Great Lakes Church

Do This One Thing: We’re chasing perfection all the time. The perfect weight. The perfect vacation. The perfect reputation. The problem? There’s no such thing as perfect, which is why we’re so exhausted. What if we aimed that energy at something more fruitful? Something better? And what if getting better is more available than we think?

Don’t Freak Out… This Will Get Out: Most of our lives are lived through a screen now. When we go to a piano recital or concert, the first thing we do is pull our phones out and hit record. Then? We share it. This has led to dread because we’re starved for the validation of doing it right… or at least doing it in a way where everyone wishes they’d done it like us. And that often makes Christmas something it shouldn’t be: personal brand management.

Don’t Freak Out…Your Plans Blew Up: It seems like every year we do the same thing with Christmas. We make plans, get excited about those plans and then get frustrated when all the plans fall apart. This sounds crazy…but what if that’s the best part?

Zooming Out & Seeing the Big Picture: Spoiler alert… most of the verses that we love to keep on cross-stitched pillows don’t tell the full story. Today’s story brings light to one of the most popular verses of all time, and emphasizes why it’s so important for us to ZOOM OUT when it comes to the story of our faith. Then being a follower of Jesus will be so much more than our feelings in the moment…it’ll become a way of life that truly transforms us in our Waiting Room.

Ever been passed over for that promotion and forced to serve a totally incompetent leader? Been mad at God for allowing your friends to get married or pregnant before He entrusted you to? Today’s story finds an adolescent character given a big promise– and then a whole lot of nothing for two decades. When we examine more closely, we can see that there was purpose in the whole journey though.