This week, January 18, 2026 at The Brook Church
Sunday Mornings at 10am
SUNDAYS: Teaching series through the book of ACTS.
Listen/Watch the latest Message from 1/11/26 Unstoppable: Resources- The Church. Acts 20:1-16
If I were to ask you to list off the top10 most infuential people in your life, who would they be? Of course, we would probably say, Jesus, our parents, a spouse or relative...But If you are a believer, somewhere on that list would be a person who impacted you the most spiritually, maybe a Pastor or a spiritual mentor...You might call this person a Faithful Shepherd, a person who took seriously the call we all have to make disciples.
Join us this Sunday, Jan 18, 2026 -10am, at The Brook Church, as we consider the characteritics of a faithful shepherd and how we might fulfll Jesus command to make disciples in a Message Titled Unstoppable: Resources- Faithful Shepherds from Acts 20. Invite a friend.
Failure??
"For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again…" -Proverbs 24:16
As we are midway through the first month of our New Year, I think its safe to assume that many of our well-intended New Years resolutions have unfortunately already begun to wane. What we started out in with great zeal and determination has now been put to the test of time.
By now, perhaps we’ve missed a few commitments, we didn’t keep on schedule, we failed to follow through, and the hope of success is starting to fade. Maybe you resolved to read all the way through The Bible in a year, you started in Genesis and your left off somewhere in Exodus, and now your bible is beginning to collect dust while the TV remote is getting more and more use.
Maybe you resolved to pray more, to get involved in a bible study or perhaps to break some habit, but the challenge is proving to be too much!
It’s at moments like this that I find great encouragement in the words of Solomon, he reminds us that the righteous man is not one who never falls, but is one who when he falls, keeps trying. Even though he’s down, and it seems that he may-as-well give up, instead, he gets up and continues on. Failure is not falling down, it’s staying down. No one is defeated until they give up!
Babe Ruth never gave up when struck out 1,330 times in his career, he kept swinging.
Abraham Lincoln never gave up when twice failed in business and lost 8 major political campaigns.
George Muller never gave up praying for the salvation of 5 of his closest friends and after 52 years every one of them had come to faith.
I am reminded of the Olympian Harold Abrahams, who suffered his first defeat in the 1924 Olympic games. After the race he sat alone, pouting in the bleachers. He said to his girlfriend, “if I can’t win, I won’t run” to which she wisely replied, “if you don’t run, you can’t win” Abrahams did not give up, but went on to win the Gold metal.
Perhaps you have experienced a set back or a failure? you find your commitment fading? Don’t give up, but keep going. We will never succeed if we don’t, and with Gods strength and help we will!
- Pastor Rick