Elmvale Community Church

05/28/2026

“When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!” “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.” Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.””
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭22‬:‭9‬-‭14‬ ‭

05/27/2026

“So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭22‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭

05/26/2026

“Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.” “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.””
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭22‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭

05/21/2026

“Be still and know that I am God” used to make me think I was supposed to do NOTHING. No movement.

No action. Just sit there and wait.
The more I think that scripture is really about being still WITHIN. Not panicking. Not spiraling. Not overthinking every little thing. Not forcing outcomes because fear got loud. You can still work. Still build. Still apply. Still create. Still move toward your goals… while being internally still.

Honestly… I think that’s the hard part for most people.

Being physically still is easy. Being mentally still takes trust. Trusting that everything does not have to be figured out overnight. Trusting that delays are not denial. Trusting that God is still working even when things feel quiet. Some of us are exhausted because our body is in one place… but our mind is fighting imaginary battles all day.

That scripture shifted something in me because I realized peace is not inactivity.

Peace is knowing that no matter what things look like right now… it’s still going to work out.

So yes… keep showing up.
Keep building. Keep moving forward.

Just stop carrying the spirit of panic while you do it.

And trust that the One who knows the number of hairs on your head, knows exactly what He’s doing.

05/20/2026

I Will Soar on Wings Like Eagles

(Published March 2nd 2026)

"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." I love this promise. Who doesn't want renewed strength?

But there's a condition: "those who hope in the Lord." The King James Version says "those who wait upon the Lord." And that's where I get stuck. Because I genuinely don't know what that means practically.

I'm a very practical person. A "let's figure this out" kind of person. When there's a problem, I make a plan. Sitting and waiting? Hoping without action? That feels unnatural. It feels like wasting time when I could be solving the problem.

So what does it actually look like to "wait on the Lord"? I know what it feels like to wait for a doctor's appointment (distract myself while worrying) or wait for an email (constantly refreshing my phone). But waiting on the Lord for renewed strength? I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing.

I don't think waiting on the Lord is passive. It's active dependence. It's acknowledging I can't generate the strength I need and positioning myself to receive it from the only source that has it. It's orienting my hope toward God instead of toward my own ability to power through.

Practically, that looks like stopping. When I'm depleted and my instinct is to push harder, I have to consciously stop. Then I turn to God: "I don't have what I need. You do. I'm waiting on You."

Sometimes it's opening Scripture and reading promises about His strength. Sometimes it's sitting in silence instead of frantically striving. Sometimes it's honest worship: "I'm empty, and I need You."

What it's not: trying to muster strength in my own power one more time. What it is: admitting I can't, and trusting that He will.

Today, if you're exhausted, start here.

Stop striving. Turn to Him. Ask for what you need. Then trust that renewed strength will come, maybe not instantly, but it will come.
Taken from‘Faithful Grace’

05/19/2026

One of the greatest blessings
of walking through a hard season,
(because yes, blessings are here, too -
precious, not-to-be-missed, blessings)
is the blessing of knowing.

That moment when -
in the midst of
heartache and sorrow,
trials and tribulations,
upheaval and change,
betrayals and battles,
at the very core of your being
you come to know God.

I think we would all agree,
it's one thing to know about someone,
but it's something entirely different,
to actually know someone.

And all to often,
the knowing -
the true knowing of God,
happens in the very places
we wish wouldn't happen
at all.

When all is well,
when all is rolling merrily along,
when life is happy and good,
we see God's hand -
(yes),
we acknowledge His goodness -
(I hope),
we recognize His presence in our life -
(at least we should).

But oftentimes,
in these times of good,
our knowing of God
is merely in relation to
what He is doing in our life,
how He is providing in our life,
who He is "serving as" in our life.

Just look at David.

Just look at Psalm 23.

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
for His name's sake.
~Psalm 23:1-3

Here, in green pastures,
surrounded by still waters
and a time of restoration,
life is good.
And it is here,
in these verses,
where David refers to God as his shepherd.

Notice the psalmist is focusing on
what God is doing,
how God is providing,
and who God is "serving as" - his shepherd.

Notice, too, in these verses
David is referring to God as "He".

He makes me to lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness.

And as much
as we would love to stay right here,
we all know -
life isn't always
green pastures and still waters,
and so,
the psalmist continues:

Yea, though I walk
through the valley
of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup runs over.
~Psalm 23:4-5

And it is here,
in the places we'd
rather not go,
rather not find ourselves,
rather not be, -
the valley of the shadow of death,
and in the presence of our enemies,
that we come
to truly know God.

It is in these places of life,
(if we allow these places
to draw us in close to our God)
that we go from noticing
what God is doing,
how God is providing,
who God is serving as -
and we begin to know
the very presence of God.

No longer is David
referring to God as "He".
No - in these verses,
God has become
a very personal "You"
who is
intimately and personally
caring for the psalmist.

You are with me.
Your rod and Your staff comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil.

Yes, indeed.

One of the greatest blessings
of walking through a hard season,
is the blessing of knowing.

That moment when -
in the midst of
heartache and sorrow,
trials and tribulations,
upheaval and change,
betrayals and battles,
at the very core of your being
you come to truly know God.~♥️

~Stacy L. Sanchez
From HeartprintsofGod

05/14/2026

“Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means “well of the Living One who sees me”). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered. So Hagar gave Abram a son, and Abram named him Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Ishmael was born.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭16‬:‭13‬-‭16‬ ‭

05/13/2026

“The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied. The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.” Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.” And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress. This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.””
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭16‬:‭7‬-‭12‬ ‭

05/12/2026

“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal. So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.) So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt. Then Sarai said to Abram, “This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt. The Lord will show who’s wrong—you or me!” Abram replied, “Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.
Genesis 16:1-6

05/10/2026