A Paradox of His Presence
By Bryan Karas, Creative Arts Pastor In my brief time on this lovely planet, I’ve had adventures in all sorts of faith communities. Some, extremely legalistic; others, wildly charismatic. I’ve enjoyed urban and suburban environments, traditional and evangelical, and lots of various combinations in between. In fact, one of my favorite facets of our character […]
Appreciating Disappointment
By Amber Hejl, 707 Women’s Director & Social Media Let’s be honest, life has a way of throwing us the occasional curve ball. Who am I kidding? Some seasons dealing with the unexpected become the normal routine. I must confess that in those moments, I have little appreciation for God’s long-term purposes, often because they seem […]
3 Essential Aspects of Discipleship
Linking Generations
By Asa Bartos, CVCYouth Intern As I share a portion of my heart for the linking of generations, I must first acknowledge my gracious and faithful God, for He has daily kept me from wrecking my own life. He does this by revealing to me all the ways in which I am needy, and […]
A Lesson in Trust
by Dianne Leers Jesus’ words, unfolded to me one morning during quiet time many years ago. Jesus’ words which still resonate deeply in my heart today when I don’t feel I understand His will and His way. It was an invitation, an encouragement, then and now, to trust His plan for my life even when, […]
God Dependence– A Better Plan
By Jane Rutti If we’re honest with ourselves, no doubt as Christians we would have to admit that consistently depending on God can be struggle. Our human nature—as well as our culture—has us leaning heavily into self-sufficiency. God Dependence is one of six CVC passions (values) that has been partially defined this way: “…our pride bows […]
Why Evangelicals Are Suspicious of Evolution
By Pastor Josh Stone Many people in our society are surprised to hear that Christians, particularly evangelical Christians, often do not believe in “evolution.” 64% of evangelicals believe humans did not evolve, compared to only 20% of the unaffiliated who believe the same. Human evolution is the assumption of most non-Christian Americans. So why are […]
Followers
By Eric and Anne Mendheim, CVCYouth LifeGroup leaders As we serve the students of CVCYouth, and raise teenagers in our own home, we are constantly being challenged to utilize social media. We are amazed by the notion that we can “friend” someone we have never met and express our support for a project or person by “liking” […]
The Places of Hurt
By Pastor Rick Duncan Joseph was from a classic dysfunctional family. Joseph had 3 step-mothers, 10 step-brothers, and 1 full brother all living in the same house at the same time. Joseph was his daddy’s favorite – a daddy’s boy. The brothers were jealous because of a dream Joseph had that they would one […]
Beloved Child
By Bill Morgan, LifeGroup leader of CVCYouth I have a handful of personal notes from my father and mother written to me over the years. In no way were they prolific writers. But, there are a few notes that I have kept and cherished. In particular, the notes where they tell me how much they […]
Change
By Verna Plagge, Supply Manager for CVCKids Change is difficult for me, and 2014 has had lots of changes for me – some positive, some negative. In April, a trip to Arkansas for my niece’s wedding was bittersweet. Weddings are filled with changes as one is losing a relationship but at the same time gaining […]
The Place of Prayer
By Pastor Dale Piscura I’ve been thinking about the place of prayer in our lives as followers of Jesus Christ. It seems to me that every believer recognizes the need of prayer, yet many admit their struggle to maintain a lively pattern of prayer. In my walk with Christ (now 39 years), my most significant […]
