Orchard Hill Church Blog
Explore. Grow. Engage.
We are Made for Community
Being in a community of believers helped me to receive healing and the liberating truths of the gospel in ways that allowed those truths to soak deep into the core of my being. My ongoing work of transformation was taking place in community.
Sweater or Sweating for What is Worthy
Back in the nineties, if you were serious about celebrating Christmas, you owned and proudly wore a Christmas sweater. I thought it would make me look like I knew what I was doing but I was wasting time focused on something I thought would make me happy.
A Gift of Grace Through Serving
This opportunity to serve…. To be a part of something bigger than myself, led me down a road towards a faith I had lost, a family I craved, and a grace that only God could provide.
Path Blind
Thanks to Febreze commercials we’ve learned about going nose blind. But path blind? All it took for me was a bike, a path with shadows and some sun to learn from creation.
Live in Light of Eternity
One of my favorite spots to end up at is on top of a mountain. You know why? When I climb to that mountain top and look around, I am absolutely amazed at the vastness of God’s glorious creation.
100 Feet Ahead
You and I need summits in our lives. But sometimes the going gets tough and we want to give up. All we can see is the end and the end seems so far away. But what we can do, is look at something not too far away and work toward it.
I Want To Do Better
Instead of having gratitude for strength or recognizing the spiritual privilege it is to serve God, I sometimes smugly think that I am a good person for serving and I want to do better giving God the glory.
Choose the Right Shoes
Shoes make a statement. And shoes need to fit, or they become painful the longer they are worn. We need to choose the right shoes. So, what shoes do we need? Gospel Shoes of course!
Gathering at the Table
While food obviously satisfies our hunger, gathering at the table with family and friends is so much more than feeding our bellies. It’s an opportunity to open our hearts in conversation.
Grace, Community and Unity
If you’re a follower of Christ, I wonder: How big of a deal to you is Christian community? How about Christian unity? Christian community and unity are inseparable results of what Jesus has done on the cross.
Can You Imagine...Again?
Why did God give each of us the potential to picture things, places or scenarios in our minds? Imaginations aren’t just for the future or eternity, but God wants us to imagine in our prayers for the present.
God's Calling to Love
Love is such a huge part of our lives and affects everything we do. But it can be complex at times. It fills our hearts with joy, kindness, compassion, and hope but can also make our hearts feel broken, heavy and sorrowful. Love is complex, so how do we answer God’s call to love?
Peace in Chaos
Life can be challenging and chaotic at times which leaves us with feelings of disorder and loss of control. We are distracted and tempted by things that draw our attention away from the Lord. So how do we find peace in a chaotic world?
Social Media and Quiet Time
Something I have struggled with (and still do) in my walk with Christ is making time every day to be in the Word and pray. I make the excuse: “I don’t have time to spend 30 minutes with God.” What a LAME excuse!
How Chester A. Arthur Helped Me with Persistent Anxiety
Those of us who battle anxiety are involved in a power struggle with ourselves. Anxiety drives us to gain control over our world. But as we grasp the truth that even the struggles of life are inexplicably in the hands of a good, kind, loving, Sovereign God, we can relax our grip on the desire to control all the variables.
Turn Your Maybe Into Yes
I have much to learn about our great God, but for me there is no “maybe” in knowing the Truth. God wants me/us to live in the “Yes!” of knowing Him.
Why I Pray
Prayer is a vital part of the way I practice my faith on a daily basis, but it wasn’t always that way. If you’ve been in the church for any length of time, you’ve likely heard someone talk about the importance of prayer - and that’s for good reason!
Satisfaction in 2019
The Rolling Stones had a song entitled “I can’t get no satisfaction.” What the song implies is probably what many of us feel on a consistent basis: try as we might, much of life leaves us feeling unsatisfied!
New Year's Resolutions
I write this blog from a condo on the beach of the Gulf of Mexico. Do not be too jealous. I’ll spend New Year's Day driving my family of five 988 miles. I promised myself I would not make New Year’s Resolutions this year. That’s cliché. Instead, I came up with 4 things that I am resolving to do in 2019.
The Pathway to Truly Loving Others
Every time I read the book Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller, one quote sticks out to me as particularly profound: He writes, “The surest way for any couple to succeed in marriage is for both partners to say ‘The greatest threat to our marriage is my own self-centeredness.’”