Discovering the Freedom of Prayer Through God's Unconditional Love Have you ever felt like you needed to get yourself right before you could come to God? Have you wondered whether your prayers would be effective because you've made mistakes, struggled with your faith, or fallen short of what you think God expects? Perhaps you've heard messages suggesting that you must straighten out your life before God will listen to your prayers. But what if we've been looking at God throug

Writing Learning to Walk by Faith, Not by Sight Scripture Focus: 2 Corinthians 5:7 and 2 Corinthians 4:18 Have you ever been driving your car when the maintenance light comes on? It doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong. It simply means maintenance is required soon. Our spiritual lives work the same way. Sometimes God is reminding us that our faith needs attention, our thinking needs renewing, and our perspective needs adjusting. We cannot wait until we are spiritually

Learning to Trust the Plan We Did Not Create How surrender, grace, and renewed thinking help us participate in God’s work There are moments when a single truth reaches us with unusual clarity. We may have heard it many times before, but suddenly we are ready to receive it. The words are not necessarily new; our ability to hear them is. In those moments, God ministers to our hearts, corrects our perspective, and invites us to see our lives in a new way. One truth worth returni

Trusting God Beyond What We Can See What everyday uncertainty can teach us about hearing, speaking, and living our faith. When the Warning Light Comes On A check-engine light gets our attention. We may still be driving, but that little signal tells us to pause and look more closely. Lately, I have felt a similar invitation in my spirit: Marcia, it is time for a faith check. Not a reason to panic. Not an accusation. An opportunity to ask whether the faith I talk about is the f

Why our work matters—but never earns the Father’s love There is a difference between working hard and working to earn our place. Scripture calls us to faithfulness, good character, and meaningful action, yet it also invites us to rest. These truths are not opposites. In Christ, we rest from striving for acceptance while participating wholeheartedly in the good works God has prepared for us. The foundation is simple: the Father’s love is not a reward for performance. It is the

Renewing Our Minds and Seeing God Clearly Main Theme The way we see God, ourselves, and the world affects the way we live. We all live in the same world, but we respond to life differently because we see circumstances through different “lenses.” Our thoughts, beliefs, and experiences can create strongholds that influence how we understand God, ourselves, and others. God renews our minds and teaches us to see through the lens of truth. 1. The Battle Begins in the Mind We can e

September 27, 2026 A Special Invitation: Finding Rest in the Presence of Jesus Come to Me There are invitations we receive throughout life that carry special meaning. Some come in elegant envelopes; others arrive through a phone call or a simple conversation. But there is one invitation that stands above every other invitation we will ever receive. It is not reserved for the wealthy, the powerful, or the especially religious. It is not limited by age, background, or circums

From Hearing to Living: Knowledge, Wisdom, and Spiritual Understanding How the Holy Spirit turns biblical truth into a life that reflects Christ A Journey of Learning It is good to gather in the house of the Lord, but gathering is only the beginning. Church is not meant to be a weekly “fix” that leaves us unchanged. We come to hear, to receive, and then to carry what God says into the way we live. The question is not simply, “Did I go to church?” It is, “What will I do with w

How the light of Christ reveals truth, renews the mind, and redeems the rooms we would rather keep closed Here is the declaration I want to speak over our communities, our families, our friends, and our own hearts: there is no darkness too dark for Jesus. Darkness Is Not the Opposite of Light We often speak of light and darkness as if they are equal forces locked in combat. They are not. Light has a source, carries energy, and travels. Darkness has no independent source; it i

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” — Proverbs 18:21 Have you ever stopped to think about the words you speak every day? We talk constantly. We talk to our families, our friends, our coworkers, and even to ourselves. But talking and communicating are not always the same thing. More importantly, we don't always realize how much our words are shaping the way we think, the way we live, and the way we see ourselves. Jesus said in Mark 11:23 that if we speak to the mo

Coming Home: Discovering Where We Truly Belong What comes to mind when you hear the word home? For most of us, home is the place where we live—a house with a roof over our heads, a place where we can settle in at the end of the day and rest. But if we lost our house tomorrow, would we really be lost? Of course not. A house is a building. We could build another one. What makes a house a home is not the building. It is relationship, belonging, acceptance, and love. Home is wher

Only Two Things: Love God and Love People How complicated do we make our lives? We create lists of things we should do, things we shouldn't do, and expectations we feel we have to meet. But when Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, His answer was remarkably simple: Love God. Love your neighbor. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind… And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as you

So many things can run through our minds and hearts that it can be difficult to know where to begin. But sometimes the best place to begin is simply to become still—to settle ourselves, quiet the noise, and make room to hear what God is speaking to us personally. These thoughts are simply study notes from my own journey. They are not a formula, a rigid teaching format, or something you have to accept exactly as written. Take what speaks to you, study it for yourself, search t

The Kingdom Is Within You: Decree the Year You Want to See As a new season begins, I believe the Lord is speaking a simple but life-changing truth: Don't simply accept the year you think you're going to have—decree the year you believe God has prepared for you. Too often, we allow circumstances, headlines, or other people's opinions to define our expectations. But Scripture teaches something different. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is not something to be found "over here

Prayer as Relationship: How Our Conversations with God Grow Over Time A reflection drawn from an honest conversation about prayer, maturity, surrender, and the simple invitation to talk with God. Prayer is often taught as a formula: praise first, then thanksgiving, confession, intercession, petition, and finally listening. For some people, that structure is helpful. For others, it can feel like a script that never quite fits. In this conversation, the heart of prayer emerged

Maturity Isn't About Knowing More—It's About Living What You Know One of the greatest gifts in the body of Christ is diversity. We are not called to be identical copies of one another. God created each of us uniquely, and He ministers to each heart in deeply personal ways. When we allow one another the freedom to walk with God as He leads, unity naturally follows. True unity isn't uniformity—it's a shared love for Christ expressed through many different lives. That truth lead

Rev. Marcia Bumpers 7/5/2026 This Kingdom of God Is Within You: What Jesus Meant in Luke 17:21 Discover how living from the Kingdom of God transforms your identity, your peace, and your daily life. Have you ever wondered where the Kingdom of God is? Many people imagine it as a future destination or a place we'll experience one day. Yet Jesus gave a remarkable answer that changes how we see our relationship with God today. In Luke 17:20–21, the Pharisees asked Jesus when the K

Awakened Once, Repenting Continuously One of the things I'm most grateful for is that God never leaves us to figure this journey out on our own. His Word forms us, and His Spirit faithfully works within us, shaping us day by day. Last week we talked about how the Christian life is all about participation. It's not about trying to convince God to come closer to us—He's already here. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." That life is Christ

Father, thank you for your word and for the people gathered. Thank you for the family we share, for the love that moves among us, and for the love you continually pour into us so that we can pour it back toward one another and into the world around us. Thank you for the kind of shared communion that reflects your own life—Father, Son, and Spirit—perfect unity and shared presence. As we turn our attention to your word, we quiet our hearts and make ourselves ready to receive wh

Stay on the Boat: Trusting God Through the Storm Life has a way of challenging our expectations. Many of us begin our walk with God believing that if we hear His voice and follow His direction, everything will unfold smoothly. We imagine clear skies, favorable winds, and easy journeys. Yet the life of the Apostle Paul teaches us something very different. Obedience does not exempt us from storms. It prepares us to endure them. In Acts 23 through Acts 28, Paul's journey to Rome