Empowered For Love
Based on a message by Joel Wydysh | Aug 16, 2026
6 Minute Read

The word “power” carries a lot of expectations.

Many of us hear that word and immediately think about doing more, accomplishing more, or seeing extraordinary things happen. It is easy to bring those same expectations to the Holy Spirit. We can begin looking for power while missing the relationship He came to give us.

Paul offers a picture that is both larger and deeply personal. In Ephesians 3, he prays that God’s Spirit would strengthen believers so Christ would make His home in their hearts, that they would become rooted in love, and that they would begin to grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ really is. Before Paul speaks about all that God is able to do through His power, he lingers over what God longs to do within us.

Receiving the Father’s Love

Paul’s prayer invites us to slow down and notice where God’s work begins. He asks that we would be strengthened through the Holy Spirit so Christ would dwell in our hearts through faith. As our roots grow deeper into God’s love, our lives become steadier because they are drawing from a source that never runs dry. Paul prays for something deeply personal. He asks God to help people experience the love of Christ, a love so vast that every step with Jesus reveals another glimpse of its beauty.

Romans 5 echoes the same invitation. God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. That image is generous and overflowing. Through Holy Spirit, God’s love fills our hearts. We begin to experience the Father’s love in ways that shape how we see God, ourselves, and the people around us.

Many of us spend a great deal of energy asking God what He wants us to do. Paul begins by praying that we would know the love of Christ for ourselves. God wants His children to know they are deeply loved. As that love settles into our hearts, it begins to appear in the way we respond to people, carry disappointment, extend forgiveness, and live each day. Love received becomes love shared.

Power That Looks Like Jesus

The life of Jesus shows us what God’s power looks like when it is expressed through love.

Jesus healed the sick, calmed storms, delivered people from oppression, multiplied food, and raised the dead. The very same Spirit also empowered Him to wash feet, touch people others avoided, welcome children, forgive His enemies, and surrender Himself to the Father’s will. Every one of those moments revealed the power of God.

That picture stretches our understanding of spiritual power. Holy Spirit gives us courage to forgive when forgiveness feels costly. He gives us grace to tell the truth, humility to listen well, and strength to keep loving when walking away would feel easier. His work reaches into ordinary relationships because that is where the life of Jesus becomes visible.

Many of us ask, “Holy Spirit, what should I do?” There is another question that reaches even deeper.

“Holy Spirit, what does love look like here?”

That single question can change the way we approach a conversation, a disagreement, a difficult decision, or an unexpected interruption. Love may speak. Love may listen. Love may establish a boundary. Love may extend forgiveness. Love may remain present with someone who needs to know they are not alone. Holy Spirit knows what love requires because He knows the heart of the Father.

Learning to Live in His Presence

Jesus often described life with God through simple images that people could recognize. Branches remain connected to a vine. Sheep know the shepherd’s voice. A seed grows over time. Each picture reminds us that life with God grows through relationship.

Paul offers another beautiful picture in Acts 17 when he says, “In Him we live and move and have our being.” God’s presence surrounds our lives more completely than we usually notice. He is never distant, waiting for us to find Him. He is near, inviting us to become aware of the One who already holds our lives together.

Fruit doesn’t suddenly appear because we decide to try harder. Nobody wakes up overflowing with patience because they concentrated hard enough the day before. Jesus compares us to branches connected to a vine because fruit grows wherever His life is flowing. As we remain with Him day after day, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control gradually become part of who we are. They are the evidence of His life at work within us.

As we remain close to Jesus, His life becomes increasingly visible within our own. The fruit of the Spirit grows naturally. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control become visible because His life is becoming visible within ours.

Love in Ordinary Moments

Every day brings countless opportunities to receive and share God’s love. Many of them arrive without fanfare.

It unfolds while raising children, serving coworkers, caring for aging parents, encouraging a friend, responding to disappointment, celebrating good news, or sitting quietly in prayer. Holy Spirit is present in every one of those moments, inviting us to notice the Father’s love and extend that same love to the people around us.

