March 21, 2023
by Eric Stillman
As a preacher, I often quote from C.S. Lewis, because, well, that’s what evangelical preachers do. I must confess, however, that as quotable as he is, I have only actually finished two of his books, because I find his style difficult to read. One of those books is Mere Christianity, a classic and one of the first books I ever read as a Christian. The second is called A Grief Observed, and contains his journals and reflections after losing his wife, Joy Davidman, to cancer.
One of the amazing things about A Grief Observed is that it is the personal reflection on deep suffering written by the same man who wrote The Problem of Pain, one of the enduring Christian classics on suffering. ...Keep Reading
Posted in: Suffering Tags: God, Suffering, C.S. Lewis
January 17, 2023
by Eric Stillman
In 2 Chronicles 20, we read a story of an army from Edom that was attacking Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel, and its king, Jehoshaphat. In response to the threat, Jehoshaphat proclaims a fast, and people from all over gather at the temple to ask God for help. Jehoshaphat prays, recounting how God has come through in the past for His people. And then, in verse 12, he says, “O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” As the people pray, God’s Spirit comes upon a man named Jahaziel, who prophesies and tells them to go out to fight the army and to not be afraid, for the Lord will be with them. Jehoshaphat sends out the army, but incredibly, at the head of the army he places not the strongest fighting men, but rather a group of men worshiping the Lord. And in verse 21, we read “As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.”...Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: God, Prayer
January 10, 2023
by Eric Stillman
I still remember one of the lessons I taught to the NewLife Junior High kids way back when I was the youth pastor of the church. I played for them one of the simplest worship songs, and then encouraged them to change the words to make it more true to their heart and experience. The original song goes like this:
Lord, you are more precious than silver
Lord, you are more costly than gold
Lord, you are more beautiful than diamonds
And nothing I desire compares with you...Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: Fasting, God, desire
November 1, 2022
by Eric Stillman
In this past Sunday’s sermon on the gospel and personal growth, I made the case that underneath every sin is idolatry: we are looking to something other than God to give us satisfaction, comfort, peace, glory, etc. And, if you are willing to dig even deeper, underneath every idol is something we don’t believe about God....Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: God, Sin, Truth, idolatry
January 18, 2022
by Eric Stillman
There are few videos that bring the tears quite like reunion videos. A daughter is surprised at school by her military father, home from serving overseas. A son who was given up for adoption meets his birth mother. Even watching a pet who has been separated from his owner find him and jump all over him can bring the waterworks.
In Revelation 21 and 22, we are given a glimpse of what eternity will be like....Keep Reading
Posted in: Heaven Tags: God, Heaven
July 13, 2021
by Eric Stillman
What price would you be willing to pay to experience more of the love, joy, peace, and fullness of God in your life?
Honestly, that question frightens me. Even though I know in my head that God is good, that He is the pearl of great price that is worth selling everything for, I still have a great deal of fear when it comes to following Him....Keep Reading
Tags: God, Discipleship, Sacrifice
February 9, 2021
by Eric Stillman
When I was in seminary, I attended a church that had, about 25 years prior to my arrival, been named “outreach church of the year” by some Christian publication for its impact on its community. This was an impressive testimony to God’s activity in this church’s life. It was also 25 years in the past....Keep Reading
Tags: God, Discipleship, Faith
February 2, 2021
by Eric Stillman
I’ve often heard the analogy that for those whose job it is to spot counterfeit money, the best training is to study the real thing, to become so familiar with genuine money that spotting the fraud becomes second nature. When this analogy is applied to God and to His Word, it truly becomes some of the best advice a Christian can receive. The better acquainted you become with who God is and what the Bible says, the easier it is to spot the charlatans. Along those lines, part of my testimony of coming to faith in Jesus includes attending a youth group the summer after I graduated from high school, before I matriculated at UConn. I distinctly remember going around to parties the first couple of days at UConn, and feeling like they were so fake after what I had experienced that summer. God, and the life found in Him, was the genuine article; all the parties had to offer was a poor imitation of the good life.
