Confession and repentance restore our spirits to a right-standing relationship with God. This practice also prevents the enemy from using shame and grief to hold us hostage to our past. We practice soul care by inviting the Lord to open our eyes to our sin so that we can restore relationships, receive forgiveness, and move forward in freedom.

Thank you for joining the Real Life podcast of the Mill Creek Church. In this first episode, we dive deeper into the idea of lament and discover how in the midst of pain, we can still find hope.

How do we handle grief and pain? A habit seen in the Bible that is not very intuitive for us but can be hugely helpful is lament. Lament is more than just feeling grief-stricken or sorrowful after we experience loss or are confronted by our mistakes; it’s a recognition of a wrong that’s been experienced or committed. It can be an opportunity for us to draw close to the Lord and seek his healing and restoration in our lives.

In light of the rise of self-care and our culture’s heightened awareness of the physical and nutritional practices needed to care for the body and the mind, we are also invited to embrace “soul care". Soul care isn’t a knock against self-care, but it is a challenge for us to make caring for our inner life a higher priority.

It can be easy for people to label Christians as hypocrites. As followers of Jesus, we must continually remind ourselves of God’s grace. Do we truly believe it is free? If not, we can turn our faith into a competition. We’ll treat others poorly because we must find a way to “get ahead.”

Many people have trouble accepting Christianity because they find it difficult to reconcile a good God and a bad world. There is great power and encouragement knowing that God became one of us. What John tells us at the beginning of his story of Jesus is such a powerful response to all the evil in the world. That Jesus came to us, became one of us and knows us and our pain!

Why do we believe what we believe? Because that's what we were taught from an early age? Because the Bible says so? The foundation of our faith is an event - an empty tomb! We have good reasons to believe Jesus rose from the dead and can bring our doubts to church. There is nothing to hide and you are invited to come and see.

It is becoming common in today's world to see people walk away from faith. Questions. Doubts. Hurt. There are many reasons why people are "deconstructing". How do we respond and support? How can we treat our friends who have left the faith with love and respect, being eager to show them the same type of love Jesus shows to the lost?

Jealousy ruins relationships and will be like cancer, rotting us from the inside. The desire to be as good as the next guy, or better than all the others, is a very heavy piece of baggage that Christ offers to carry for us, exchanging it for his perfect peace.

Fear grows when we feel our inabilities or are anxious about the unknown, but God has promised to protect us and to walk with us through danger. In a fearful situation you are facing right now, put down the baggage of fear and trust God to be the Good Shepherd as he leads, protects, provides, and comforts you.