Hope Is Powerful

The need for power in the form of electricity runs our world. Could you make it through the day without your hair dryer, coffee maker, toaster, cell phone, or computer?

However, if any one of these items becomes disconnected from its power source, it becomes ineffective.

Much like our appliances and electronic devices need power drawn from electricity in order to be useful, we need power drawn from hope in order to lead effective lives.

Hope changes our perspective. When we have hope that comes from Jesus, the impossible becomes possible. When we have hope, no relationship is so broken that it cannot be restored. When we have hope, no wrong that has been done is so severe that it cannot be forgiven. When we have hope, the chains of habit or addiction are never so strong that they cannot be unbound. When we have hope, we can destroy worry, fear, and doubt.

The hope found in Jesus is a power source. It delivers us from an ineffective life. It unleashes our potential in Christ. It makes us unstoppable.

Pray:

Jesus, thank you for using me to do things beyond my own ability. Never let me forget that my effectiveness only comes from You and the hope that You’ve given me.

Reflect:

How can you tap into the power source of hope today? Ask God to help you live today full of hope, draw your energy, passion, and joy from hope found only in God.

Thanks to NewSpring Church for portions of this Hope Is… devotional.

I have a hope and my hope has a name…Jesus!

PK

FYI

David Wood a C3 attender and a Viet Nam Vet, passed away and will be laid to rest with military honors at WaKeeney Veterans Cemetery Today (Monday) at 2pm.

Pastor Kyle Ermoian and Scott Anderson, founder of Patriots of Praise will conduct the ceremony.

Laura Stroup, former C3 CrossCurrent student youth leader passed away. Visitation will be Tuesday eve 6-8pm at Brock's North Hill Chapel Hays.

Memorial Service at Celebration Community Church on Wednesday at 11am with her former youth minister Brant Rice presiding.  

Hope Is the Best Gift We Can Give

What happens when you fill a cup with more water than it can hold? The water quickly rises to the top, overflows, and spills over the side.

The same thing that happens with water in a cup can happen to us when we allow God to fill our life with hope. When we are filled with hope, it overflows, and it spills over into the lives of the people around us.

Romans 15:4 tells us that “everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

God uses the Bible to speak hope in to our life so that we can share it with others. When the promises of God become our focus, hope rises to fill our heart and affect those around us. The very best gift we can give to others who may be lacking hope is to allow what we have been given to overflow into their lives.

Perhaps there is someone you care about who is in a season of lacking hope. They might ready to give up. If so, don’t let the day end without reaching out to that person with this message of hope. If they can’t find hope of their own, allow them to borrow the hope the Lord has given you. It will be the best gift you can give.

Pray:

Jesus, thank You for being my source of hope. I pray that the hope you give me would spill out into the lives of others and that I would continually rely on you during the times of my life when I need hope.

Reflect:

Is there anyone you know that needs hope today? Pray for that person, ask God to encourage them and bring them hope and joy. After you pray reach out with a phone call or a text message of encouragement.

Thanks to NewSpring Church for portions of this Hope Is… devotional.

I have a hope and my hope has a name…Jesus!

PK

This Saturday the 19th at 7:30 am is C3’S Mens Breakfast.

Come join me as we have great food and a great testimony from Rick Claiborn. -PK

David Michael Wood passed away on Thursday morning.

He will be laid to rest at the Veterans Cemetery in WaKeeney on Monday Dec. 21^st at 2pm.

Hope Is What Binds Us All Together

What unites us? Families are united by blood relationships. Friends are often united by common interests and shared experiences. Coworkers are united by a common goal.

The Church is united by a shared hope. Ephesians 4 tells us “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” Ephesians 4:4-6. We were called to one hope; the hope that is only found in trusting Jesus for the forgiveness of sin.

All over the world, Christians are united by faith in Jesus and the hope of His return. Jesus instructed His disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations…” Matthew 28:19, and for the last 2,000 years, the hope that is found in Jesus has spread around the world. The world has been forever changed. From Africa to Australia to Europe, and from Asia to the Americas, followers of Jesus gather under the banner of hope.

As we join in community and draw hope from one another, we grow stronger in Christ as individuals and as a global Church. Jesus is the hope for the world, and through the Church, He wants us to share that hope with everyone.

We were not created to do life alone. We find our purpose and our mission through the local church. Hope binds us all together as followers of Christ. Let’s be united today as one Church across the world, celebrating the hope that is only found in Jesus.

Pray:

Jesus, thank you that I don’t have to go through life alone. I pray that whenever I feel lonely or forgotten I would remember the hope that I have in the community of people around me.

Reflect:

Ask God to continue to allow the Church to share His Hope with the world. What part will you play in this? Is there anyone you should invite to church or should you get more connected to the church? Ask God to show you your next step.

Thanks to NewSpring Church for portions of this Hope Is… devotional.

I have a hope and my hope has a name…Jesus!

PK

This Saturday the 19th at 7:30 am is C3’S Mens Breakfast.