We can spend a long time looking for the extraordinary while God is quietly at work in today’s conversation, today’s decision, and today’s opportunity to love someone well. Instead of measuring faithfulness by dramatic experiences, we begin noticing how God is gently forming our hearts. Holy Spirit meets us there because every part of life matters to God. His love slowly enlarges our capacity to love the people He has placed in front of us.

The ocean offers a beautiful reminder of this steady faithfulness. Waves keep moving toward the shore without stopping. God’s presence carries that same steady movement. He has not stepped away from our lives. He continues meeting us through every season, drawing us deeper into His presence.

Where might His love be inviting you to pay closer attention today? Where have you already seen quiet evidence that He is near?

The Fullness of Life

Ephesians 3 ends with one of Scripture’s most hope filled promises. God is able to accomplish immeasurably beyond what we could ask or imagine through His power at work within us. Those words become even richer when we remember everything Paul has prayed beforehand. He longs for people whose lives are rooted in God’s love, filled with the presence of Christ, and shaped by the Holy Spirit from the inside out.

The invitation reaches every one of us.

God continues pouring His love into human hearts through His Spirit. As we receive that love, our lives gradually become places where others can encounter His kindness, His grace, His patience, and His hope. This is the beautiful work the Spirit delights to do. He empowers us for love, and through that love He continues making us more like Jesus.

One of the clearest demonstrations of the Holy Spirit’s power is a life that has become secure in the Father’s love. As His love fills us, we become increasingly free to love the people Jesus loves with the same grace, patience, and compassion He has shown us. That is the beautiful work of the Spirit, and it is a work He continues every day.

Empowered for Love

Join us as Joel shares how the Holy Spirit strengthens us from within, rooting our lives in the love of Christ and shaping us to reflect Jesus every day. Through Ephesians 3 and Romans 5, we discover that God’s love is not something we earn but something He pours into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. As we become secure in the Father’s love, our lives begin to grow in patience, forgiveness, humility, and compassion.


Joel explores Paul’s prayer for the church, inviting us into a life of everyday discipleship where prayer, Scripture, and an awareness of the Holy Spirit become daily rhythms. God’s power is already at work within His people, forming hearts that know they are loved and helping us love others with the same grace we have received. As we walk with Jesus, our lives become a quiet reflection of His presence in the world.


📖 In This Video, We Chat About:

• How the Holy Spirit strengthens us from the inside out

• What it means to be rooted in the love of Christ

• How God’s love shapes our everyday relationships

• Living with a growing awareness of the Holy Spirit


🙏 Join us on this journey as we learn to follow Jesus in our everyday life. This is for anyone looking to deepen their faith or find some answers. This message gives a fresh view on understanding God’s love and His plans for us.


• Uncover how the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with the love of God.

• Recognize how God’s love brings security, hope, and strength for everyday life.

• Learn practical rhythms that help you remain close to Jesus through prayer and Scripture.


💡 Highlights of the Sermon:

• The Holy Spirit roots us deeply in the love of Christ.

• God’s love shapes our character and everyday relationships.

• Jesus forms His life within us as we walk with Him each day.


If you’d like to support what God is doing through Summerside Community Church, prayerfully consider giving through the link below. Your generosity helps share the hope of Jesus here in Summerside PEI and beyond.

Joel Wydysh • 8/16/2026
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From this Author: Joel Wydysh
September 1, 2026 • 1 Minute Read
Connect Sunday
At SCC, Connect Groups are where Christ-centered community grows. These small gatherings offer space to share life—through prayer, Scripture, meals, encouragement, and care. They’re a place to walk together in every season, where friendships grow and faith is strengthened. Let’s do life together. Find your place to connect Connect Sunday · October 4 Following the 10:00 AM service Connect Groups are one of the ways relationships grow at SCC. They create space to share life, grow in faith, discover common interests, care for one another, and find meaningful ways to serve. On October 4, Connect Sunday will give you a chance to explore the different kinds of groups available this fall and meet some of the people leading them. You may already know exactly what you’re looking for, or you may simply be curious about where you could connect. What could connection look like for you? Connect Sunday is a chance to find out. Meet group leaders, ask questions, explore the possibilities, and find a group that fits the season you’re in. Ready to explore now? The complete Connect Group collection is available on the Digital Hub.Connect Groups

