Orchard Hill Church Blog
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Alive and Active: Studying the Book of Acts in Isolation
As everything around me has become increasingly inactive due to COVID-19, I have come to realize just how important the word of God is in my own personal life. I decided that I would start reading the book of Acts during my quiet time. Here is how the Lord spoke to me through the Word.
The Perpetual New Kid
When I was in Jr. High my family moved from the town in which I grew up to a new one, far away. I did not know anyone there. No one knew me. It is weird to be the new kid. And you know what? There is a sense in which being a Christian in this world can make a person feel like the perpetual new kid.
God is Still in Charge During “Such a Time as This”
Up until this week, it has been easy to get lost in the details of American life: family, friends, eating, sports, internet, entertainment... so many distractions that could keep us away from the “for such a time as this moments” that God has for us, just as with Mordecai and Esther in 550 AD.
What is a Discerning Heart?
I was seven years old when the movie Aladdin came out in 1992. I wanted so bad to find a special lamp that within it lived a magical “Genie” who would grant me three wishes of my choosing. If I am honest, there is still a part of me today that would love to find this long-lost lamp and get to wish for things.
Homesick - Feeling Like a Stranger in Our Fallen Culture
If you’ve ever felt like a stranger in our fallen culture or have had to transition to any kind of newness, you know all too well that your beliefs and missing the familiar can prick your heart into feeling homesick.
The Significance of Biblical Hope
We all need hope. Life can be challenging, and we all feel anxious, depressed and defeated at one time or another. It’s in those moments that hope - rightly directed - can affect our minds and bodies, and even contribute to our healing.
Busting the Myth of "Life Balance"
Without a doubt, one of the most common challenges I hear has to do with finding “life-balance.” Many of us try again and again to achieve this elusive goal. Allow me to relieve your anxiety and boldly proclaim that life balance is a myth!
Bible Reading for Spiritual Impact
Something that’s vitally important to me as a follower of Jesus is that I live each day in light of the reality of God’s grace. I want to grow in my understanding of who God is, what He has done, and live accordingly!
We Need More Words!
It is God’s unique gift to us to be able to communicate through language because words have power; it has been said that one kind word can change the course of someone’s day. And, the more words we know, the more power we have over our own lives.
He Restores Me
I don’t know about you, but sometimes it takes God speaking to me a few times in different ways before a message sinks in! So, I decided to meditate on Psalm 23 a bit more and write down these thoughts.
Thanksgiving
I love Thanksgiving. I love it for the traditions and for the opportunity it presents us to stop, enjoy time with people who mean so much to us, and reflect with gratitude on the good things in our lives.
An Optional Illusion
Sometimes in life I question whether I am being real or if I am living in the illusion of saying I am a follower of Jesus Christ at those times when I don’t participate in His Kingdom by being His hands and feet on earth.
We are Made for Community
Being in a community of believers helped me to receive healing and the liberating truths of the gospel in ways that allowed those truths to soak deep into the core of my being. My ongoing work of transformation was taking place in community.
Sweater or Sweating for What is Worthy
Back in the nineties, if you were serious about celebrating Christmas, you owned and proudly wore a Christmas sweater. I thought it would make me look like I knew what I was doing but I was wasting time focused on something I thought would make me happy.
A Gift of Grace Through Serving
This opportunity to serve…. To be a part of something bigger than myself, led me down a road towards a faith I had lost, a family I craved, and a grace that only God could provide.
Path Blind
Thanks to Febreze commercials we’ve learned about going nose blind. But path blind? All it took for me was a bike, a path with shadows and some sun to learn from creation.
Live in Light of Eternity
One of my favorite spots to end up at is on top of a mountain. You know why? When I climb to that mountain top and look around, I am absolutely amazed at the vastness of God’s glorious creation.
100 Feet Ahead
You and I need summits in our lives. But sometimes the going gets tough and we want to give up. All we can see is the end and the end seems so far away. But what we can do, is look at something not too far away and work toward it.
I Want To Do Better
Instead of having gratitude for strength or recognizing the spiritual privilege it is to serve God, I sometimes smugly think that I am a good person for serving and I want to do better giving God the glory.