Hope Christian Fellowship

Have you ever noticed how some people seem to be ‘in the know’ and others are left in the dark?  Whether we’re talking about what’s happening at school, at our jobs, or in our family or friend group, it can be really hard to be left out of the latest news. Some of that feeling is what drives people to stay constantly connected on their phones, scared they may not know what is happening. Spirituall...

Thanks to the ever increasing speed and reach of mass media, we have access to all sorts of opinions and beliefs. Instead of leading to us all being more open-minded and well-rounded, most of us have retreated to our echo chambers. We’ve surrounded ourselves, in real life or through our media consumption, with voices that reinforce our own opinions and beliefs. This leaves us ill-suited to handle...

One of the most natural inclinations we have as humans is a desire to use what is ours for ourselves. We spend the first several years of children’s lives teaching them to share. We never have to teach them to be protective of what is theirs. We do get better at sharing, but we also get better at hiding the fact that we aren’t sharing. As adults, we can be quite possessive of that which we deem is...

When a couple gets married, they vow to one another to love one another through whatever comes. Right in the traditional vows themselves is a plain acknowledgement that life is uncertain. So the vows say that no matter what they face (sickness or health, riches or poverty, etc) the love they are promising will endure. Truly this is one of the most notable and desirable parts of love. But it is som...

How many times have you had something stuck in your head because a person said something hurtful to you? Maybe you played it off and acted like it didn’t bother you, but later on you can’t seem to get it out of your mind. The truth is that it is difficult to let go of wrongs done against us. In fact, the larger the offense, the more difficult it is to disentangle ourselves from both the pain and t...

As we kickoff our week of Vacation Bible School, we are going to continue our discussion about the practice we need in the things that Christians do. In fact, we’re going to talk about one of the ways we practice loving people in this week, and the mindset that it reflects. In a world where social anxiety and tribalism dominates our connections (or lack thereof), we believe that being a Christian...

If you’re a photographer, you know a thing or two about focus. Most of us take focus for granted since our phones automatically focus for us. But there are a few apps that let us go back to a technique where you can choose what is ‘in focus’ in the picture, and what is blurry instead. For artists, this control of focus was used to direct the viewer’s attention as desired. What was in focus natural...

While we’re talking about practicing as believers, we should note that our culture gives us regular opportunities to practice what isn’t core to following Jesus. For example, we are constantly barraged with opportunities to envy what someone else has. Desire is seen as a good and healthy driver to decision making. So why wouldn’t a company selling something try to fan the flame of “I want that” to...

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who always seems to need to ‘one up’ whatever you say? If you talk about some kind of struggle, they respond with how much harder they have struggled. If you relate something you’ve learned, sure enough, they have learned that long ago and mastered it. It’s really frustrating isn’t it? This is an expression of pride, and pride is a tremendous barri...

Have you ever had a conversation with a person who really likes to talk about themselves? While it is normal in conversation to talk about your own experiences and ideas, there’s something unmistakable in certain people who cross the line into self-absorbed. When you notice it, you first marvel at their ability to take any topic and turn it back to themselves. But before long, you are looking for...

For the past few years, Father’s Day has been a special service at Hope. We turn the morning over to our HopeKids ministry and enjoy watching and participating in what God is doing in our children. Kids have always been a big deal to our church family, so we show up and support them, we serve them and teach them, and most of all, we love them. VBS is only a few short weeks away, and we’ll need all...

Think for a minute about someone you love. We probably think of feelings first when we try to identify love. While love definitely includes feelings, it is much more. In fact, when we read the description of love in 1 Corinthians 13, we find a very different picture of love. Love is choices, and probably not ones you ‘feel’ like making. As we continue to talk about the practice it takes to be a Ch...

Did you ever wish you could win the lottery? Maybe you dream of all the bills you’ll pay off or all the stuff you’ll buy. In your best moments, you think about all the people you’ll help. But did you ever think that giving away what you get for free doesn’t mean as much to your soul as giving away what you earn yourself? It’s even possible that a large amount of money that suddenly appears in your...

