Something happened. A simple look at the world shows something is broken. We live in a world not as it should be. We want wholeness. We don’t see it. We live in a world that is all at once a wonder of design yet given to imperfection and evil. Nobody has lived untouched by pain and tragedy. Even the King of Kings wept at the side of a grave. During tough times we often ask ourselves the hard question of “why?” If God exists, why is this happening to me? If God exists, why is there evil in the world? Our response to pain will determine how we finish the race. This week we started our series called, Of Light and Shadows and the problem of pain.

God created us to play a key role in his grand story of redemption. This story is both a powerful love story and a war story. Yet for many Christians one of the most dangerous enemies is boredom. What is to be marked by growing intimacy with God can become clichéd religion. And what is meant to be an adventurous journey can become pious existence. Jesus commissioned us to abide in him and out of that relationship push back the forces of darkness. He told his disciples that he would not leave them as orphans but he would send the Holy Spirit. This weekend, we looked at the gift of the Holy Spirit as a powerful help for living this life of intimacy and adventure.

We know that God uses people, power and provision to advance the kingdom of light. This week we received our faith commitments toward our great commission for the year. If you have not turned in yours, please drop it by the office this week. There are three levels at which we can give: Surplus, Sacrifice or Grace. We can give out of what we have left over -- surplus. We can sacrifice something to give more. Or we can invite God to partner with us by his grace to enable us to accomplish more. This is why we do faith commitments. God has a place for you in the great commission, I look forward to seeing how He will use you!

You were born for such a time as this! Don't miss your opportunity to change the world! Now is the time for all Christians -- including you -- to pray, give and go into all the world. Today we welcome one of our apostolic leaders -- Curt and his wife Liz -- who God has called to plant the church of Christ in difficult places. In addition, God used Living Hope in Clare, MI this weekend as I was honored to share about missions in a church that wants to grow in their great commission call.

Early in the life of the church God spoke to the Apostle Peter and called him to proclaim the goodness of God to the Gentiles. Prior to that moment the church had only focused on their own people. The heart of God is for all the world. Nothing has changed. God's heart beats for those who have never heard and the church fights inward tendencies. This week as we launched our Missions Convention we opened our hearts to our great opportunity to finish the race and win for Christ the prize of His sufferings. Each of us are called to pray, go and give. Where do you fit?

As we close our series on I Peter, he gives us some sage advice for us today. In a short passage of Scripture, Peter tells us to “accept the authority of elders.” Our day has seen a great erosion of respect for authority. We see it in families, schools and the law enforcement community. Rebellion is in full bloom. However, God tells us that He gives authority as a gift to protect and provide for us. Rebellion steals from us many precious things. This weekend we learned how to live as examples of people who trust God and honor those who protect us with their authority.

As we near the end of our series in I Peter, the author reminds us of the importance of personal connections. God created us as social creatures. Positive human interaction provides us with so many possibilities for good. Peter encourages us to "be hospitable" and to use our gifts to minister to one another. Too many miss out on the grace of God because they live out their spiritual lives alone. Peter also cautions us against negative peer influence and instructs us to not let others keep you from following God.

This weekend, as we continued our journey through 1st Peter, we looked at very important principles of living in this fallen world. Peter continually gives us encouragement to live separate from the sins of the culture. And he gives us insight on how to accomplish this by guarding our mind and withstanding the peer pressure around us. Open your heart and mind to Peter's wisdom for Holy living.

This weekend, we welcomed Kimberly Waldie as we continued our study on 1 Peter and moved into Chapter 3. Peter gives instruction to the church in how to do life in this age of persecution. Here, in Chapter 3, he pauses to talk about things that personally impact and are important to all of us: love, beauty, and marriage! There is an old saying: beauty is only skin deep. As we discover today, this is not true! There is so much more to beauty than what we see outwardly and we’ll discover that when God is free to work inwardly, the outside becomes so much more beautiful! So as we ask God to do some heart surgery on each of us inwardly; let’s allow Jesus the freedom to transform us into something beautiful so that we can emanate Christ wherever we go, grow in our love for each other, and walk in closer fellowship with Him.

Today we continue our journey through the first letter Peter wrote to a group of outlying churches in modern day Turkey. In chapter two, Peter borrows heavily from the prophet Isaiah to teach us how we should live and what Jesus has done for us. Prophecies are signposts pointing us to Jesus hundreds of years before his birth. Peter points to one of the great characteristics of Jesus–he is our healer. Jesus took our sins and infirmities upon the cross. His power can bring healing to our body, emotions and spirit. Open your heart to what God wants to do in your life today!