...Keep Reading
Tags: God, Prayer, Discipleship, Revival
June 23, 2020
by Eric Stillman
Between the recent emphasis on the Black Lives Matter movement and the Supreme Court ruling last week that forbade job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or transgender status, there has been a lot of talk recently about human rights. Americans, whether they are people of faith or not, assume that it is a given that there is such a thing called human rights, that all people have the right to be treated as people of equal worth and dignity, regardless of any differences they might have. However, the reality is that this assertion is only objectively true if there is a God who has created all humans in His image. If you remove God, then there really is no basis for human rights.
...Keep Reading
Tags: God, Human rights, evolution
June 27, 2017
by Eric Stillman
In a book I read recently, an American Christian interacted with a seminary student from Africa. The man from Africa expressed his amazement at how little Americans speak of heaven in church. In his country, he said, they talk about heaven all the time. But, he realized, Americans don’t talk about it as much here because we have everything we think we want in this life. We are so comfortable that we don’t need to look ahead to heaven.
Perhaps there is some truth to this...Keep Reading
Posted in: Heaven Tags: God, Heaven
March 7, 2017
by Eric Stillman
When I was a youth pastor, I remember engaging in a conversation with a friend of one of my youth group kids who was questioning whether or not God was real. At one point, as I was sharing with her how God was the most important person in my life, she asked the question, “Isn’t that offensive to your wife?” It’s an understandable question. After all, I know that there are non-Christian spouses who are bitter about their significant other’s devotion to Christ, because they feel that their marriage takes second place.
My answer,...Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: God, Discipleship
September 27, 2016
by Eric Stillman
When God met Moses at the burning bush and told him to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the Israelites go free, Moses asked God the above question ...Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: God, Relativism
September 13, 2016
by Eric Stillman
In John Ortberg’s book, The Me I Want To Be, the author talks about the unique ways God grows each of us spiritually into the people we were created to be. One of the parts that really spoke to me was where Ortberg said this:
“The Bible does not say you are God’s appliance; it says you are his masterpiece (Eph 2:10, NLT). Appliances get mass-produced. Masterpieces get hand-crafted. God did not make you exactly like anyone else. Therefore, his plan for shaping you will not look like his plan for shaping anyone else. If you try to find a generic plan for spiritual growth, it will only frustrate you.”
(Can anyone say journaling?)...Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: God, Discipleship
September 6, 2016
by Eric Stillman
I still remember where I was the day I realized that the world did not revolve around me. I was in Washington D.C., 21 years old, sitting in the top section of RFK Stadium at a Promise Keepers conference. All around me, thousands of men from all over the country stood, many with their arms raised to the sky, worshiping their God. As the swell of their voices echoed around the stadium, a sweet sound in our Lord’s ears, I suddenly realized that I was not the center of the universe. I was just one among many who had gathered that day to worship God and to commit our lives to His service....Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: God, Discipleship
August 30, 2016
by Eric Stillman
What are you pursuing? What do you instinctively look to in order to fill you up or give you life, or to escape from the pain?
And is it working? Is it filling you up? Giving you life? Removing the pain?
In Isaiah 55:1-3, God speaks through the prophet Isaiah to his people, and he asks them why they are spending their time, energy, and money on things which can not satisfy them. He goes on to invite them to come to him, to experience His covenantal love, to find true life for their souls....Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: Discipleship, God
November 3, 2015
by Eric Stillman
God is big. That may sound obvious, but I feel the need today to remind you of just how big God is:
1) God is big enough to handle your doubts
You may be blown away by God’s grace that saved you from your sins, and yet still unsure how a loving God could let others go to Hell, especially someone who may have never heard the name of Jesus. You may have doubts about the inspiration or authenticity of parts of the Bible. You may not always believe that God’s ways are better for you than the plan you have for your own life. You may doubt and question so much that you wonder how you can even call yourself a Christian. Take heart. Remember the father in Mark 9:24 who cried out to Jesus, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”, and keep bringing your doubts to God. God is big enough to handle your doubts....Keep Reading
Posted in: Faith Tags: God, Faith
February 19, 2013
by Eric Stillman
