How is God working even when things seem to be going in ways we think are “shipwrecks”? Pastor Tim turns to Paul’s journey to Rome for this week’s encouragement ahead of Faithtoberfest.
James encourages us to listen but not to stop at listening. Combining listening and acting is necessary for arriving where God wants us.
Family conflict. Our attempts to force a good outcome. So often our all too human messes and efforts leave life looking like a train wreck that gives sin the final word. Yet Genesis 35 closes Isaac’s story by calling him “old and full of days” and placing his divided sons together at his burial. Maybe even our broken lives still have hope of being full?
Pastor Tim thinks of the splendor of the autumn leaves and how that splendor points to the even more wondrous Creator behind them.
How often do we “listen” to other people without really listening? How often do we jump immediately to actions and words that don’t reflect the heart of God? James challenges us to do something different.
When a mess lands in our lap—whether it’s the fallen world’s doing or our own—the natural move is to grab control and start fixing, doubling down on whatever we think will work. In Genesis 28, two sons of the same broken family face that same moment, and the difference between how they respond reaches right into the choices we face today.
Pastor Tim reflects on why we dig into the truth about who God is even though it is mind boggling; it tells us about the One who sends us.
How do we deal with darkness and uncertainty in life? Can we count on God’s blessing? James helps us to think about this.
Gaps make us uneasy, so we fill them by hook or by crook—inventing tidy origins for old phrases or forcing plans into place. Genesis 27 opens on Isaac’s household doing the same around the blessing he means to give, each scrambling to close what feels unfinished.
Pastor Tim reflects on why we dig into the truth about who God is even though it is mind boggling; it tells us about the One who sends us.