By Pastor Stephen Hess – Many people today are living without hope. In the United States, depression rates are at an all-time high. According to one recent study, roughly a third of American adults report being diagnosed with depression at some point during their lifetime—a figure that is rising. Hopelessness drives some people to substance […]
hopeBy Pastor Stephen Hess – This year our church has been taking a journey through the Book of Exodus. One of the things that has always stood out to me in the early chapters of Exodus is the ability that God gives Moses to perform miracles. By turning his staff into a serpent, turning his […]
bible, exodus, miracles, moses, old testamentBy Pastor Stephen Hess – Whenever we baptize an infant at Highview, I always remind the congregation that it isn’t only the parents who are taking responsibility for raising the child in the faith; it is the entire congregation. That is why one of the baptismal questions asked of the congregation is: “Do you, the […]
church, discipleship, parenting, the body of christBy Pastor Stephen Hess – One of our core beliefs at Highview is in the infallibility of Scripture. As our “Essentials” statement says, “The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks.” When people are becoming acquainted with our church, sometimes […]
christianity, evangelical presbyterian church, presbyterianism, reformed theology, the christian lifeBy Pastor Stephen Hess – This fall we have been exploring what the Bible says about our bodies. We have been seeing how all the major turning points in the storyline of Scripture—creation, fall, redemption, and the new creation—have major implications for understanding how God created our bodies and how he designed us to use […]
advent, christmas, gender, sexualityBy Pastor Stephen Hess – Back in 2010, one of the top movies of the year was a film called “Inception.” The story is about a thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology. Eventually he is given the daunting task of planting an idea into the mind of a CEO by […]
culture, gender, marriage, sermon series, sexualityBy Pastor Stephen Hess – When the Apostle Paul visited the city of Athens in Acts 17, he noticed that the city was full of idols. On one occasion he was given an opportunity to speak before the Areopagus, which was a group of leading philosophers in the city. He began his address by saying, […]
christianity, culture, religionBy Pastor Stephen Hess – What does it mean to be a Christian? That may seem like a simple question but in our modern society the word “Christian” has become increasingly confused and can mean different things to different people. Some people think being a Christian means believing certain things. They assume that if you […]
discipleship, sermon series, small groupsBy Pastor Stephen Hess – One of the most fundamental questions that human beings have asked for centuries is a question about identity: “Who am I?” Although many people don’t realize it, underneath some of the hot-button conversations in our modern culture there are competing views about identity. For instance, debates about sexuality and gender […]
culture, identityBy Pastor Stephen Hess – Since the early part of this year, one of the stories that has been dominating the headlines has been the massive advancements in artificial intelligence technologies. New chatbots such as “Chat GPT” have shocked the world with their ability to generate information and engage in conversation with human-like abilities. Many […]
culture, technology