Mill Creek Church

I know the Bible says Jesus forgives me, but am I really forgiven if I can’t forgive my enemy? Harboring unforgiveness in our hearts can adversely affect our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. Offering forgiveness to someone who has hurt us is a choice we make to let go of our resentment and the desire to enact revenge because of the forgiveness we have received from God.

If the church is supposed to be a place of love, trust, and acceptance, why don’t I feel comfortable sharing my struggles or asking others in the church for help? Why can church people be so judgmental? 

It is helpful to admit we are limited in our understanding of God and his ways and will never have all the answers. Rather than deconstruct, I can embrace the mystery of a great God who loves me with confidence in him rather than my understanding. This is faith.

Loving community is a crucial part of our reconstruction process. A strong community will be built if we can create space in our lives and our churches to truly understand and connect with one another. It is this sort of authenticity that can sustain us through our wanderings, doubts, and hurts.

Struggling with doubt is a part of the human existence. But maybe we grew up in systems where a struggle with doubt was considered un-Christian. What do we do with them? God is the one who began the work in us and the one who brings it to completion. My relationship with Jesus is secure even when I am struggling.

Those who find themselves in a deconstruction journey have rarely begun it flippantly. Most have been faced with difficulties that would rattle the strongest of foundations. Too often our faith has been built on something other than the solid rock of God's truth. When the storms come, how will it hold up?

Our pursuit of Jesus can get entangled with man-made systems that do not reflect the gospel or hope of Christ. A life in Christ is not meant to be lived within man-made parameters. We follow God, not systems of belief. If the life of Christ is in opposition to cultural or religious systems, we abandon the systems, not God.

While the current generation of young people are the most tech savvy, at the center of social interaction for them we are finding an incredibly staggering sense of loneliness. It's becoming more and more apparent that while online contacts have never been more accessible, there is a distinct lack of connection. 

To help our students who are facing peer pressure more pervasively than ever, older generations are to live out a life of faithful discipleship themselves and, through their example, equip this new generation with what they need to make the right call.

Kids and young adults today are unique in history as the first generation to never have been alive without the internet. The entirety of their identity, philosophy, and societal expectations have been shaped by exposure to and experiences within the internet, especially in various avenues of social media. There can be an enormous pressure to perform or else face the consequences of being "cancelle...

Kids these days are facing unique challenges in a complex world. How can the adults in their lives help them navigate those challenges with a greater sense of empathy and support and lead them in the way of Jesus? Before we consider kids these days, what about adults these days?

Our witness is not just private or individual but also corporate and communal. As the church, we give witness to Christ in the world. But it's not just words or teaching or our wisdom and strength. Jesus said it would be by our love for God and for one another. So how can we be a good witness in the community together? 

Sharing the story and being a witness can be a struggle. The idea of witnessing can be viewed as an awkward sales pitch for Jesus. Or worse, the pushy street preacher that does nothing more than turn people off. If Jesus says we are to be his witness, how should we approach sharing the good news?

Followers of Jesus have the great privilege to share the message of hope and change with our world. Before we even consider going to the "ends of the earth" let us start with those who are closest to us. How can we make Jesus accessible to the ones we have the greatest chance to impress?

Most of us love a good story. As a follower of Jesus, we know that there is an incredible message to share and brand to represent. It's a powerful picture of how God's love and grace intersected with our brokenness and disobedience. So who's going to tell that story?

Our status as a new creation of Christ is not only for our own salvation but to help others receive the same gift. Paul’s words of imploring others communicates that this requires intentionality and work. We must be proactive in making appeals to others. To be Christ’s ambassadors, we are to act, think, talk, respond, and welcome like Christ. 

Being in Christ allows us the opportunity to experience God's work to make us new creations. We can be made new because of Christ's work to reconcile us to God. With that comes responsibility - Jesus entrusts the message of reconciliation to us. How well do we share that message?

Join us this month as Chris and Kim welcome Kyle and Jessica Clauson to the Real Life podcast. The Clauson’s share their impactful story of living out the love of Jesus through foster care. Despite the challenges and difficulties that come with it, Kyle and Jessica take a step of faith to help kids and in the end, discover just how deep God’s love is for them. We hope you'll be inspired by their s...

The depth of Jesus' love for us is powerfully illustrated in his death. He loves us so much that he was willing to take our sin on himself. His death allows us to be made into a new creation and being made new in Christ is seen in a movement of attitudes from serving ourselves to serving others.

To attempt to be a more spiritual person allows us many options. Which way is the best? Is there more than one way to God? When we come to Easter, we have to consider Jesus. His ministry, his message and most of all his resurrection point, not to religion but relationship. Jesus truly is like no other!

We dive into all things Easter on this month's podcast. You can't have a conversation about Easter without considering the best candy. And an empty tomb? That IS the foundation of our faith. But let's be honest, sometimes we have our doubts and questions. As we approach the event that changes everything, be encouraged and challenged to hold firm to our great faith!

Palm Sunday, the final Sunday of Lent, marks the penultimate celebration of the greater season, Easter. We have the joy of celebrating Jesus for who he is, for what he has done, and for what it means for us. Our King and Savior has come. Let us share the good news!

The death of Jesus showed us the love of God is not mere sentiment but robust action—action that revealed once and for all who he is. May we find ourselves in this place with God, looking directly at the suffering our sin caused Christ, accepting the great benefit we receive and yet the great evil that stains our hands. But because of Christ, and only Christ, we find ourselves welcomed home again.

Being real with our sinful disobedience can be overwhelming and even counter-intuitive. Why not just ignore or run from it? But it's in our truthful mourning that we can discover real joy. Through the example of King David, we discover that God's desire is always restoration and in that process we can discover joy.

The season of Lent is not just giving something up. It is also a season of intentional placement of Christ as the focus of our lives once again. Have we allowed something else to captivate our attention? Let us find ourselves focusing on Christ, letting all else fall to the wayside. For we who seek first the kingdom of God are promised to find everything in Christ.