All Resources
How to Care for Hurting or Grieving People
At Hope, we value all people, regardless of their life or faith condition. As small group leaders, you have a unique role in that you will be on the “frontlines” with people who are experiencing varying life and faith situations. Specifically, you will find that...
What is the Best Way to Rest?
In this episode, the team welcomes LDI Intern, Matt LaFrambois to the microphone to discuss rest. The LDI Crew discusses how they rest and considers how adding God...
What Do We Do With Toxic Relationships?
In this episode, the team discusses relationships and why they are worth having. While truly toxic relationships do exist, we now live in a culture quick to label...
The Importance of Friendships: Why Can’t We Be Friends?
Logically and biblically, we might know the call of friendship and community that the Bible has for us. We know all the metaphors for the Church. We have seen the realities that the Church IS a body. It has different functions and designs, but all working together as...
Creating & Maintaining Community in Small Groups
Creating a comfortable and welcoming environment for a small group is vital to the success of the group in general. The reasoning is pretty simple - people return to environments where they feel welcome and accepted. People also feel freer to be themselves in a...
Common Misconceptions About Friendship & How Jesus Shows Us a Better Way
This is an article addressing what I've learned from 25 years of friendship...or, put differently, it breaks down common misconceptions concerning the nature of deep friendships. Misconception #1: It is someone else's responsibility to come and be my friend. We might...
How Do We Worship on Easter?
In less than a month, we will be celebrating Good Friday and Easter Sunday. I didn’t grow up with a strong Christian foundation. I’d overhear comments at church about special days, services, terms, and theology and wonder about their significance. What is Lent? Or Ash...
Rhythm
Rhythm. As a musician, I hear rhythm everywhere I go. Rhythm is found as I practice songs for Sunday services on my guitar, the oscillating sound of the blinker in my car when I turn left or right, the song of the birds returning to sing in spring time, and even in...
Shouts and Songs From Two Mountains
Understanding the message of the Old Testament and applying it today is a lot like watching the film “Fight Club.” Only at the end of the movie does the viewer discover that the two main characters are (spoiler alert!) one and the same. Moreover, a second watch is in...
Grieving Unmet Expectations
Expectations. We all have them. Whether they are known or not, whether they are met or not. They can be sneaky and can reveal a longing, a desiring or a hope we didn’t know we had until that expectation was not met. Expectation is defined as the state of expecting or...
Tell Me About Spiritual Disciplines (Part 2)
This is the second of two articles about Spiritual Disciplines. If you haven’t had the chance to read the first article, you can read it HERE. Each discipline is written by a different author, all attendees of Hope. What is Worship? According to Merriam-Webster,...
Tell Me About Spiritual Disciplines (Part 1)
Below you’ll read of a handful of Spiritual Disciplines. First, before you take a read through that list, I’d first encourage you to listen to this Off Road teaching by Naty Severson where she explains the importance and value of practicing Spiritual Disciplines as a...