Joel Wydysh

Pastor of Community and Connections

August 30, 2026 • 6 Minute Read
Around the Bend
Most of us would probably like a little advance notice from God. A glimpse around the corner would be helpful. A few details about where a decision will lead, some reassurance that the thing we sensed Him inviting us into will unfold the way we imagined. We can pray, listen carefully, take a step of faith, and quietly begin forming a picture of what our yes will look like. Then the road turns. Plans can change in ways we never saw coming, leaving us to watch an opportunity disappear or something we prepared for move forward without us. We may find ourselves somewhere entirely different from where we thought we were headed, wondering how a path that once felt so clear could have taken such an unexpected turn. Those moments can bring honest questions to the surface. Did I hear God correctly? Did I misunderstand? What am I supposed to do now? The Psalms describe God’s Word as “a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path” Psalm 119:105 A lamp gives enough light to take the next step. There is a tenderness in that image because it describes a life of trust, one step illuminated at a time, with God close enough to lead us as we go. When the Plan Changes A heart prepared to serve can keep saying yes when the destination changes. We may sense God leading us in a particular direction and begin preparing ourselves for what lies ahead. Then circumstances shift, and the opportunity we expected takes a different turn. Questions naturally come with that. Did I hear God correctly? Was all that preparation leading somewhere? Those questions can become a place of deeper trust. God may be forming something in us before we understand where it will be needed. The willingness, compassion, courage, patience, or generosity growing in our hearts can become part of His work in a setting we never anticipated. This gives us a different way to hold our plans. Open hands leave room for God to guide the outcome while we continue offering Him our yes. The path may turn, and the work He has been doing within us continues into whatever comes next. Where might God already be using something He has been forming in you? God Is Already There Learning to live attentively with Holy Spirit can change the way we move through ordinary places, as the people and needs around us begin to hold our attention differently. A walk through the neighbourhood might draw us into prayer for the families who live there, while a practical need can invite us to serve or an unexpected conversation can help us notice the story another person is carrying. As our attention turns toward God, we begin to recognize more of what He may already be doing around us and how we might participate with Him. Prayer is part of that attentiveness. Romans 8 tells us that the Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes according to the will of God. When we pray for another person, a family, a school, a workplace, or a community, we are joining a conversation God has already begun. His care was present before the need caught our attention, and His Spirit is already at work in places we may only be beginning to notice. That can make prayer wonderfully simple, because the places we already move through can become places where we notice what is on God’s heart. A walk through the neighbourhood might draw our attention toward the families who live there, passing a school might prompt us to pray for students and teachers, and a conversation might stay with us long enough to become a prayer later in the day. These small moments invite us to stay attentive to Holy Spirit as we move through everyday life. And as we pay attention, compassion can become increasingly personal. Jesus consistently saw the whole person in front of Him. Throughout the Gospels, He draws near to people carrying complicated stories and receives them with dignity and compassion. Following Him teaches us to look with that same kind of care, allowing another person’s humanity to matter to us. Our own stories can become part of this too. Experiences that have marked us may deepen our ability to recognize pain, loneliness, fear, or hope in someone else. What we have lived through can open our eyes to people we might otherwise have passed by, giving compassion somewhere tangible to go. Who has been coming into view lately? Where might Holy Spirit be inviting you to pay closer attention? Walking Humbly With God Micah gives beautifully ordinary language to this kind of life: “to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” - Micah 6:8 Walking with God happens in actual places among actual people. We listen as we go, allowing mercy to become part of our responses and obedience to take form through the choices in front of us. A few quiet minutes with Jesus, a prayer offered while walking down the street, practical help when someone needs it, or an unexpected opportunity to care can all become places where faith takes root in everyday life. There is a steady companionship in Micah’s picture. We walk with God through plans and interruptions, familiar routines and unexpected turns. We keep learning His voice and becoming attentive to His presence, trusting that He is already at work beyond what we can see. Over time, the truths we have carried in our minds begin to become part of the way we live. As we keep trusting God, learning to see people as Jesus sees them, and bringing the people and places around us into prayer, trust and compassion begin to take deeper root in our everyday lives. And step by step, we discover that life with Holy Spirit can happen right where we are. Around the Bend We rarely know what waits around the bend. God does. He sees the family member who will need our care, the stranger whose story will touch something in our own, the neighbourhood that needs prayer, the unexpected interruption that will become an opportunity to serve. He sees the ordinary moments where a quiet yes will become part of something much larger than we can see. That gives us room to loosen our grip on the map. We can ask Jesus what He is doing here, in this place, with these people, in the life directly in front of us. We can carry our plans with open hands and trust that the God who has been faithful behind us is already present ahead of us. And when the road turns, we can keep walking with Him.Empowered For Love

