Every time a preacher steps to the pulpit to bring a message to the people, there surely must be an awareness that someone out there in the congregation is in great need of a message from God which will give strength for the facing of the next days, weeks, months, and even years ahead. The question is not, do you have any burdens, but rather, the main question is “How Do You Face Life’s Trials?” This is what we are going to be thinking about during the next few minutes.

Have you ever heard God call you by your name? Maybe you haven’t heard him with your ears, but have you sensed him calling you in your heart? Today we are thinking on the subject, “When God Calls Your Name.” However God may call you, it can be a wonderful experience, not something to dread or to cause you to be frightened. What is it really like when God calls your name?

Happy Easter to you! The Lord is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! For Christians all around the world, today is a day of celebration of the fact that “we serve a living Savior, who’s in the world today.” Our Bible tells us that when Mary came and found an empty tomb on that Easter morning, that made a big difference in her life. But what about each of us? Does Easter make a difference in our lives? That’s what we’re thinking about for the next few minutes.

On this Palm Sunday we are thinking together about a strong, meaningful symbol which reminds us of what our Lord Jesus went through for us all. This is the symbol of the cross. Each Sunday we provide small metal crosses for our worshippers to take and place in their pocket or purse. Although you as a podcast listener are not personally present with us here at Ocean Lakes, perhaps you have access to a small cross which you wear or keep in your pocket. What does carrying a cross mean to you? Our prayer is that today’s message may add special meaning to this symbol of our faith.

For the past two Sundays we have been looking together at the subject of how God works in our lives. First, we saw how God works in miraculous ways - sometimes. Last Sunday we considered a second way in which God sometimes works - through collaboration with us. Today we are going to move forward and look at yet another way in which God works. We all need to be reminded that our God is a great God, and He can work with us in another very special way - through The Power to Endure. Pray with me now, that our Lord will open our hearts to what He has to say to us.

Last Sunday we looked together at the subject of miracles, and we all concluded (I hope) that this is truly one way in which God works in our lives. The day of miracles is not over. But is this the only way in which He works? Probably not. So today we are going to move forward and look at yet another way in which God works. This is through a big word called “collaboration.” If you’ll stay with us, perhaps you will be reminded that our God is a big God, and He can work with us in another very special way. We’ll try today to discover what that big word means - and how it can be a real blessing.

Last Sunday we examined the idea of trying to explain what we mean when we say that something is “The Will of God.” This statement is usually an attempt to give God credit for all that happens. Yes, God does work in many ways in our lives, and today we are going to make a beginning at looking at several ways in which God works. We trust that this will help us to understand better “How God Works in Our Lives!”

When tragic events happen and we hear about them in the news, how do we respond? Sometimes people, even devoted Christians, respond by saying, “It was God’s will.” When we hear of a senseless murder, a horrible plane crash which takes the lives of many people, or events in nature, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, or wildfires, is it right to say, “It was God’s will.” This is a difficult subject to understand, but we are going to take a close look at it this morning.