When your day is long And the night The night is yours alone When you're sure you've had enough Of this life Well hang on Don't let yourself go 'Cause everybody cries And everybody hurts sometimes -- REM, "Everybody Hurts" It's true, everybody hurts at some point in life. Live long enough and you will experience your share of minor scrapes, twisted ankles, broken relationships, panic attacks, and unfulfilled dreams. As we start 2020 and close out not only a year but also a decade, I've been drawn to a rather strange story in the Hebrew scriptures. It involves two brothers (Jacob and Esau) who are grandsons of the great Jewish patriarch, Abraham. These two brothers have quite a history. In Jewish culture, the firstborn son inherits the leadership and influence of his father, as well as an increase in inheritance. This is called the birthright. Esau is the oldest…
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Today is January 1, 2020. As I type, the new year and decade (depending on how you reckon a decade) is approximately nine hours old. I've been awake for about four of those hours. Reflecting on the last ten years, I'm amazed at how much has changed and what remains the same. Along the way, we encountered a few challenges and have been reminded of some very important truths. The changes ... We spent our first full year in Denver, having relocated from San Diego and a church we helped start. Both of our girls graduated high school. Our oldest daughter, Hannah, just graduated from Bethel University. Our youngest daughter, Hope, is a sophomore at the University of Northern Colorado. Tonya has been teaching at Southeast Christian School for nearly seven years. We bought a house. We bought both girls their first cars. Parts of our family traveled to places…
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Simeon won’t live to see Jesus grow up. He won’t see any of Jesus’ miracles. He will be long gone when Jesus goes on trial before Pilate. He won’t be there to see Jesus’ crucifixion or his resurrection. Yet he still believes. How can he do that? That is faith. He doesn’t need to see end because he has seen beginning.Watch more videos at the Mountainview YouTube channel. Looking for a Speaking Coach? The most successful people are not always the smartest people. But they have one thing in common: they communicate well. I'd love to help you become a better communicator. Click here. Professor at Warner University church planter with Stadia former former president, Church Planters of the Rockies helped start 2 for-profit tech companies Need a Speaker or Presenter? Interested in having me speak for your church, conference, or organization? Follow this link to learn more.
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Everyone from Adam and Eve to Kanye West has been searching for someone or something that will solve their problems or ease their pain. Their search may lead them to a bottle or the Broncos, but it doesn’t solve their ultimate need. One of the messages of Christmas is this: Because of Jesus, we have access to God’s joy and peace. Jesus is referred to as Emmanuel – “God with us.” The incarnation of Christ is reason to celebrate because it represents a divine shift in the spiritual order of things – God is with us. As we will see this in this message, joy and peace are realities that are not determined by my circumstances. They are supernatural expressions of God’s presence.Watch more videos at the Mountainview YouTube channel. Looking for a Speaking Coach? The most successful people are not always the smartest people. But they have one thing…
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Which do you struggle with the most: Not believing in God or not believing God? I’m not sure there’s ever been a time when I didn’t believe in the existence of God. However, I’m one hundred percent certain there have been times when I didn’t believe God. Times when I doubted his goodness or questioned his wisdom. While I haven’t always believed God, here’s one thing I’ve learned: Based on God’s past performance, you can live with confidence that he still keeps his word. This message looks at the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist. It’s one of the Christmas stories you might not be familiar with but has an important lesson we all need to hear.Watch more videos at the Mountainview YouTube channel. Looking for a Speaking Coach? The most successful people are not always the smartest people. But they have one thing in…
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