Joel Wydysh

Pastor of Community and Connections

August 23, 2026 • 6 Minute Read
What Feels Like Home?
“Welcome home.” Those words carry a quiet warmth. They speak of a place where the door opens easily, where your presence is wanted, and where you can settle without wondering if you belong. Home gathers memories over time through shared meals, familiar voices, ordinary laughter, and the comfort of being known. Jesus uses this deeply human language to help us understand the life he shares with us. Home Comes Close In John 14, Jesus is speaking with friends whose world is becoming uncertain. They sense that change is coming, and their questions reveal how little they understand about where he is going. Jesus speaks peace to their troubled hearts and invites them to trust him. He tells them there is plenty of room in his Father’s house, and he promises that they will always be with him. Thomas responds with the honesty many of us carry: “We have no idea where you are going. So how can we know the way?” Jesus gives Thomas himself as the answer. “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). The way home is found in a living relationship with Jesus, where trust grows through knowing him and receiving the life he gives. As the conversation continues, the language of home comes even closer. Jesus says that the Father and the Son will come and make their home with those who love him (John 14:23). The word translated as “home” carries the sense of dwelling, staying, and remaining. Jesus is describing the settled presence of God within a person’s life. This is where the promise of Holy Spirit becomes especially beautiful. Jesus tells his disciples that the Spirit will live with them and within them. God’s presence, once associated with places such as the tabernacle and the temple, will now dwell in human hearts. Through Holy Spirit, the life of the Father and the Son becomes present within ordinary people living ordinary days. For anyone whose experience of home has carried disappointment or hurt, Jesus offers a faithful welcome. He brings the steady care of the Father into the places where trust has felt difficult. He comes with patience, giving us room to learn his voice and become familiar with his presence. What might begin to change as your heart learns that God has drawn near and chosen to stay? Learning to Remain In John 15, Jesus gives his friends another picture. He describes himself as the vine and his people as the branches, then says, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you” - John 15:4 A branch receives life through its connection to the vine. Fruit grows gradually as life continues to flow through that connection, often quietly and beyond what the eye can see. Remaining in Jesus can look wonderfully ordinary. It happens as we turn our attention toward him during a difficult conversation, remember his words while making a decision, or invite him into the thoughts that keep circling through our minds. It happens around kitchen tables, during the drive to work, and in the pause before we respond to someone we love. Each moment becomes another opportunity to live from his presence. Where has your attention been living lately? Our attention often reveals where we have been making ourselves at home. Jesus welcomes us to return to him as often as needed, bringing our questions, distractions, hopes, and unfinished thoughts. Every return helps us recognize his presence with greater ease. The Shape of Fruit As we remain connected to Jesus, his presence guides how we carry our gifts and who we are becoming. Spiritual gifts reveal the generosity of God working through a person, while spiritual fruit reveals the character of Jesus growing within that person. Paul places his teaching about love at the centre of his discussion about spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 through 14. Love gives every gift its healthy shape and helps it become a source of grace for others. Teaching carried with gentleness helps people feel safe enough to learn. Leadership joined with patience creates room for others to grow. Discernment expressed through kindness brings clarity with care, while generosity rooted in love helps people flourish without becoming a project. Holy Spirit forms the character of Jesus within us so that what we offer carries the heart of the One who gave it. “The fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.” - Galatians 5:22–23 These qualities reveal what the life of Jesus looks like as it takes root in a human heart. They grow through days of abiding, returning, listening, and learning to trust. Over time, the people around us begin to experience his patience in our responses, his kindness in our words, and his peace in the way we carry uncertainty. Fruit also gives us a gentle way to pay attention to what God is forming within us. Is what you are learning about God making you humbler and easier to correct? Is your prayer life helping you become gentler with the people nearest to you? Is your desire for truth growing alongside patience and compassion? These questions create space to notice the quiet work Holy Spirit may already be doing. A Shared History With Jesus A home becomes meaningful through the life shared within it. Certain rooms hold memories because conversations happened there, tears were received there, and laughter filled the space. Our life with Jesus grows in a similar way. We begin to remember the morning he gave us peace, the season when his words steadied us, and the meal where his presence seemed especially near. These shared moments become part of our history with him. They remind us that Jesus has been present through changing seasons and that his Spirit continues to make the love of the Father known. Even the ache we feel when our attention wanders can become a quiet call toward home. Jesus keeps welcoming us into the communion he has already opened. Perhaps there is room today to linger with him for a few unhurried minutes. You might bring him the part of your heart that feels crowded, tired, or far away and allow his presence to meet you there. You might simply pray, “Jesus, make your home in me, and teach me to remain in you.” As we stay connected to Jesus, his life continues to grow within us. Love finds expression through the gifts he has entrusted to us, and everyday moments become places where others encounter his grace. Holy Spirit patiently forms a life that carries the character of Christ. The door is open. Jesus has made the way, and his welcome remains. Welcome home.Empowered For Love

