Dried-up places in our lives can seem as hopeless as the dry bones the prophet Ezekiel encountered in the valley...but don't just stand there - speak to the wind!

Americans celebrate Independence Day this weekend, recognizing that freedom is the pursuit of all people. We desire lives free from contradiction and deceit, free from role playing or game playing, ultimately seeking freedom to be all we really wanted...and were designed...to be. It is the Holy Spirit who frees us to reach our highest potential.

The power to produce a life lived for Christ can't be self-made, self-taught or self-inspired. It's when we surrender "self" to the Holy Spirit, the One who comforts, that our own lives are transformed and we are fully empowered to serve as Jesus' witnesses - even to the ends of the Earth.

God created each of us for grand adventure, and the adventures of sailing provide a powerful metaphor for the disciplines of life in the Spirit.

Each of us is created in God's image and filled with God's purpose and potential. But, what we lack far too often is the power to reach that God potential...and then live it.

This week in part 2 of the Breathe message series, Acts 2:1-11 reveals how the Holy Spirit connects us in both an intimate and authentic way in community with others, God and the world.

Pentecost marks the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, God's grace and the promises of Jesus. Through our own waiting and repentance, we also become a witness to the power of God, allowing people to see the love and life of Christ in us.

Stress can help us through the tough times; but, if we allow it to take over, stress leads to pain and breakdown. God's word gives us 3 practical, strategies for dealing with stress in tough times:

Have you stuffed God into too small of a box, failing to recognize his powerful work and presence in the day-to-day moments of life? Join us this weekend for...

At times, it is easy to say "I can take care of myself, I don't need anyone" and in turn we lose sight of the importance of relationships with God and others. We DO have the ability to make our lives look completely different - when we let others in and make them a priority over ourselves, we will begin to see change not only in their lives but also our own.

A new crisis is now unfolding to join the economic chaos--a possible flu pandemic. BUT, staying connected in healthy community allows us to keep God's perspective.

Let's face it--dung happens. In this life, it's inevitable. But even in the most difficult of circumstances, keeping a God perspective is possible when we stop asking "why" and instead focus on "Who" - a great God of unfailing love, powerful promise and limitless provision.

We all have hopes and dreams, but have you ever sat down to write them out? Have you ever thought about what you want to achieve before you die and what difference that can make in your life and the lives of others? Now is the time!

Today's headlines scream of economic chaos and fear. But...Do NOT be AFRAID! IF we know God resurrects LIFE out of death, then...ALL things are possible.

Do you ever feel that God is hidden, not listening as you struggle? Are you angry--convinced that God has turned his back? Faith is not the absence of doubt...or anger. We all struggle - including Jesus.

Rejection--part of every life. Sometimes imagined. Other times earned. Never any fun. But...if we examine its source, surrender control, and embrace God's F.A.C.T.S., we will fearlessly move from the loneliness of rejection to resurrected life.

Like Jesus' disciple Peter, our spiritual cowardice often makes it feel easier to die for Jesus, than to live for him. Only when we focus on Christ's power--not our own ability or failures--do we become the channel through which God releases his purpose.

Attempting one last time to teach his disciples true greatness, Jesus goes where no master has gone before... He washes his disciples' feet. To overcome any change in lifestyle, we must purge the clutter and simply serve one another.

What is keeping you awake nights? Your job, bills, the stock market? Relax. You may not be in control...BUT, God is.

Despite his fear, knowing that the journey would end in death, Jesus resolutely set his face toward Jerusalem, completing the God-calling that would transform the world--forever. Ready to conquer your own fear of death by really living life?