You Can't Follow God's Voice if you're not listening...

A few years ago, I finally admitted what everyone around me already knew—I couldn't hear very well.

I was amazed at what I'd been missing.  Suddenly conversations were clearer. Background noise wasn't as overwhelming. I could hear voices I had been straining to catch.

And after I started talking about how helpful they were, several men quietly pulled me aside to ask what it was like. Apparently, I wasn't the only one having trouble listening to their wife!

The truth is, hearing changes everything.   You can't follow a voice you're not listening to.

That's exactly where we find Israel in Joshua 3.  They've arrived at the Jordan River. The Promised Land is right there on the other side. The spies have returned. The people are ready.

Except for one problem.   The Jordan River is at flood stage.    No bridge.   No boats.   No way across.

Unless God.

So Joshua gathers the people and says:  "Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God."

Before God parted the river, He spoke.   Before the miracle came, there was a message.   Before the people moved forward, they had to listen.

Then came the hard part. The priests had to step into the water.  Not after the river parted.

Before.    They had to get their feet wet.

Three times in Joshua 3 we're reminded of this truth: God would do what only God could do, but His people still had to take the next step of faith.

I wonder if some of us are standing at our own Jordan River right now.

Waiting.     Praying.    Hoping.

And God may be saying, "I've already told you what to do. Take the step."

This week I started a new daily devotional because I want to hear God's voice more clearly. Not because He isn't speaking, but because I don't want to miss what He's saying.

What about you?

Maybe your next step is:

• Opening God's Word every day this summer.
• Making worship a priority for the next 100 days.
• Serving where you've been hesitant.
• Giving generously.
• Sharing your faith.
• Trusting God with something you've been holding tightly.

What if the miracle is on the other side of obedience?    What if God is waiting for you to get your feet wet?    This Sunday we're going back to the river.

Come ready to listen.    Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.    Keep your ears open to His voice.

I'll see you Sunday, friend.

Pastor Mike

This is the time of year for a lot of change!

Kids graduate — from preschool to grad school.  Some of us are preparing for retirement. Some families are stepping into exciting new chapters. Others are learning how to live with grief and loss.

Here's the thing...Life changes whether we’re ready or not, and often without asking us permission.  That’s why I’m excited for our new series: Next Steps?

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to walk through the Book of Joshua and discover how God leads people through seasons of transition, uncertainty, and change.

When Joshua 1 begins, everything is shifting.   Moses, Joshua’s mentor, leader, and friend, has died.   For 40 years, Joshua had lived in the shadow of Moses’ leadership. But now Israel stands at the edge of the Jordan River, staring into an entirely new season.

And Joshua suddenly becomes the guy. No more running decisions up the ladder.  No more leaning on Moses. Now the responsibility is his.

Can you imagine the pressure?  The uncertainty? The fear of wondering whether you’re enough?

But God speaks directly into Joshua’s fear: “Be strong and courageous… As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.”   And that promise still matters today. Jesus said it himself, "Never will I leave you let you go. So I can say with confidence, the Lord is my helper and I will not be afraid." (Hebrews 13:5-6)

While we may not know entirely know our NEXT STEPS, God does.

This Sunday we’re going to talk honestly about:

• navigating change
• facing uncertainty
• taking next steps in faith
• and what God may be preparing for us personally and as a church

I truly believe these next 100 days are a new launch for StoneBridge. God is doing a fresh work and you’re part of it.   

So between now and Sunday, I want to ask you one question: What is your “Jordan Moment”?

What future are you staring at right now?   What next step feels intimidating?   What is causing hesitation, uncertainty, or fear?

I’ve spent some time reflecting on that myself this week. And here’s where I’ve landed: I’m choosing to trust that God still has me.

And I hope you’ll join me.   See you Sunday.
Pastor Mike

PS- work on memorizing Joshua 1:9  You can thank me later!

