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Headlines That Won’t Stress You Out
When Love Shows Up in Truckloads
Earlier this year, one of the largest wildfires in Nebraska history burned more than 1,000 square miles of ranch land, destroying grazing pasture and leaving many ranchers wondering how they would feed their cattle. For Mike and Kayla Wintz, every acre of grass on their 11,000-acre ranch was lost.
Then something remarkable happened.
Thousands of people—many of them complete strangers—began sending help. Farmers donated hay. Truck drivers volunteered their time. Relief funds raised more than a million dollars for affected ranchers. One ranch alone received nearly $80,000 worth of donated hay, much of it from anonymous donors who simply saw a need and responded.
No one was obligated to help.
No one had to get involved.
But they did.
This week’s story echoes a truth we reflected on in Sunday’s sermon. Jesus teaches that love is more than a feeling to admire; it is a way of life that moves toward others. Love costs something. It requires generosity, sacrifice, inconvenience, and sometimes vulnerability.
The people who filled those hay trucks may never preach a sermon about discipleship, but they embodied something Jesus taught long ago: love goes first.
In a world that often rewards self-preservation, these neighbors chose self-giving. And in doing so, they remind us that the way of Christ is still alive and well.
Sometimes the brightest headlines aren’t about extraordinary people doing extraordinary things.
They’re about ordinary people choosing to love.
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves
and take up their cross and follow me.”
— Matthew 16:24
What do you do when God prompts you to act?
Sometimes God’s leading is clear. More often, it arrives unexpectedly—in a conversation, a nudge on your heart, an opportunity to help someone, or a sense that you should reach out to a person you would normally pass by.
This Sunday, we’ll explore Acts 8:26-40 and the remarkable story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. At first glance, it seems like a simple encounter on a desert road. But beneath the surface, we discover a powerful truth: when God calls us to go first in faith and love, we are often stepping into a story He has already been writing.
Philip did not know why God was sending him into the wilderness. He did not know who he would meet or what would happen next. He simply obeyed.
Because he was willing to take that first step, another person encountered the life-changing grace of Jesus Christ.
Many of us imagine that obedience is about accomplishing something great for God. Yet Scripture reminds us that obedience is often much simpler—and much more challenging. It is about trusting God enough to take the next faithful step, even when we cannot see the outcome.
The good news is that God is always at work before we arrive. The Holy Spirit is already moving in the lives of the people around us. Our calling is not to manufacture God’s work but to join Him in it.
Join us this Sunday as we consider what hangs in the balance when we respond to God’s prompting—and how our willingness to go first may become part of someone else’s story of grace.
We’ll lift our voices in worship through two beloved hymns that celebrate God’s grace and His call to gather and transform His people:
O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing
(Verses 1–4)
Be sure to click the links below to listen and sing along as you prepare your heart for worship this Sunday. Join us this Sunday as we gather to worship the One who loved us first, gave everything for us, and calls us to follow Him wherever He leads at 8:15 & 10:30!
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