In this message, Pastor Brent focuses on true freedom—freedom to worship, freedom from bondage, and the courage it takes to pursue both. Faith was at the heart of our nation’s founding.  Seeking Christ leads to genuine liberty, and being a peacemaker—someone who acts in truth and love—transforms homes, organizations, and communities. When you lead with purpose and prayer, you unlock possibility, change lives, and build something that lasts.

Key Takeaways:

Freedom Rooted in Christ

True freedom comes from knowing Jesus and making Him the foundation of life. Both the nation’s founding and the church’s beginnings were inspired by a desire for spiritual liberty, guiding people to seek Christ first as the source of genuine freedom.

Peacemaking through Active Truth

Pastor Brent addressed the difference between peacekeepers and peacemakers.  We are to actively pursue truth and righteousness in relationships and society, encouraging believers to lovingly confront difficult issues rather than passively avoiding conflict.

Power of Fervent Prayer

Persistent, heartfelt prayer within the church community is essential. We can see the transformative impact of praying for one another, confessing faults, and trusting God to move in response to faithful intercession.

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As we welcome the start of a new year, Pastor Brent shared this message about hope, fresh starts, and finding strength in faith—especially amidst the uncertainties of today’s world.

Key takeaways:

• Commit to Spiritual Renewal: Rather than just making fleeting New Year’s resolutions, Pastor Brent emphasized investing in spiritual commitments—making Jesus the Lord of our lives and allowing Him to guide us through valleys and mountaintops (Psalm 23).
• Strengthen Relationships through Forgiveness: Genuine fellowship thrives on bearing with one another, letting go of grudges, and committing our relationships to God. A spirit of forgiveness is essential to healthy community and personal growth.
• Let Your Light Shine in Darkness: Even as our society faces overwhelming challenges and “darkness”… revival and transformation are happening. Young people are leading the way, and they remind us the light of Jesus shines brightest when the world feels dim.

The post Embracing New Beginnings: Finding Hope and Light in 2026 appeared first on Freedom Fellowship - Church in Jackson, WI.

This is a message you don’t want to miss!  Members of the FF family share how they have seen God work in their lives.  It is such a powerful way to encourage your faith!

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If you would like to experience the complete service (including worship and prayer time), please view our Live Stream of the service on our Facebook page.

We are at war!  If you haven’t been attacked for your faith, you probably haven’t been standing up for it.  How do you respond when you are attacked by other people? When facing these difficult situations, it is important to not run and to stay on the narrow path.

Don’t Run

Being attacked is nothing new.  Elisha was mocked and his response was very different than many of us would respond to the same situation.

“From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!” ²⁴ He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. ²⁵ And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.”  2 Kings 2:23-25

Elisha didn’t argue with the boys.  It’s human nature to want to argue and defend ourselves.  We need to just state our facts and move forward (don’t get caught up in meaningless debates).  He let God deal with the mockers.  We need to release control and let God deal with these situations for us.

Unfortunately, sometimes we may feel attacked by other believers.  Too often people leave the church because of these disagreements/encounters.  This is detrimental to the person leaving and to the church!  Don’t give up…keep running the race.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  2 Tim 4:7

Stay on the Narrow Path

When King David was in his last years of life, his life was a mess.  His sons were fighting over who should take over the throne.  King David responded to this challenging season is a very godly way:

My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.

He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.

How long will you assail a man,
That you may murder him, all of you,
Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?

They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position;
They delight in falsehood;
They bless with their mouth,
But inwardly they curse.

My soul, wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.

He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.

On God my salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.

Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.  Psalm 62:1-8

King David didn’t wallow in pity or seek revenge.  Instead, he ran to God.  He turned his problems over to God to handle.

During turbulent times, talk to God!  Pour out your heart to Him in worship.  Use the Word of God when the enemy strikes.  Spend more time on your knees praying.

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If you would like to experience the complete service (including worship and prayer time), please view our Live Stream of the service on our Facebook page.