One of the best parts of your birthday as a kid is the presents you get. A close second is the cake. No one seems to get tired of getting presents and eating cake. Underneath the rituals, a birthday celebration has deeper meaning. We gather to celebrate the blessing of life and God’s gift of another year of living. People need patterns like this as we navigate the ups and downs of our days. As our...

Have you ever thought that someone was ‘holding on too long’? Maybe it was an athlete who couldn’t recognize that their time was over, or someone who found a look they liked years ago and held onto it decades more than they should have. The reality of time for all of us is that we grow older and eventually our time on this earth is done. What should we do with that? In this story about Moses, we s...

If you grew up with siblings, you may have experienced this dynamic. In a specific situation, you made a deal together meant to sidestep the bickering and fighting that naturally happens between siblings. Whether it was who got to sit in the front seat, or who got to pick the restaurant, or even who got to play first with a favorite toy, you all agreed. And then someone decided it was unfair! This...

The idea behind Judo is to use your enemy’s strength against them. You take their energy and redirect it to their own damage. There are few things more demoralizing than fighting or working really hard, but only causing damage to yourself. As Balaam’s story comes to a close, it does so with an amazing twist. God has stopped him from speaking any kind of curse on God’s people. So Balaam gives advic...

If you are ever in the position to train someone for any reason, you’ll find yourself making promises. You tell that that if they do certain things, they will like the outcome, and if they do other things, they will not. If you are the trainer, you probably have experience with both types of outcomes and you’re trying your best to pass along a roadmap to what works and what doesn’t. The prophecies...

As we celebrate together today, we are overwhelmed with the grace of God. He has come to save us and we, by faith, have been raised spiritually to new life. For each person who has experienced this, it is the greatest gift we’ve ever been given. Before we know Jesus, we understand that life is the most precious gift we ever get. And after we put our faith in Jesus, we know that eternal life is imm...

Remember that daytime game show ‘Let’s Make A Deal’? Aside from the fact that everyone comes in a costume, the premise of the show is that contestants have to ‘make a deal’. The problem is that they most often don’t know the deal they are making. They are invited to give away something of known value for something of unknown value. Only after they make a choice do they get to see what they’ve chos...

OMMUNION Fictional stories of spies can be truly exciting. An agent pretends to be the target’s friend and gets close to them, but all of their words and actions are just a disguise because their true intention is to bring harm to the one they are getting close to. The story often revolves around the tension of whether the spy will be successful and avert whatever danger is trying to be avoided. O...

Have you ever felt like someone wanted to use you? For whatever reason, you got the sense that they wanted what you could do for them, but weren’t interested in you or your well-being at all. Maybe you didn’t notice it at first, or you stayed oblivious until after they got what they wanted and were on their way. But it always hurts. Along those lines, we’re going to see a story today begin with so...

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to be taking an abbreviated look at a famous story in the history of Israel: the story of Balaam. If you haven’t heard of Balaam, you might recognize one of the most shocking parts of this story. Balaam’s donkey actually talks to him. We’ll see why God used this almost unbelievable method of communicating with a prophet. And we’ll take a journey through this st...

Learning a new skill can be frustrating. You don’t seem to quite have the feel for whatever it is you are trying to do. There are so many things you naturally and easily do better, so it can be quite tempting to discard the new endeavor in favor of something more likely to bring a sense of full success and accomplishment. But there is value to the struggle. Eventually, you start to figure out how...

I keep hearing the phrase “we are living through unprecedented times” more and more throughout the last couple of years. The 24 hour news cycle continues to bombard us with story after story outlining present and future danger. Now more than ever, it’s good to be reminded of the sovereignty of God. Through taking a look at the life of Joseph, let’s look how God walks with us through being on the w...