When was the last time you felt stuck? Trapped in a situation that wouldn’t budge? A habit that wouldn’t break? A moment where you couldn’t see your way forward?

That’s exactly where Israel was. Literally no one was moving. Fear had settled in. Leadership had gone quiet. Hope for better days had faded.

Then God raised up Deborah. She was a wife and a mother. She served as a judge in Israel and spoke as a prophet of God. While others hesitated, she listened for the voice of the Lord.

She speaks truth in a time of confusion. She calls people to courage when fear feels safer.
(Read her story in Judges 4–5.)  And a people who had felt stuck for 20 years begin to move again.

She moves a general to act. God uses the weather to defeat the enemy. An ordinary wife and mother defeats a king. And a song of victory rises. Peace flows once again.

Because stuck is never the final word with God.

What if the courage your family needs, the clarity your workplace needs, and the faith our church needs is already inside you, just waiting to be released?

This Sunday we’ll see how one obedient voice shifts everything. How listening for the voice of God moves us and those connected to us towards hope again.

Someone in your world is looking for you to speak God's Words of encouragement. Invite them to join you this Sunday! 

Pastor Mike

P.S. This Sunday we’re also excited to join with two of our families as they dedicate their little ones to Jesus. It’s going to be a meaningful moment for our church family. 

It’s a question that hits a little different:  What are you hiding?

Because the truth is we don’t just hide things out of fear, sometimes we hide things because they’re valuable.

You tuck away what matters. You protect what’s precious. You guard what you don’t want to lose.

This Mother’s Day, we’re stepping into a story that feels almost too intense for a holiday… until you realize it’s exactly what we need.

Jochebed lived under a ruthless order: her son wasn’t supposed to live. And yet she chose courage anyway. No spotlight. No guarantees. Just a quiet, defiant faith that said, “I will trust God more than I fear this moment.” She didn’t just save her son, she shaped a deliverer.

She didn’t just survive a crisis—she started a legacy. 

And here’s the tension we’re going to sit in together: The greatest things we pass down are often born in the moments that scare us the most.

And it forces a deeper question for all of us: Are we hiding the right things?

Are we protecting what God has called valuable...our faith, our calling, the next generation?

Or are we hiding the wrong things, our fears or the parts of our life we don’t want God to touch?

This Sunday, we’re leaning into that tension: “Pass It Down: Defiant Faith.”

It’s not a soft message. It’s about recognizing what God has placed in your hands and deciding it’s worth protecting at all costs.

Bring your family. Bring someone who needs to be challenged. Because what you protect… and what you hide… might shape more than just your story.

See you Sunday,
Pastor Mike 

It’s a question that hits a little different:  What are you hiding?

Because the truth is we don’t just hide things out of fear, sometimes we hide things because they’re valuable.

You tuck away what matters. You protect what’s precious. You guard what you don’t want to lose.

This Mother’s Day, we’re stepping into a story that feels almost too intense for a holiday… until you realize it’s exactly what we need.

Jochebed lived under a ruthless order: her son wasn’t supposed to live. And yet she chose courage anyway. No spotlight. No guarantees. Just a quiet, defiant faith that said, “I will trust God more than I fear this moment.” She didn’t just save her son, she shaped a deliverer.

She didn’t just survive a crisis—she started a legacy. 

And here’s the tension we’re going to sit in together: The greatest things we pass down are often born in the moments that scare us the most.

And it forces a deeper question for all of us: Are we hiding the right things?

Are we protecting what God has called valuable...our faith, our calling, the next generation?

Or are we hiding the wrong things, our fears or the parts of our life we don’t want God to touch?

This Sunday, we’re leaning into that tension: “Pass It Down: Defiant Faith ”

It’s not a soft message. It’s about recognizing what God has placed in your hands and deciding it’s worth protecting at all costs.

Bring your family. Bring someone who needs to be challenged. Because what you protect… and what you hide… might shape more than just your story.

See you Sunday.
Pastor Mike