Heartland Community Church THE JOURNEY Humility and Judgement by Lisa Zulke Today took me back to when I was acutely aware of my mistakes and the weight of my need for grace and forgiveness. The canyon between me and following Jesus seemed too far to cross. One particular teaching had struck me like lightning and washed over me like a soothing, cleansing rain. I stepped out in fear to learn more about this Jesus and the hope he could bring. My first attempts at finding him were a mixed bag, as I bumped into Christians who felt the need to judge and condemn me. Ironically, at th ..read more

Heartland Community Church THE JOURNEY Jesus and Money by Allison Antrim In American culture, we are way past the practice of carving idols and bowing down to them. Yet we have never stopped looking to things other than God to save us. Money might be the number one thing that people believe will save them. Money can be very helpfull; it can improve life and bring us some measure of happiness. But like Brad pointed out, it also can cause dissatisfaction and ruin if we place it on the throne of our hearts as our lord and savior. According to Jesus, we must choose between serving ..read more

Heartland Community Church THE JOURNEY Enough of Worry, for Today by Shelly Huston I’m listening to “Fires” by Jordan St. Cyr this morning, as it speaks to portions of my life and possibly yours. “I remember how you told me that life may not be easy, and everything I need you’ve already given me. I remember how you told me, I can trust you completely, so why am I doubting when you’ve proved that you fight for me. You’ve walked me through fires, pulled me from flames.  If you’re in this with me I won’t be afraid…” As I live with the beatitudes, I’ve learned that I trust him ..read more

Heartland Community Church THE JOURNEY The Victory Before the Battle by Chris Woodward We all love the moment when victory is sealed; the wideout crosses the goal line on the final play, the last strike sails past the bat, and the sound of leather thumps through our ears. When the net dances as the last shot rips through. At that moment, our hearts pound in anticipation of a life-changing experience. For some, it is the last pen stroke on a deal that has taken months to put together; for others, it is the sweet kiss of a newborn. No matter how we measure victory in this time an ..read more

Heartland Community Church THE JOURNEY Deliver Us by Molly Fisher When Jesus teaches us how to pray, He ends His prayer by saying, “Deliver us from evil/the evil one.” The MSG version is “Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.” It’s not just the devil that is evil, though he is. We live in a sinful, fallen world, and it’s in us, too. Jeremiah, an Old Testament prophet, reminds us that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick, who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) I love listening to true crime podcasts and learning how crimes are solved, but sometime ..read more

Heartland Community Church THE JOURNEY Forgiveness by Lisa Zulke I am… Forgiven. Free. Released. Burden lifted. Heart forward. Mind clear. Spirit rising. As I receive the gift I am free to give it to others. Spirits rising. Minds clear. Hearts forward. Burdens lifted. Imagine a world so filled with grace. Released. Free. Forgiven. We are…   [Monday, March 18] Matthew 6:12, 14-15 This appeal to God in the Lord’s prayer is challenging…it requires that I have forgiven those who have sinned against or wronged me. This week, let’s each take some quiet time with God, inviting hi ..read more

Heartland Community Church THE JOURNEY Just Ask by Lisa Zulke Breath. Deep, lung-filling breath. That has been my daily bread for the past week. I’m training for an endurance race, and I have a lung condition. Both things are true. One mostly doesn’t get in the way of the other—until my left lung stops exchanging properly. I started my long run last Saturday, tired and sluggish. Listening to the signals, I turned back early and chalked it up to travel and long days exploring with friends. Then, I woke up with a whistling crackle in my chest. Lovely. This is not part of my train ..read more

Heartland Community Church THE JOURNEY The Power of Prayer by Shelly Huston At times, Jesus separated himself from the crowd, and even his beloved disciples, to go into the mountains to pray. It was the best place to have a private conversation with his Father. Sometimes, I must consciously step away from what’s happening and focus on my Father. When I think about the myriad of times he’s literally saved my life or the life of someone I was praying for, brought healing, kept us from harm, and helped keep my mind calm in crisis, it’s easy to “enter into His gates with thanksgivi ..read more

Heartland Community Church THE JOURNEY How NOT To Pray by Molly Fisher Prayer! Is there anything easier and harder? Completely understood and completely misunderstood? How do I pray? What do I pray? Does prayer make a difference? Pray for my enemies? Really? Even the disciples, who walked with Jesus and saw all he did, asked Jesus to “teach us to pray” in Luke 11:1. We have so much to learn about prayer, which I will always be learning about. In this section of Matthew, I appreciated Kristin’s analogy to being a beginning runner – there are things to NOT do in running and praye ..read more

Heartland Community Church THE JOURNEY Running into battle…without a rifle On October 12, 1945, President Harry Truman awarded the Medal of Honor to a most unlikely recipient: Army medic PFC Desmond Doss. Deeply religious, Doss was a pacifist—he didn’t believe in violence and chose not to bear arms. His beliefs and the job he held when WWII began qualified him for a draft exemption, but he declined it and instead enlisted in the Army Medical Corps as a conscientious objector. His conscientious objector status and refusal to handle duties on Saturdays (when he observed the sabba ..read more