We have had a heard to reach out to the community. And, the Lord gave us a great connection in Clarksburg with a community center there. We’re nor hosting a special Christmas Party and Christmas Eve service that will be open to the community. As we step out and trust God — He opens doors for us! They are letting us use the center for free too!

What keeps us going when tough times come? It really is a simple trust in God. Why trust God? God is infinite, all-knowing, all-powerful and eternal. Beyond that, he’s personal and cares about us. God often brings us to that place where we are flat on our backs. Then the only place to look is up.

As we step out and get started, we’re doing a series that’s really about discovering more purpose in our lives. The starting point is connecting with the God who made us and loves us. As I was talking about the whole subject of connecting with God with someone, his comment back to me was - How can you have a relationship or a connection with God when you can’t see him?

That’s a great question. To me, part of the answer is that God is spirit but he has clearly revealed who he is through creation. The universe not only implies the existence of God but it also tells us something about what he’s like. Theoretical astrophysicist, George Greenstein, in this book Symbiotic Universe, asks the question, Is it possible that suddenly without intending to, we have stumbled upon the scientific proof of the existence of a Supreme Being? Was it God who stepped in and so providentially crafted the cosmos for our benefit? Although science only gives us a glimpse of what God may be like from creation, the universe does tell us a little bit about this invisible God. There’s a purpose to the design. The designer (i.e., God) is very powerful. The designer is also very intelligent. And, the designer is also personal. Just look at the details of his design in the universe and creation of life. God is truly showing himself to us but are we really looking?

Some would say that the idea of pursuing a connection with God is for people who need some kind of crutch in life. They can’t make it on their own. So they need God to help them get through the ups and downs of life when most people can do it on their own.

But what about Jesus for example? Do people believe in him because they can’t handle the ups and downs of life? Maybe there’s some other reason why people support Jesus. He made some radical statements and did some outrageous things when he was here on earth. For example, he told people that they could connect with God by believing him and what he said. And he proved his case when he beat death and rose from the dead. A lot of people even saw him after he died too. That’s a key thing that is unique to Jesus. So, isn’t religious belief in Jesus more than just a crutch?