Sing for Joy This Advent Season
In the middle of the holiday-hype and musician-lament, our church gets to be centered on the joy of singing biblical Advent songs. ...
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A New Framework for Understanding Grace
Redemption Groups forced me to be honest with both God and myself, to ask Him the hard questions, and wait for a response....
Advent: Looking Forward
The best part of Advent is not Advent itself, but what it points to...
Sing for Joy This Advent Season
In the middle of the holiday-hype and musician-lament, our church gets to be centered on the joy of singing biblical Advent songs. ...
What is Advent?
It’s that time of year. Lights are going up, decorations are out, and Christmas movies are on TV. As we approach Christmas, the church enters into the celebration of Advent. But what is Advent? ...
Looking for Joy
Recently God has impressed one thought on my mind: Keep looking for joy, even in the mundane or the very difficult times. If all I’m doing in my current season is wishing for the next season, then I am missing so much joy and so many gifts which God has given me in the here and now....
Resources for The Christ-Centered Home
As The Christ-Centered Home sermon series comes to a close, our staff has curated a list of recommended resources to continue to equip you and your family. You'll find books, articles, podcasts, and other great resources that we've found helpful. Our hope is that your home would be strengthened by one or more of these resources....
Pictures of the Gospel in Adoption
Earthly adoption is a beautiful picture of the gospel and it points to the greater adoption that Christ has offered all who call upon his name. ...
Sound Doctrine is for Everyone
The term “sound doctrine” is a term that I have always associated with people who know more than me. I thought pastors, seminary students, or biblical scholars dealt with doctrine. It never occurred to me that doctrine was something I should be concerned about. It was always over my head and above my pay grade....
Knowing and Honoring Your Wife
On Father’s Day, we looked at God’s word for Fathers and came away with three charges: Fathers are to pursue Christ, honor their wives, and train up their children....
The "Why" of Suffering
Suffering comes in many forms, some physical and some spiritual. At times, it is more intense than others, but according to James, all our suffering as believers is to be related to in the same way - with pure joy and gratitude....
Community Brings Light in Dark Times
Community is so much more important to us now because we can remember times that we didn’t have it. Our Community Group has not only become our dear friends, but also people who remind me of the truth of God when I most need it....
Favorite Books of 2017
Each year, our staff puts together a short list of our favorite books of the year. Not all of these books were released this year; in fact, many of them are a few years (or centuries) old, but we read them this year....
Awaken Our World--How to Pray
Pray with us for revival and awakening in our hearts, our church, our community, and our world....
Awaken Our City--How to Pray
Pray with us for revival and awakening in our hearts, our church, our community, and our world. God, please make us your servants and help us be faithful to steward your gospel where you’ve placed us....
Awaken Our Church--How to Pray
Pray with us for revival and awakening in our hearts, our church, our community, and our world....
Awaken: You--How to Pray
Pray with us for revival and awakening in our hearts, our church, our community, and our world. Here's how to pray the Lord's Prayer in your own life....
How Having God As Our Father Matters
We need to be awed by the incredible privilege opened for us to have an intimate relationship with God. As we consider God as Father, we need to remember we serve a God who wants us to know him intimately....
Three Unexpected Gifts from Providence Kids
Providence Kids has given me the great gift of getting to know and love some pretty amazing little humans, but it’s also given me at least three unexpected gifts....
How Should Christians Celebrate Independence Day?
The July 4th holiday celebrates a pivotal event that defines the identity of a nation and its people. How should we celebrate knowing that our identity is found in Christ (Galatians 3; Ephesians 2)?...
What's "Speaking the Truth in Love" Anyway?
By speaking the truth in love, we fight the lies of the enemy in each other’s lives and offer hope in Christ. We all need brothers and sisters who know us, know our struggles, and know how to speak truth into them....
Disciple Your Kids on Sunday Morning
What do your children see when they watch you? The familiar text of Deuteronomy 6 teaches us about God, about ourselves, and about teaching our kids to follow God....
Mothering Is for Everyone
This building process reminded me that it takes many people to help build the spiritual foundation for our children as well. Mothers have a unique opportunity to shape the lives of their children by providing a firm foundation on which to build a godly life, but we are not meant to go it alone....
Salvation from Start to Finish
I hope that after taking a closer look, this verse will give you a more complete view of your past, present, and future salvation. It should also provide you with another Scripture for your arsenal to combat the lies of the evil one. Most of all, though, I pray that God will use it to reassure you of his faithfulness to finish what he started in you....
7 Reminders for When You're Interrupted
An interruption is a break that reveals our brokenness. And as broken people, we don’t always do well with brokenness, do we?...
