Do you like going to the doctor?

I think doctors are amazing people. I’ve never met a doctor I haven’t liked, yet for some reason I always resist going to see the doctor. I will struggle with pain or not feeling well for weeks and even months before going to see my doctor, and I have a great doctor!

Last summer I hurt my knee while running. The pain was so bad I had to give up running and back out of several races I had entered. I kept saying, “I should go see the doctor” but I kept putting it off. Things got so bad that the pain began when I was just walking. I looked like an old man when I tried to bend down because I had to move so slowly to avoid pain. Still I put off going to the doctor. I lived this way for over 9 months!

I knew something was wrong and my life was impacted by it everyday, yet I wouldn’t talk with someone who could help me deal with the problem. Have you ever done something like that? Have you ever ignored a problem and just hoped it would go away?  Why do we put off doing things we know we need to do?  

Just as I knew there was something wrong with my knee, too often we know there is something wrong in our spiritual life and we ignore it. We may feel distant from God and do nothing about it. We may feel frustrated by a sin we can’t break free of and just keep struggling. We may feel like we’ve plateaued. We aren’t growing anymore in our spiritual walk, and we just live with that feeling. Or we may not know what is wrong, and we just keep on keeping on. Maybe it’s time for a change. Maybe it’s time to do something instead of just living with the pain and that nagging feeling that something isn’t right.

For the last number of weeks in these emails, we’ve been looking at the four types of people that make up any church. We’ve looked at the Exploring, the Discovering, the Growing and the Surrendering. We have even looked at a profile of someone you won’t find in a church, the Unconvinced. Each week we’ve provided some characteristics and some catalytic actions for each type of person that will move them closer to Jesus and move them forward in their spiritual journey. Where do you see yourself?  What next step do you need to take?  

Socrates once said, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Just as we go to the doctor when something is physically wrong, we need to regularly give ourselves check-ups in every area of our life. We even need to give ourselves spiritual check-ups from time to time to make sure we are still growing in our relationship with Jesus. When was the last time you examined your spiritual life?

When I finally did go to the doctor it didn’t take too long before my knee started feeling better and I was running again. I wasted all that time living in pain when freedom from pain was waiting. What is keeping you from finding greater freedom and life with Jesus today?  Why are you putting it off?  

If you aren’t sure what you should do, email me. I would love to help you take that next step.  

This weekend we will wrap up our Deeper series. We have been exploring a vision that Ezekiel had about a river flowing from the presence of God.  Over the last two weeks, we’ve discovered that the vision is really an invitation to go deeper in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.  This Sunday we’ll be looking at Acts 19 and asking the question, “What does it look like for the river to flow in our lives today?”  I hope you’ll join us and take your next step in the river, for where the river flows there is life! 

See you Sunday,

Pastor Kirk

Living Hope MidWeek
Join us Wednesdays for MidWeek, an evening where the entire family can sit around a table for a great meal (beginning at 5:30).  At 6:45 you can find activities that will help your family take their next step in their relationship with Jesus.   We have Kids Choir and Clubs for your school-aged kids and Hope Youth for your teens.  For adults, we have Starting Point, Hearing God and a drop-in group for those who’d like to go deeper and discuss our weekly sermon.  There is something for everyone every Wednesday!

Global Leadership Summit – October 18 & 19
Your influence matters. Learn how to maximize it!  Join us for this year’s Global Leadership Summit and get a unique blend of vision, inspiration and practical skills you can immediately apply.  The 2-day Global Leadership Summit will hone and improve your leadership skills with a fresh perspective from world-class leaders.  Register today for this world-class event featuring Simon Sinek, Juliet Funt, Sheila Heen, John Maxwell and many more.

Annual General Meeting 
Living Hope’s 2018 Annual General Meeting will be held on Sunday, September 30th at 1 pm.  A detailed financial meeting which reviews the audited financial statements will be held at 9:30 am on September 30th.  We hope you’ll join us as we talk about what God has done, is doing, and wants to do in our church family.

Coming Events