Category: Chris Otterson, Young Adult & Worship Pastor

When Life Feels Overwhelming (Psalm 86)

There are seasons in life when our circumstances seem larger than our faith. A difficult diagnosis, an uncertain future, a broken relationship, or a burden we never expected can quickly consume our attention. When that happens, it’s easy to let our circumstances define our view of God instead of allowing God to define how we see our circumstances.

Throughout Scripture, we are reminded that the strength of our faith is not found in our ability to control life’s uncertainties but in the unchanging character of the One who holds us. God remains good when life is difficult. He remains faithful when we feel weak. He remains merciful, gracious, and near to those who call on Him.

The Christian life is not about pretending hardship doesn’t exist. Rather, it is learning to bring every fear, every question, and every burden before the Lord with confidence that He hears His children. As we do, He not only strengthens us for the journey but also shapes our hearts to trust Him more deeply.

Whatever you may be facing today, don’t allow trouble to drive you away from God. Let it become an invitation to draw near to Him. His presence is our comfort, His strength is sufficient, and His faithfulness never fails.

Our Greatest Need

We live in a culture that constantly offers solutions. Better strategies, better systems, better technology, better programs. While many of these things can be helpful, there is a danger in believing that our deepest needs can be solved by human effort alone.

The same temptation exists in the church. When we encounter challenges, we often look first for new methods, new ideas, or new initiatives. Yet throughout Scripture, God’s people are repeatedly reminded that renewal begins not with better plans, but with a renewed relationship with Him.

The health of a church is not ultimately measured by its activity, attendance, or influence. It is measured by its dependence upon God. A church can be busy and still be spiritually dry. It can be active and yet lack genuine fellowship with the Lord.

This is why prayer, repentance, worship, and devotion to God’s Word remain essential. They are not merely traditions to preserve; they are means by which we draw near to the God who gives life.

As we look ahead, may our greatest desire not simply be for growth, success, or comfort. May we seek the presence of God above all else. When God’s people draw near to Him, they discover that He is faithful to strengthen, sustain, and renew them.

Our greatest need has never changed. More than anything else, we need the Lord.

Young Adult Collective Summer Schedule

This summer, the Young Adult Collective will be taking a break from our regular Wednesday night Bible study schedule as we shift our focus toward fellowship and community-building gatherings throughout the season.

One of the greatest gifts God gives the church is life together. While studying Scripture is essential, meaningful friendships and shared experiences are also an important part of spiritual growth. Summer provides a great opportunity for us to slow down a bit, spend time together, and strengthen the relationships that help encourage and support us in our walk with Christ.

Throughout the summer, we will be hosting:

• One monthly Young Adult activity or fellowship event
• One monthly Young Adult lunch after church on the last Sunday of each month

These gatherings are designed to help young adults connect more deeply with one another, welcome new people into community, and continue building relationships within the life of the church.

We’re excited for a summer filled with conversation, laughter, encouragement, and time together. Whether you’ve been part of the Young Adult Collective for years or are looking to get connected for the first time, we’d love for you to join us.

For dates, details, and upcoming events, please check the church calendar on Church Center.

Discipleship is not a solo pilgrimage; it is a shared journey where grace becomes visible in the lives of others. The modern instinct is to privatize faith, to curate a quiet spirituality that asks little and risks less. But Jesus did not form isolated individuals; he gathered a people. He called disciples into proximity—with himself, yes, but also with one another. In that proximity, friction and fellowship became the forge of transformation.

This is why something as simple—and as ordinary—as showing up to young adult Bible study matters more than we think. It’s not just a meeting; it’s a means of grace. Around open Bibles and honest conversations, discipleship becomes tangible. You’re not just learning truth; you’re watching it take root in real lives.

Community exposes what isolation conceals. Our impatience, pride, and insecurity surface in relationships, and that’s where the Spirit does his patient work. We learn forgiveness by being wronged, humility by being known, and love by staying when it would be easier to leave.

There is no shortcut. Real growth requires presence—week after week, face to face. In that rhythm, God forms not just informed believers, but a people shaped together in Christ.

One of the ways we are continuing to invest in the next generation is through our partnership with Paul and Sammi Carby at Collegiate Impact. Paul and Sammi lead Collegiate Impact at UMSL, where they are building relationships and discipling students on campus. At the same time, they are working to expand that impact across other campuses in the St. Louis area—raising up leaders and creating opportunities for more students to hear and respond to the gospel.

Their heart is to help students understand that their identity is rooted in Christ. Through intentional, everyday relationships, they walk alongside young adults—teaching them how to follow Jesus, grow in their faith, and thoughtfully engage and defend what they believe.

We’re thankful to come alongside them in this work. Please continue to pray for their ministry, for the students they are reaching, and for continued opportunities to see lives changed by the hope and peace of Jesus.

