Note from Doug Humphreys

I am so happy that I and my family am now counted among that word, "Creeksiders." I am so excited and thankful to God to have been called as your Lead Pastor. I hope you sense the excitement that I, the PST, Staff and Leadership Team all feel. God is a big God - the author and sustainer of everything - who continually invites us to join Him on an amazing journey, partnering with him to allow his Kingdom to break down into the world in which we live. Can anything be more exciting?

Some things that you might want to think and pray about this week related to the topic of Hope through Hopelessness are:

1. Where is your hope? Try to answer this question not with the "church" answer, but with the "heart" answer -- they may be the same thing. They most likely are not the same thing all the time. Think through yesterday. Where was your hope at various points throughout the day?
   
2. Read Paul's charge and promise from Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Meditate on the passage -- let it sink into your soul as you ponder these questions:
   Do you believe God can fill you -- not me or your spouse friend or neighbor, but YOU -- with all joy and peace? Ask him to fill you and see what happens. What would it look like for you to overflow with hope? Notice how this is not possible without the power of the Holy Spirit: Ask him to do this in you.
   
3. Try this experiment: Throughout the day, regularly ask God to fill you with hope and peace.
   At the end of the day, ask yourself how successful you were in asking God throughout the day for hope and peace. Give yourself a grade, 1-10. How'd you do? Write it down on a piece of paper and if you did great, wonderful. If not so good, give yourself a break (we are under grace, remember) and then start over the next day. God will give you peace!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I can hardly wait to be up with you all in July, to get to know you all better and to see the amazing things that God is going to do in and thorough us as a gathered people of God.
God bless you all and have a great week.Doug Humphreys