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In these moments, faith in the dark is not naïve optimism; it is the hard-won trust that God is at work, even when we cannot see Him

The journey of faith is not a sunlit stroll through fields of certainty, but often a trek through valleys where the light is dim and the path is unclear

faith in the dark is the courage to keep moving, even when the path is unseen. It is the quiet resolve to trust that God is still present, even when His presence feels distant. Like walking through a tunnel with no visible end, faith in the dark is the willingness to take the next step, believing that light will eventually break through.

Their trust was not blind or naive—it was informed by their knowledge of God’s character and His faithfulness to His promises… They had seen His faithfulness in their own lives, had experienced His presence and His provision in smaller ways that prepared them for this greater test. Their trust was built on a foundation of relationship, of knowing God as He had revealed Himself through His word and His works

The story of the Advent is ultimately a story about trust—trust in God’s plan even when it doesn’t make sense, trust in His provision even when resources are scarce, trust in His love even when circumstances are difficult

The Son of God did not come into the world as a privileged prince, insulated from the struggles of ordinary people. He came as one of the displaced, one of the vulnerable, one of those who depend on the kindness of strangers and the mercy of God. He experienced firsthand what it means to be homeless, to be rejected, to be at the mercy of forces beyond His control

Jospeh was willing to be misunderstood, to be judged, to be seen as a fool or worse, because he trusted that God’s plan was greater than human opinion

She trusted that the God who had called her to this impossible task would also sustain her through its consequences…This was faith in its purest form—not the absence of fear or doubt, but the choice to trust God even when the path ahead was shrouded in uncertainty and pain.

The truth of God’s omnipresence means Ge never has to choose one child over another … He’s present with each of His creations equally.

You have the full attention of the God of the universe.

Imperfect human love has marred our brain’s ability to receive love. We can’t imagine a God who pursues us with unwavering desire.

Trust is built one marked experience of care after another.

By using a constant reminder of God’s presence (ex presence candle) in a common space, we lay the groundwork for spiritual object constancy - the concept of believing that an object still has reality even when it’s out of sigh

The invitation to wrestle (with doubts, emotions, disappointments) is actually an invitation to intimacy.

Mary’s response reveals both her humanity and her faith, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34). It was not a question born of doubt, but of wonder. She was not asking if God could do this, but how He would do it

Let us journey together, trusting that the God who fulfilled His promises in Jesus will continue to fulfill them today—until every exile finds a home, every darkness is dispelled by light, and every longing heart is met by the love of Immanuel.

Sometimes life demands every ounce of attention we have, and we don’t recognize the attentiveness of God until we look back and see His faithfulness dotted through the chapters of our autobiography.

If fear is introduced before trust is built you will always have your guard up.

If you are insecure, avoidant attached, maybe you had a moment when you decided to show your brave little heart and the need you carried, but at that moment, it was clear your need was treated as a problem to be solved, not an invitation to connection…= “my full self is not desired. I have to tone it down. I can only show what’s acceptable.”

Your need is just the right environment for attachment. You are invited to cry out and watch Him respond.

Your responsibility was never to weigh the level of your need and decide if it was worthy of care. Your responsibility was only to cry out.

Without a cry, there can be no response.

If we did not need love, we would not move toward each other. Nerdiness is a God-given invitation to connection and communion. God wanted to create a braided world of mutual care.

It is not your diligence, it is not your examination of yourself that will enlighten you concerning your sin. Instead, it is God who does all the revealing.

Theres a difference between friendliness and hospitality. Friendliness involves being polite and mind. Hospitality means getting involved with people; it requires some sacrifice. (How do we demonstrate hospitality especially to guests?)

as the Millennials and their children get older, socioeconomics will become the prevailing dividing line instead of racial differences.

A church campus should be the most well kept spot in the neighborhood. Why would someone visit a church when the campus looks more like a run down gas station than a place where people worship Almighty God?

people with a me-first mentality believe the church exists to meet their needs rather than as a way for them to serve their community … An inward culture will always kill a neighborhood church

I can imagine that the first question which the Priest and Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ The Good Samaritan came by , and by the very nature of his concern reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him? -MLK