Our worship pastor, GiaVanni Himes, shares a timely word with us.

All of us were created by God to make a difference in the life of another person, and we believe He has a place for you where your unique abilities and passions can do just that. Our lives make more sense when we find, develop, and live out the purpose we were
created for. How might your life be different a year from today if you devoted the next 365 days to getting closer to God and walking the path that He has marked out for you?

Notes:
We are God’s elect, not His exempt.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 KJV
Matthew 5:45 KJV
Isaiah 53:5 NKJV
Psalm 147:3 NIV
We are not the product of our circumstances or intentions; we are the product of our decisions.
Proverbs 29:18 KJV, NIV
”Chazown” - a dream, a revelation, a vision.
A clear purpose for your life will bring focus, endurance, and fulfillment.
Ephesians 1:11 KJV
Psalm 16:5-6 NIV
What am I doing that I should not be doing?
Romans 12:2 NLT
What am I not doing that I should be doing?
James 4:17 NIV

One Year Challenge - Go all-in for one year:
● Invite Jesus to be Lord of your life.
● Get water baptized.
● Develop a daily walk with God.
● Read God’s Word daily.
● Attend church every week.
● Attend First Wednesday services.
● Take the Belong Class.
● Join a Small Group.
● Serve on the Dream Team.
● Attend events (serve if you can).
● Invite family and friends to church.

2 Corinthians 6:2 NLT
Right beneath the surface of your life are seeds waiting for resurrection.

This year at Thriving Hills Church, we are going to learn how we can thrive in our everyday life through a relationship with Jesus Christ that transforms our thoughts, our words, and our actions. Applying God’s Word to our disciplines, our relationships, and our everyday thought life really can have a transformational impact on our lives and even impact generations to come. Join us this month as we set out to Thrive in ‘25.

Notes:
John 12:24 ESV
John 12:25, 26 ESV
Ecclesiastes 9:11 ESV
Luke 9:23 ESV
Crowd: Come and see.
John 1:46 ESV
Family: Come and be a part.
“Whole family in heaven and earth” - Ephesians 3:15 KJV
Command to be water baptized - Mark 16:15-16, Acts 2:38 KJV
Disciple: Come and grow.
Ephesians 4:11-16 KJV
Minister: Come and serve.
John 15:8 ESV
Come and die.
We called to be more than believers. We are called to be becomers - becoming more like Jesus.

Pastor Josiah Beougher shares a timely message with us today.

Notes: 
Jeremiah 32:6-10 ESV
The Steps of Faith:
Sign it 
Seal it
Share it
Value it
Jeremiah 32:14-15 ESV
Future Favor is in the Field
"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe." - Saint Augustine
Psalm 5:12 ESV

Merry Christmas from Thriving Hills! 

Notes: 
Matthew 1:18-23 ESV 
Isaiah 9:6 NKJV 
Matthew 1:23 NLT 
God didn’t shout His love from heaven, he showed it in the earth.

Life throws us all off-balance sometimes. Things happen seemingly out of nowhere that catch us off guard and we don’t know what to do. We don’t always have the answers we need, and that can leave us feeling very uneasy and looking for some stability. Whenever we are off-balance, we are most likely to fall; and you always fall in the direction you are leaning. So then the question becomes: Which way are you leaning?
Notes:
John 14:27 ESV
Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV
Matthew 25:23
Isaiah 26:3 NLT
High Road Leadership by John C. Maxwell
Mark 4:35-41

Have you ever thought about why we celebrate Christmas? Not what we celebrate, but why we celebrate the way we do? Everybody has their own traditions and different cultures do different things; but there is something powerful with a deeper meaning that happens when we celebrate something that can cause us to view life through a different lens.

Notes:
Isaiah 9:6 KJV
Joshua 4:6-7 KJV
Psalm 78:4 NLT
John 3:16 KJV
Jeremiah 31:3 NKJV
Tower of Babel - Genesis 11
“The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.” C.S. Lewis 
Mark 10:15 KJV
Psalm 100:3 NKJV
Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV
What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you.

Notes:
Genesis 46:1-4 KJV
God knows you personally.
Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV
God knows His plans for you.
Psalm 37:23 KJV
God knows your purpose.
Psalm 34:8 KJV

The Bible has many accounts of instant healing. Perhaps you even know somebody who got a miraculous healing. But what about the rest of us? And what if the healing we need isn’t a physical healing, but something deeper; like a spiritual healing or an emotional healing? What if it's relational healing? And what if something you’ve been trying to fix can’t be fixed at all - what if it needs healed?

The miracles Jesus performed were often embedded with “Easter Eggs” to speak to us in layers and on different levels. Today we open up the healing of the crippled man at the Pool of Bethesda as we ask the question, “How do we heal?”

Notes:
It can’t be fixed - it has to be healed.
John 5:6-9 ESV
Jesus sees you.
John 1:48 KJV
Psalm 122:1 KJV
Psalm 56:8 KJV
Matthew 10:30 KJV
Jesus understands you.
When God asks you a question, it’s because He’s ready to do something in your life. 
Mark 16:20 KJV
It’s time to do something about it.

We all have some “sacred cows” in our lives; belief systems and personal practices that may be irrational, outdated, unhelpful, and even counterproductive to what we say we’re trying to accomplish. Yet we cannot seem to let them go or even allow them to be challenged - even when holding on to them is hurting us. As we lead into Thanksgiving, we are looking at some common “thieves of thankfulness” that we probably aren’t even aware are impacting our lives more than we realize. Is Jesus important? Or is He first? Let’s tip some cows together.

Notes:
Psalm 97:12
25% of Americans believe the most important thing in life is to be happy.
God doesn’t want you to be happy when it causes you to do something sinful or unwise. 
1 Peter 1:16 NIV
God doesn’t want you to be happy when it is only based on the things of this world.
1 John 2:15-17 NIV
God doesn’t want you to be happy; God wants you to be blessed.
Psalm 97:12
Hebrews 12:2