Rolling Hills Community Church // Nashville South Campus

Miracles happen. God’s miracles did not only occur in Biblical times, but the same God still does miracles today. In our Easter series, we will walk through the eight miracles of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of John. Jesus’ first miracle was turning water to wine at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. This miracle saved a couple from social embarrassment and revealed a God who loves us and is involved in the details of our lives. Regardless of where you are in your life journey today, always know when Jesus is present a miracle can happen. Pray bold prayers. Always trust and believe in the One who does miracles! 

Parenting is the hardest thing you will ever do in your life and yet the most beautiful and rewarding. The church is called to raise up the next generation in the Lord. This takes all of us. Parenting today is a challenge, but our God is faithful. God has entrusted your children to you, and our children to us as His Church. Parenting doesn’t stop at 18, but takes a lifetime. Many times, “bigger kids, bigger problems,” and we are called to pray and trust in the Sovereignty of our God. He loves our children even more than we do. Let’s spend our life knowing Jesus and passing on what He has poured into us to the next generation. This is our time!

Parenting is not just about raising good kids—it’s about raising them to know, love, and follow Jesus. Our role is to intentionally guide them through the Spiritual Mile Markers of life, transferring their dependence from us to God. What we model, they will absorb. So ask yourself: Are you creating a home where faith is lived, not just spoken? Let’s be parents who don’t just hope our kids find Jesus—we lead them there by the way we live, love, and trust Him ourselves.

Parents are called to guide their children with wisdom, setting firm yet loving boundaries, especially in the digital age. While the internet and smartphones have revolutionized the world, they have also exposed children to risks, often with little regulation. To foster self-regulation and well-adjusted adulthood, parents must set clear digital boundaries—limiting screen time, restricting content, designating device-free spaces, and modeling healthy tech habits. However, boundaries must be implemented with understanding and relationship, using them as teaching moments rooted in biblical wisdom. Practical steps, such as delaying smartphones and social media, promoting offline play, and staying steadfast in the long journey of parenting, remind parents that they are not alone—God is their shepherd in this mission.

Parenting today can be the greatest joy and yet the most challenging part of anyone’s life. But, God wants us to succeed! God wants us to thrive in our parenting and not just survive. Therefore, God gives us His Word, His Spirit and His Church. Having a personal, growing relationship with God through Jesus Christ, His Son, is the most important part of parenting. And, having godly leaders at church is so essential to raising our kids and the next generation in Christ. Let’s cover our children in prayer and endeavor to thrive in parenting today.

God wants you to grow in your faith and to share His love with others. This comes by being rooted in Christ. Growing deep roots in Jesus and then allowing His love to flow out of you. Jesus then calls us to plant seeds of the Gospel in the hearts and lives of others. “The harvest is plentiful…,” Jesus said, “...but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest field.” Matthew 9. God has called each of us to share our faith and to invest in others for His glory. This is where we grow spiritually and impact the world for Christ.

It’s the start of the New Year, and I pray 2025 will be your best year yet. I pray you will prosper in every area of your life this year. It all starts with your relationship with God. Will you commit to grow spiritually this year? What is the next step for you - accepting Christ, being baptized, joining the church, joining a Community Group, Men’s or Women’s Group, serving at church, reading your Bible, praying regularly, journaling or maybe a mission trip? There are so many ways to grow spiritually this year. Commit to be at church and to grow in your relationship with God. I’m praying for you in 2025! Know God has a great plan and purpose for you!

“The world looks for happiness through self-assertion. The Christian knows that joy is found in self-abandonment. 'If a man will let himself be lost for My sake,' Jesus said, 'he will find his true self.” Elizabeth Elliot 

What an amazing quotation from Elizabeth Elliot, who by the way is uniquely capable of commenting on where joy comes from as her husband, Jim, was put to death in South America for the sake of the Gospel. Instead of harboring bitterness, she forgave and eventually went back to the very tribe of people who put her husband to death to continue telling them about Jesus. What Elizabeth says, is that we look for happiness by self-assertion. Happiness comes when I get to insert myself into whatever situation I want and I get whatever I want. However, the Christ follower knows that joy is found in self-abandonment. By putting myself last, losing myself, and in doing so I find Jesus and the joy that comes from him alone. May you find joy this Christmas in putting yourself last, and putting Jesus first.