When you discover troublemakers in the church, what is a faithful way to respond to them? Confrontation is difficult, so we might be tempted to avoid the troublemakers and think the problem will work itself out on its own. It rarely does, though. Instead, as we will see in our continuing study of Titus 1:10-16,Continue reading “How to have restorative church discipline – Titus 1:10-16, Part 2”
Tag Archives: healing
How to walk through pain [False ideas Christians believe about…difficulty. Part 5]
How should we respond in the midst of pain? The psalmists often lament, crying out their complaint to God as to why he is not answering their prayer. This is why we are fact-checking statement about dealing with difficulty. The post you are reading is number 5 of 5. If you’re starting here, I encourageContinue reading “How to walk through pain [False ideas Christians believe about…difficulty. Part 5]”
What if America was invaded? A thought project to teach us how to be restored
Imagine that some nation invaded the USA, defeated us, and started carrying us away back to their land where we worked for them as slaves! How would that feel? Horrible, right? And life in that foreign land would not be like life here. It would be very, very hard. And we would cry out inContinue reading “What if America was invaded? A thought project to teach us how to be restored”
How God wants to restore you
Betrayal and denial. Jesus experienced both, from two of his closest followers, in a matter of no more than one hour. That had to hurt deeply. You can read the story in Luke 22:47-62. Yesterday at Faith Church we talked about what it feels like when we have been betrayed or denied. We also talkedContinue reading “How God wants to restore you”
Might criminal faith be good? – Luke 5:12-26
Last week I introduced you to a couple guys who had a crazy kind of faith. Have you ever had people think you’re crazy because you demonstrated faith like that? In the case of these two guys who got up close and person with Jesus, we might even say that they had criminal faith. HowContinue reading “Might criminal faith be good? – Luke 5:12-26”
(Re)Discovering Jesus – Luke 4:31-44
When’s the last time you were amazed by Jesus? When is the last time you were excited about him? Put together, Luke’s story of Jesus’ early ministry in Capernaum, his authoritative teaching, his exorcism of demons, his healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, and all the other healing and preaching he did there, demonstrate the authority andContinue reading “(Re)Discovering Jesus – Luke 4:31-44”
Finding healing for a broken relationship – 1st Corinthians 7:10-16
How many of you have been impacted by divorce? Separation? During the sermon on Sunday I interviewed two couples from Faith Church, each of which had one spouse that was previously divorced. I was so thankful for their courage and vulnerability to stand in front of a roomful of people and talk about the painfulContinue reading “Finding healing for a broken relationship – 1st Corinthians 7:10-16”
Guest Post: Why We Tell Our Stories
Today’s guest post is once again written by Lisa Bartelt as a follow-up to last week’s post. We thank Lisa and her husband Phil for sharing their lives with us! The past two Sundays at Faith Church, we’ve shared stories of restoration. Personal stories from the teaching team of how God has taken broken,Continue reading “Guest Post: Why We Tell Our Stories”
Guest Post: Origin stories, superheroes and what defines us
Today’s guest post comes to us from Lisa Bartelt whose blog Living Echoes chronicles her journey as a wife, mother of two, writer and avid reader. The Bartelts moved to Lancaster a few months ago, and have quickly become part of the family of Faith Church. Lisa’s husband, Phil, is an EC Pastor and partContinue reading “Guest Post: Origin stories, superheroes and what defines us”
Stories of Restoration, Part 1 – Joel & Michelle
When I started as pastor of Faith Church, I remember standing before the congregation most Sundays thinking to myself, Look at all those smiling faces, those well-dressed people. They don’t need to hear this sermon. My feeling has long been described by the phrase “you’re preaching to the choir”. Five years has passed, and myContinue reading “Stories of Restoration, Part 1 – Joel & Michelle”
Engaging Scripture 