4 Things That Have Changed How I Pray
Prayer is hard. I’ve been following Jesus for nearly 30 years and I still don’t have this figured out. A little over a year ago I began feeling convicted that God wanted me to love Him with more of my heart, not just my mind and my habits. After reflecting on the matter, I loaded up with some books on prayer and study materials for the Psalms and asked God to lead me into a more powerful and intimate prayer life....
God's Provision for New Moms
Each woman who joins Little Legacies is in the same place—trying to figure out the same things none of us have encountered before, needing wisdom and guidance as we navigate all that comes with the new title we’ve been given....
Sermon on the Mount Resources
The Sermon on the Mount contains some of the most well-known, loved, and even challenging sections of the entire Bible. As we continue to walk through these chapters, here are some resources we recommend if you’d like to do further study....
Are You Persecuted?
The fact that Jesus lists persecution as a beatitude and mentions it twice underscores the reality of persecution for every believer. This doesn’t mean that we should be persecuted for our faith at all times. But this does mean that persecution is inevitable and that it is a mark of being a Christian....
My Life-Changing Weekend at FOCUS 2017
When Josh asked the students during the debrief Sunday morning to raise their hands if they loved Jesus more than they did before the weekend started, I didn’t hesitate to raise my hand. God did some unbelievable things in my heart and the hearts of many other students during FOCUS 2017, and I was so blessed to be part of such an amazing weekend....
Things to Know About Two Services
You’ve probably heard that we are transitioning to two services at 9:15 and 11:00 a.m. To prepare for this transition, we have added seating in the sanctuary and classroom space in Providence Kids. Our hope is to make this transition as smooth as possible for families coming to worship with us on Sunday. Here are a couple things to keep in mind......
A Letter to a Single Mom
I was barely 22 when I became pregnant by a guy that I wasn’t really dating at the time. I was scared, confused, lonely, and felt like I let everyone down. The world told me that marriage or abortion were the only solutions, and at least with abortion nobody would have to know....
What's the Sermon on the Mount?
This past week we started our new sermon series walking through the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. I spent a considerable amount of time giving introductory remarks that I believe will help us as we navigate through Jesus’ most famous sermon....
How Do We Study the Scriptures?
Making resolutions can be tough and keeping them past a few weeks can be even harder, but as Jonathan Edwards demonstrates, making resolutions can be a fruitful venture in seeking to be disciplined and self-controlled for the glory of God....
Favorite Books of 2016
Each year, our staff puts together a short list of our favorite books of the year. Not all of these books were released this year; in fact, many of them are a few years (or centuries) old, but we read them this year....
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
A perennial favorite carol has been “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” My love for this song goes all the way back to childhood - watching Charlie Brown and the gang singing the carol, gathered around that magical scrawny little tree. (“I never thought it was such a bad little tree!”)...
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
My favorite Christmas song is “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” I’ve heard a lot of versions of this song, but it’s hard to find a good one. You can sing the notes perfectly but miss all the emotion. This song expresses such deep longing for freedom that it’s almost impossible to sing without tears of joy and desperation. “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” helps us explore life’s trouble and our need for help, and it’s a call to rejoice in the God who rescues....
Make the Most of Your Advent
This year, we’ve found several great resources we recommend to help you celebrate the season of Advent and the birth of Christ. Check them out!...
Sharing the Gospel in South Asia
Two short-term mission teams returned from South Asia just a few weeks ago. We are so grateful for everyone who prayed for these trips (much was needed, and much was given), for those who helped support the team members for both teams financially (again much needed and much given), and for your support of Advance that is helping the word go out in a dark area of the world....
Responding to the 2016 Election
The result of this election has left a wake of emotions throughout our country ranging from jubilation and hope to anger and despair. So how are we as followers of Christ to respond?...
How the Psalms Taught Me About Emotions
How are the Psalms instructive? They train me on how to come before the Lord honestly in all seasons of life, setting the foundation of my heart on the truth from His word....
The Story of the Cactus
My kids beg me often to tell the story of the cactus. They love hearing about kid-sized Jeremy who was told that he couldn’t have a cactus from the neighborhood park. At the end of that story, we always talk about how it’s better to obey because parents don’t want to keep good things from their children, but because we want them to have the most fun possible....
Students Who Love: Stories from Student Life Camp
At Providence Students, our goal is to fulfill the church’s mission by making disciples who love God, love the church, and love the world. Everything we do, from our big annual events to our regular weekly gatherings, is meant to encourage 6th through 12th grade students as they learn to grow in their faith and live it out....
