I am certainly not alone in living with regret. We sometimes find ourselves in the middle of destruction and lament over years we can not have back. Our plans crumble before us and we are left with the bitter emptiness of uncertainty and wasted time. We have poured so much of ourselves into what we thought God was doing only to be back once again at square one. Time continues to pass by as we long for so many things, for a future that seems just out of reach.

Suffering brings about something in life that isn’t felt elsewhere. It makes us want to scream in frustration, question our faith, and disconnect from reality. Why would God allow this? What did I do to deserve this? How long will this last? Well, what if you were told that the Bible shows us how to ask these questions appropriately? And not only to ask, but to biblically complain with the ultimate intention of learning to trust God in all His ways?

There is a foster crisis in Charlotte. There are many things we can do at the individual, Community Group and church level to help.

Read the recap of our interest meeting with Congregations for Kids to learn about the present needs and actionable next steps.

For those who missed the Enneagram class this month, or anyone who just wants a recap, I thought it would be helpful to write up some of what we talked about...

What does being spiritually dead/unconscious mean?  For the first 22 years of my life, I lived for myself. I put myself first in all that I did. I couldn’t wait to achieve the next milestone, award, recognition, promotion, you name it. Anything that awarded me praise, I was for it.

If you know me, you know it’s no secret I’m a fan of a guy named Clive Staples Lewis - more affectionately known as C.S. Lewis, the author of the beloved Chronicles of Narnia series and other works. Let me just say, this man can write.

There’s an excerpt from one of his books, The Weight of Glory, that I’ve pondered throughout the years, but lately, it’s been on my mind more than usual.

Last Sunday, we looked at the exhortation Paul gives to the church to walk wisely with the time we have, as our priority is now being under the Lordship of Jesus, not the pattern of the world.

As we continued in Ephesians 5 last Sunday, we saw that God can use the light of your life to not only expose the works of darkness, but also transform darkness to light. What if the way you lived in purity and holiness could transform the lives of the people around you?
 

Last Sunday we continued in the theme of holiness, as Jesus doesn't just make us a little bit more moral and compliant, but he transforms our motivations and actions completely. When it comes to following Jesus, there is no middle ground. Either we commit fully to the life of Jesus, or we wallow in apathy and complacency.

The last few years of my life have proven to be excruciatingly painful, not because all the sudden one particular thing happened, but more so because I had to face all the awful things that had been going on for a really long time. God, in His overwhelming grace, brought me to a place where I could no longer cover up and hide...