Life can be hard and despair can be very real. Where is God in our darkest moments? Can hope survive? In a very personal letter to friends, Paul challenges them to not lose heart, to be willing to look at the struggles differently. Will you let that light shine in the darkness?

Margin in life will allow us to be healthy and renewed. But distractions are all around us and its easy to be pulled in many places. A distracted life won't allow us the relational margin for meaningful connections. One of our greatest needs for margin is to have the room to invest in relationships that help us grow.

It can be easy to live life at the absolute limit. We know we have too much going on, our schedules are full and its hard to say no. But what if there is a better way? What does margin really look like and what affect could it have to say no?

Holding a grudge is a guilty pleasure. But what if holding a grudge is more sinister than we think? What if the grudge is less about the other person and more about us? What if there is a better way to handle these kinds of situations?

Our beliefs can often affect our attitudes and actions. But where do those beliefs come from? Why do I think that way about God? Money? Relationships? One of the areas of our lives where God can bring renewal is in our mind. The challenge is to allow his transformation to change our thinking.

Watching the process of something "old" become new can be fun to experience. We love our fixer uppers and flip or flops. But what about ourselves personally? How do we experience renewal in our lives? Life can wear us down, relationships can become "old" and its hard to always do the right things. How do we stay in the fight and see God's strength lift us up?

The new year brings new goals, new dreams and new challenges. For Mill Creek, it also brings a new look and fresh branding of who we are and the message we hope to communicate. The dream is still the same - make real life disciples and help people find real life and real family.