Flagstone Church of Christ

Can you imagine posting a pic on social media of yourself or someone else in pain and then adding the caption "#Blessed"? Sounds ridiculous, right? One of the last things that comes to mind when we're hurting, when we're in pain, when we're grieving is how blessed we are. And yet, that's exactly what Jesus says - I'm blessed when I'm in mourning. How can mourning be a good thing? And if it really...

We live in a culture that sometimes subtly, sometimes blatantly encourages us to have the most, to be the best, to have more than someone else. We're the most "blessed" when we have the most things, the most titles, the most likes, the most followers. Jesus says in Matthew 5 that when I'm at my least, when I'm empty, when I'm "poor" - that's when I'm truly "blessed." What does it mean to be "poor...

How regularly do we use the word "blessed"? We have "Blessed" printed on lots of things from t-shirts to coffee mugs to throw pillows. "#Blessed" has been used literally millions of times on Twitter and Instagram. When unexpectedly good things happen to us or when we stop and realize how fortunate we have been recently, we tend to refer to ourselves as "blessed." In the book of Matthew in the Bibl...

There are all sorts of tangles and traps and messes we find ourselves in from time to time. Many times those struggles came into our lives because of someone else's actions or choices. But there is one issue that many of us consistently get tangled up in, and we have no one to blame but ourselves - and that's our words. The words that come out of my mouth can be positive and encouraging, or they c...

"Addiction" sounds like such a strong word, and it seems to carry a lot of weight. Most people don't consider themselves to actually have any kind of addiction (honestly, many addicts don't think they have an addiction either!). Repeat behaviors? Sometimes. Bad habits? Sure. Addictions? No way - I don't have any addictions. The reality is many of us struggle on a regular basis with harmful, addict...

It's time to recognize and celebrate our 2022 graduates! As we honor, love, and affirm our seven graduating Seniors, we'll get to see how this generation of teenagers are facing the Gospel. A common hang up for many, Gen Z in particular struggles to grab hold of truth for what it is. Is truth relative? Is Jesus really the only way? Is there any hope for my life and the future? This Sunday we'll lo...

Moms are awesome! They do so much to take care of us, love us, bless us, forgive us, feed us...the list could go on. And yet these amazing women often find themselves "tangled up" in struggles and challenges that they weren't prepared for and might not even be sure how to deal with. What do moms do when they find themselves wrapped up in feelings of exhaustion or resentment or failure? How can our...

Our possessions hold a unique power over us. We convince ourselves that we own all of our possessions. But the time and the energy and the money we spend in order to get what we want or hold onto what we already have would indicate that we don't really own our stuff - our stuff actually owns us. What are the warning signs? How do I learn to recognize how entangled I've become in my possessions? An...

When something gets tangled, whether it's electric cords or jewelry or shoelaces, it usually happens slowly, almost imperceptibly. We don't notice the knots that are weaving together; we don't pay attention to the cluster being created. And then suddenly we discover a tangled mess that we never realized was forming. It can happen in our personal lives as well - slowly, almost imperceptibly. We mak...

Dark. Decaying. Grim. Hopeless. These are some of the words that come to mind when we think of a grave. Even ornate gravemarkers and perfectly placed flowers can't completely drive out the thoughts of despair and sorrow we feel when we stand before a tomb. And yet God did something amazing with His Son's tomb. He took something that was dismal and lifeless and ugly, and He created something beauti...

Maybe I've gotten myself in a lot of debt...again. Maybe I broke up with someone because they cheated on me...again. Maybe I shouldn't have said what I did, and I'm having to go back and apologize...again. We all have different struggles we work through and different problems we deal with. But many of us get frustrated because we find ourselves dealing with what we perceive to be the same problems...

Relationships in general have their ebbs and flows. Whether it's a friendship, a dating relationship, a marriage, or a family connection, there are times when I feel really close to that person and times when there's a palpable distance between us. The same seems to happen to most of us in our relationship with God. Sometimes we feel very closely connected to Him, and other times that relationship...

