New Hope Church - Podcast

Trouble will be part of our lives until history wraps up or we die. James’ letter gives us the tools we need to find joy, rather than being derailed by trouble each and every time it arrives.

The early followers of Jesus faced trouble, persecution and suffering. This letter contains truths that strengthened and sustained them. While times are very different, these very same truths can speak to us today!

We are on an epic journey – one that requires endurance, strength and integrity. Even Jesus (who was perfect) knew He needed to surround himself with a team of committed followers to fulfill His purpose. Being connected with others who are heading in the same direction is a powerful resource in making lasting positive changes.

Some of us grew up experiencing prayer in a more formal, ritualistic way. The truth is, God wants us to stay in regular communication with Him, and that means talking to Him as you would a trusted family member or friend. Jesus gave us an example of how to pray that was meant to help us grow into a more personal dialogue with the One who loves us the most.

Positive and lasting change can only come from a position of honesty with ourselves and others. Sometimes letting go of unrealistic and even harmful facades can leave us open to new beginnings. Jesus said “the truth will set us free,” and the Bible has every tool we’ll ever need.

If we sit and rest on our mistakes, we will surely fail. Instead, if we choose to learn and grow, we can find our way to a path that leads to success. All it takes is some humility, repentance, and possibly facing some hard truths.

Living in the past is a dangerous trap. Learning from our mistakes and experiences is important, but we are not meant to stay there indefinitely. Jesus invites us to off-load our guilt and shame to discover real freedom.

All too often we try to gain control of things in our life that we shouldn’t and ignore the areas we should. When we discover the secret of letting go of the right things we can find peace and freedom.

Perspective is a powerful thing. It can help us maintain a positive focus in a healthy direction or send us into a pit of anger and bitterness. Many of us have a vault of resentment that needs to be cleaned out!

Most of us are busy. While being busy isn’t a problem, staying focused on what’s truly important often can be. Christmas is the perfect time to reset our priorities.

Too often we enter Christmas with unrealistic expectations that can set us up for disappointment. This not only places undo pressure on us, but it inevitably bleeds over into our relationships with others.

Every year on this weekend after Thanksgiving, we take some time to share our stories of gratitude from the past 12 months. It’s really amazing to hear how God is working in the lives of our church family. We’ll finish by sharing the Lord’s Supper together, as we prepare to head into the Christmas season. We can’t think of a better way to prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus...

Our time together at church is very important. It’s where we recharge our batteries and reaffirm our mission. Jesus has special purposes that He wants to devote our lives to accomplish together.

Our relationship with Jesus includes being part of His family, the church. And because we’re all created with different strengths, together we make up a really powerful team.

In many cases, the term ‘religion’ has taken on a negative connotation, sometimes even politically charged. Jesus doesn’t invite us into a religion. What He really wants from us is a personal relationship with him.

There will always be problems, pressure, pain, loss and uncertainty around us. God’s answer is not merely to change our circumstances, but to change us from the inside out. When that begins to happen we have the resources to thrive no matter what we face.

Trusting God and experiencing the peace and joy He offers is not a matter of ignoring reality or being oblivious to what’s really going on. By adopting a new perspective that is rooted in genuine trust in God, we can experience life free from the grip of fear, worry, anxiety and stress.

There’s an old saying that admitting something is half the battle. There’s a lot of truth to that, because often times the hardest thing to do is take a long, hard look in the mirror and face our brokenness. Our stubborn pride often gets the best of us, but once we find that place of humility, God is ready and waiting to help.

There are no lack of sources for stress, pressure and anxiety in our lives. It can be easy to dismiss them as ‘normal’ life challenges, but the truth is their impact can be detrimental to us in many ways. To live healthy lives, we need to learn to recognize them for what they are. The Bible provides many examples of people facing the same difficulties.

Like any journey, it begins with taking deliberate steps in the right direction. Let’s figure out what that looks like and how we can all move forward as good neighbors.

Let’s be honest - loving our neighbor means addressing our self-centeredness, biases and prejudices. Taking this kind of look in the mirror isn’t easy but it is necessary.

Jesus was asked this question one day and the answer He gave has inspired and infuriated people ever since! Today this is still a hot button issue.

Wonder Park tells the story of a magnificent amusement park where the imagination of a wildly creative girl named June comes alive. But tragedy soon strikes when her mom gets sick and enters the hospital, forcing dad to raise June alone. Sad and depressed, June puts her Wonder Land toys in boxes and vows never to play with them again. Threatened by darkness, June has to dig deep and fight to find...

This is the story of an African American teenage girl growing up in a black community while attending a predominantly white private school. Through her story, we have no choice but to face the difficult truths of some of the ugliest injustices in our country. But that is only part of the power of this film. The real beauty is in the awareness and discussion that comes as a result of this glimpse i...

The Mission Impossible series has always pushed the limit on real life stunts. In the sixth film in the series, the real hero is the story it tells. It portrays a group of terrorists determined to take control, regardless of the loss of millions of lives. In his efforts to save the world, the only life the protagonist is willing to sacrifice is his own, and at any cost. This sounds very much like...