I'm Struggling with...

Help, I'm Struggling with Gratitude

November 26, 2023 • Jeff Nitz

Greetings, Mosaic Family,   I trust you all had some good food and fellowship on Thanksgiving and found plenty to be thankful for.  And if that may have been a struggle for you -- the thankful part, not the food part -- then this final sermon on our "Help, I'm struggling with..." series may be for you.   The reality is that most of us can find ourselves at times in periods of sustained discouragement, focusing on our pain or problems rather than experiencing life through a lens of gratefulness. So tomorrow we will be looking at this mindset of gratitude and thankfulness, something the Bible speaks to a great deal, and some specific ways for growing in gratitude.   I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow as we open up and explore God's word together.  Warmly yours, Jeff 

I'm Struggling With... Guilt & Condemnation

November 12, 2023 • Walt Davis

I'm Struggling with Humility

October 22, 2023 • Jeff Nitz

Greetings Mosaic Family,   So how are things going for you in the humility department? I thought I was doing pretty well and actually won an award for being humble, but then they took it away because I wore it (cue cymbal crash). :) On a more serious note, humility can be one of those Christ-like qualities that can seem just beyond reach, or worse yet, far from a reality in our lives. Some of the symptoms of a lack of humility in our lives can be bouts of self-righteousness, disdain for others, a critical or judgmental spirit, a lack of empathy with others' struggles, a desperate need to be right or to protect your reputation at all costs, plus many others.     If not these, then perhaps we struggle with the other end of the continuum and feel a sense of worthlessness and complete inadequacy, and a belief that I have nothing to offer others and the world.....which is really not about humility at all. However, there is hope if this is where you find yourself. This week we will be unpacking what genuine humility looks like from a biblical perspective and God's powerful treatment plan for when we find ourselves without much.  I look forward to seeing you Sunday morning.  Jeff

I'm Struggling with Disappointment...

October 8, 2023 • Carlton Yelle

Happy Friday, Saints! This week it is my privilege and honor to crack open the Word with you. As we have been doing our series based on things that our congregation has submitted, one thing that stood out to me from the list was: “I'm struggling with disappointment. Specifically, how things are vs how I thought they should be." This Sunday, I plan on taking a deep dive into the world of unmet expectations and what Scripture has to say about them. I hope that by the end of the morning you leave encouraged, challenged and better equipped to walk according to the new life you have in Christ! I am excited for what God has for us this week and can't wait to see you there! Your brother in Christ, Carlton Yelle

I'm Struggling with Resting

October 1, 2023 • Walt Davis

By the Hem of His Robe

September 24, 2023 • Keith Lahikainen

Dear Mosaic,   Living in a fallen world, pain and suffering are part of our universal experience. Very few, if any of us, escape the ravages of disease, aging, and trauma. Further complicating our lot, we often respond to our wounds with shame and guilt. We tend to believe that our afflictions are the result of poor decisions or even “bad” behaviors that we must atone for in this life.  This internal burden can keep us from enjoying our relationships with each other, the fruits of our labor, and even the blessings from God. Yet, this is not the experience of life that God desires for us to be “stuck in.” From the beginning, God created everything good, whole, and flourishing (Genesis 1:31). His design is for us to live in a state of Shalom, which can only come from being in communion with him. Not only are we saved from sin and death through faith in the person and work of Jesus, but we are also to be restored bodily (Jeremiah 30:17; 1 Corinthians 15) in the resurrection.     Join us this week as we explore the themes of suffering, shame, and restoration in the telling of Jesus' healing of a woman who bled for twelve years (Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:43-48). We will unpack the role of faith, confession, and the amazing power of the Savior to redeem our brokenness in ways that we might not expect or understand. Peace, Keith Lahikainen

