Life is noisy, chaotic, and confusing. In the midst of all of this, it can be difficult to know if what you’re hearing or feeling led to is the Holy Spirit or your own wants and will at work. Let’s look at what we know the Spirit is and what it produces (spoiler alert there’s a whole song about it!), then let’s look at some of the most common obstacles that get in between us and the nudging of the Spirit.

Scary horns, fangs, and sharp claws coming at you from the shadows. So often this is the only thing that comes to mind when we hear the words, “demon” and “Satan.” But, those would be useless tactics for the enemy to use as they’re so easy for us to avoid. Instead, lets look at the real meaning behind these words and the tactics this enemy of ours uses. The best part? The battle is already won!

The world so easily dismisses the Christian sentiment of, “I’m praying for you,” or, “My thoughts and prayers go out to…” But how did the power of prayer become so diminished? Perhaps it’s not solely on the world, but rather on the way we Christians present the importance of prayer to the world.

How often do we say God is in control, yet live our lives as though we’re the ones in full control? How often do we say or hear Psalm 23 yet not take to heart its unflinching description of who God is? Let’s reexamine this famous saying and determine what it really, truly means.

Knowledge, faith, prophecy, teaching, evangelism, exhortation, and healing. We often ignore These gifts and tell ourselves, "I'm not a preacher, theologian, or Bible expert." It's this excuse that leads us to keep our spoken witness to ourselves. You aren't called to be a theologian or great orator! You're called to tell YOUR story and all that God has done in it.

Bishop Scott Jones was Sr. Pastor of HMC from 1991 to 1995 and has since gone on to do incredible things with his ministry, including becoming a Bishop of the United Methodist Church, then most recently a Bishop of the Global Methodist Church. He gives us a message on what it means to be a "grown-up Christian" and remaining open to however it is that God is shaping and growing us everyday.

How can we reach out to a world that is currently so wary of Christians and ready to label us as judgemental, hypocritical, and ready to tell everyone else how wrong they are? This is where the spiritual gifts of Outreach come in strong!

Gifts in this group:

apostleship

                  -evangelism

                  - miracles

                  -compassion

                  -healing

                  -Servanthood

                  -Prophecy

When we read this parable we try and determine if we are the younger or older brother in our behavior. But, what's really important here is who the Father is, and how it is that He loves us! There is beauty in admitting sin because it means we turn back toward the Father and are embraced as though we never left.

Two men find treasure so great that they run off to sell all they have just to possess it. While there are so many avenues we can take this parable down, the most important question I see Christ asking us through it is; would you even recognize treasure if you found it? Life has plenty of fools gold and rhinestones posing as diamonds, let’s not be fooled away from the true treasure of the grace of Jesus Christ

Which seed in this famous story are you? The correct answer is, all of them! Life is tough, which is why Jesus is so adamant here that your surroundings matter.

Our souls need a fulfillment that only the Divine love and grace of God can bring!

What does a “Biblical marriage” mean and look like? To some outside the church, it sounds alarming as it means oppression and sexism. However, biblical marriage shows us how much love, grace, and forgiveness is involved. It shows us how empowering it can be.

The world looks at the offering of “thoughts and prayers” as little more than an empty gesture. Where did the power of prayer go, and who is really to blame if the world doesn’t see any real need for it? We as Christians need to reignite the belief that prayer means more than mere words, it means the love, grace, and support of our Creator and Savior in your corner!

Peter, the rock on which the church was built, the first Pope, the leader of the disciples, Jesus’ most trusted apostle. But, before he became all of those things he suffered a breaking point like no one else. Christ had already forgiven Peter for his 3-time denial. But, what if Peter never forgave himself? You deserve forgiveness in your life, no matter how bad the breaking point.

When Elijah hit his breaking point, he wasn’t told by God to do more, say more, or be more. Instead, he was told simply to take a nap and have a snack. Sometimes, we need to have enough faith to stand still.

We all reach breaking points in our lives. Whether it’s financial, dealing with a loss, separation or divorce, job loss, or struggles with children, we’ve all told God, “choose someone else for this.” But we were created, not for a singular purpose, but WITH purpose. This means we can be called on to perform unimaginable things with Gods help. You were created to conquer your Egypt.

Pastor Richmond gives us an Easter Sunrise message that reminds everyone there is resurrection for all, and we worship a RISEN Savior who has defeated death!

We made it to the hilltop moment of faith! But, what happens if we, like so many disciples in scripture, can’t seem to see Jesus at this empty tomb? What if pain, fear, and struggling causes us to not be able to recognize our savior? Never fear, Jesus will walk all the way to Emmaus with you if He has to, waiting for you to see the love and grace he has to offer!

Today is all about one question; what will you lay at the feet of Jesus on his way to the cross and ultimate resurrection? The Christian faith must be about more than a collection of moving stories. It must shape us and grow us in tangible ways.

If Christians are bound to sin like everyone else, what is the point of being a Christian at all? This week we look at what scripture tells us regarding results vs. effort. Which is our focus supposed to be on?

Jesus asks us this question as a way for us to examine the way we answer. It’s in our answer that we can find where we are on our faith walk. Are we walking “as infants in Christ” or are we on our way to a spiritual maturity that seeks only Christ?

Jesus asks the blunt question to his closest disciples, “who do you say that I am?” There have been so many different versions of Jesus in different times, places, and cultures. But through scripture we can see the true version of Christ, the loving, foot-washing version that brings grace to those who follow Him!

No actions of our own, no amount of good deeds or lack of wrong ones can earn us salvation. Yet we can still catch ourselves making judgments on who is better based on who follows the rules. So, let’s take a closer look at the law now that Christ has come.

When Christ asks us why we worry, he is not insinuating that life will never bring things that cause worry. Instead, Christ reminds us to not be overcome by the worry and to give the problem, not just the symptom, over to Him!

In an attempt to draw healthy boundaries we may have overcorrected to the point that we convince ourselves we deserve to never feel offended, slighted, or rejected. But scripture clearly calls us to a different kind of love. We are called to love like Christ, which can be downright reckless!