Thirteen years ago, when I was the youth pastor of NewLife, I went along with the senior pastor and elders of our church to visit the Brooklyn Tabernacle in order to sit in on a staff meeting, meet some of the pastors, and participate in their Tuesday evening prayer meeting. This visit was soon after their pastor, Jim Cymbala, had released his first book, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, and our church leadership, like many others, was challenged by the devotion to prayer displayed by the people of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, and so we wanted to go down and observe it firsthand. The whole experience was truly impressive, but the most memorable aspect was how the people of the church treated the prayer meeting. Although the meeting did not begin until 7 PM, thousands of people arrived early - even up to two hours early - to sit in silence and prepare their hearts to seek and worship the Lord. I was amazed by the honor that this church showed towards their God, and their desire to not only set aside Tuesday evening but arrive early in order to spend time worshiping Him and seeking His face....Keep Reading
Tags: God
September 18, 2012
by Eric Stillman
My favorite story in the Bible is the parable of the Prodigal Son, told by Jesus in Luke 15:11-32. The brief summary of the story is that a father had two sons, and the younger son, desiring his independence, asked his father for his share of the inheritance so that he could take it and leave. Of course, this was an incredibly disrespectful thing to do, as the son was basically telling his father that he was as good as dead to him and that he preferred his money over him. But the father obliged, and the son went off to a distant land where he lived it up until the money ran out. The only job he could find was feeding pigs, until it got so bad that he found himself longing to eat the food the pigs were eating. He finally came to his senses and realized that he could have it better off as a servant in his father’s house. And so the son went home, practicing his “I’m sorry” speech as he went. But what happened next was completely unexpected:...Keep Reading
Tags: God
August 28, 2012
by Kim Kehoe
During our July and August Sunday morning worship gatherings, I will be preaching through selected Psalms, using that section of the Bible in order to help us connect in deeper ways to God. During that time, I will be using the NewLife blog as a platform for the people of our church the opportunity to share about particular songs that help them connect to God....Keep Reading
Tags: God, Guest Blogger
August 21, 2012
by Tammy Choleva
During our July and August Sunday morning worship gatherings, I will be preaching through selected Psalms, using that section of the Bible in order to help us connect in deeper ways to God. During that time, I will be using the NewLife blog as a platform for the people of our church the opportunity to share about particular songs that help them connect to God....Keep Reading
Tags: God, Guest Blogger
July 17, 2012
by Jim Quigley
During our July and August Sunday morning worship gatherings, I will be preaching through selected Psalms, using that section of the Bible in order to help us connect in deeper ways to God. During that time, I will be using the NewLife blog as a platform for the people of our church the opportunity to share about particular songs that help them connect to God....Keep Reading
Tags: God, Guest Blogger
July 3, 2012
by James Prignano
During our July and August Sunday morning worship gatherings, I will be preaching through selected Psalms, using that section of the Bible in order to help us connect in deeper ways to God. During that time, I will be using the NewLife blog as a platform for the people of our church the opportunity to share about particular songs that help them connect to God....Keep Reading
Tags: God, Music
June 26, 2012
by Eric Stillman
During our July and August Sunday morning worship gatherings, I will be preaching through selected Psalms, using that section of the Bible in order to help us connect in deeper ways to God. During that time, I will be using the NewLife blog as a platform for the people of our church the opportunity to share about particular songs that help them connect to God....Keep Reading
Tags: God, Music
May 8, 2012
by Eric Stillman
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)...Keep Reading
Tags: God, Discipleship
March 27, 2012
by Eric Stillman
“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?” (Romans 2:1-4)...Keep Reading
Tags: Evangelism, God
September 13, 2011
by Eric Stillman
As I reflected on the 10th anniversary of September 11th in preparation for this Sunday’s worship service, I found myself drawn to passages that looked forward to that day when Jesus would return and set everything right. Passages like Isaiah 2:4: “He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” And Revelation 21:3-4: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” It is hard to make sense of a tragedy as terrible as September 11th, but one thing that I believe most people of all religious, political, or national backgrounds can agree upon is that we long for the day when there is no more war, no more death, no more mourning or crying or pain....Keep Reading
Tags: God, American Culture
June 7, 2011
by Eric Stillman
Today’s post is a story from Brennan Manning’s The Ragamuffin Gospel. If you have never read this book, do yourself a favor and add it to your summer reading list....Keep Reading
