Ken

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his…

Hopeless. In my 25 years of working with people I have encountered scores of people who have felt truly hopeless. Not less hopeful but without hope. I've heard parents say about a wayward child, "I don’t think I can keep doing this anymore.” I’ve sat across from pastor friends who still loved God and heard them say, “I quit.” Helpless. Most people who feel hopeless also feel helpless. They feel like there is nothing more that can be done. I’ve seen very successful people crumble before me because they felt helpless to change a situation. It is a very humbling experience to know that you can build a business, create a lesson plan, or manage a household but you can’t fix something (or someone) you care deeply about. Worthless. When a person feels both hopeless and helpless, it’s only a very small step to feeling worthless. They begin to think ... "There must be…

Sermon preached at Mountainview on December 11, 2016.

Reynolds Price was a professor at Duke University. He was also a cancer survivor who used his experience to serve others battling cancer. He tells of receiving a letter from a young medical student who had developed a life-threatening cancer: “I want to believe in a God who cares because I may meet him sooner than I had expected. I think I am at the point where I can accept the existence of God but I can't yet believe God cares about me.” At some point in life, that’s something we all struggle to believe. Does God care about me? Lord, don’t you care that my child is sick? Don’t you care that my marriage is falling apart? Don’t you care that I have no money? Don’t you care that I feel so alone? Don’t you care that I want to give up? Don’t you care that my husband has died?…

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." - Colossians 2:6-7 Thankful people are more than happy people; they are changed people. In the Colossians passage above, Paul makes a connection between being strengthened in the faith and overflowing with thankfulness. The more you learn to live your life in Jesus, the more you will learn to see the world the way he did. As you become rooted and built up in him, it will be harder for situations and circumstances to control you. As I learn to trust more in Jesus, I am inclined to be more thankful. The reason is simple: his way is the best way. It's when I go my own way that I get in trouble! As my…