Christmas is a rescue mission, when God entered into humanity to save the very people he created and rebelled against him.

When life takes unexpected turns, remember that nothing of what you are experiencing takes God by surprise. In our pain, remembering that He is greater than our grandest thought is one way He comforts us...truly, we can trust in this God.

When Job was suffering, he didn't know what to say. He did know that he held on to his integrity and had not sinned against God. So he questions God's justice and demands an answer. What is amazing is that God doesn't cut him off, but meets him in this place of sorrow and confusion. This section in Job tells us how God holds our hand in unexpected ways during the midst of life's storms.

When you're broken and battered, confused in the chaos, place your frail faith in the hands of your strong God.

When Job was pushed against the wall, and his comfort and family taken from him, he refused to let go of his integrity. And when his health was taken away and his wife told him to, "Curse God and die," even still, he would not turn away from his God. How is Job able to hold on and what does that look like? Listen in.

Suffering doesn't play favorites. All of us experience it. Listen to Part 1 in our Job series, on responding to pain, and you'll see that your suffering never escapes the loving eye of God and never is useless because of the loving hand of God.

In October 1517, Martin Luther crafted his 95 theses, which challenged the authority of the pope and the substance of church beliefs. He nailed his 95 theses to the front door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany igniting what we now know as the Protestant Reformation. Church Reformers taught and defended foundational Christian beliefs called the “5 Solas” and made clear that salvation comes by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. 1. Sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”): The Bible alone is our highest authority. 2. Sola Fide (“faith alone”): We are saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ. 3. Sola Gratia (“grace alone”): We are saved by the grace of God alone. 4. Solus Christus (“Christ alone”): Jesus Christ alone is our Lord, Savior, and King. 5. Soli Deo Gloria (“to the glory of God alone”): We live for the glory of God alone.

In early 2013, a group of about 15 adults set forth to follow God's leading to start a new church in the Montclare neighborhood that would reach the surrounding communities and city with the good news of Jesus. That fall, The Brook celebrated its first public worship gathering. Fast forward 4 years and we've see God's faithfulness in countless ways.