Do you need a rallying cry? Something to embolden or encourage you in the face of hardship or suffering? Maybe you need a reminder of what your aim in life is meant to be. That’s what 2 Timothy 2:1- 13 gives us, essentially saying, "You can endure whatever suffering or hardship is coming your way, but there’s a particular source you need to draw from. Don’t get distracted, don't try to take the easy way out, and don’t move away from the source.” Endurance is the call, single-mindedness is the...
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Do you need a rallying cry? Something to embolden or encourage you in the face of hardship or suffering? Maybe you need a reminder of what your aim in life is meant to be. That’s what 2 Timothy 2:1- 13 gives us, essentially saying, "You can endure whatever suffering or hardship is coming your way, but there’s a particular source you need to draw from. Don’t get distracted, don't try to take the easy way out, and don’t move away from the source.” Endurance is the call, single-mindedness is the...
Do you need a rallying cry? Something to embolden or encourage you in the face of hardship or suffering? Maybe you need a reminder of what your aim in life is meant to be. That’s what 2 Timothy 2:1- 13 gives us, essentially saying, "You can endure whatever suffering or hardship is coming your way, but there’s a particular source you need to draw from. Don’t get distracted, don't try to take the easy way out, and don’t move away from the source.” Endurance is the call, single-mindedness is the...
Life can feel heavy — like you’re carrying a weight you were never meant to bear. In Matthew 11, Jesus extends a gentle invitation: “Come to Me... and I will give you rest.” The rest He offers isn’t just physical relief; it’s a deep, soul-healing renewal that reorients our hearts and brings peace in the middle of life’s pressures. Will you come and receive the rest Jesus offers?
Can you remember a time when you were at a real low point, circumstances were hard and the future uncertain? Maybe that’s where you are today. The fire that once burned bright is starting to flicker, the cost of following Jesus is starting to take its toll - it feels like a fog has settled in. 2 Timothy 1 is given to lift the fog that we might move forward with renewed vision and strength. It’s a call to steadfast endurance meant to be the spark to a fire that won’t burn out.
Sometimes it takes a crisis to get our attention, to wake us out of spiritual complacency and help us hear God’s call to return to him. In Genesis 35, as Jacob faces a disturbing crisis rooted in personal failures, God calls him back to the place it all began – a place of renewal, rededication and reassurance. It’s a much-needed reminder of who Jacob is called to be and the promises attached to it. God’s mercy is put on repeat in order to bring the reassurance he desperately needed. We all ne...
The journey of following Christ is filled with highs and lows. Often, after a season of deep dependence on the Lord, we’re tempted to let our guard down and drift into spiritual complacency. After Jacob is shown mercy through being reconciled to his brother Esau, he settles into a passive, compromised faith. Genesis 34 is a dark and brutal chapter that shows how Jacob’s apathetic faith has disastrous consequences that affect everyone. This story is a warning about the dangers of neglecting ou...
How does God’s mercy reshape our response to broken relationships? When so much feels out of control and the future is uncertain? Reconciliation is a profoundly scary and difficult thing. One of the reasons is because we have no idea how the other person will respond and no control over the outcome. Genesis 33 is the story of what happens after Jacob goes head-to-head with God’s mercy. Jacob’s worst nightmare is still coming true, and yet God’s mercy not only reshapes his response to the unce...
Local stories are stories of God's grace at work in the lives of those who are a part of Local Church St. Pete. We want to highlight his activity and celebrate his grace.
Have you ever thought, “This situation is totally beyond me, I have no idea what to do!”? Cornered by a crisis, overwhelmed by a conflict or crushed by painful consequences of your past - there you were alone, restless and paralyzed by fear and anxiety. That is where we find Jacob in Genesis 32. His worst nightmare is coming true. The agonizing circumstances lead him to a place of prayerful desperation, while an unexpected wrestling match reveals who he’s been fighting with the whole time. Th...
Oftentimes obedience to God requires a fast break – quickly pulling away from what is familiar, moving out from under what is oppressive and pressing forward in the face of paralyzing fear. Genesis 31:17-55 is the story of a fast break involving deceit, theft, a chase scene and twenty years of pent-up strife that explodes in conflict. How does God meet Jacob in his obedience with a timely reminder that enables him to face his fears? And how is that reminder ours to hold onto as we step out in...
Just when you think things are too broken or out of control, just when you think the emptiness and pain will never let up and the decisions you made will haunt you forever. Just when you think God is nowhere to be found and you’ve been left to your own devices, Genesis 30-31 come at us with a family steeped in jealousy, comparison, injustice, sex for hire and more. How is the hidden hand of God at work through this crazy-complicated and broken family? And what does that mean for our crazy-com...
No matter how weird or inappropriate it seemed or how socially unacceptable it was, she made up her mind. She knew it might cost her reputation and get people upset - but none of that mattered. John 12 is the story of a follower of Jesus willing to look like a fool and give up what others don’t understand in order to honor Jesus. How does a totally awkward dinner scene become a picture of the unrestrained devotion we’re called to display?
Have you ever felt like your life was broken beyond repair? People you trust lie to you, family members use you, or your marriage is complicated. Genesis 29 tells how God is providentially working in a troubled family. This story is a hopeful reminder of how God can be faithfully and quietly at work amidst the brokenness, complexities, and pain of our lives.
We all experience “dark nights,” seasons in our lives when circumstances leave us feeling vulnerable and unsure about the future. Can you look back and remember an encounter with God in a difficult season that changed you - a moment so monumental it shook you to the core of your being and left you a different person? Or maybe that’s what you need today. In Genesis 28:10-22, after all the manipulation and deceit to get his father’s blessing, Jacob is running for his life and uncertain about hi...
Do you need a rallying cry? Something to embolden or encourage you in the face of hardship or suffering? Maybe you need a reminder of what your aim in life is meant to be. That’s what 2 Timothy 2:1- 13 gives us, essentially saying, "You can endure whatever suffering or hardship is coming your way, but there’s a particular source you need to draw from. Don’t get distracted, don't try to take the easy way out, and don’t move away from the source.” Endurance is the call, single-mindedness is the...
