Last January, a woman that was relatively new to The Gathering caught me on a Sunday morning to tell me how meaningful it was for her to serve at one of our Christmas Eve services. She was hesitant to do so at first. It required some extra time, a bit of extra effort, and the rearranging of a few plans – but she said it ended up being the most powerful part of her Christmas. In particular, she got...  Read More

CoreGroup Guide | Simply Christmas - Week 3Guide written by Denee Bowers and Jenny HuffmanWelcomeA simple truth about Christmas…it almost never goes exactly as planned. Things go off the rails and we are forced to deal with things we didn’t see coming. We can respond to these interruptions with stress and frustration, or we can take them as an opportunity to open ourselves up to God and those arou...  Read More

Scripture"As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah,though you are the least significant of Judah’s forces,one who is to be a ruler in Israel on my behalf will come out from you.His origin is from remote times, from ancient days.” - Micah 5:2ReflectionChristmastime is one of my favorite seasons of the year; even before I worked in ministry I would get so excited when stores started decorating and up unti...  Read More

Scripture"Israel, wait for the LORD! Because faithful love is with the LORD; because great redemption is with our God!" - Psalm 130:7ReflectionPsalm 130 isn’t necessarily a feel-good passage of scripture, but it’s an honest one. The writer reflects upon their need for God’s forgiveness, acknowledging that if God kept track of all of the different ways they had screwed up along the way, everybody w...  Read More

Scripture“You are my shelter and my shield—I wait for your promise.” - Psalm 119:114ReflectionHow is God’s hope showing up in everyday life?This question begs to be answered in a personal kind of way. Like a family member who is inrecovery, or God’s provision when there seemed to be none. And while those are exceedinglyhopeful scenarios, the time when I personally feel God’s hope the most is when ...  Read More

Scripture"8 Let me hear what the LORD God says, because he speaks peace to his people and to his faithful ones. Don't let them return to foolish ways.9 God's salvation is very close to those who honor him so that his glory can live in our land.10 Faithful love and truth have met; righteousness and peace have kissed.11 Truth springs up from the ground; righteousness gazes down from heaven.12 Yes, t...  Read More