Joel Wydysh

Pastor of Community and Connections

Currently Reading
August 16, 2026 • 7 Minute Read
Empowered For Love
The word “power” carries a lot of expectations. Many of us hear that word and immediately think about doing more, accomplishing more, or seeing extraordinary things happen. It is easy to bring those same expectations to the Holy Spirit. We can begin looking for power while missing the relationship He came to give us. Paul offers a picture that is both larger and deeply personal. In Ephesians 3, he prays that God’s Spirit would strengthen believers so Christ would make His home in their hearts, that they would become rooted in love, and that they would begin to grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ really is. Before Paul speaks about all that God is able to do through His power, he lingers over what God longs to do within us. Receiving the Father’s Love Paul’s prayer invites us to slow down and notice where God’s work begins. He asks that we would be strengthened through the Holy Spirit so Christ would dwell in our hearts through faith. As our roots grow deeper into God’s love, our lives become steadier because they are drawing from a source that never runs dry. Paul prays for something deeply personal. He asks God to help people experience the love of Christ, a love so vast that every step with Jesus reveals another glimpse of its beauty. Romans 5 echoes the same invitation. God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. That image is generous and overflowing. Through Holy Spirit, God’s love fills our hearts. We begin to experience the Father’s love in ways that shape how we see God, ourselves, and the people around us. Many of us spend a great deal of energy asking God what He wants us to do. Paul begins by praying that we would know the love of Christ for ourselves. God wants His children to know they are deeply loved. As that love settles into our hearts, it begins to appear in the way we respond to people, carry disappointment, extend forgiveness, and live each day. Love received becomes love shared. Power That Looks Like Jesus The life of Jesus shows us what God’s power looks like when it is expressed through love. Jesus healed the sick, calmed storms, delivered people from oppression, multiplied food, and raised the dead. The very same Spirit also empowered Him to wash feet, touch people others avoided, welcome children, forgive His enemies, and surrender Himself to the Father’s will. Every one of those moments revealed the power of God. That picture stretches our understanding of spiritual power. Holy Spirit gives us courage to forgive when forgiveness feels costly. He gives us grace to tell the truth, humility to listen well, and strength to keep loving when walking away would feel easier. His work reaches into ordinary relationships because that is where the life of Jesus becomes visible. Many of us ask, “Holy Spirit, what should I do?” There is another question that reaches even deeper. “Holy Spirit, what does love look like here?” That single question can change the way we approach a conversation, a disagreement, a difficult decision, or an unexpected interruption. Love may speak. Love may listen. Love may establish a boundary. Love may extend forgiveness. Love may remain present with someone who needs to know they are not alone. Holy Spirit knows what love requires because He knows the heart of the Father. Learning to Live in His Presence Jesus often described life with God through simple images that people could recognize. Branches remain connected to a vine. Sheep know the shepherd’s voice. A seed