper, we can see that there is more lurking below the surface.We also stated Genesis...  Read More

  Remember, Genesis 1 waters and the Genesis 2 waters form a combined statement of Yahweh as the master of the chaos waters, the one who can turn them into a source of life. Which means, when any story happens at a well or a spring it is a connect to creation, where God brings divine life.Let’s go a little deeper under the surface of Scripture. What do we see with Jesus and the woman at the well? ...  Read More

  Read Genesis 2:4-7- 4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 The...  Read More

  Read Genesis 2:4-7- 4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 The...  Read More

  Monday Read Genesis 2:4-15- 4 This is the account  of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. 5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the grou...  Read More

  Good Morning,As we bring this week’s daily faith challenges on Holding Space for Both - Celebration and Grief to a close - I just want to encourage you with a worship song. Play it loudly. Play it repeatedly.Let the words tend to your heart. Let the words stand in the gap. The gap between what you currently may be feeling, and where you know the truth is. That gap is not too big for God.Let the ...  Read More

  Good Morning, This week, we continue to talk about Holding Space for Both - Celebration and Grief.Yesterday, we looked at needing attunement to our SELF in order to grieve well. And the next thing needed to grieve well is God - DRAWING NEAR TO GOD. We need to know that if we allow ourselves to feel the grief - that it will be tended to by our heavenly father. We can trust and have assurance that...  Read More

  Good Morning, This week, we continue to talk about Holding Space for Both - Celebration and Grief.Yesterday, we looked at needing attunement to our SELF in order to grieve well. And the next thing needed to grieve well is God - DRAWING NEAR TO GOD. We need to know that if we allow ourselves to feel the grief - that it will be tended to by our heavenly father. We can trust and have assurance that...  Read More

  Good Morning!This week, we are talking about Holding Space for Both - Celebration and Grief.God GAVE us grief in the same way he GAVE us celebration - and I love thinking about it that way - he GAVE it to us. And our good father gives good gifts! We have been given a gift, but do we know what to do with it? Do we know how to grieve well?In order to grieve well - we need three things. SELFGODOTHE...  Read More

  Good Morning,This week, we are talking about Holding Space for Both - Celebration and GriefCan two things be true at the same time? Can we hold space for two things? Can we feel celebration and rejoicing while also acknowledging and feeling sorrow and sadness - grief? Does God want us to ignore one over the other? I don’t believe so. But…how many times do we skirt past the grief and focus on the...  Read More

  The other reality that we need to rest in is in the power of the cross and what Christ did on that cross. I wonder, how much of your restlessness is about the “sin that so easilyentangles us.” That we feel beaten down, we feel we are our sin, versus sinners saved by grace.Notice Colossians 2:13-15- 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive wit...  Read More