Posts with the category “worship-prayer”

Today is the Second Sunday of Easter.We invite you to worship together with Bethany today either in person or through our livestream.  Check out Pastor Gary's sermon from the second Sunday of Easter last year.  ...  Read More

When we pray, “God, I need…” we are not only acknowledging our dependency on God but also expressing trust that God will provide.   Read More

We can become so focused on what we don’t have or what we’re trying to achieve that we forget to notice the abundant blessings right in front of us.  Read More

Jesus understands the depths of sorrow, and He invites us to bring our tears to Him. Our weeping is never in vain, for God is near to the brokenhearted.   Read More

Gratitude has a way of shifting our hearts. Instead of focusing on what we lack, it draws our attention to what we have.   Read More

We do not have to fight our battles alone. Whatever threatens to overwhelm you, whether that is worry, sin, exhaustion, and even doubt, remember that God is near and God is ready to preserve and sustain you.  Read More

When we pray for the Church, we are praying for the people who gather each week in worship, for the leaders who guide and serve, for the communities that need to experience Christ’s love.  Read More

Jesus invites us to let go. He calls us to take up His yoke, which is easy and light (Matthew 11:30). This doesn't mean we avoid hardship, but it means we no longer have to carry it alone or try to control it all.  Read More

Faith isn’t about having all the answers, it’s also about trusting God enough to share all our questions with God.   Read More

But each time we turn to God in prayer—each time we cross our fingers and choose trust rather than fear—we take a step toward resting in the calm assurance of God’s presence.  Read More

Thinking that we are clever enough to NOT believe in God will always align you with a system of belief that is lacking in hope.  Read More

When you closely examine the stories of scripture a very common theme seems to emerge. Again and again, God seems to choose the underdog.  Read More

In our world of social media and “keeping up with the Jones’” there is very little space to ever admit when you’re struggling or made a mistake  Read More

When we find ourselves losing our patience, there is likely good reason for our frustration, but in the same moment, there’s also good reason to take a step back and remember how patience God has been with us.   Read More

And so, when we find ourselves in moments of confusion or doubt we shouldn’t see those as times of God’s absence but rather as moments of opportunity to grow in our connection with the Holy Spirit.   Read More

The words of scripture and our relationship with God can be an excellent way of uncovering our own complicity in the matters that trouble us most.   Read More

If God really is the Creator of heaven and earth than it seems essential that Christians would see all of creation as being inherently worthy of our respect and love and care.  Read More

It was hard for me at the time to hold the image of an ultimately generous, all-loving God in the same frame as the jealous God of retribution (heck, it’s difficult for me now).  Read More

As a child, prayers were rote statements. For meals, we said, “Come Lord Jesus” and for bedtime, we said the first verse of the hymn Abide with Me. “Abide with me, fast falls the eventide. As darkness deepens, Lord with me abide.” Of course, we made a contest of seeing who could say the whole verse of Abide with Me the fastest. Then, I spent the night at my grandmother’s house. My grandfather was ...  Read More