We all look for comfort and answers in the midst of the storms of life. When the disciples turn to Jesus in a moment of crisis, they don’t know what to expect. Amazingly, seeing what Jesus does in the midst of their crisis causes them to have greater fear. What can fear teach us about storms and the Savior?

Series: The Gospel of Mark
Speaker: Paul Stiver
Hope Community Church - North Lakes

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For more resources or to learn more about Hope North Lakes, visit hopecc.com/northlakes

We tend to like things big and expect greatness on demand, but Jesus’ stories of seeds remind us that God’s kingdom grows in hidden places and humble beginnings. Ultimately, it’s Jesus’ own faithful yes—His obedience all the way to the cross—that opens the way for God’s transforming grace to take root in us. And when we trust Him with even our small yes, we’re drawn into a growth and beauty that amazes us.

Series: The Gospel of Mark
Speaker: Paul Stiver
Hope Community Church - North Lakes

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For more resources or to learn more about Hope North Lakes, visit hopecc.com/northlakes

When Michael Scott said, “I’m ready to get hurt again,” on The Office, he was actually tapping into the tension that we live with when it comes to opening ourselves up to love and be loved. We live in the space between openness and rejection, security and vulnerability, knowing that relationships always come with the possibility of pain. We long for a love where we can be fully seen, fully known, and fully loved without fear. This is where the Bible surprises us: when hidden things come into the light, we don’t find shame—we find grace beyond expectation and a love we can’t lose.

Series: The Gospel of Mark
Speaker: Paul Stiver
Hope Community Church - North Lakes

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For more resources or to learn more about Hope North Lakes, visit hopecc.com/northlakes

In a time when AI can offer quick answers to our deepest questions, mystery can easily get pushed to the margins of our lives. If clarity is always at our fingertips, what place does God’s mystery have? And why does God sometimes veil his actions and words? In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus teaches that there is a secret to understanding God and his work—but it doesn’t come through simple resolution. Instead, it emerges in the tension between mystery and clarity and it can only be grasped by hearing with faith.

Series: The Gospel of Mark
Speaker: Paul Stiver
Hope Community Church - North Lakes

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For more resources or to learn more about Hope North Lakes, visit hopecc.com/northlakes

Some parts of the Bible can leave us scratching our heads. In this passage, Jesus speaks a word of grace that slices through confusion and reveals something astonishing—God is doing something new, offering a freedom and security deeper than we’ve dared to hope.

Series: The Gospel of Mark
Speaker: Paul Stiver
Hope Community Church - North Lakes

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For more resources or to learn more about Hope North Lakes, visit hopecc.com/northlakes

We often hear, “You hold the pen—write your own story.” But chasing that ideal can leave us burdened and searching for meaning. What if there’s a greater story already being written—one that invites us in, not because of our worthiness or impressiveness, but because true love has found us?

Series: The Gospel of Mark
Speaker: Paul Stiver
Hope Community Church - North Lakes

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For more resources or to learn more about Hope North Lakes, visit hopecc.com/northlakes

We love stories with clear-cut villains—where it’s easy to point fingers and identify the good guys and the bad guys. But the storyline of the Bible compels us to see things differently. In an account about religious leaders and a man in need of healing, we uncover a deeper spiritual problem than we ever imagined: our own hearts are hard toward God. What can melt a hard heart?

Series: The Gospel of Mark
Speaker: Paul Stiver
Hope Community Church - North Lakes

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For more resources or to learn more about Hope North Lakes, visit hopecc.com/northlakes

Like someone obsessed with their lawn, we’re constantly looking outward—measuring our lives, our status, and our efforts against others. In this search for a sense of rightness, we often end up unloving, insecure, and exhausted. Rather than producing love, our striving for justification breeds comparison and contempt. What we need is a love, rest, and freedom that doesn’t come from us but to us—a grace that resets our hearts and shifts our gaze from outward striving to upward dependence.

Series: The Gospel of Mark
Speaker: Paul Stiver
Hope Community Church - North Lakes

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For more resources or to learn more about Hope North Lakes, visit hopecc.com/northlakes