I'm Struggling with... Anxiety & Depression

September 17, 2023 • Ben Turcotte

Dear Friends & Saints,   This Sunday we will be continuing our series of “I am struggling with ___.” There were several responses to last month's survey that indicated that some of us are dealing with issues about anxiety and depression. So this Sunday, I will be bringing you a message of empathy, hope, and encouragement about those two struggles. I won't be bringing any ground breaking revelation that will make these issues go away. There is no self-help book that will erase your pain and hurt. Often, these issues run deep in our psyche. But there is hope! Father deeply loves and cares for you and has expressed His love in some powerful promises. Father longs to journey alongside you as you wrestle with this aspect of our human experience. The Enemy wants us to isolate and believe lies - but Father shows us the Truth. In studying this topic, I was surprised at how much overlap there has been in passages that have already been covered by our other teachers! Some of our time will be spent in passages that have been already taught - but I think them to be appropriate and helpful reminders. This week, we will see new applications of the truth you already know. New ways to apply the truth of the Scripture in more specific circumstances. So this Sunday, I will be reminding us of those truths. We can take steps together - in community - to renew our minds as to the real-truth. We can learn to set aside the lies we tell ourselves and the lies used by the Enemy to attack us and beat us down. There is hope for you dear friend - hope rooted in the promises and word of God.    Ben 

Longing for Real Rest

September 10, 2023 • Jeff Nitz

Dear Mosaic Family,   So here's a question for you: How many days during a typical week do you find yourself thoroughly exhausted by the demands of a life going way too fast? Or perhaps put another way, how often are you able to say "I am well rested"? If you're anything like the typical American, I suspect that many of you would say your current phase of life allows for too little rest and a way too hurried life as a result of trying to put more than can reasonably fit into 24 hours. Unfortunately, the consequences of irritability, weariness, and the effects on our emotional, physical, spiritual and relational health remind us that we are living a life out of balance with way too little quietness of soul and rest.     This Sunday we will be unpacking the biblical concept of sabbath and how we can build in meaningful rest and a sustainable pace to life, starting from Jesus' very own promise to those who are weary and heavy-laden (Matthew 11:28). So if you're one who struggles as a hurry-oholic and can't find enough time to fit in all of your priorities, come prepared to see what God's Word has to say to you.     See you Sunday,   Elder Jeff

I’m Struggling with BEING CONTENT!

September 3, 2023 • Walt Davis • Philippians 4

Dear Holy Ones of the Most High!   The Elders of Mosaic have surveyed the fellowship of the struggles and challenges they experience. In time, our Sunday speakers will address these struggles to provide biblical, grace-based, Jesus-focused reminders and insight on what facing these struggles can look like! Remember, we have a God who has faced the same struggles we face each day. Jesus is 100% God, but He is also 100% human. This means that He faced the same human struggles we face. He knows our struggles. He knows what you are feeling.    This week, we will look at “I’m Struggling with BEING CONTENT!” The challenge for contentment is not new. It may be exacerbated with the elevated materialism, hedonism, and humanism that we see all around us, but it is not new. Remember, there’s nothing new under the sun! The struggle of contentment is rooted in the lie that you don’t have enough: you don’t have enough money, enough acceptance, enough love, enough support, enough respect, enough __________. It leaves us feeling empty, unfulfilled, and searching ever more for that significance that will finally put us to ease so we can finally rest.    What is the truth? We’ll survey Paul’s letter to the Philippians and really zero in on Chapter 4 where Paul talks about the “SECRET” to contentment. Paul learned this “SECRET” and he didn’t keep it secret. He actually shouts the secret that’s not a secret anymore—at least it shouldn’t be a secret anymore. Unfortunately, modern religion has veiled this secret resulting in a weak, anemic, and fledgling group of Christians that are still searching for what they think will make them content with the One who is contentment personified living in them but unknown to them.   Are you tired of searching for more and more and more and feeling less and less and less? Maybe it’s time for change. Maybe it’s time to learn the “SECRET!”   Hope to see you Sunday!   Walt Davis