The North Church Women

Our study in Titus continued this week with Titus 1:5-9. In Titus 1:5, Paul wrote, “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.” He then provided Titus with a list of qualifications for elders. Those qualifications reflected godly character traits necessary for men who would aspire to be elders in the church. W...

A Word to Live By: Paul’s Greeting to Titus As we walk through the first four verses of this letter, in one sense we are simply reading the opening phrases of a traditional ancient correspondence. We see the letter’s author, the letter’s recipient, and the letter’s formal greeting. But packed into those standard structures are some powerful shaping realities about the purpose and identity and foun...

To kick off a new season of MOMS, Liz Stein will unpack our theme for the year: My Times are in Your Hands. We'll also enjoy a time of reconnecting and sweet fellowship.

Titus: Redeemed by Grace for Godly Living This week we had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Brian Tabb, the President of Bethlehem College and Seminary. His overview examined the plan, the people, the places, the problems, and the priorities of Paul as he wrote to Titus. Brian highlighted “Gospel-Fueled Godliness” throughout the text of Titus, especially seen in Titus 3:4-8: “But when the goodness...

This week, Psalm 63 showed us that when we are in the wilderness of waiting or suffering, we thirst–and we must seek satisfaction where it may truly be found. Refresh your heart in worship, meditating on the Lord, and looking to the eternal joy of God’s presence forever.

In Psalm 56 we saw how faith in the midst of fears works for those who know and trust God. With David as our model, we walked through what it means to resolve to trust the Lord when fears arise. We saw David turning to the Lord. We saw how his overwhelming fear led to trust, which resulted in praise, which led to increased trust, and which ultimately resulted in not being as afraid.

In Psalm 51, we hear David powerfully articulating the gospel through a broken, contrite heart to a steadfastly loving, abundantly merciful God. It is our prayer that as we go through David’s penitential lament for his grievous sins, you will see how God’s Steadfast Love Creates a Broken, Contrite Heart to Worship Him.

In Psalm 34, David shares his resolve to praise God and invites his listeners to do the same. Following a personal testimony to God’s faithfulness, David welcomes God’s people to receive the blessings of provision and protection available to those who fear the LORD. In the last half of the psalm, David teaches how the fear of the LORD influences words and actions. Finally, he reveals why we should...

The psalmist takes a very public occasion to tell a very personal story of his failure and God’s mercy. Layered into the story of the temple dedication is the story of the failures of God’s people and the relentless pursuit of God to be with His people and to provide a means for displaying His goodness to them. In crescendo-like manner, this Psalm depicts the failures of His people (including Davi...

In the layering of the psalmists’ experiences and stories, one central figure emerges—the Anointed One from Psalm 2 who blesses all who take refuge in him. In the Psalms, the faithful people of God sing of the hope they have in God’s promise to establish this King and his worldwide kingdom of righteousness and peace. Throughout every season of their lives, these faithful ones cling to God’s promis...

Bryan will share practical encouragements for moms as they seek to raise Christian disciples who delight in God.

“This God - His Way is Perfect” -2 Samuel 22:31 Reflections on God’s Power and Provision in David’s Life As we come to the end of the books of 1-2 Samuel, the narrator provides us with an epilogue by looking back at six events from various seasons of David’s life. The narrator will give us opportunities to look at the ways God has shown his power and provision in the past, as well as providing us...

God keeps all his promises. And though it appears that Absalom and David are the central characters in the story, it is actually our promise keeping God who takes center stage. There is little exemplary human behavior in this account, but God’s character shines. As he keeps his promises to David, we see his faithfulness, his justice, and his mercy.  

What is Jesus’ heart for the vulnerable- people with disabilities, widows, orphans, and the elderly? How do we follow His example in welcoming these precious “image bearers” into our hearts and lives?  

2 Samuel 11-14 In the last 10 chapters, David has resisted harming or killing Saul, and David inquired of the Lord and obeyed him. In 2 Samuel 11-14, the story takes a marked pivot. David violated and killed, and the consequences were great and generational. In these chapters, David “utterly scorned” the LORD, and didn’t lead his family. In the previous chapters of 1-2 Samuel, we had a vision for...

As the King Fares, So Do His People: 2 Samuel 2-10 David knew he had been anointed king of Israel for the sake of God’s people. But now we see that God had much more in mind than one king over one little nation for one little page of history. In these incredible promises to David, we hear the fulfillment of his long ago promises to Abraham, and we realize that God has chosen David to be the first...

This week’s chapters, 1 Samuel 27- 2 Samuel 1, highlight Saul’s undoing and David’s deliverance. The narrator contrasts the character of David and Saul throughout these chapters as they face hardship. Where do they seek their help? How is God at work? Saul continues to pursue self-sufficiency. But, we see by God’s grace, “David strengthened himself in the Lord” (1 Sam 30:6b). In our distress we ar...

This week, we learned that David grew as a man after God’s own heart and in his role as king by learning and remembering that “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers them out of them all.” (Ps 34.19) David experienced persecution, betrayal, false accusations, and many other afflictions. In Psalm 56, he lamented “man tramples me all day . . all day long an attacker oppress...

Beholding and Becoming in Friendship and Community: Doubled Joy and Halved Sorrow Our God is a relational God, and he created us to be in relationship with Him and others. How does God use the friendships and communities in our life to make us more like Jesus?  We’ll consider unique challenges at each stage of life, and share how life in community has helped us persevere in faith.

The Battle is the Lord’s 1 Samuel 17 highlights the story of David and Goliath, where we see God at work to defend the honor of His name through David’s weakness.

"Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. Consider what great things he has done for you." –1 Samuel 12:24 Our lesson this week in 1 Samuel 8-15 highlights Israel’s transition to a monarchy, Saul's rise to power, and his eventual rejection by God due to disobedience. We saw God sovereignly work through Israel’s demand for an earthly king “like the nations” to reveal their w...

Amelia will help us see how the gospel brings hope and stability when life seems out of control.

In 1 Samuel 4-7, an important question is asked: “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God?” Samuel’s answer comes with a promise: To stand in the presence of the LORD, you must humbly repent of your dishonoring him, put away all your idols, and serve the LORD with your whole heart . . . and he will deliver you from the Philistines--or in our case, every weight and sin which clings so c...

As we seek to become more like Christ, our marriage is an opportunity to live out the “one another” commandments from Scripture. As we do, we will grow in unity and connection together.   February 2 & 3

New Beginnings: Hannah, Eli, and Samuel (1 Samuel 1-3) God chooses the setting of barrenness and the context of dark rebellion as the opening scene to giving a promised child, who will point to the King.