Mill Creek Church

Mill Creek celebrates God's faithfulness over the past 20 years.

Confession and repentance restore our spirits to a right-standing relationship with God. This practice also prevents the enemy from using shame and grief to hold us hostage to our past. We practice soul care by inviting the Lord to open our eyes to our sin so that we can restore relationships, receive forgiveness, and move forward in freedom.

Thank you for joining the Real Life podcast of the Mill Creek Church. In this first episode, we dive deeper into the idea of lament and discover how in the midst of pain, we can still find hope.

How do we handle grief and pain? A habit seen in the Bible that is not very intuitive for us but can be hugely helpful is lament. Lament is more than just feeling grief-stricken or sorrowful after we experience loss or are confronted by our mistakes; it’s a recognition of a wrong that’s been experienced or committed. It can be an opportunity for us to draw close to the Lord and seek his healing an...

In light of the rise of self-care and our culture’s heightened awareness of the physical and nutritional practices needed to care for the body and the mind, we are also invited to embrace “soul care". Soul care isn’t a knock against self-care, but it is a challenge for us to make caring for our inner life a higher priority.

It can be easy for people to label Christians as hypocrites. As followers of Jesus, we must continually remind ourselves of God’s grace. Do we truly believe it is free? If not, we can turn our faith into a competition. We’ll treat others poorly because we must find a way to “get ahead.”

Many people have trouble accepting Christianity because they find it difficult to reconcile a good God and a bad world. There is great power and encouragement knowing that God became one of us. What John tells us at the beginning of his story of Jesus is such a powerful response to all the evil in the world. That Jesus came to us, became one of us and knows us and our pain!

Why do we believe what we believe? Because that's what we were taught from an early age? Because the Bible says so? The foundation of our faith is an event - an empty tomb! We have good reasons to believe Jesus rose from the dead and can bring our doubts to church. There is nothing to hide and you are invited to come and see.

It is becoming common in today's world to see people walk away from faith. Questions. Doubts. Hurt. There are many reasons why people are "deconstructing". How do we respond and support? How can we treat our friends who have left the faith with love and respect, being eager to show them the same type of love Jesus shows to the lost?

Jealousy ruins relationships and will be like cancer, rotting us from the inside. The desire to be as good as the next guy, or better than all the others, is a very heavy piece of baggage that Christ offers to carry for us, exchanging it for his perfect peace.

Fear grows when we feel our inabilities or are anxious about the unknown, but God has promised to protect us and to walk with us through danger. In a fearful situation you are facing right now, put down the baggage of fear and trust God to be the Good Shepherd as he leads, protects, provides, and comforts you.

Pride is often the hidden sin, one that is a little more acceptable for Christians to carry around in their luggage. Pride grows because we crave independence and self-sufficiency, yet we are called to depend on God in humility. Through hard conversations and honest prayer, we can set down the baggage of pride and find freedom.

We are not meant to carry the weight of bitterness and anger, but we can trade them for freedom and peace. Jesus offers us peace in exchange for the bitterness we can experience in life. Identify a person who has hurt you and set down the baggage of bitterness by making the decision to forgive.

Once we allow Jesus to heal our brokenness, we are empowered to follow his footsteps and act as a neighbor to the broken people around us. By following Jesus, we actively choose to imitate the Good Samaritan rather than the religious leaders: we help the hurting even if they hate us.

Even in the familiar stories of Jesus, we can find new truths and applications for our lives. As God in the flesh, Jesus is like the Samaritan neighbor to broken humanity, and he cares for us until we are made well. Before we can hope to apply any lesson from the parable of the good Samaritan, we must allow Jesus to heal our brokenness.

Following the way of God is living in wisdom, it's being willing to see life differently than the world around us. It's doing relationships and finances God's way. How do we know that way? How do we find direction? It all centers around where we put our trust. Do I trust God with everything?

How we handle our money matters. There is much wisdom shared throughout Scripture about this very important personal issue, including in Proverbs. How do we become more skilled at living as it relates to money? What kinds of attitudes is God looking for from his followers?

The wise person is active, industrious, and productive. As people of wisdom, we should avoid laziness, for it may very well lead to our demise. We are called to be active followers of Jesus, both physically and spiritually. If not careful, our lives can quickly become full of weeds and disrepair.

Our friendships matter for many reasons. Good friends build us up, encourage and stay with us when life is hard. Throughout Proverbs, there are many life principles shared about our friendships. Where are you going in life and who is going with you? Wisdom is contagious and walking with wise people matters!

God has a special place in his heart for the poor and needy. As people of wisdom, we should promote justice in our society and help those who are on the outside, the hurting and broken. But how do we do that? There are so many needs! Maybe it starts with a simple question.

The feeling of being lost is uneasy and scary. How do we truly know the way in life? Our options are seemingly unlimited. Our culture's values are constantly changing. God has a way shared through the wisdom and instruction of Proverbs. It might not be easy or comfortable but it is the way that helps point our lives in the right direction.

A faith in Jesus that does not result in action is worthless. James, the brother of Jesus, seems to suggest that true faith is demonstrated by our deeds. James was not a believer until he encountered a resurrected Jesus. At that point, everything changed! Belief in Jesus is not just an intellectual endeavor; it must move to my heart and change how I live.

The early church shared a deep sense of fellowship around their belief in the risen Christ. They supported each other’s faith based on their shared love for Jesus and their commitment to living out His teachings. Being a part of God’s family helps experience all that God has for us. We are not alone. Even in our darkest hour, there are people who will walk with me.

One of the greatest obstacles to us growing in our faith journeys is the inability to fully receive the forgiveness of God. Our past mistakes, shortcomings and failures too often hold us back from all that God has for us. God invites us to live with a future focus. Rather than dwelling on the past, we live with eager anticipation for what lies ahead. Nothing that has happened in my past can hold m...

Upon finding an empty tomb, the followers of Jesus had a choice - do they trust the good news or do they ignore the evidence in front of them? The resurrection of Jesus changed the lives of the disciples and by their impact, the world. We have the same choice to make. When we choose faith, we are found “in Christ” and our lives are made new.