Elmvale Community Church

09/03/2026

Watch Psalm 18:2 by Sidhara Udalagama:

Psalm 18:2 with Sidhara Udalagama

09/02/2026

How can we pray for you today? We would be honoured to pray for you! 🙏🏻

09/01/2026

Some of my favourite prayers have no beautiful words. They’re basically, “Jesus… seriously?”

I remember asking God to use me, all the while staring at the church stage and thinking, You’ll never see me up there like that. No sir. Absolutely not.

Two years later, I was the worship leader.

Like… seriously?

Apparently, we can ask God to use us while also quietly handing Him a list of places we’d prefer He didn’t. 😂

I think that’s why some of my prayers sound less like beautiful conversations and more like me staring toward heaven with a slightly concerned expression. Because God has a habit of taking the things I’ve ruled out,the places I feel completely unqualified for, and saying, “Yes, there. That’ll do.”

So yes, some days I pray with faith and beautiful words. Other days, it’s just, “Jesus…” followed by a very long pause.

Thankfully, He understands both.

“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

- Little Sparrow Loved

08/26/2026

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭

“Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭55‬:‭22‬ ‭

“Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.”
‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬ ‭

08/25/2026

08/18/2026

It was a Saturday afternoon college football game, and I was doing what I like best—not watching the game, but observing people.

My flip-down seat was beside a concrete step that seemed to trip almost everyone who climbed it. One spill after another. One embarrassed face after another.

At halftime, I pulled out my trusty flowered tape measure (yes, I carry one in my purse). I discovered that the “tripping step” was about a quarter inch higher than all the others. Just a tiny bit taller.

So they tripped.

Forgiveness is a lot like that step.
It’s just a little bit higher than many of the other steps we practice as Christians. And unfortunately, it’s often the one we stumble over the most.

Jesus made forgiveness a cornerstone of our faith. Not because it’s easy, but because it’s essential.

I grew up in a home filled with anger, heartache, and pain. A great deal of forgiveness took place after I—and later my parents—came to Christ.

The decision to forgive happened in a moment.

The healing of emotions happened over time.

Sometimes an old wound gets bumped, and the hurt rushes back as if it happened yesterday. When that happens, we can remind ourselves: I have already forgiven that person. Then we can ask God to help us deal with the emotions that linger.

Forgiveness is costly.

But so is unforgiveness.

One keeps us chained to the past.

The other sets us free to walk into the future.

Forgiveness doesn’t excuse the wrong; it ends the need for revenge. It lays down bitterness and makes room for grace to do what anger never can.

Maybe today there’s someone you need to forgive. Lift your foot a little higher. Take the next step.

Lord, help me forgive those who have wronged me. I place my anger, pain, and hurt into Your hands. I want to live free, not bound by bitterness. When old wounds resurface, remind me that I have already released that burden to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
By Sharon James

08/14/2026

This Teaching Clip made me think of you. Watch 1 Corinthians 16:13 by Bob Goff:

1 Corinthians 16:13 with Bob Goff

08/13/2026

Called to Love

You’ll never fully agree with another person—because there’s not a single person just like you. That means there won’t be anyone with your exact viewpoint on life, politics, money, relationships, or religion.

You are unique, and so is the person next to you.

But even though we're all different, we are still called to love each other. Jesus Himself has said, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34 NIV).

When Jesus commanded us to love others, He didn’t say that we had to agree with people first. In fact, in the book of Matthew, He specifically tells people to love even their enemies (Matthew 5:44). So if love is for everyone, what does love look like?

Love considers others first.
Love looks for the best in people.
Love shows respect.
Love seeks unity.
Love isn’t selfish.
Love displays patience.

To love means to give of yourself. Love involves revealing your heart to people who could potentially wound it, and thinking about the needs of others before we think of our own. Loving others in this way isn’t easy—but it’s how Jesus loves us.

When we love people like Jesus, we reflect His love to the world, which helps build His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

There will always be things we have to “agree to disagree on.” There will always be people we don’t understand or relate to. There will still be times when we get hurt, or unintentionally hurt others. But Jesus’ command to love people wasn’t reliant on our feelings or circumstances.

So if we want the world to be radically transformed by His love, then we need to learn how to put our differences aside, and love each other like Jesus loves us.

08/12/2026

“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬ ‭

“And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭16‬:‭15‬ ‭