grows over time. Each picture reminds us that life with God grows through relationship. Paul offers another beautiful picture in Acts 17 when he says, “In Him we live and move and have our being.” God’s presence surrounds our lives more completely than we usually notice. He is never distant, waiting for us to find Him. He is near, inviting us to become aware of the One who already holds our lives together. Fruit doesn’t suddenly appear because we decide to try harder. Nobody wakes up overflowing with patience because they concentrated hard enough the day before. Jesus compares us to branches connected to a vine because fruit grows wherever His life is flowing. As we remain with Him day after day, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control gradually become part of who we are. They are the evidence of His life at work within us. As we remain close to Jesus, His life becomes increasingly visible within our own. The fruit of the Spirit grows naturally. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control become visible because His life is becoming visible within ours. Love in Ordinary Moments Every day brings countless opportunities to receive and share God’s love. Many of them arrive without fanfare. It unfolds while raising children, serving coworkers, caring for aging parents, encouraging a friend, responding to disappointment, celebrating good news, or sitting quietly in prayer. Holy Spirit is present in every one of those moments, inviting us to notice the Father’s love and extend that same love to the people around us. We can spend a long time looking for the extraordinary while God is quietly at work in today’s conversation, today’s decision, and today’s opportunity to love someone well. Instead of measuring faithfulness by dramatic experiences, we begin noticing how God is gently forming our hearts. Holy Spirit meets us there because every part of life matters to God. His love slowly enlarges our capacity to love the people He has placed in front of us. The ocean offers a beautiful reminder of this steady faithfulness. Waves keep moving toward the shore without stopping. God’s presence carries that same steady movement. He has not stepped away from our lives. He continues meeting us through every season, drawing us deeper into His presence. Where might His love be inviting you to pay closer attention today? Where have you already seen quiet evidence that He is near? The Fullness of Life Ephesians 3 ends with one of Scripture’s most hope filled promises. God is able to accomplish immeasurably beyond what we could ask or imagine through His power at work within us. Those words become even richer when we remember everything Paul has prayed beforehand. He longs for people whose lives are rooted in God’s love, filled with the presence of Christ, and shaped by the Holy Spirit from the inside out. The invitation reaches every one of us. God continues pouring His love into human hearts through His Spirit. As we receive that love, our lives gradually become places where others can encounter His kindness, His grace, His patience, and His hope. This is the beautiful work the Spirit delights to do. He empowers us for love, and through that love He continues making us more like Jesus. One of the clearest demonstrations of the Holy Spirit’s power is a life that has become secure in the Father’s love. As His love fills us, we become increasingly free to love the people Jesus loves with the same grace, patience, and compassion He has shown us. That is the beautiful work of the Spirit, and it is a work He continues every day.Empowered For Love

