So, what can the Spirit-indwelt child of God do who is weary, thirsty, hungry, or alone? My main encouragement is this:  Pursue Jesus and His fellowship. Pursue Jesus as the one who is better - better than the life we have apart from Him. 

Whether in plenty or in want, we must fix our eyes on truth of God’s goodness, His character, and His grace toward us in Christ. Only faith in Him will enable us not only to endure suffering but to rejoice. 

I am always encouraged and inspired by youth and kids who live out their faith authentically because they were able to make a heart connection to the truth of the gospel. While God can reveal Himself to anyone anytime, I am grateful that we can play a role when kids are young.

Life is complicated and messy. Sometimes God absolutely works miracles. But other times he can respond more like another answer to suffering: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9). And sometimes, God just doesn't answer right away.

What does it mean to worship a God that we cannot see? To sing praises to Jesus, though we haven’t had the opportunity to talk with Him and walk with Him as the disciples did? In short, it means that we are blessed: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29b).

All of us will be up against an impossible task, life event, situation, and we won’t know what to do. But we can fix our eyes on Him, the one who has been faithful time after time.

New City Church has officially joined the Soma Network of Churches.

When we open up our Bibles, the Spirit of God extends an invitation for us to commune with Him. If we believe that this Word is living and active, then we should enter into it expecting for God himself to be present! So what can we do to help make our “quiet time” a little less quiet and more interactive?

The Spiritual Disciplines dutifully practiced cannot produce fruit, or salvation, or love. No matter how dutifully we practice. But, it is not that we need less than that duty, we in fact need more.

In the church, we step into relationship with a family of brothers and sisters who have also been adopted by God. We make a covenant with God to love and follow Him, and we become a part of a covenant community with that as the central goal.

With my brain I confirm “My God is sovereign over time and all Creation!” and with my actions, I proclaim “How could you cross me? Don’t you know who I am and what I am doing?!” How I react to life’s inevitable interruptions exposes my doubt in God.

Yes, death is inevitable. But just as sure as it is inevitable, it stings. To love is to be vulnerable and to open your heart to the possibility of being wrung.