As I began our summer-long series through Ephesians, I pointed out that Paul was writing to the faithful who lived in Ephesus; specifically, he was writing to “the faithful in Christ Jesus” (1:1). That might seem obvious, but in the context of becoming the “healthy, active Body of Christ,” which is the focus of this … [Read more…]
A preacher I know wrote a book that was released April 17 (it’s called Finding Favor: God’s Blessings Beyond Health, Wealth, and Happiness, and it’s written by Brian Jones; I highly recommend it, and you will likely hear more about it in the next few months). In the book, he mentions a moment when his … [Read more…]
With Easter falling on April 1, it’s easy for some to make connections between faith and foolishness. We’ve seen it in the news: pundits mocking Christians, as if we are crazy for our beliefs. However, God makes a connection between a lack of faith and foolishness. King David wrote in Psalms 14:1-3: The fool says … [Read more…]
It seems fairly safe to say that trust is at an all-time low these days. I’d suggest to read the news, but with “fake news” among the headlines, it’s clear that the fourth estate, the press, is not trusted the way it once was. In fact, it seems that none of the traditional “estates” of … [Read more…]
Going into February, I’m reminded of the celebrations we had in grade school. When I was a kid, we didn’t celebrate “Presidents Day”; we celebrated George Washington’s birthday and Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. We read stories about how “Honest Abe” read and studied by candlelight and about how young George could not tell a lie. We … [Read more…]
I had called 2017 the “year of the Bible,” focusing sermon and lesson series on the Bible, its overall message, and how each individual part related to the others and to the Gospel message. It was my hope that we would grow in our faith and knowledge of Jesus so that we might all become … [Read more…]
What do you love about Christmas? That’s kind of a dumb question, isn’t it? What’s not to like about Christmas? We love the stories, The Story, the lights, the music, the food; it’s all good! And it doesn’t really seem to matter why a person celebrates Christmas, whether as a winter festival of lights or … [Read more…]
With this newsletter you will find the November calendar. Yep, there it is, fourth Thursday of November: Thanksgiving. Just as April showers bring May flowers, Thanksgiving brings a note about giving thanks. It’s like clockwork; it’s expected. And, like clockwork, when we give thanks at Thanksgiving, we typically focus on what we have for which … [Read more…]
We’ve spent much of our time this year focusing on the Bible, and I pray that you have been encouraged to spend more time reading, studying, meditating on, and maybe even memorizing God’s Word. Certainly, I pray that you have been trusting God’s Word and applying it to your life every day. While I have … [Read more…]
It’s hard to believe that we are more than halfway through 2017. If you’re keeping up with our Bible reading schedule, we should be wrapping up the Old Testament as we go back and read through 1 & 2 Chronicles, recapping the genealogy and history of Israel before diving into the life of Jesus. If … [Read more…]