Joel Wydysh

Pastor of Community and Connections

August 9, 2026 • 7 Minute Read
Living with the Holy Spirit Every Day
One of the most remarkable things about the life of Jesus is how present He was. He gave His full attention to the person standing in front of Him while never losing sight of the Father. Every conversation, every act of compassion, every hard truth, and every quiet moment flowed from that ongoing relationship. His life reveals what humanity looks like when it is completely at home with God. Jesus never presented that life as something beyond our reach. He promised Holy Spirit would dwell with His people, making communion with God part of everyday life. The relationship Jesus enjoyed with the Father becomes the pattern for the life He now shares with us. Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus describes that relationship in beautifully simple ways. He does what He sees the Father doing. He speaks what the Father gives Him to say. He knows He is never alone because the Father is with Him. Even as the people around Him change from one moment to the next, His communion with the Father remains steady. That steady communion shaped everything. Peter could misunderstand Him. Religious leaders could challenge Him. Judas could betray Him. Crowds could celebrate Him one day and reject Him the next. None of those moments became the centre of His life because His awareness of the Father came first. Every response grew out of that relationship. Jesus knew the Father was always at work. That confidence did not begin with Him. It has always been woven through God’s story. That confidence runs throughout Scripture. Joseph eventually looked back over years of betrayal and suffering and could say, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” His brothers made real choices, yet God’s purpose never disappeared beneath them. Centuries later, Isaiah expressed that same confidence: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand” (Isaiah 14:24). From beginning to end, Scripture reveals a God whose purposes continue unfolding through lives that are still being formed. That perspective changes how we experience everyday life. The people around us still matter and our circumstances remain real. Yet they no longer have the final word because Holy Spirit is continually at work, drawing people toward Jesus, shaping hearts, and revealing the Father’s presence in places we might otherwise overlook. Keeping in Step Paul captures this way of living with a simple phrase: “Keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). It is a picture of relationship that grows over time. Walking in step with someone is never accomplished by watching your own feet. You become aware of their pace, their movement, and the direction they are taking. Before long, your steps begin to match theirs. That was the image Paul chose because life with Holy Spirit is deeply personal. He is not asking us to become more disciplined or simply try harder. He is inviting us to walk with the One who is already present. As we learn His ways, our lives begin to move in rhythm with His. Jesus lived this way every day. His responses flowed from communion with the Father rather than from the emotions of the moment. Peter’s misunderstanding did not define His response. Judas’ betrayal did not determine His actions. Even the crowds could not pull Him away from the Father’s purposes. He remained anchored because He continually returned to the Father’s presence. Our lives are shaped in much the same way. Every conversation becomes an opportunity to notice where Holy Spirit is leading. Every interruption becomes a chance to trust that God is already at work. Even the moments that test our patience can become places where we learn to respond from communion with Jesus instead of simply reacting to what is happening around us. Keeping in step is learned over a lifetime. As we continue walking with Jesus, Holy Spirit patiently forms new habits within us, gently teaching us to see people, circumstances, and even ourselves through the Father’s heart. The Footing We Need Jesus promised His followers they would never walk alone. Before returning to the Father, He spoke about sending Holy Spirit to be with them and within them. The New Testament uses the word Paraclete, a name that carries the beautiful picture of One who comes alongside. Depending on the passage, it is translated as Helper, Advocate, Comforter, or Counsellor. Each word reveals something of God’s faithful presence. The word Paraclete has often been compared to a pair of cleats. Cleats do not run the race, yet they provide the traction needed to keep moving when the ground becomes uncertain. They help a runner keep their footing, stay balanced, and continue in the direction they were already headed. Holy Spirit works in much the same way. He does not remove every obstacle from our path, yet He faithfully comes alongside us, helping us remain grounded in Christ when life feels unsteady. Disappointment, uncertainty, and temptation still appear along the journey, but they no longer have to determine where our next step will lead. That is why Jesus could remain so steady. He lived in continual communion with the Father, and every step flowed from that relationship. Holy Spirit now forms that same kind of life within us, gently helping us keep our footing and continue walking in the way of Jesus, even when the path feels difficult. Living with His Presence Living with Holy Spirit begins with a simple awareness that God is already near. Jesus never instructed His followers to search for someone who had gone missing. He promised that Holy Spirit would dwell with them. The invitation is to become increasingly aware of the One who has never stopped being present. That awareness quietly changes the way we move through the day. A difficult conversation becomes an opportunity to pause before responding. A disappointing moment becomes an opportunity to ask what God might be doing beneath the surface. Decisions are no longer carried by our own understanding alone because we are learning to walk with the One who sees far more than we do. Paul described this as praying continually. He was not encouraging constant words as much as a life lived in ongoing communion with God. Prayer becomes a conversation woven through ordinary moments. It continues while driving to work, sharing a meal, making a difficult decision, or celebrating unexpected joy. Communion with God becomes the place from which we live. One simple prayer can help cultivate that awareness: “Jesus, what do You want me to know right now?” There is no pressure to have every answer before asking the question. Sometimes He brings peace. Sometimes He gently reshapes our perspective. Sometimes He reminds us of a truth we had forgotten. Over time, that simple practice helps us become more attentive to His presence and more confident that He is already at work. Living with Holy Spirit every day grows from that kind of relationship. As we continue walking with Jesus, we discover that His presence is steady through every season. The Father is still accomplishing His purposes, Holy Spirit is still at work, and each step becomes another opportunity to walk in communion with the One who has been with us all along.Living with the Holy Spirit Every Day

