Moments of Hope
Moments of Hope: Glove Exchange
April 11, 2024
Have you heard about the unusual friendship that was shared between John Wesley Powell and Col. Hookers? Their most unusual friendship teaches us something about the Body of Christ. We must use what we have to help those in need, and in our need, we must be open to letting others help us. Listen to today's Moments of Hope!
Moments of Hope: UnAmbassadors
April 4, 2024 • Pastor Andy Searles
How should we now live in light of Jesus' resurrection? We should live as His ambassador and representative... but do we? In this week's Moments of Hope, Pastor Andy shares a story about a group of actors who were asked NOT to be "brand ambassadors" because of how poorly they represented themselves. Let that not be true of us.
Redemption and Promise
March 28, 2024 • Pastor Andy Searles
On this Maundy Thursday, we pause to remember many pivotal parts of Holy Week—each rich in symbolism that adds incredible depth to Jesus' work on the cross. One of those symbolic gestures revolves around the glasses of wine that would have been present at the Passover Feast. There were four cups, each with a distinct meaning. This weekend, we rejoice as people who live between cups 3 and 4!
With Dirt on our Face
March 21, 2024 • Pastor Andy Searles
Life isn't easy, and finishing our race is hard. In the movie Secretariat, the jockey who won the Triple Crown completed the race with his face covered in dirt. If we are to live like Jesus, we, too, will finish with a dirty face as we complete our race through this life.
Moments of Hope: Heaven's Dialect
March 14, 2024 • Pastor Andy Searles
In this week's Moments of Hope, Pastor Andy shares an unusual experience recently interacting with someone with a similar accent. Despite trying to make numerous connections, none of them worked. This lady, though, shared with Pastor Andy that it is possible to speak with the dialect of a place we have never been to!
Moments of Hope: Village of Peace or Propoganda
March 7, 2024 • Pastor Andy Searles
Are you a person of peace or a person of propaganda? A hypocrite pretends to be one, while a person living with integrity becomes safe, trustworthy, and peaceable. In this week's Moment of Hope, Pastor Andy encourages you to be a person who lives in and leans into being who you claim to be!
Moments of Hope: The Unlocked Cell
February 29, 2024 • Pastor Andy Searles
Harry Houdini was an incredible illusionist, magician, and stuntman. However, there was one stunt that got the better of him. Where he felt he had failed in frustration, he didn't realize that the answer to his challenge had already been answered for him. In the week's Moments of Hope, Pastor Andy reminds us that "it is for freedom that Christ has set us free".
Moments of Hope: Hang in There
February 22, 2024 • Pastor Andy Searles
There is a moment when we have to be still. Often, scarily, this is most important after we have let go of something but not yet held on to someone. The Psalmist encourages us to "Be Still and know that He is God,"... and this encouragement comes with a promise that "He will be exalted," and his plans will come to pass. If it feels like you are falling right now... hang in there!
Moments of Hope: A Fable of Grace
February 15, 2024 • Pastor Andy Searles
"We don't play that game," suggests Heaven when we try to list our accomplishments. In this week's Moments of Hope, Pastor Andy speaks about the wonder of grace, a gift that transcends anything we could ever hope to accomplish.
Moments of Hope: Obedience & Baseball
February 8, 2024 • Pastor Andy Searles
In this week's Moments of Hope, Pastor Andy shares a definition from a friend who used to play college ball about how to hit the ball well. As we reflect on this, we see that it is also a definition of what it means to be obedient to the God who calls us to love and change this world.
Moments of Hope: Vacuum's that Exhale
January 25, 2024 • Pastor Andy Searles
In cleaning the house the other day, I got hit by an unexpected surprise - a vacuum that exhaled rather than inhaled. Instead of cleaning the room up, it actually made it messier. Sadly, sometimes, we do the same thing with our lives.
Moments of Hope: Only a Reflection
January 18, 2024 • Pastor Andy Searles
This week, Pastor Andy received a special gift. What he had seen from a distance 30 years ago was now in his possession. This incident reminded him of one of the scriptures' promises around faith - what we now see by faith, we will one day see by sight!
Moments of Hope: Come Home
January 11, 2024 • Pastor Andy Searles
Our life is not defined by the statistics we create or the stories of what happens to us. The pains and gains of life need not have the final say. We are defined by God's kind, generous, and love-driven grace that always invites us to come home.
Moments of Hope: Don't Stop Growing!
January 4, 2024 • Pastor Andy Searles
As we move into 2024, the good news is that "He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it"! We are still growing! Regardless of the wins and losses of 2023, we are covered by a Kind Grace that allows God to use our successes and failures to shape us into who He longs that we become.