New Hope Bible Church

Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. During this time, with everything we hear on a consistent basis, our hearts and minds are under attack.  Fear can seep into us with every new cough, every weird feeling in your throat, every time we hear of another sick person.  I spoke to a friend yesterday, and he said that he feels like he is simply waiting for the symptoms to show up.  I can relate to that feeling, considering that my wife has shown symptoms over the past two weeks.  I look at my children, and I listen to every cough or sneeze.  Every time they feel warm, I reach for the thermometer.  Over time, this fear can build and grow, and anxiety can find fertile ground within us. However, the Word of God gives us an antidote for this anxiety and fear.  We have a pro

Ephesians 5:15-16 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. If there is one thing that I have learned during this season of staying home, it is that lack of time was never the problem.  There are things around the house that I have been wanting to get done, but I told myself I did not have the time right now.  I have been wanting to spend extra time in prayer and Bible study, but again, I told myself that I was too busy.  Now that I have the time, and I am not too busy, it is pretty convicting that the extra time is still filled up with things that are not on my list.  I have found that lack of time was not a reason, only an excuse. How about you?  Have these days been productive for you?  Have you been completing items on your list of goals? Despite this new realization about my priorities, I see a glimmer of opportunity in this time of quarantine, home life, and general slowness.   This ca

Philippians 4:8: Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. What's on your mind?  That may be pretty obvious right now.  It seems like one thing is on everyone's mind- this coronavirus.  It comes up in every conversation; it is on the top of every news source; and it is all over social media.  But what does all this thinking, reading, talking, and posting do for us?  Nothing, really.  At least, nothing positive.  On the other hand, it does have the potential of creating some negative effects.  It can stir up fear, feed worry, distract us from better things, and cause us to isolate ourselves even further from each other. But why do we allow our minds to dwell on this so much?  When has life not been fragile?  When have we not been in complete dependence on God?  When have we been promi

As you know, this week churches across the nation have shut their doors and cancelled their services.  We are told not to congregate in groups larger than 10 people and to limit social visits.  At New Hope, we have also cancelled our activities and services for now.  We are not sure how long this will last, so I thought I would give some thoughts on where we go from here and some reminders that are good to keep in mind. This is the first time we have experienced something like this. First, I think it is important to note that a situation like this has not happened in our lifetime, as far as I know.  Your pastor and elders have never led a church through a crisis like this.  So the decisions made are made prayerfully, and we daily seek wisdom from the Lord.  We will strive to lead New Hope according to what we believe is the Lord’s will, and we simply ask for grace and patience from you, our church family. You are the church. Secondly, the church is not closed.  The b