Evangelism. Soul-winning. Spreading the gospel. These are terms that many of us may have heard, but not all of us are quite sure what they mean. We hear preachers tell us we need to share the gospel, to share our faith, to tell people about Jesus. But we live in a culture that desires...sometimes demands...that we keep our opinions about our faith to ourselves. So if I'm a Christian, is it a requi...

Conspiracy theories. Hoaxes. "Fake news." In an age where we have so much information (and so many different people's opinions) available at our fingertips, it can become difficult to know what is true and what is not, what is real and what isn't. We struggle with this when it comes to our faith as well. How do I know what's true when there are so many different belief systems to choose from? Is t...

Recent research has determined that over half of the American population wonders on a regular basis what their purpose is. We want our lives to have meaning. We want there to be a reason behind the decisions we make and the activities we engage in. We don't want our relationships to be superficial and empty - we want depth, we want significance. And yet so often I don't know what my purpose is. Ho...

I Don't Know. Those may be three of the most frustrating words in the English language. I can feel anxious and stressed when I don't know an answer, when I don't know the direction to go, when I don't know the purpose. There are questions that I wrestle with, and when I don't know the answers, it just leads to more confusion and doubt. It seems like things would be a lot easier if I just had all t...

In any relationship conflicts can happen, feelings can get hurt, distance can be created - and when that happens, things can get complicated. Whether it's a dating relationship or a marriage, if I've been hurt by the other person in that relationship, it can be difficult for me to forgive that person, much reconcile with them or try to get back to "the way things used to be." What do I do when I f...

One fairly common reason my relationship with another person might seem complicated is because we're just "not on the same page." We're not connecting. I don't see things the way they do, and they don't see things my way either. The longer this goes on, the more confusion builds and the more frustration sets in. So what do we do? How can we get on the same page more consistently?

Paul Meyer once said, "Communication is the key to personal and career success." It's the key to relationship success as well, and yet it seems that communication (or lack of it) is one of the factors that often complicates our relationships. How necessary is communication to my relationship? And how can I improve my communication skills so that things can become a little less complicated?

Relationships. Whether we're in one, looking for one, or looking to get out of one, relationships can sometimes get complicated. Communication issues, different backgrounds, different goals, different preferences - any or all of these factors can keep two people from having a healthy connection with each other. What's at the heart of the complexities we sometimes find in our relationships? Is it p...

It's possible that many of us get tired of what we're doing or frustrated with the challenges we're experiencing or distracted from whatever goal we're trying to accomplish because we lose sight of why we committed to that goal in the first place. The same can be true with our daily walk with Christ as well. If I lose track of why I'm trying to live the way He wants me to, I am more susceptible to...

As a Christian, faith kinda comes with the territory, doesn't it? After all, we often call ourselves "believers," right? So what do I do when my faith in God feels like it's crumbling? Or what about those times when I haven't completely let go of my faith, but I'm not really trusting God either? I might feel like I need a do-over, a brand new start with my faith. But is it even possible to "reset"...

In order to "hit the reset button" in a particular area of my life, one thing I may need to reset first is my mindset. My actions are often dictated by my thoughts, so one of the reasons I may have a relationship that's unhealthy or I might be emotionally unhealthy or spiritually unhealthy is because I'm mentally unhealthy. But can it really make that big a difference in my life get a new start wi...

Whether it's a laptop, an electrical device, or a major appliance, there are a lot of things we use on a regular basis that come with a "reset" button - a button to push when something isn't working the way it's supposed to or isn't working at all. There are many of us who would love to have a reset button to push when something in our personal lives isn't working the way it's supposed to - maybe...

Whether it's a laptop, an electrical device, or a major appliance, there are a lot of things we use on a regular basis that come with a "reset" button - a button to push when something isn't working the way it's supposed to or isn't working at all. There are many of us who would love to have a reset button to push when something in our personal lives isn't working the way it's supposed to - maybe...