10 Reasons I Love Women's Bible Study (and Why I Hope You Do Too)
The new season marks the kickoff of another year of women’s bible study. I’m forever grateful for how God has used studying his word with other women to encourage me. I want to encourage you to come to this fall women’s bible study by listing 10 reasons that I love it!...
Is Serving Work?
Ask me to work somewhere and, even if I don’t know how, I’ll figure out how do it and how to do it well. Ask me where to serve? Now that’s a completely different concept....
Where Is Your Focus?
Is serving exhausting? Sometimes. Does it make for a long day for our family? Yes. Would it be easier to just say no? Absolutely. But it is worth it. Not serving means missing out on the joy of being a part of what God is doing in the church body. ...
The Blessing of Serving
We expected serving the church to be a drain on us as we had a newborn and a 7-year-old along with a stressful job and busy schedules (as all of us do). But we found the opposite....
Teaching the Gospel to Three-Year-Olds
When I first started serving in Providence Kids, I expected to walk in every Sunday and have a bible story ready with some activities or crafts. What I didn’t expect was how much more truth I got out of preparing and teaching each week....
Five Things Singles Wish Married Couples Knew
As we’ve been going through 1 Corinthians, we’ve talked a lot about marriage and singleness. Ever since we looked at 1 Corinthians 7, I’ve had really interesting conversations with my single and married friends, and thought it might be helpful to share a few things singles wish married couples knew, along with bits of my own story....
Accepting Grace
Have you been here before? A friend offers to pay for you, or you are complimented, or someone offers you some practical help, yet you feel that you just can’t accept it? You feel uncomfortable or like you need to contribute something. And in one way or another, you decline it. Or accept it reluctantly. What is it about receiving grace that is so hard?...
Sharing the Gospel in Greece
How would you feel if the Taliban or ISIS gave you the choice to join them or leave the country because you work for the government, are a soldier, or because they just don’t like you? If you stay and don’t join the Taliban, then you and your family will be killed. On our recent trip to Athens, Greece, we met several families who relayed this story of total despair at the choices forced upon them. Without any real choice, they flee their home countries with only what they can carry....
Wait for the Lord
Is anyone good at waiting? I know I‘m not. Waiting has never been easy for me. When I look back on my life, I haven’t had to wait for many things… until now....
Gospel Reflexes and Forgetful Dads
“Dad, God loves me even when I sin.” I remember hearing my son say this when he was only three years old. My wife and I quietly laughed together at the truthfulness of the statement, but we also realized our need to teach and model the pursuit of holiness in a grace-drenched environment....
Too Busy to Stop
When did this happen? When did I—when did we—get so busy that it became hard to sit for two minutes at a red light? The smallest moments of our day have become moments to get something done or escape....
Pray Without Ceasing
On Sunday, Afshin preached on our need for prayer and how we pray. As we grow in seeing our need for God and confessing our need in prayer, here are some great resources that can help us along the way....
Good Intentions
It’s 6:30 a.m. and my alarm is going off. I look at the clock, hit snooze and turn over in bed. How did I get here AGAIN? How did I miss another opportunity in the morning to spend time with God, reading his word?...
Why We Tell Stories
Storytelling is one of the most powerful and compelling ways to communicate truth. This is incredibly important when it comes to biblical truth, as we see Jesus use simple stories and parables to communicate deep truths about God and his kingdom....
The Gospel and My Anxiety
For so long, I believed that my fears, anxieties, and people-pleasing tendencies were a product of my circumstances. But when my circumstances changed… surprise! All those tendencies were still there! With encouragement from my Community Group, I cautiously ventured into Redemption, knowing that there was something more beneath the surface of my sin, and wanting to see more clearly....
How Long, O Lord?
In the Psalms, we see that David often voiced his feelings as he endured suffering. I resonate with him because there have been seasons where I’ve experienced similar feelings: loneliness, spiritual despair, and fatigue from long periods of suffering....
Holding It All Together
As moms, we’ve all been there--those moments when it seems the world is shattering around us and we feel lost in the chaos....
How Little Legacies Helped Me As a New Mom
My husband and I became foster parents last summer. We welcomed our first placement, a little girl, a week after we became licensed. Despite all the training, her arrival seemed like a stork delivery....
Great Memories of Focus 2016
The purpose of Focus 2016 was to take a weekend (Friday night through Sunday morning) away from distractions and dive into fellowship with our youth group and with God. We had a lot of time to grow closer to each other and really begin to know one another as not only friends but as siblings in Christ....
Crossed Hands of Blessing
It is easy for us to approach God and ask him to bless what we bring him, only to be frustrated when his blessings aren’t what we expect. ...
Remembering That God Pursued Me
By the grace of God and the gentle nudge of my wife, I signed up for Redemption. Even though I didn’t know what to expect, God moved in my heart....
