Reflections: December 13-14, 2008

This week's "Reflection" by Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Teaching & Youth

Does joy have to be so elusive? Does the Christmas season have to be a joyless time? How can we get joy to stick? The four things we talked about this week in regards to joy were:

1. Choose to believe truth. (You are a loved and forgiven child of God.)
2. Choose to do right. (Right and wrong choices both effect our ability to have joy.)
3. Choose to live joyfully. (Sometimes joy is something we have to choose to find and acknowledge.)
4. Choose to remain in God's love. (Love people and live fearlessly.)

How are you doing with joy? What are some ways that you find joy in the midst of difficult circumstances? Your responses could be a huge encouragement for those struggling with joy. Please re-gift joy to us all with your stories of joy from your own life.

Reflections: December 6-7, 2008

This week's "Reflection" by Gary Keith, Pastor of Teaching & Worship

Peace is an elusive quality of life to experience and yet I think we all want to have peace. There may be certain environmental issues working against us here in Southern California, but I still am personally optimistic that experiencing peace is possible. This weekend we learned that to experience peace we need to live under the Sar Shalom.  Who is the Sar Shalom? None other than Jesus Christ. Sar Shalom is Hebrew for the name of Jesus found in Isaiah 9:6 where Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. Jesus is the one in charge of peace. any peace we experience in life comes from Jesus - he gives us our peace.

 

As you consider how to have peace, what are the obstacles that block you from living in peace? How can you let Jesus be the Prince of Peace in your life?

Join the blog below and let's learn to live in peace together.

Reflections: November 29-30, 2008

This week's "Reflection" by Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Teaching & Youth

Hope is something everyone desires, but all too often what we try to put our hope in collapses around us. Jesus' birth demonstrates how seriously God desires to have relationship with us and how committed He is to loving us, that He would give us His only son to mend our relationship with Him. How do you practically put your hope in God? What has that looked like in your life?

How can you re-gift this hope that Jesus has given us to others?