We all carry moments that have shaped us more than we expected. They leave a mark, even if we don’t notice at first.. Those moments can settle into the background, quiet but present, and still follow us into our routines. They, like rudders on a ship, can be small yet impact us in tremendous ways.

Just like we can look back and discover how these early experiences and history have molded us as individuals, there is history to this broader human experience. From the very beginning, a story of redemption in the face of brokenness has been told, beckoning us back to our roots while focusing our gaze ahead. If we listen, we’ll discover a hope beyond imagining.  

#GoodNews #HeavenOnEarth #Advent #Hope

Life has a way of exposing those things that we try to bury. Questions tend to resurface, and regrets poke through our facades. We’ll often feel the gap between who we are (or try to be) and who we were made to be. More often than not, this creates a kind of soul-level tension deep inside.

Regardless of where we’re at, here is a hope that is close at hand, drawing us toward a fuller way of living. It’s not more effort or better pretending. It’s not anything inside us at all. In fact, it is something external to ourselves that radically transforms … if we’ll only let it. This is a hope that lasts forever and can start today.

#Creed #ApostlesCreed #EternalLife #AncientWords

Most of us move through life with relationships that stay pretty surface level. We talk about the little details and bigger plans, but the deeper parts of us stay tucked away. More often than not, opening up feels complicated, maybe even risky, but we still desire connections that are genuine and meaningful. We want to belong and to be valued.

The fact is, we’re all designed to operate within authentic community. None of us can truly thrive on our own, and we all feel it. We search for these kind of relationships in many places. The beauty is that God has fashioned a community that is to be all we desire and more. It’s far from perfect, but it’s beautiful opportunity to experience life to the full - if we’re willing to risk it.

#Creed #ApostlesCreed #Church #Fellowship #AncientWords

If we’re really honest, we are often just trying to hold everything together. We push and plan and even try to prove to ourselves that we can actually stay in control. But beneath the surface, we know how exhausting that becomes. Somewhere in the hubbub, we all seem to sense that we’re missing something.

But really, that thing isn’t something we earn but someone we’re invited to trust. The strength we need isn’t found in pushing through but in learning to be led by a faithful companion who’s worthy of our trust. Even when we can’t see past the bends in the road to come, there is a Helper who wants to walk with us and who breathes life into what’s grown weary.

#Creed #ApostlesCreed #HolySpirit #OurHelper #AncientWords

We all understand the tension between what is and what should be. We know what it feels like when justice is too slow and mercy is too small. The brokenness around us can start to seem permanent. Deep down, something in us aches for the world to be set straight, for the questions to be answered, and for some peace to finally stick.

This ache points us toward a promise bigger than what we can fix on our own. There’s a day coming when everything hidden will be seen clearly and everything fractured will be made whole. Our stories don’t end with fear or despair. They end with restoration, renewal, and a glorious light that outshines every shadow.

#Creed #ApostlesCreed #Judgment #SecondComing #Jesus #AncientWords

We live in a world that doesn’t seem to stop moving. Those things that once felt steady can suddenly feel fragile. It can be easy to wonder if anyone is really holding everything together or not. History seems to remind us again and again that even a strong faith can feel small when the world is crumbling around us.

But what feels uncertain isn’t the whole story. The things that seem out of control aren’t as untethered as they appear. There IS someone holding things together, even if we struggle to see it in the moment. There IS a person and a power that maintains, even when everything else breaks apart. And in the shadow of that great truth lies both purpose and peace.

#Creed #ApostlesCreed #Ascension#Jesus #AncientWords

We all know what it feels like when life doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to. It’s hard not to let loss settle into the deep places of our hearts or to start believing that maybe this is just how things are. But even in that space, many times there’s a quiet hope that refuses to give up, a kind of longing that whispers that our story isn’t quite done yet.

That’s the heart of resurrection. It’s the reminder that God isn’t finished and that what may look final right now isn't really set in stone. The power that raised Jesus isn’t just for the past. It’s for now. It breathes into what’s been broken and gives shape to what’s been shattered. It keeps us moving toward the light when we’d rather stay down in the dark. When hope like this takes hold, everything (even the hardest stuff) starts to look a little more alive.

#Creed #ApostlesCreed #Resurrection #Jesus #AncientWords

We don’t usually linger on the thought of death. It’s easier to stay busy, trying to convince ourselves that (as long as we keep moving) we won’t have to face this particular fear. But avoidance never really works. The inevitable mortality of it all will catch up … eventually. And, when we do inevitably run into it, we need more than comforting words or trite platitudes. We need someone or something real.

What if hope could be found in the very place we try hardest to avoid? What if the deepest shadows weren’t proof of God’s absence but the place where His presence becomes undeniable? Sometimes the way to life begins by walking straight into what feels like the end. In fact, the way through death is in the company of One who’s already been there.

#Creed #ApostlesCreed #Death #Jesus #AncientWords

We all know what it feels like to carry wounds that never seem to close. Some are physical, but many are deeper than what we can see, like the shame of failure, the weight of regret, the scars left by others’ words or actions. Left unattended, any of these wounds can harden us or hollow us out. They can remind us of our weakness and whisper that peace and healing may never come.

There is a hope that doesn’t ignore those wounds, but rather meets them head-on. It’s not a fragile optimism or some quick self-help fix. It’s something rooted and costly, but strong enough to face even death itself. It’s the kind of hope that can bring peace where there’s been conflict, healing where there’s been brokenness, and wholeness where we’ve only known fragments.

#Creed #ApostlesCreed #Suffering #Sacrifice #Jesus #AncientWords

We live in a world that often makes us feel small, like we're fragile and temporary. Our strength fails, and our plans collapse. Even our bodies betray us, another reminder that we’re not in control. Questions rise in the quiet: Is there meaning to our fragility? Can weakness be a place where life is still full of worth? Too often, this world and our fears tell us that we do not matter.

