Author: James Paulgaard

Living in the in between, becoming, but not quite there yet, old and new mixed together, hanging on with all my might to the One who is holding onto me.

From Frustration to Freedom


Our lowest points, our pits of frustration and our valley of despair, those moments when we feel most like throwing our hands in the air and giving up, can be the moments when we finally fully turn the situation over to God. And then he steps in and starts to make things work out for good with his mighty power.

Encountering the Holy in the Ordinary


… God chooses to work through human weakness because that is what we need to happen for us to realize that it is actually God who is doing the really good things all along. Confronted with the realization that God is actually the One who is making the good things happen in this world, our internal compass shifts from a self-centered focus, which is our natural bent, to a Yahweh-centered focus, and our eyes open up to see the rich, full, abundant life that we have in and with him.

Back to the Garden


…Jesus is taking us back to the Garden, where all wrongs will be made right, all brokenness will be healed, and we will get to live in the presence of God, loving, serving and praising him forever.

The Journey of Faith


We have an incredible God who chooses unlikely people to do incredible things for him. But there really is no risk in choosing to follow God because he is the one who makes all things work out for good in the end.

In the Beginning


This message from Genesis reflects on the creation and the unique nature of humanity. It discusses the struggle for meaning and the need for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and transformation. The story of a survivor finding peace through faith and community after a tragic accident is shared. The message emphasizes seeing life through God’s eyes for a richer, abundant life.

Peace Through God’s Love


Every time we come up against a situation where we feel overwhelmed and inadequate, we can remember that God is our Father. … we remember those strengths that we see in our Heavenly Father, then we trust that because he is our heavenly Father, those strengths are somehow also in us. We have inherited them from him because we are his children and he is our Father.