Why We Study the Bible
Looking back over the early years of my Christian journey, I realized that I was young and immature. I needed to learn a lot about God and the spiritual discipline of reading his word. I knew that reading my bible was a good thing but struggled to be consistent....
A Clean Glass of Water in Jesus' Name
The Dominican kids who were with us thought we were nice, but that we talked about a “God” who was only for us...
Paul's Ambition, Our Vision
Our prayer is that God would empower and equip each of our members to make disciples who make disciples. As we all engage in this mission, our dream is to see this kind of movement sweep across our community....
Ten Questions to Help You Make the Most of 2016
We’re often too busy trudging through the mountains to stop and take in the majestic view of what God is doing. And unless we stop for a second and intentionally look outside the day-to-day specifics, we’ll keep moving and keep living without making it a point to seek God in our purpose and rhythms of life....
God's Greatest Gift
It’s the week of Christmas and everyone is busy with last minute preparations. Some are running to the store to buy the perfect gift for that loved one, and others keep checking the front porch to see if Amazon has delivered the gift they ordered. But as we enter into another Christmas celebration, let us remember that the greatest gift was not a last minute decision but rather a gift that had been planned and in the heart of God from the beginning of time....
Favorite Books of 2015
As a church staff, we work to equip and encourage one another with resources that help focus our lives on the gospel and teach us more of what it means to follow Christ. We've compiled a list of the books each of us has found most helpful in 2015 which we hope are helpful for you as well....
Wrecked by God's Heart for the Mission
I love so many things about Perspectives. But what I love most is what motivated me to change. It’s wasn’t a powerful speaker (though there are great speakers). It’s wasn’t the numbers, although the need is urgent. It was the simplicity and inarguable truth of looking at Scripture. I was motivated by focusing on God’s heart and his mission....
Make the Most of This Advent
In this season, we celebrate how God kept all of his promises and came to rescue us, and we encourage you to use this Advent season to kindle the flame of our hearts. This year we are highlighting three resources that we pray are an aid to you and your family....
Content and Thankful Hearts
As we embark on this season of Thanksgiving, let’s reflect on why God desires us to be thankful people....
Keep to the Old Roads
This song holds a special place in helping articulate prayers I’ve prayed for my own children....
A Calling to Serve Orphans
Orphan Sunday is an annual reminder to churches across the world of this call to serve these children. Ultimately, it is a reminder that caring for orphans is about making disciples. But making disciples requires action, and action requires preparation. So, how do we prepare?...
One of the Hardest Things God Calls Christians To Do
I don't know any Christian who would disagree with the statement, “We should love all people." Scratch that, I don’t know anybody – religious or not – who would disagree with it. What’s not to like about it? Wouldn’t it solve the world’s problems if everyone just loved each other?...
Is God's Sovereignty Compatible With Free Will?
While we can never fully understand how sovereignty and responsibility interact with one another, the Bible provides us with some relevant insights about how predestination is compatible with free will....
Romans: The Purpose of Chapters 9-11
Why did Paul write these chapters? What were they meant to accomplish and how do they fit in with Romans as a whole?...
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
A perennial favorite carol has been “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” My love for this song goes all the way back to childhood - watching Charlie Brown and the gang singing the carol, gathered around that magical scrawny little tree. (“I never thought it was such a bad little tree!”)...
Keep ReadingO Come, O Come Emmanuel
My favorite Christmas song is “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” I’ve heard a lot of versions of this song, but it’s hard to find a good one. You can sing the notes perfectly but miss all the emotion. This song expresses such deep longing for freedom that it’s almost impossible to sing without tears of joy and desperation. “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” helps us explore l...
Keep ReadingMake the Most of Your Advent
This year, we’ve found several great resources we recommend to help you celebrate the season of Advent and the birth of Christ. Check them out!...
Keep ReadingPray Without Ceasing
On Sunday, Afshin preached on our need for prayer and how we pray. As we grow in seeing our need for God and confessing our need in prayer, here are some great resources that can help us along the way....
Keep ReadingGod's Greatest Gift
It’s the week of Christmas and everyone is busy with last minute preparations. Some are running to the store to buy the perfect gift for that loved one, and others keep checking the front porch to see if Amazon has delivered the gift they ordered. But as we enter into another Christmas celebration, let us remember that the greatest gift was not a last minute decision but...
Keep ReadingMake the Most of This Advent
In this season, we celebrate how God kept all of his promises and came to rescue us, and we encourage you to use this Advent season to kindle the flame of our hearts. This year we are highlighting three resources that we pray are an aid to you and your family....
Keep Reading