Do it Anyway - White Stone Church

Do it Wounded

November 4, 2024 • Cody Zimmerman • 2 Corinthians 4:6–12, Isaiah 53:5, John 20:27, Exodus 4:10–13

We all love a good underdog story. Stores of people who have overcome great adversity, hardship, or obstacles inspire us to pursue greatness. But for some reason, that doesn't translate to most of our faith journeys. Many people within the church, when confronted with obstacles to walking in their calling, let the obstacles have the last word. The truth is that we are all gifted in unique ways for the advancement of the Kingdom of God on the earth, but many of us let excuses like "I'm too busy," or, "I've been hurt before, and I'm not going to let that happen again," stop us from using those gifts. This series is all about the power in God's people deciding to "Do it Anyway," in spite of the obstacles. In this message, Cody starts off the series by talking about the importance of choosing to "Do it Wounded"— choosing to continue to show up even though we have been hurt, and choosing to serve even when we are living with the casualties of living in a fallen world.

Do it Anxious

November 11, 2024 • Brock Tharpe • Philippians 4:6–7

"Anxiety" has been a buzzword in our culture for quite some time now, and it doesn't seem to be going away any time soon. It's no secret that we are experiencing an epidemic of anxiety, depression, and despair in our time. One of the hard things about anxiety and depression is that there are no easy answers for it. There is no three step process to fix it; there is no easy way out of it. But in spite of that, there is one thing that is abundantly clear: if you read the scriptures you'll realize that anxiety is not a new. People have struggled with it going all the way back to the beginning, and if you do struggle with anxiety, you are not alone. In this message, Brock opens up and vulnerably addresses anxiety in his own life, and rather than giving a quick fix for anxiety, he points us to the hope and peace available to us in and during our anxiety.

Do it Tired

November 18, 2024 • Colby Dorcely • Isaiah 40:27–31

There's a bit of a grind to the Christian walk that doesn't get talked about all too often. Oftentimes, a real faith isn't so much about knowing the right things as it is about a willingness to continue to walk the narrow road even when we don't feel like it. We are called to keep walking even when we are wounded, even when we are anxious, and even when we are tired. The book of Isaiah was written to a people in ruins. They were beaten down, they were hopeless, and they were exhausted. They felt like they were far from home, and like God had forgotten about them and their pain. They were in despair. The pain and the pressure we feel from living in the world will get to you sometimes. It will leave you tired; and not in the sense that you are tired after a long day of work, but deeply, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted. In this message Colby digs into the reminders and promises of Isaiah 40, which are just as applicable to us as they were to the people they were originally written to— promises of renewed strength and hope for those who wait on God; promises that God still sees you, and God still cares.

Do it Regardless of the Outcome

November 25, 2024 • Brock Tharpe • Jeremiah 32:6–12, Acts 21:10–14, James 5:11

Many of us let the fear of failure keep us from doing what we know God has called us to do. We live in a results-driven society, and consequently it is easy for us to place more importance in the results of our actions, than we do in who told us to act in the first place. The scripture is clear: our role is to obey what the Holy Spirit tells us to do. The thing is, the Spirit doesn’t always lead us into spaces where things go the way we would like them to. As a matter of fact, sometimes the Holy Spirit intentionally leads us into things that are hard. In this message, Brock walks through two stories where people are given the choice of whether or not to obey, all the while knowing that their obedience would not yield good results. Sometimes we are led directly into hardship and into suffering. The Christian life is not a promise of an easy existence, but rather a promise of a life where we are never alone, and a life of peace beyond what makes sense.