By Brandon Lemons People today are searching for wisdom. We want help navigating relationships, anger, money, romance, decision-making, purpose, and more. The internet offers endless advice on these topics. Social media is full of influencers, experts, podcasts, articles, and videos, all telling us how to live our best lives. Some of that advice is helpful. Some is not. How do we know which voices to trust? What do we do when one source says one thing while another promotes

By Brandon Lemons When I prepare a sermon, I often ask myself, “Why do people need to hear this?” Until I can answer that question, I’m not ready to give the sermon. Little did I know while preparing this past Sunday’s sermon that within 24 hours, I would need to apply it to myself. Late Sunday evening, I became frustrated during some family vacation planning. As my kids have gotten older, they’ve definitely become more opinionated. (Parents of teenagers are probably not

By Charissa Toeller Have you ever thought about the possibility of meeting a biblical anti-hero in heaven one day? What if someone who did awful things ended up repenting by the end of his or her life, but we never see it on the page? For the past several weeks, I've been going through the book of Daniel with the High School Sunday School class. Nebuchadnezzar is what I would call "the Bowser to Daniel's Mario". (That's a Nintendo reference if anyone missed it.) Scripture doe

By Brandon Lemons Remembering God’s faithfulness in the past strengthens our faith for the present and future. This is why God commanded the Israelites to take twelve stones from the Jordan River and set them up as a memorial. As Joshua said, “These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever” (Joshua 4:7). The purpose of the stones was simple: God’s people need reminders. When future generations saw those stones, they would remember that God had parted th

By Brandon Lemons While working on recent sermons, my mind wandered to this question: “Was Jesus an introvert or extrovert?” This seemed relevant as I studied Jesus’ routine of pulling away to be alone in the wilderness. For instance, Luke 5:16 says, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Seeking to be alone, especially after being with a crowd, is a classically introverted move. Is this proof that Jesus was an introvert? If so, what about the times Jesus seeme

By Shelly Lemons The older I get the more I realize how incredibly mindful the church of my youth was. I have many delightful memories from the church I grew up in, but one especially sweet one is Bring a Friend Sundays. On these Sundays we would work hard to invite a friend to church. My mom and dad would often each invite someone. Many of these people ended up staying around our church for years to come; in fact, some might still be involved there today. The church pr

By Brandon Lemons Beauty is captivating. I think of a sunrise over Lake Michigan: the vivid colors that paint the sky, the rippling...

By Brandon Lemons Caroling at Highpoint Residence in 2024 If you’ve been around Friedens for a while, you have probably heard of the...

By Brandon Lemons This Sunday, we will begin a sermon series on the book of Isaiah. Have you ever studied Isaiah? If you’re like most...

By Brandon Lemons When preparing a sermon, I almost always have more to say than I have time to say it. This forces me to cut material...

By Brandon Lemons The Bible is incredibly relevant to how we live – which is valuable to know because God wants us to flourish! God wants...

By Brandon Lemons The main point in Sunday’s sermon was: “Science and the Bible support each other when both are interpreted accurately.”...

By Brandon Lemons In one week, a new President will be elected, along with countless other politicians around the country. It may take...

By Brandon Lemons At Saturday’s Neighborhood Party, there will be a new event: an Egg Drop Contest. This event is designed to give...

Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) For the last several weeks, I've been sharing different ways of praying from a prayer...

By Charissa Toeller My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27) Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening....

By Charissa Toeller The Lord says, "I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I...

By Charissa Toeller One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to...

By Brandon Lemons Imagine I pick up a cello for the first time. I take a couple hours of lessons, practice like crazy for a few days, and...

By Brandon Lemons On Sunday, we completed the Threads sermon series. For eight weeks, we journeyed from Genesis to Revelation…every...