But what if it's exactly at the edge of our limits that God chooses to meet us? Imagine that the ordinary details of life (our families, our daily work, even our moments of weakness) could be the very places where His power is at work. What feels impossible could become the starting point for new creation, and that could be where we begin to see our own humanity with dignity. His presence can turn our impossibilities into hope.

#Creed #ApostlesCreed #FullyHuman #FullyDivine #FullyHoly #Incarnation #Jesus #AncientWords

We all long to know what God is really like, yet so often our experiences, doubts, and disappointments blur that picture. Many carry unspoken questions about whether God is near or far, gentle or harsh, trustworthy or indifferent. These questions shape how we live and respond life presses in. The ache of not knowing can lead us to fill in the gaps with fear or suspicion or even distorted images of God that do not seem to hold up the weight of our struggles.

But what if God has already given a clear, resounding answer? What if His character and His light could be seen not only in the shadowy recesses but in a living reality that speaks with certainty? Imagine if our deepest questions could be met with a light that shines through the dark. To believe that, to know that, would change how we see ourselves, how we face the darkness, and how we walk forward with a hope that endures.

#Creed #ApostlesCreed #Lord #Son # Jesus #AncientWords

So many of us wrestle with questions about where we come from and what our lives are really worth. The world around us offers plenty of answers, but they often leave us feeling like our existence is either random, fragile, or insignificant. If everything is just chance or accident, then why should our choices, our struggles, or even our joys matter in the long run?

But what if there is more to our story than chance or survival? What if there is a greater foundation beneath all of life, one that gives weight to our days and worth to our very being? That foundation is closer, stronger, and more personal than we often imagine.

#Creed #ApostlesCreed #Creator #Father #AncientWords

We all place our trust in something. Whether it's our own instincts, our experiences, our achievements, or even just the comfort of familiarity, we're constantly building our lives on unseen foundations. But when those foundations begin to crack, when fear rises or certainty fades, we often find ourselves asking: what can I truly count on?

There is a kind of faith that doesn't depend on us getting it all right, a kind of belief that isn't fragile or vague. It's not about mustering confidence in ourselves, but discovering the strength of something greater. And it just might begin with the simple but daring words: I believe.

#Creed #ApostlesCreed #iBelieve #AncientWords

Many of us start strong in things of faith. We’re eager, open, passionate. There’s a sense of purpose that comes with clarity and calling. Yet somewhere along the way, weariness creeps in. A battle we didn’t anticipate starts to chip away at our confidence, and the resistance we face leaves us second-guessing if we’re even making a difference. Over time, we lose sight of the bigger story and begin settling for a version of faith that feels safer, smaller, and more manageable - in other words, one that avoids discomfort & risk, quietly waiting for someone else to take the lead.

But faith was never meant to coast or to retreat. We’re created to live with intention, to press forward with hope, and to finish what we’ve started. The call isn’t to be perfect. It’s to stay engaged, even when it’s hard, even when the results aren’t instant. God has never asked us to carry the weight of the outcome, just to stay faithful to the calling.  And in that faithfulness, there’s a quiet strength, a steady fire, and a reminder that the One who called us is still walking right beside us.

#Wildfire #FinishFaithfully #OrdinaryPeople #UnstoppableGospel

Most people don’t plan to keep their faith hidden ... it just happens. Life gets busy. Fear creeps in. Conversations feel awkward. Opportunities pass. Over time, what once felt urgent and imperative starts to feel optional and secondary. The message that changed our lives becomes a quiet part of the background.

But the message hasn’t changed, and neither has its mission. It still burns with power, hope, and the invitation to be shared. We can name what’s grown cold and rekindle what God first lit in us. The gospel doesn’t need to be dressed up or dumbed down. It just needs someone who’s willing to speak, serve, and see others through the eyes of Jesus.

#Wildfire #FlameOfFaith #OrdinaryPeople #UnstoppableGospel

In a culture of individualism, self-determination, and disconnection, it’s easy to think of faith or religion as something only personal and private. But from the beginning, the people of God were never meant to walk life alone. The Church is not a building or an event. It is a people with a purpose, a community designed to shine, and is called out in covenantal ways that the world can never truly replicate.

Our world needs more than well-meaning individuals. It needs a collective witness to hope, truth, and love. The Church becomes that witness when it steps into darkness with light, into need with compassion, and into conflict with peace … not because it is perfect, but because it points to the One who is.

#BackToBasics #WhyDoesTheChurchMatter #Church #TheologyMatters

Faith isn't just a blind hope you carry or a belief you hold. It’s a life that is lived. Real faith keeps moving when the road seems to disappear. It chooses to trust even when the path is unclear or the outcomes uncertain. It holds us together when everything else seems to be falling apart.

In a world that demands quick results and guarantees, there is a deeper kind of strength found in faithful endurance. Yes - trusting God in the darkness takes courage. But that kind of trust itself becomes a light that leads us forward, even when we cannot see the next step.

#BackToBasics #WhatDoesFaithLookLike #Faith #TheologyMatters

Grace isn't just something we talk about or offer as a platitude when things get tough. It’s what breathes life into dead places. It is not a sentimental shrug at our mistakes, but a fierce power that both rescues and reshapes. Grace does not just forgive the past … it forms a beautiful, remarkable future.
 
There is a longing in all of us to be made new. Not just excused, but renewed. Grace meets us in that place with the unearned invitation to start over, to move from hurt to healing, from shackles to freedom. It makes space for forgiveness, for growth, for purpose, and for a life marked by something deeper than effort or shame.

#BackToBasics #WhatDoesGraceDo #Grace #TheologyMatters