All Resources
Small Group Open Chair Model
Whenever possible and healthy for the group, we encourage groups to maintain an “open chair.” This means that the group fosters an attitude of openness to newcomers and maintains an environment that would make a newcomer feel welcome. The group does not need to be...
Why We Fuss: And the Shocking, Unfair Power of God’s Provision
My favorite time of day is early morning. That might put me in the minority, but I look forward to that first sip of warm coffee as I sit in my little corner of the couch watching the light stream in through the windows. Now, on this side of having kids, my mornings...
Better Wine
You may know the first miracle Jesus performs publicly is at a wedding when he turns water into wine. What’s less talked about is why it matters today. The passage is John 2:1-12, and to really understand what it has to say, it’s helpful to first take an inventory on...
Sovereignty of God
When I was growing up, there was a game released in 2000 called The Sims. The objective was to build a home and support a family. At the beginning, you first create your family. From there, your family is placed on a plot of land and as the player, you are to create...
Gender Roles
The conversation surrounding gender roles in the church has been an interesting one for me to consider because of the tension I’ve wrestled with regarding this topic, especially as a wife and also a woman who works in ministry full time. Until this year, I didn’t...
Is it Okay to Sleep Together if We Really Love Each Other?
Is it okay to sleep together if we really love each other? To answer, there are several considerations. Do you have a relationship with Christ? If not, then I would encourage you to first respond to Christ. His life, death, and resurrection demand a response, either...
Small Groups With Missionaries
As Hope Community Church small group leaders we see our group members experience many major life events and changes. This document contains helpful tips for leading someone called to overseas missions. Please note a few things before reading this document. First,...
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...
Breaking Shame Narratives
Shame. It’s a heavy word. One, when spoken out loud you can feel that “shame-like” feeling wash over you. It’s a feeling many have experienced and wish they hadn’t. Shame is a feeling that we, as God’s image bearers, weren’t meant to experience. Yet, because of the...
Killing Sin: Confession, Contrition, Community
“Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.” ― John Owen, The Mortification of Sin Recently someone sent me a video of a leopard in India caught on camera...
The Jealousy of God
Many people do not have a problem with a soft “teddy bear” God. However, the moment the words “wrath,” “anger,” or “jealousy” are mentioned, the room grows quiet and hands start fidgeting. All too often, when something is challenging, people give themselves the...
5 Lessons I Have Learned From My Time Overseas
As the great theologian Bob Wiley said so many years ago, “I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful… I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful… I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful…” For those of you who have not seen What About Bob? (spoiler alert? Not...