Repossessed…

Yesterday I was in a parking lot that had one entrance and it was blocked by a tow truck loading up two cars. From everything I could tell, all the signs pointed toward the cars getting repossessed.

Since the driver had blocked the only entrance, all I could do was watch (and get frustrated that he had blocked the entrance for several minutes).

My mind drifted to the vehicle owners and I thought about their struggle. I wondered if they had maybe lost their job or had some unexpected expenses, maybe they were going through health or relationship struggles.

I realized that even though I was forced to wait, my problem was pretty insignificant compared to the people whose vehicles were getting repossessed.

Sometimes life can be easy and sometimes it can be really difficult. My guess is that within the past few months you have experienced tough circumstances. If this is the case, then I really hope you can plan to attend the  New Life CityChurch service on Sunday.

Jason Parr will be sharing a sermon from our sermon series, “here” from Hosea 11:1 and Matthew 2:13-15 entitled, “Forgotten Refugee.”

Did you know that Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus were forced to flee their city and country and move to Egypt shortly after the birth?

Imagine how the struggle of travelling more than 400 miles on foot to a place with no job or friends.

There is so much for us to learn from the life of Jesus, and knowing about some of the trials Jesus had to endure in his childhood can give us perspective and hope during our most difficult days.

I probably don’t know all that you have had to face this week…but if my estimates are accurate, there is a good chance you’ve had to deal with struggles. The good news is we have a Savior who knows what it feels like to endure tough times and he has promised to be with you no matter what.

I sure hope to see you at 9:00 or 10:45am on Sunday. I am confident your load will be lightened and your heart will be encouraged.

And if that was your car, let me know and I’ll try to help you find a ride :).

Have a great evening,

Troy

Are we there yet?

This past week, Leigh-Ann and I and the kids travelled to Minnesota to celebrate Thanksgiving with my side of the family.

I love almost everything about road trips…except for at least two things:

1. Stopping for bathroom breaks.
2. Listening to “are we there yet?”

I am the type of driver that loves to get there as fast as possible and bathroom breaks are a hassle that just slow us down.

I also am not a fan of the “are we there yet?” routine. I’m sure when I was a kid, I asked it all the time and now as a parent I deserve that question even more than it is asked, but I still don’t like it.

Just like kid in a car can lose track of time and distance and need constant reassurance that we are headed in the right direction, adults can have similar struggles.

You and I may wonder when our trials are going to be over…when life will be smooth again…when we will get a diagnosis…or experience a breakthrough.

As adults, we probably ask, “when will we get there” more often than we want to admit.

Since the beginning of time, humanity has struggled with expectations and perspective. Often we are only given limited information and then we use our imagination to complete the story.

So where does faith fit into all this?

Too often, it doesn’t fit in at all. As humans we like to know the plan, however, oftentimes God calls us to trust Him

This Sunday, we begin our Christmas sermon series entitled, “Here.” For the next six weeks we will study the perspective of individuals who lived hundreds and even thousands of years before Jesus. We will discover their view was limited and as a result they were expected to live by faith.

I look forward to digging into our need to trust God’s promises before understanding His plan for our lives. We will begin our series by studying the perspective of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:14-15 and Galatians 4:4-7.

Have a great weekend, and I hope to see you on Sunday at 9:00 or 10:45am.

Troy