Practicing the Spiritual Disciplines

This year in our Young Adult Collective, one of our major focuses is spiritual disciplines—intentional practices that help us grow in our walk with Christ. While these conversations are happening with our young adults, the invitation is really for all of us. Spiritual growth never happens by accident.

When we hear the word meditation, many of us picture emptying the mind or detaching from the world. But Christian meditation is something entirely different. It is not emptying the mind—it is filling it with truth.

Psalm 1 describes the blessed person as one whose “delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Biblical meditation is slow, intentional reflection on God’s Word. It is reading a passage, lingering over a phrase, turning it over in your mind, and asking, What does this reveal about God? About me? About how I should live?

In a distracted world, meditation trains our hearts to pay attention. It moves Scripture from the page into the soul. It reshapes our thoughts and roots us more deeply in Christ.

This week, take five unhurried minutes with a short passage. Read it slowly. Pray it back to God. Let it sink in.  What we consistently dwell on will shape who we become.

Practicing the Spiritual Disciplines

 If you’ve spent any time around church, you’ve probably heard the phrase “spiritual disciplines.” For some, it sounds inspiring. For others, it feels like another list of things they “should be doing.” But at their core, the spiritual disciplines are not religious chores—they are invitations. They’re God-given practices that help us slow down, pay attention, and stay connected to the One who gives life.

For young adults especially, life moves fast. Work schedules change, relationships shift, and our routines often feel anything but routine. In seasons like this, spiritual disciplines become anchors. Prayer grounds us in God’s presence. Scripture reading trains our minds to hear His voice. Community keeps us encouraged and accountable. Sabbath reminds us that rest is not weakness but worship. Service turns our faith outward, shaping us into people who love like Jesus.

The goal of these practices isn’t perfection—it’s connection. We don’t pursue disciplines to impress God or earn His favor. We practice them because God is already near, and these rhythms help us notice Him.

As we step into this new season of ministry, I want to invite you to intentionally take hold of one or two disciplines this month. Try them. Practice them. Let them deepen your walk with Christ. You might be surprised by how God meets you there.

As we approach the turn of a new year, many of us naturally pause to reflect. We look back on the months behind us—what went well, what didn’t—and we begin to think about the kind of people we want to be in the year ahead. For Christians, that reflection often turns spiritual. We make goals to pray more, read scripture more consistently, or be more disciplined in our faith. Those desires are good, but they can quietly drift into something less life-giving: a checklist Christianity that measures growth by activity rather than connection.

In John 15, Jesus offers us a better way. He doesn’t begin with commands or spiritual techniques. He begins with an image: “I am the true vine, and you are the branches.” Growth, fruitfulness, and endurance don’t come from trying harder; they come from staying connected. A branch doesn’t produce fruit by striving—it produces fruit by abiding.

As we step into a new year, the question before us isn’t simply, What spiritual habits will I add? but Who am I remaining connected to? True spiritual growth flows from an ongoing, dependent relationship with Christ. When we abide in Him, fruit follows—not as something we force, but as something He produces in us.

As we step into the new year, let’s explore what it means to abide in the true vine and why that connection is the foundation for lasting, gospel-shaped growth.

Sunday mornings are a beautiful part of following Jesus. We gather to worship, open God’s Word, and be reminded of what’s true. But if that’s your only connection to church, you’re missing out on one of God’s greatest gifts—the community that helps us deepen and grow in out faith.

Faith isn’t meant to grow in isolation. It deepens when we share life with others—through conversation, prayer, shared meals, laughter, and even hard moments. Real transformation takes time and trust, and that’s hard to build in just an hour on Sunday morning.

That’s why discipleship through fellowship matters. God uses relationships to strengthen our faith and shape our character. So take a next step—join a Bible study, come to Young Adult Collective, find a mentor, or invite someone to coffee.

The church is more than a place to attend; it’s a family to belong to. When you step into that family during the week, you’ll find that God works powerfully through ordinary friendships to make extraordinary change in your life.

The Beauty of Loving Our Enemies

 Jesus’ command to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44) is one of the most radical statements ever spoken. In a time when disagreement so easily turns into division, love for one’s enemies sounds almost impossible. Yet this is precisely the way of Christ.

When Jesus was betrayed, mocked, and crucified, He responded not with vengeance but with mercy: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). That love changed the world. The cross remains the most powerful picture of what divine love looks like—self-giving, undeserved, and transforming.

Our world doesn’t need more clever arguments or louder voices; it needs Christians who reflect the grace they’ve received. To love our enemies is to declare that hate has no hold on us and that the kingdom of God runs on a different logic than the kingdoms of earth.

In an age of division, this kind of love is not weakness—it’s beauty. It disarms hostility, bridges divides, and reveals Jesus more clearly than any slogan or debate ever could. To love as He loved is to live the most countercultural, Christlike life possible.