When someone asks, "how's it going?" or "how's life?" how do you answer? What are you using to define whether it is or isn't going well? Can we change it or do we have to accept the fact it is what it is? Let's talk about it this weekend.

As people, we have a tendency to make things more complicated than they need to be. Do we miss out on the best life has to offer because we have been distracted from the best things by something that isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s not the best? If this truly is the best life, what are we doing to let others know how they can experience it too? This weekend we’re going to talk about how we can all experience the “best life” and ensure those around us know about it, too.

Who is God? That is a big question! After all, how can we as people accurately describe the Lord, God who exists outside of time and the constructs of human thinking? At the same time, part of why he deserves our respect is the reality he is bigger than life itself. This week, as we look continue to look at things essential to what we believe, we’re going to be talking about God. We’re going to look at what we believe about God, and see how it impacts your life.

As people, we have a tendency to make things complicated. We may start with a simple plan or idea, but as we develop and build it, we can get hung up on details. While the little things matter, it can be beneficial to go back to where we started to make sure we haven’t lost sight of the main thing. During the next several weeks we will be doing just that. We’re going to look at what is essential to what we believe, and see how it impacts your life.

Each of us have dreams or goals we were created for. For some of us, parenting is a big part of that. God desires to do amazing things with us and through us as people (and parents). Along the way, however we face a variety of opposition (we talked about this some last week) and things that will distract us from our God-given purpose(s). This week we are wrapping up our Nehemiah series with a look at what Nehemiah faced in an effort to distract him from the purpose he was created for to see what we can learn and apply to our own lives.

Our experiences in life impact the way we look at things, what matters to us and how we approach life. It’s part of the reason there can be strength in diversity. When a diverse group of people work towards a common goal, amazing things can be accomplished. If you want to accomplish things that matter, your what you focus on will be critical. That’s what we’ll look at this weekend: developing the necessary perspective.

It’s exciting to know your purpose, dreams, and goals…and then go after them. However, not everyone around you will be as excited about your purpose, dreams and goals as you are. This week we are continuing our series in Nehemiah. We will continue exploring the idea of living with purpose with discussion about what you do when you experience opposition to your purpose, dreams and goals. We hope you can join us!

Chances are you have things you have thought about doing. Some of you are likely dreamers with so many ideas that those close to you roll their eyes when you utter the words, “I’ve got an idea.” Maybe you wonder if God might be leading you to do something. This weekend we’re going look at the example Nehemiah models of going from idea to implementation to reality. (And talk about how you can apply it to your life.)

Most of us want to do something that matters, truly matters. This may not be something that is world altering, but at least something which will impact the life of somebody or a small group of somebodies. One of the hardest parts of doing that is knowing where to start. We’re talking about where to start this week. Hope you will join us as we continue looking at what it looks like to live a life of purpose.

Inside each and every one of us there is a desire for purpose. Most of us want to do something that is for a greater good, something that matters. Once we see what matters, what will we do? Are we simply going to accept it, or will we do something about it? How does one live with purpose? We’re going to start to map the journey of identifying the purpose and acting on it during this weekend’s message looking at the life of Nehemiah.