Tags: Gospel, God
May 10, 2011
by Eric Stillman
Today’s post is reprinted from a post written on August 7, 2007. It’s one of my personal favorites, written back when we were a church of 40 or so, and a reminder to me of the amazing grace of our God. Despite our best efforts to screw things up, He continues to love us and to never give up on us, and continues to convince “O we of little faith” that the best is yet to come....Keep Reading
Tags: God, NewLife
April 12, 2011
by Jim Quigley
Today’s guest writer is Jim Quigley.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)...Keep Reading
Tags: God
February 15, 2011
by Eric Stillman
“Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.” - Oswald Chambers...Keep Reading
Tags: God, Discipleship
December 7, 2010
by Eric Stillman
“One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.’ (Matthew 22:35-38)...Keep Reading
Tags: God, Discipleship
November 9, 2010
by Eric Stillman
I grew up going to church; however, God did not truly become real until I was 18, right at the beginning of college, as the result of attending a youth group the summer after my high school graduation. As a new Christian, I was full of young enthusiasm for God, for the Bible, and for Christian fellowship, but also very unsure of who God was and what it meant to know and follow Him. I want to share with you a story about one of the first ways God ever answered that question in my life....Keep Reading
Tags: God
September 1, 2010
by Eric Stillman
I’ve recently been enjoying John Ortberg’s new book, The me I want to be, in which the author talks about the unique ways God grows each of us spiritually into the people we were created to be. One of the parts that really spoke to me was where Ortberg said this:...Keep Reading
Tags: God, Discipleship
August 10, 2010
by Eric Stillman
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things. (Philippians 4:4-8)...Keep Reading
Tags: God, Discipleship
June 29, 2010
by Eric Stillman
A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD watches over you- the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life; 8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. (Psalm 121:1-8)...Keep Reading
Tags: God, Fear
March 2, 2010
by Eric Stillman
Each month in 2010, I am challenging our church to memorize one verse of Scripture together, and to spend time that month meditating on that month‘s theme. In January, we focused on our new life in Christ, memorizing 2 Corinthians 5:17, ‘œTherefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!‘ In February, the theme was spiritual warfare, with the key verse James 4:7, ‘œSubmit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.‘ In March, we will be focusing on the power of prayer, and the verse I am challenging you to memorize is John 15:7 - ‘œIf you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.‘ This powerful promise is located in a passage where Jesus talks about himself as the vine and us as the branches, and exhorts us that we can do nothing unless we are connected to him. I highly encourage you that when you memorize this or any verse, that you do your best to understand the context in which it is found so that you do not take it to mean something which it does not....Keep Reading
Tags: God, Prayer
January 26, 2010
by Eric Stillman
‘œEarly in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, ‘Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.‘‘ (1 Samuel 15:12)...Keep Reading
Tags: God, Discipleship
November 17, 2009
by Eric Stillman
One of my favorite authors is a man named Donald Miller, who is best known for his 2003 book Blue Like Jazz. Miller writes with wit, creativity, and disarming honesty in the style of a memoir, reflecting on his life and what he has learned about God and himself through his experiences. Blue Like Jazz is currently in the process of being made into a movie, and Miller‘s most recent book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, is about what he learned about his life and God‘s grand story while the screenwriters ‘œedited his life‘ for the big screen. His reflections on the boring, uninspired story he was living and the grand story of risk and adventure that God was calling him to live were fascinating to read, and really challenged me to reflect on the story I find myself in and to walk with faith and courage. Let me share a few quotes from the book that really spoke to me:...Keep Reading
Tags: God, Discipleship
October 20, 2009
Today‘s post is written by guest blogger Eddie Mui. Eddie lives in South Windsor with his wife, Fabiola, and young children Joshua & Sarah. He‘s the one often playing the funny looking drum-like instrument (it‘s called a cajon) on Sundays, and will be leading worship this Sunday....Keep Reading
Tags: Guest Blogger, God
September 22, 2009
by Eric Stillman
This past Sunday I preached on the fact that God is eternal, that He exists outside of time and is fully present to every moment of time at once. He is the Alpha and Omega, the one who was there in the beginning and will be there in the end. He is the unchanging one, who because He exists outside of time does not change in His character, His truth, His promises, or His purposes. He is the Rock upon which we stand in our faith....Keep Reading
Tags: God, Discipleship
