Dear One Hope Church Family, I am so excited about what God is doing in the life of our church. We recently began a new sermon series through the book of Galatians, and my prayer is that, as we walk through this letter together, we will grow in our understanding of the true freedom we have in Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.” A few weekends ago, I had the opportunity to spend some time in the Red River Gorge with five teenagers. We hiked more than 17 miles over two days, and somewhere along those trails, I started thinking about the water.

There's something special about camp. The games are over. The cabins are empty. The songs have faded, and everyone has gone home. But the work God started? That's just beginning. This past week at district Kids Camp, 25 children made the decision to follow Jesus. That's not just 25 names on a report. That's 25 testimonies that will be shared in homes, schools, churches, and communities. If you've ever spent time with kids, you know they love to tell stories. And when Jesus changes their hearts, they're going to tell that story too.

Malawi is experiencing a growing measles outbreak, with children being most affected. In Nsanje District, near the border with Mozambique, health authorities have reported at least 188 suspected cases, including 76 laboratory-confirmed infections.

Have you ever felt like you're "doing" your relationship with God wrong because it doesn't look like someone else's? The truth is, God didn't create us all the same. He wired each of us uniquely, and because of that, we often connect with Him in different ways.

Dear One Hope Church Family,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As we look ahead, I am genuinely excited about the future God has prepared for us as we trust Him together. Even as many things are unfolding around us—both in our world and in our own lives—let us not lose sight of what God is calling us to do: to remain faithful to Him, to love Him with all our hearts, and to serve the people He has placed around us. We move forward not in our own strength, but in humble dependence on His grace.

We know we need faith, because it is by grace we are saved through faith. A good question therefore is, “how can we increase our faith?” Sunday we learned that our faith is rooted in God’s faithfulness. In other words, we can have faith in God because He has been faithful.

My childhood blanket had a satin binding. As a child, it would comfort me to fall asleep. I carried it around for a long time. The satin was soothing. I can admit that | still like that binding on my blankets today. Realizing this leads to thinking about why it comforts me. When my fingers are rough from a cut or washing dishes, it creates a pick in the satin. For some reason it is something that I do with the lining of a coat and anything that would pick when I do it.

In the beginning the Trinity created the world knowing all that would happen. Knowing that Adam and Eve would sin and humanity would fall to sin. The story could have ended at the fall. The Trinity could have said they were done and gotten rid of humanity, however the story doesn't end at the fall. On the contrary the fall is at the beginning of God’s story. God has spent every day reaching out to His people trying to have relationships with them. Jesus came to die for our sins so that God could have an intimate relationship with us. Before Jesus goes to the cross (knowing what was going to happen), he prays this for believers.

The countdown to Nazarene Youth Conference has begun. Students are excited about worship, new friendships, and the possibility of encountering God in a life-changing way. But for an adult volunteer, the weeks leading up to the trip can feel overwhelming.

Sometimes when God calls us to do things, it can seem impossible. This can be something as little as inviting a friend to church, or to preach to congregations of hundreds. This can be scary! For some, even being in front of a group of people is spine chilling. God calling us to do things could be scary for multiple reasons…

At the beginning of Family Worship Praise Team practice, I had the kids pair up with two of our regular team members to talk about why they serve in this ministry. The kids shared first, followed by the teens and adults.

During my years spent hiking in the Appalachian Mountains, I have regularly sensed God’s presence and witnessed His creation. From birds singing beautiful and inspirational songs to spectacular views from atop mountain peaks, it has become obvious that this is not an accident or happenstance, but rather something crafted by the hands of our mighty God.

This was a question I asked the kids during children’s church this week. Many of them said yes — they feel alone often. They shared that when their friends are absent at school, when no one sits with them at the lunch table or plays with them at recess, or when they’re being ignored after an argument, they feel alone. One child said, “Sometimes I have to walk the track at school all by myself because no one wants to go with me. I feel very alone when that happens.”

Dear One Hope Church of the Nazarene…

After I graduated from high school I had a friend once tell me that he and several of our friends would hang out and play Dungeons and Dragons. He told me the reason they never invited me was because they thought I would refuse because of my faith. Honestly, he was probably correct. I also know that wasn’t the only time I was left out of something because of my faith.

Waiting can be one of the hardest seasons of life. Waiting can sometimes feel uncomfortable. Whether you are waiting for healing, restoration, financial breakthrough, direction, peace, or answers to prayer, the waiting season often stretches your faith in ways nothing else can.

For the past couple of weeks, I have gotten back into doing a daily devotion. It had been years, too many to count really, that I had done a devotional. Me getting back into doing devotionals really came as a question from Pastor Lou. He asked, who is someone I would be willing to mentor?

Life feels so busy right now. Busy schedules, busy minds, busy hearts. The lists seem endless, the sticky notes pile up, and the to dos never quite seem to get done. Just the other day, I was sitting at my desk right in the middle of all the busyness. Papers spread out, lists running through my mind, trying to keep up with everything. And then I heard a little giggle at my door.

There is a name unlike any other and that name is Jesus. The same voice that spoke to the storm and calmed the waves is the same voice that called the dead out of the grave. His name doesn’t just comfort us. It saves us, completely and eternally. And because of who He is, He alone is worthy of all our praise.