Orchard Hill Church Blog
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Diversity and the Church
The Church is unlike any other group of people. But here’s the problem: The Church can be like any other group of people. It’s our human tendency to seek connection with those who are “like us.” If you are a follower of Jesus, can you see this tendency in yourself? I see it in myself.
Preparing for Easter: God's Provision
As we all find ourselves in uncharted waters, in exile as it were, prevented from partaking of what we became so familiar with, I think it would be wise to remember what Israel did in times of exile.
Preparing for Easter: Worship
Life has become magnified in the past month; our daily schedules and priorities have changed. But when we remember or see for the first time that life is not about us but about God’s desire for us to know Him, this Lenten season becomes even more magnified. Life is short and God is all we need.
Preparing for Easter: Trust in the Lord
Psalm 121 starts with a question: “Where does my help come from?” With this statement, the writer expresses a feeling that every person can identify within our own times of struggle. As human beings, we tend to look to man and seek help from sources that we can see, or by what we can gain for ourselves. But Psalm 121 offers us a different perspective.
Ask a Pastor Ep. 88 - How to Respond to a Financial Crisis
This episode Dr. Kurt Bjorklund, Joel Haldeman, and Hefron Tillotson Financial Adviser, Grady Wirth, get together online to have a conversation about how to respond to the financial crisis caused by the coronavirus and crises that arise throughout life.
Preparing for Easter: Hope in Christ’s Resurrection & Return
As I read through Romans 8:11-25 today, I couldn’t help but see the current state of our world. The picture of our present reality couldn't have been painted more clearly. The Spirit that we’ve received from the Father does not make us slaves that live in fear but reminds us that we’ve been adopted to sonship!
Imagined Jesus #3 - Optional Jesus
Dr. Kurt Bjorklund continues through the gospel of John to Jesus’s crucifixion and looks at the difference between the optional and real Jesus that we can encounter in our lives.
Preparing for Easter: Life in the Spirit
It is easy to read Romans 8 as a religious person and miss its challenge. At first, this passage seems to show the distinction between good people and bad people. If we read Romans 8 and think “there are bad people who just react to their flesh, and then there are good people like me,” we’ve missed the point.
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.
Preparing for Easter: The Word of God
You may have heard it said that followers of Christ are in the world but not of the world. What this means is, through a relationship with Jesus Christ, we realize that this world is simply a stop on our way to the Kingdom of Heaven, our final destination.
Preparing for Easter: Christ's Love for the Church
John 17 is typically referred to as “Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer,” and in the section of the prayer we’re looking at today, Jesus prays for his disciples. After providing the Twelve with some of the most challenging and profound words He ever spoke to them, Jesus now prays to the Father for these friends He loves.
Ask a Pastor Ep. 87 - Should a Christian Sue Someone?
This episode Dr. Kurt Bjorklund, Joel Haldeman, and corporate attorney Krista Thompson sit down to have a conversation about if Christians should sue or bring lawsuits against other people and Christians, how to think about resolving problems with others, asking ourselves if we are seeking justice or retribution, and more!
Preparing for Easter: Hope for Restoration
Have you ever blown it? I mean really blown it? And as a result, filled with regret, shame, and disappointment. The people of Israel knew what that was like. God repeatedly told them He would be their God and they would be His people. And yet, because of their continual idolatry and sin, God exiled them to Babylon.
Preparing for Easter: Mercy for the Brokenhearted
After reading Psalm 147 over and over again, my absolute favorite part is the centrality of praising the Lord. But, in all honesty, when I feel the most broken, the last thing I think about or want to do is praise God.
Preparing for Easter: Are Grace and Truth Incongruent?
Oreos topped with Cheese Wiz. What an incongruent pairing! Many people feel the same way about grace and truth, yet John reminds us here in the opening words of his gospel that Jesus brought these two elements together in unity.
Imagined Jesus #2 - Political Jesus
Dr. Kurt Bjorklund continues along in the Gospel of John and arrives at the trial of Jesus and looks at how the upheaval that the disciples went through can remind us that when our status and security is challenged, it's an opportunity to return to the Lord.
10 Opportunities for Christians During the Coronavirus Crisis
The Coronavirus and its impact will be with us now and reverberate well into the future. Drastic measures have been taken all over the globe trying to manage this pandemic. Rather than trying to explain what God’s rationale may or may not be, I wanted to share some opportunities that God may be giving His followers.
Ask a Pastor Ep. 86 - National Crisis & the Spiritual Journey
This episode, Dr. Kurt Bjorklund and Josiah Leuenberger sit down to have a conversation about national crises affect our spiritual journey, dealing with pain in the world when it comes near to us, facing death in this world, and how to live a sense of mission during difficult times.
Imagined Jesus #1 - Dashboard Jesus
Dr. Kurt Bjorklund begins a new series called Imagined Jesus teaching out of the final chapters of the Gospel of John and this week looks at some ways we treat Jesus like a dashboard trinket in our car.
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.