"Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history.

Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.

It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is!" – Isaiah 43:18-19 The Message

We've all heard it. We've probably all said it. "If only we could go back to normal." And who can blame us? I mean, life these days can be mean and messy and oh so maddening. But what if there were something not only better than what you have now but better than what you had before? Better than "normal"? You'd want it, right? Of course, you would.

Jesus didn't die for you to have a normal life. His death brings new life! Jesus didn't send you the Holy Spirit so you could stay stuck. The Spirit brings freedom. Freedom to move forward into the new. You have to turn the page and let go of the "Could have," "Should have," and "Would have," and all the "If only," too, while you're at it, and pursue the new that God has for you.

You see, God's good at new. He always has been and forever will be, and it doesn't get any newer than bara. "Bara" literally means to create something new, to bring something forth out of nothing, and that's what God does because that's who God is. We want to encourage you and equip you and empower you to walk into this new that God has just for you.

He wants to bring something new into your life in 2022, and our prayer and our passion are that you don't miss it.

*Click below to see Pastor Joel’s sermon on Vision Sunday.