You can know his voice

Do you ever wish God came with a GPS?
“Turn left.”
“Recalculating…”
“Make a U-turn when possible.”

Clear. Direct. No second-guessing.

Instead, if you’re anything like me, you pray and then wonder:
Was that God or just me? Was that wisdom, emotion… or (let’s be honest) something I ate?

And yet, here’s the promise Jesus makes that changes everything:
You can know His voice.
Not guess. Not hope. Not wonder. Know.

Jesus says,
“My sheep listen to my voice… I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10)
That’s not poetic fluff. That’s a promise.

When Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd, people understood what that meant. Shepherds didn’t push sheep from behind, they led from the front. And the sheep followed because they recognized his voice.

Imagine it: one crowded pen, multiple flocks. In the morning, each shepherd calls—and his sheep lift their heads and follow. No confusion. Just recognition.
Why?
Because they’ve spent time with him.

That’s the invitation.
Jesus is saying: That’s what it can be like with you and me.

I remember when I was wrestling with whether to go back to school to become an ordained minister. It didn’t make sense. I didn’t fit the mold, and honestly, I didn’t see how it could work.

Brian and I were at a worship conference, and one night during a concert, I quietly prayed, “Lord, what am I supposed to do?”

And in the stillness, I sensed a simple word: “Go.”
Not loud. Not dramatic. Just a quiet, steady nudge: Be obedient, and I’ll take care of the rest.

Later, I told Brian—half expecting skepticism. Instead, he simply said, “Well… it sounds like the decision is clear.”

And it was.

So how do we hear Him?

Keep it simple.

Ask.
“Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3)

Listen.
God is always speaking. Through Scripture, wise voices, a sermon, a nudge in your spirit. He will never contradict His Word.

Obey.
This is where it becomes real. Sometimes we’re waiting for a new word while ignoring the last one. But every step of obedience helps us hear Him more clearly.

This week, let’s be people who ask, listen, and obey—one step at a time.

Because Jesus is the Good Shepherd.
And you are His sheep.

And He promises that you will know His voice.

So when He calls your name this week, in a quiet moment, through His Word, or in a gentle nudge —may you recognize it, trust it, and follow.

You are the one Jesus loves

Ever have one of those moments where you hear something so often… you almost stop really hearing it?

That’s how John 3:16 can feel sometimes. Familiar. Comfortable. Easy to skim past. But this week at Amberlea, as we kicked off our new series (talking about the promises of Jesus) called Unbreakable, and we slowed right down and sat with it—and suddenly, it didn’t feel ordinary at all. Because this isn’t just a well-known verse.  It’s a deeply personal promise: you are loved by God. Not just “God loves the world” in a big, vague, Hallmark-card kind of way…No—God loves you.

And if you’re anything like me, that can feel a little… suspicious. It’s one thing to believe God loves people. It’s another thing entirely to believe God loves me—with my history, my missteps, my “what was I thinking?” moments. (And yes, apparently my early career in kitten smuggling and petty theft… not my finest season.)

But here’s what’s been sitting with me all week:

Jesus doesn’t just make a general promise—He makes it personal.

He tells a story about a shepherd who leaves 99 sheep to go after one. Not the best math strategy. Definitely not efficient. But wildly, beautifully loving.

You are the one.

And if that still feels hard to believe, consider this: one of Jesus’ own disciples—John—started out as a hot-headed “Son of Thunder” (which sounds less like a worship leader and more like someone you’d avoid in a parking lot dispute). At one point, he literally asked Jesus if they could call down fire from heaven on people who disagreed with them. And yet… after spending time with Jesus, John started referring to himself in a completely different way:

“The one Jesus loves.”

Not because he was perfect.
Not because he earned it.
But because he experienced it.

Somewhere along the way, love changed his identity. And maybe that’s the invitation for us too. To stop defining ourselves by what we’ve done and start receiving what Jesus has already done.

Because God didn’t just say He loves you—He showed you. In the most powerful way possible.

And here’s the part that might just change everything:

Love isn’t a feeling you have to chase—it’s a promise you get to trust.

So if your week feels heavy…
If your heart feels tired…
If you’re carrying regret, or doubt, or just a quiet sense that you’re “not enough”…

Try this. (Yes, I’m serious.)

Pause for a moment and say it—maybe a little awkwardly at first:

“I am the one Jesus loves.”

Say it again.

Let it sink in.

Because sometimes the most unbreakable truth is also the simplest one:

You are the one.

Dream Again!

What’s Your Next Step? Dream Again.

We’re all on a journey with God—and whether we realize it or not, there’s always a next step.

Maybe your first step has been building a real, honest relationship with God. Maybe you’ve been working through some of the hard stuff—past hurts, habits, or struggles—and finding freedom. But eventually, the journey leads us here: discovering our purpose and making a difference.

And that’s where many of us get stuck.

In a world that feels upside down—morally, socially, even spiritually—it’s easy to wonder: What difference could I possibly make?

The answer is both simple and profound. Start somewhere. Get involved. Say yes. Ask, “How can I help?” You might be surprised at how quickly purpose begins to take shape when you step in.

But there’s something deeper I want to gently nudge you toward…

God is speaking.

Not because God has to—but because God wants to. The challenge isn’t that God is silent; it’s that life is loud. And sometimes, we need to turn down the noise around us to hear the whisper within.

God speaks in many ways—through Scripture, through people, through circumstances—but also through dreams and visions. Those quiet nudges. Those holy ideas that seem to come out of nowhere. The things that stir your heart and won’t let go.

Scripture says, “Where there is no vision, people perish.” Not physically—but emotionally, spiritually, relationally. Without a sense of God-given direction, life can slip into survival mode. A quiet “meh.” A going-through-the-motions existence.

But you were made for more than that.

You were created for significance.

I’ve seen it in my own life—there’s a clear connection between how much I’m dreaming with God and how alive I feel. When vision fades, so does joy. But when I begin to dream again—even in small ways—something shifts. Hope rises. Energy returns. Joy follows.

So maybe your next step isn’t complicated.

Maybe it’s this: dream again.

Take a moment. Get quiet. Ask God what He’s stirring in you. Write it down. Pray over it. Pay attention to the ideas that won’t leave you alone.

And don’t worry if your dream feels small, unclear, or even a little impossible. God-sized dreams usually do.

Because the best dreams—the ones that truly satisfy—aren’t just about us. They’re God-honouring, others-focused, and often bigger than what we could accomplish on our own.

And if your dreams have grown stale? Or faded altogether?

Take heart.

We serve a “once more” kind of God.

The kind who restores vision. Rekindles passion. Opens our eyes again—sometimes in stages, sometimes unexpectedly—but always faithfully.

So here’s your gentle invitation today:

Lean in.
Listen closely.
And dare to dream again.

Because your next step might just change everything.