Orchard Hill Church Blog

What was the true significance of that earth-shaking moment when Jesus died on the cross? In this powerful retelling, Dan Shields takes you inside the temple as priests witnessed the massive veil tear in two, revealing how Christ's sacrifice opened direct access to God for every believer.

A garden can’t grow on sunshine and rain alone. It needs a gardener—someone to pull weeds, chase pests, and water roots in dry spells. In the same way, our souls need the attentive care of the Good Gardener. In her reflective blog, Emily DeAngelo draws us through the biblical gardens of Eden, Gethsemane, and the garden tomb to show how God meets us in our weeping and tends to our weary hearts.

Considering a challenging passage in Deuteronomy 21, Matt Wicks reveals how this passage beautifully foreshadows the Gospel Message and highlights how foreign and undeserved God’s grace is to us. Just as captive women were conquered, cleansed, and elevated to the status of bride, so too are believers—once captives of sin—conquered by Christ, born again, and made the bride of Christ.

Though it might not seem out of place to those who have been Christians for a long time, to the outside world, one of the weirdest aspects of Christianity is the fact that we call God our Father. Using Galatians 4, let us meditate on the importance of knowing God as Father and as we do, I hope that it shows you the beauty of who God is and what He has done to adopt us into His family.

Through meditating on Romans 5:1-2, Jonathan Thiede answers the question, “Why Should I Follow Jesus?” by arguing for two concrete benefits. Peace with God and Access to a Father are both central to the longings of the human heart and are two things we have after being justified through faith.

In a world constantly vying for our attention, Nick Hettinger explores the biblical perspective on where we should focus our minds and hearts. Drawing from Colossians 3, it offers practical insights on how to shift our focus from fleeting earthly distractions to eternal, Christ-centered living, promising a path to true peace and meaningful existence in today's chaotic world.

As we continue through the book of Colossians, we see that this group of Christians was facing intense pressure from certain individuals in their community to conform their behavior to a pattern of living that was out of alignment with the gospel of Christ. How did they respond?

The lesson of this passages is that the best way to identify the counterfeit message is by being intimately familiar with the true message. The true doctrine of Christ, as Paul teaches, is centered upon both the person of Christ and the work of Christ.

“But, why?” A question that has been thought of or asked by everyone at some point in their life. It’s a question that often is revisited in trying or confusing seasons and it is the question that Paul answers in this particular set of verses in Colossians.

Colossians 1:15-23 reminds us about a hope that won’t disappoint us, even in times of suffering. A rock-solid hope that doesn’t shift with the ever-present changes throughout life. A hope that will never ever disappoint us, let us down, or change can be found in only one place.

Over the next few months, we will be exploring the book of Colossians! This book has many key themes including Wisdom, Suffering, Spirituality, and, above all, Christ himself. We pray that this devotional series is an encouragement to you as we unite in our mission of helping people find and follow Jesus.

Perfection and beauty - the 2 things an artist strives for. We work our craft, practice, hone, develop, mimic, toil and work toward perfection and beauty. But why?