Tested

January 11, 2026

Share this Article:

Pastor Colin Smith - Arlington Heights

1 Samuel 16:14-23 ESV

Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. And Saul's servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.” So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.” One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.” Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul. And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.

Connect with Us:

January 5, 2026
Mark Wilson, a long-time business owner and faithful member of The Orchard, recently took a bold step to share his faith with his team of 50+ employees. While known for his kindness, Mark realized he had never openly shined for Christ at work. So, he hosted a voluntary lunch to share his story of faith. The impact has been incredible—sparking new conversations and inspiring others. Watch Mark’s story and consider how you too can shine for Christ. Do you, or someone you know, have a SHINE story? Let us know!
December 19, 2025
The Orchard Itasca shared the following testimony about Kenny's baptism during their weekly Sunday service. Kenny is a resident of the Forest View Nursing and Rehab Facility in Itasca where our people have been ministering for the past two years. Kenny and his friend, Karen now regularly attend services, and Kenny was baptized on Sunday, September 28. We rejoice in the fruit that is being born through this ministry! We are also excited that one of the couples who regularly participates in the ministry has plans to offer a Bible study at the facility. We pray that The Orchard Itasca will continue to bring light and hope to the residents and staff!
December 12, 2025
The Orchard Itasca shared the following testimony about how they are ministering at Forest View Nursing Home. A man named Christian is a resident at the Forest View Nursing Home where our people go to minister quarterly. He likely has some form of Parkinson’s Disease and because of this has lost most of the function in his hands and feet. Some of our people have visited with Christian on previous trips. At our July visit, a couple from our church Mike and Deb Marunde went to his room. Since it had been a few months since our last visit, they didn’t think he would remember them. However, when they introduced themselves, Christian looked up and said “Mike!” He remembered! He looked at Mike and said, “I miss you.”