Joel Wydysh

Pastor of Community and Connections

July 30, 2026 • 1 Minute Read
Men's Fire Update
A fire worth coming back to Life asks a lot of a man. There are responsibilities to carry, people depending on you, decisions to make, and a constant pull to keep moving. Every so often, it’s worth stepping away from the noise to spend an evening with men who understand the journey. Our Men’s Fires are a place to strengthen one another, share what God is doing, and be reminded that courage, faith, and brotherhood are built over time. Around the fire, you’ll find honest conversations, genuine friendships, and men committed to helping each other follow Jesus well. Our next Men’s Fire is Saturday, August 15 at 7:00 pm. Location: Dock area - Sunrise Drive - Granville on the Water subdivision. Bring a lawn chair and join us around the fire.

Joel Wydysh

Pastor of Community and Connections

January 18, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
Who Told You That?
There are stories we tell ourselves when no one else is around. A hurtful word from the past can linger, slowly becoming something we carry, something we begin to identify with. Over time, it turns into a voice that never really stops speaking. We repeat those words often enough that they start to feel true, shaping how we see ourselves and the world around us. Most of the time, we do not pause to notice those messages. We simply live with them and keep moving forward. Those stories settle in quietly. They do not arrive with warning or demand attention. They become part of the background of our inner life, woven into the way we think and move through the world. Before we realize it, they feel familiar and trustworthy. They sound reasonable. Earned. They comment on our choices, our pace, our worth. They show up when the house finally goes quiet or when the day has asked more than we had to give. Over time, they begin to feel like truth simply because they have been around for so long. Scripture takes us back to the beginning, to a garden where God walked closely with humanity. There was trust there. Ease. A shared life. Then another voice entered the story, and something shifted. Hiding replaced openness. Fear replaced peace. God’s first words were not sharp or hurried. They came as a gentle question. Where are you? And then another. Who told you that? It is a striking moment. God does not rush to correction. He does not begin with consequences. He pauses and draws attention to the source of the story Adam and Eve are suddenly living inside. A voice that had named something God never named. Nakedness. Fear. A sense of being exposed and lacking. That question still carries weight. Who told you that you were not enough? Who told you that you should be further along by now? Who told you that your weakness disqualifies you? Some voices speak loudly. Others hum steadily in the background, shaping how we see ourselves without ever raising their volume. Shame has a way of repeating itself until it feels factual. Fear learns our patterns and meets us right on time. Achievement keeps score and rarely lets us rest. God does not confirm those voices. He questions them. There is something tender in the way God responds in the garden. Adam and Eve try to cover themselves, and God steps in to cover them himself. Care comes before direction. Presence comes before repair. God meets them in vulnerability and prepares them for what comes next. That posture has not changed. Jesus later speaks about a shepherd whose sheep recognize his voice. Recognition grows through relationship. It comes from walking together, from learning the sound of love and truth over time. The sheep do not analyze the voice. They know it. Many of us want clarity, yet we live surrounded by noise. The invitation is not to strive harder but to slow down enough to notice what we are already listening to. To become curious about the stories shaping our inner life. To bring those stories into the light of God’s presence. Sometimes listening to Jesus feels like relief. Sometimes it feels like being named rightly again. Sometimes it is simply the quiet assurance that you are seen and known. God still asks gentle questions. Not to shame us, but to bring us home. Where are you right now? What voice has been explaining you to you? Does that voice sound like Jesus? There is space to pause here. Space to listen. Space to let the voice that calls you by name rise above the rest. And when other voices speak, you can ask the same question God once asked in the garden. Who told you that? Then wait. He is still speaking.Who Told You That?

Joel Wydysh

Pastor of Community and Connections