Trusting God is not always easy, especially when life feels uncertain or promises seem delayed. Belief is just the beginning—trust is what transforms our lives Pastor Mia shares stories of Abraham and Jesus to illustrate how trusting God's promises, even when they seem impossible, leads to abundant life and spiritual growth. She encourages us to practice spiritual disciplines like worship and community, which help us stay alert and open to God's work in our lives. Ultimately, trusting in God's care allows us to live with confidence, readiness, and joy, knowing that God shows up for us always.

God’s treasure is worth everything we have, and God’s kingdom is already among us, waiting for us to receive it with open hands.

In the Parable of the Rich Fool, Jesus warns us to "Be on your guard against all kinds of greed" (Luke 12: 13-21). Greed, like all sin, is sneaky. We don't decide to be greedy. We slide into it with justifications.

We want things and money, often because we believe they'll provide security. However, things and money aren't the problem. The problem is within us. We allow things and money to get in the way of being rich toward God. Greed isn't an ecomonic issue. Both poor and rich can be greedy, and both poor and rich can be rich toward God.

Greed blocks us from trusting God and that behavior is nothing new. Pslam 49, from thousands of years ago, addresses trust in wealth and trust in God. So does Paul's letter to the Colossians, written just a few years after the resurrection. Paul portrayed greed as idolaty. Instread of trusting God to save us, we put our trust in something else.

Building trust takes time and it can be destoyed in moments, so we're naturally suspicious. In reality, we can't survive without some level of trusting. Pastor Mia reminds us that Scripture includes story after story of God keeping promises. God has always been faithful to us, even when were were not faithful to God.

An animated movie and the baptism of Jesus have something in common. Both are about change. The film "Inside Out" portrays the emotions of a young girl who moves to a new city, and Jesus's baptism was the beginning of a transformation that prepared people for the change of the coming Messiah.

Dealing with change is difficult and uncomfortable. Change can cause some of the emotions portyed by the characters "Inside Out" movies, including sadness, fear, and anger. When we change, we trade the certainty of how things are now for the uncertainty of what will be different.

Change is necessary for long-term survivial. Two businesses, Eastman Kodak and Blockbuster Video, were both worth billions of dollars in the 1990s. However, both filed for bankruptcy years later, because they didn't adapt to the growing use of digital photography and streaming video. Churches need to adapt as well. The COVID pandemic was the catalyst for the widespread adoption of livestreaming Sunday worship.

In addition to businesses and churches, adapting to fulfill the goals of the kingdom of Heaven is necessary for Christians. Those changes include implementing routines of Sunday worhip, daily prayer, community service, and being ready to share your faith story. This week's guest speaker, Patrick Miesen, reminds us that although those practices aren't easy, they're worthwhile. Faith pushes away things that provide short-term gratification in favor of things that are long term and meaningful.