The older Pastor Brent gets, the more he struggles with comfort.  He likes to take it easy.  However, the Holy Spirit pricked his heart and asked what price Brent is willing to pay to follow Christ.

How far are you willing to step out of your comfort zone to serve Jesus?

Expect Life to be Hard

Are you expecting your life to be peaceful and prosperous?

“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

 “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”  Matt. 14:22-30

You will run into turbulence!  Jesus told the disciples to get into the boat, even though the wind was rough. You will encounter hard times and people that don’t want to hear about Jesus.  However, take heart because God is with us in the storms!!

So many things aren’t easy (parenting, marriage, ministry), but they are worth the effort!

Expect Conflict

As you step out in faith, expect conflict with your loved ones.

Jesus said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”  Mt. 10:34

Remember that God has given you a family of believers to walk with you during these times.

When experiencing conflict with others, we must love them with the love of Christ:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Your loyalty to Jesus Christ must surpass your loyalty to anything else.  We tend to value ourselves way too much and God’s people too little.  It’s not about being served or comfortable.

Get out of the boat and keep your eyes on Jesus!

Live Like Jesus

Live your life like Jesus!  After ministering, Jesus went to pray (Mt. 14:23).  Stop worrying and start praying!

Share Jesus!  When was the last time you shared your faith?   GO to where people need Jesus and meet them where they are at.

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This past week we got one of those heavy, wet spring snows. The kind that weighs down branches and even causes some trees to fall over from the weight of the snow.

Have you been feeling weighted down in life lately? There’ s so much going on in the world today that it can be easy to feel weighted down by life. Just like trees are weighted down by heavy snow. Some of them have broken branches or even have fallen over from the weight. Have you reached a breaking point in life because of the heaviness of life? Are we living under God’s grace or under the heaviness of the world.

If we’re living under God’s grace, there’s nothing we can do to make God love us more. There’s also nothing we’ve done that can make God love us less.

What weights you down in this world?

What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong – you want only what will give you pleasure. James 4:1-3

• Being concerned by what other people think. So often we are consumed by what others think of us when we have no idea if that’s even true.
• Being angry with someone. Holding onto someone’s wrong-doing. Re-hashing situations in our mind.
• Letting fear and doubt control our lives instead of trusting God with the outcome of things.
• Lust: other’s possessions, lifestyle, positions, and of course, sexually
• Bitterness: letting bitterness against someone else take control of you.
• Feeling disrespcted by our spouse, children, or others in our lives.
• Feeling unloved – everyone needs to feel loved. We tend to ignore, give the silent treatment, and be unkind to others when we don’t feel loved.

When we are struggling with any of these things, we are unkind, demanding, and hurtful to others. We certainly aren’t producing the fruit of the Spirit when we are living under these types of burdens.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift of God. Salvation is not a rewards for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8-9

Many people right now are realizing their lives are “bent over” just like the trees that are weighted down by a heavy, wet spring snow. Many are recognizing that once they repent from their sins, their weight will melt off and they will be able to stand up tall and point to the heavens.

And He gives grace generously. As the scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come close to God and He will come close to you. James 4:6-8

Marriage and raising a family really shows us where we are selfish and prideful. We have to learn how to think more about someone else than ourselves. It’s really daily training in dying to self. We are called to live in peace with others, including our spouse and children. How can we love others well if we can’t even love our families well?

If you’re dealing with a strained relationship, you’re more than likely feeling the weight of that. If you keep going like that, you will come to the point where you will break. God wants to take that heavy burden from you, but you must be willing to repent.

We need to be considerate for one another and submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Men often wield the submission card to their wives, but they are also commanded to submit to Christ and to their wives as well. We are commanded to submit to each other out of reverence for Christ. We need to repent and surrender to Jesus over our sins and let Him take the burden we’ve been carrying. Ask for God to help you have a grateful heart and thank him for the people he’s put in your life. As that He will help you to love them well. Ask Him to help you deal with your sin and selfishness. Ask God to help you be a peacemaker.

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