Has life got you down?  Are you in a place you don’t want to be?  Join us and find hope in your troubled time.  Sitting in a dark Roman prison cell, Paul writes of hope and joy.  We’ll discover solid biblical principles from the New Testament book of Philippians to help us:  Enjoy the People in our Lives, Dump Discouragement, Conquer the Urge to Complain, Gain Confidence, and Reduce Stress. No matter where you are, you can have Hope Again.

 Picture a baby, rested, fed, and lying in his mother’s arms. Looking down with unspeakable love into those precious eyes, Mommy begins to talk to her son and gently strokes his cheek, evoking a sudden smile.

Or imagine a two best friends recalling all the great times they have shared in the past year. One story in particular leads to sudden giggling then both are soon laughing hysterically.

That’s joy, contentment, security, and hope for those relationships to continue grow.

But joy and hope can also be discovered in the pain and struggles of life—in a hospital bed, knowing that the Lord stands near; at the unemployment office, knowing that God will provide for all your needs and at a funeral, knowing, through tears, that your loved one now lives with God. True hope runs deep and strong, flowing from confident assurance in God’s loving control. Regardless of your life’s situation, you can find hope and joy in Christ.

Hope dominates the to the believers at Philippi.  The verses radiate the positive, triumphant message that because of Christ’s work for us and because of God’s plan for us we can have lasting hope.  As we discover Paul’s letter from prison to his beloved friends in Philippi, you will realize all that you possess in Christ, and find your hope in him.

On a personal note, this is one of my favorite books in the bible, which also contains my favorite verse. In high school when I began reading my bible on my own, I found the little book of Philippians with only 4 chapters to be so meaningful!  I highlighted almost every line.  Every time I would come back to it, it was full of verses that screamed out to me “Memorize me”! “Meditate on me!” “Apply me to your life!”  I have multiple verses memorized from each chapter & I hope you can too!  When I mentioned to Niki, that we would be studying Philippians she said, “if I were to memorize one book of the bible this one would be it.”

I’m so excited to begin a 6-week journey through this little book with all of you. Perhaps you’ve had a quick read through Philippians, or perhaps you’ve latched on to some key verses that have greatly impacted you or perhaps you have never encountered the powerful spiritual truth in this letter. However, much exposure you’ve had to it – I pray that God will use this study to bring lasting change to your everyday experience, and that you will experience for yourself the true hope found in this book.

I hope you can join us Sunday,

Darrell

www.RidgeFellowship.com