For Advent 2018, Faith Church will be following the readings in the Revised Common Lectionary. Each Sunday we’ll look at how the four readings tie together thematically, all supporting the goals of the season of Advent. Thus we are pausing our series on Deuteronomy. We’ll return to that after the New Year 2019. Why doesContinue reading “There is hope in dark times! [First Sunday of Advent, part 1]”
Tag Archives: hope
What to do when talking about faith is scary or difficult
Have you ever been made fun of for your faith? It can feel awful, making you want to crawl into the closest hole and hide. That feeling of shame is often so powerful that it gets stuck inside us, and we fear talking about our faith ever again. What should we do about this? InsteadContinue reading “What to do when talking about faith is scary or difficult”
How to have an inheritance that cannot be squandered
Michelle and I both had grandparents pass away in the last few years, and we have watched our parents and their siblings handle their parents’ estates. Sometimes inheritances are smooth and easy. Sometimes they are a bit complex. One time Faith Church received a bequest from a parishioner who passed away, and it took nearlyContinue reading “How to have an inheritance that cannot be squandered”
How we can know that hope is alive
Last week I did a search on our local website, as I was looking for the word “hope” in the news. You know what I discovered? Hope is a very flexible word, used many ways for many situations. Here are a few of the recent headlines. Maybe you remember some of them! First, here areContinue reading “How we can know that hope is alive”
A Guided Lament you can use right now
Do we lament when life is so rotten and dark that we have no where else to turn? Yes. Do we lament when there is still hope, but much work yet to be done? Yes. What we have seen this Advent as we’ve studied psalms of lament, is that lament is a faithful, clinging toContinue reading “A Guided Lament you can use right now”
Is there hope during these dark days of Christmas 2016?
Just in the news on Monday 12/19/16: The Chinese Navy intercepts a US Navy underwater drone. A Turkish man assassinates a Russian Ambassador. A man drives a truck into a Berlin, Germany, Church Christmas market killing 12, injuring dozens more. The American Electoral College elects Donald Trump president, a candidate whose major proposals included buildingContinue reading “Is there hope during these dark days of Christmas 2016?”
How to survive the holiday blues
Are you feeling low this Christmas? Though there are Christmas lights everywhere, does your life feel like a dark place? In the sermon intro blog post, I introduced a story in the history of the Israelite nation of Judea. At the time, Hezekiah was King, and he was trapped inside the Judean capital city, Jerusalem. Continue reading “How to survive the holiday blues”
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 