good Archives

Why Doesn’t God Always Heal the Sick? by Dr. Sam Storms

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this [thorn], that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” 2 Corinthians 12:8–9
God loved the Apostle …

Interpretation: Translation of Life by Erwin McManus

The hard work of changing our perspective Begin a process to investigate how you see the world. Make two lists: everything good in your life; everything bad in your life. Now examine your lists. Which list is longer? Which list came more naturally? Is it easier for you to be pessimistic or to be optimistic? […]

What is the Bible? by Mark Driscoll

Why are there so many Bible translations, and how do we choose between them? Can the Bible be trusted as accurate? In this new blog series, Pastor Mark Driscoll offers a guided tour of how the Bible has been transmitted, translated, and trusted by Chr…

You can’t Lead Where you Haven’t been by Nick Lathe

Nick Lathe is the worship director for Mars Hill Sammamish. He and his band, The Dispatch, are releasing a new EP on Tuesday, August 20. (You can listen to the single here). We recently asked Nick what he wish he had known about leading wor…

Episode 018 – Why Not Me?

Dreaming? Turn your “Why Me?” into “Why Not Me?” Have you ever asked yourself “why me?” We all have. Usually when faced with seemingly impossible situations or confronts with the unfulfilled dreams. The challenge to following our dreams is to ask ourselves, “Why Not me?” and then take the next logical step. A few good […]

Episode 015 – Rearrange the Furniture

Sometimes our normal, or the familiar, needs to be “re-arranged”. Whether your “normal” is good or bad it is the thing which shapes your being. Our challenge is to overcome those “bad” components by allowing the Holy Spirit to re-arrange your furniture. Tune in and invite your friends to subscribe the podcast. Don’t forget to […]

Episode 011 – Does Your Past Define You?

Yes it does…in the good and bad areas of our lives. We need to recognize which is which. Subscribe on iTunes to the CounterPoint podcast I was Just Thinking with Stephen Adams

Living Community Part Four

So HOW do we go about loving one another? The idea of ‘what is love’ is tainted by the influences of our culture. Some may say that sex is love or that love is found in the giving of extravagant gifts. John makes it real clear in his letter: “We know what love is because […]

Living Community Part Three

Now the bar is raised even further. In the words of Jesus, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the […]

Episode 005 – The Good Heart

There is a verse from the ancient prophet, Jeremiah, which states the heart is deceitful and wicked above all things. What do you believe about your heart? Could that indictment be true or is there another option. Tune in. Subscribe on iTunes to the CounterPoint podcast I was Just Thinking with Stephen Adams Episode […]

Episode 004 – What is He After?

Is your life a mere chain of random events with no seeming rhyme nor reason? When things go wrong do you consider God may be after something in your life which is not readily apparent within the given circumstance. Subscribe on iTunes to the CounterPoint podcast I was Just Thinking with Stephen Adams […]

Living Community Part One

The next few posts will be about what it means and requires to be a true and living “community.” To move beyond oneself and truly engage the world around us. To realize that there is more to life than simply waking up, going to work, coming home, and doing it all over again the next […]

Outside the Box-6

Freedom to Live Intentionally While the other six freedoms are primarily about detoxing from the religious and social systems of our culture today and letting healing soak in, this freedom is about growing. It’s about choosing the way you want to be in the world, being intentional in your actions, and designing a life that […]

Outside the Box-4

Freedom to Be We live in a performance-driven culture. It’s the American way, the Puritan work ethic. We are taught to work hard, to perform, to produce. Performance is rewarded in school, at work, and even in our home life. The voices of judgment – both from our own internal critics and those around us […]