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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…

While reading through the accounts of Jesus' birth, I noticed something that has always been there but didn't pop out before. Besides the angels who appear in the story, the rest of the characters are average, ordinary people. They include a teenager, a carpenter, a priest performing his priestly functions, innkeepers, two senior saints, and farmhands. I've noticed that average, ordinary part before and it preaches. Outside of King Herod, none of the characters were wealthy, famous, or socially important. But that's not what struck me this time. Perhaps it's because I turned 50 years old in 2019, but what caught my eye this time was the intergenerational demographics of the Christmas story. Mary and Joseph: a teenage girl and a young adult male Elizabeth and Zechariah: a married couple who "were both very old" Doesn't it seem backwards that God would entrust his Son to a young couple and…

Based on my interactions with all varieties of people, I believe most every person wants at least four things: More joy Peace with their Creator Peace with themself Peace with others If you are like me, while I want to experience more joy and peace, I'm just as likely to experience fear, anxiety, discouragement, and doubt instead. This may come as a surprise to you, but not every moment of my life is filled with overflowing joy. I have had seasons in life that were anything but peaceful. Whether or not we have put our finger on the reason, everyone from Adam and Eve to Kanye West has been searching for someone or something that will solve their problems or ease their pain. God not only recognized our problem, but he proactively took the initiative to bring about a solution. The solution wasn't a secret formula, available only to a…

There is a common myth that many people have about those who are successful. It gets passed around in conversations. It might be used as a dig or jab. In some ways, the myth is used to justify a person's own lack of success. What is the myth? Success comes easily for successful people. "They didn't have to face the same challenges I did." "They didn't grow up in my family." "They had everything handed to them." According to the myth, successful people never had to overcome hardships, face down any challenges, or start over due to failures. At this point, it might be helpful to return to a distinction I made at the beginning of this series. Here is what I wrote in the first article: "Not all of them were 'successful' by conventional standards, if you’re simply talking about net worth or square footage. But if you define…

Generous people inspire others to be generous, too. Just like certain diseases can spread directly or indirectly from one person to another, values and attitudes are contagious, too. Not only does our generosity benefit others in practical ways, it also serves as an inspiration to fellow believers. When Paul shared with the Macedonian Christians what the Corinthian church had done, it stirred many of them to be generous as well. This is true on individual and congregational levels.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…