Come join me as we have great food and a great testimony from Rick Claiborn. -PK 

Hope Is Trusting God With Our Future

We’ve all watched a game where the outcome seemed to be inevitable. One team is losing so badly that it would take a miracle for them to win. But suddenly the game changer happens: The play no one expected turns the tide and gives the losing team a renewed sense of hope.

That one play in that one game doesn’t just give us hope for that day, it changes our attitude toward every game after. The next time our team is struggling to make a comeback, we recall that game-changing moment and remind ourselves there’s still hope.

For Christians, salvation is the game changer. No matter what happens to us, we can always look back to the moment we asked Jesus into our lives and have hope knowing He saved us then and He will come through for us again.

No circumstance is too difficult for God to handle. There is nothing we’ve done wrong that He can’t make right. When we remember God’s past faithfulness, we can be reassured of His future provision.

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV)

Like the writer of Lamentations, we can look back at all God has done for us in the past and take hope in knowing that God won’t give up on us now. “The Lord’s compassions never fail. They are new every morning...”

Pray:

Jesus, thank You for delivering on Your promises. Because You’ve been faithful in the past, I can trust You with my future.

Reflect:

How has God been faithful to you in the past?

What promises do you expect God will fulfill in the future?

Thanks to NewSpring Church for this Hope Is… devotional.

I have a hope and my hope has a name…Jesus!

PK

This Saturday the 19th at 7:30 am is C3’S Mens Breakfast.

Come join me as we have great food and a great testimony from Rick Claiborn. -PK 

Hope Is Found Through Suffering

Hope isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. Hope is a non-negotiable as we follow Jesus in this life. We need hope because without it, we’d give up.

We will face trouble in this world and things won’t always go as planned. Addressing the church in Rome, Paul explained how God uses these times to help shape us: “We know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:4).

The more we face struggles in this life, the more our perseverance, character, and hope grows. Like the baby learning to crawl, we must too move forward with the hope that God is using our challenges to prepare us for bigger things to come.

Pray:

Jesus, thank you for showing us how to move forward in hope. Grow my perseverance, character, and hope in You.

Reflect:

How can the idea that Jesus is growing your perseverance, character, and hope in Him help to change your perspective in your current circumstances?

Thanks to NewSpring Church for portions of this Hope Is… devotional.

I have a hope and my hope has a name…Jesus!

PK

Hope is a Gift

Hope isn’t something we can manufacture on our own. God is the Giver of hope. Paul, a leader in the early Church, wrote to the people of Ephesus, “For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” Ephesians 2:8-9.

Because Jesus gives us salvation, we receive hope from Him. When we give our life to God, He places hope in our heart.

There is no magic formula that automatically fills us with hope. A gift is not something that is earned; it is freely given. The same is true for the gift of hope that Jesus offers. We need only to receive it. There is nothing we can do to extinguish His undivided love for us.

Pray:

Jesus, thank You for giving us not only salvation, but hope. Help me to look at my current circumstances with hope because You are with me.

Reflect:

Who in your life needs hope? Pray for that person below.

I have a hope and my hope has a name…Jesus.

PK

Pastor Derek, Tessa and Taten Mayfield welcome 8lb 13oz,  21" Ryken Allen into their family and ours.

Hope Is Eternal

Ever heard the phrase, “Don’t sweat the small stuff”?

Some days that’s easier to remember than others. When one child melts down in the grocery store over a pack of candy, it’s a lot easier to keep your cool than when two are crying and flailing uncontrollably. When your boss hands you one urgent task, it’s easier to stay calm than when you’re hit with three work emergencies at once.

For followers of Jesus, it is possible to take comfort in the midst of anxiety. In John 14:1-3, we’re told that what we experience on earth is not the end. Jesus is coming back for us, and the hurt we experience in this life will feel like a vapor compared to the joy and peace we experience in eternity with Him. The hope we have in Jesus extends far beyond the relational heartbreak, financial stress, and overwhelming jobs we experience every day.

When Jesus comes back, our hope will be complete and fulfilled. We don’t have to live in fear because Jesus already died on the cross, rose from the dead, and conquered fear. The peace we’ll experience in eternity with Jesus is going to be so much greater than the worries we experience today. Thinking about His eternal hope doesn’t change our circumstances, but it does change our perspective of what’s happening here and now.

Pray:

Jesus, thank you for offering hope for a life that lasts beyond the worries of this life. Help me to remember Your eternal hope when I start to become overwhelmed by worry.

Reflect:

What is the “small stuff” in your life that keeps you focused on stress and worry of today?

How does Jesus’ promise to come back change your perspective on the stresses in your life?

NewSpring Church provided today’s content from their Hope Is… devotional.

I have a hope and my hope has a name…Jesus!

PK

Purchase shirts to support Taylor Wiedenhaft.

Liz Schremmer is taking the orders and shirts are $15 regardless of size.  

Child sizes are S,M or L.  

Those who want to order can contact Liz by email at lschremmer78@gmail.com.  

She is taking the first set of orders until December 14th.  

Shirts should be done by December 23rd.