Online copies of the articles written by our preacher, Bruce Stoker, for our monthly newsletter, which is available on paper at the church or by email. You can contact the church office to receive the newsletter.
As I write this article, I’m watching snowflakes float past my window. Even though several of my friends had mowed their lawns on Good Friday, most of them posted photos of snow-covered lawns the day after Easter. Go ahead, check the date of this newsletter; honest, it’s really spring. I have to admit that I … [Read more…]
A few weeks ago, I mentioned in the sermon one of my mother’s favorite movies, “The Quiet Man,” starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, in which the main character, Sean Thornton, was caught in a no-win situation, having to choose between fighting for his wife’s dowry and keeping his vow to never fight again. While … [Read more…]
One of the foundational principles of the church, as far as identifying what we do as the church, comes from Acts 2:42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” This simple statement indicates that the early church focused its attention on four elements: … [Read more…]
“In the beginning,” God made people, giving them life, the means for living, and even purpose for living. David tells us that mankind is the crown of creation – “You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:5, NIV 1984) – echoing through the rest … [Read more…]
As has been my habit for the last several years, I’m starting the new year with a yearlong theme: new life. Maybe the past two years have prompted me to think in that direction. In 2020, with the COVID pandemic throwing every aspect of our lives into chaos, many of us often found ourselves longing … [Read more…]
While John’s account of Jesus’ life and ministry does not have a story about the birth of Jesus, John does give us an important insight into who Jesus is. Perhaps the clearest statement is John 1:14: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the … [Read more…]
I’m proud of you! I’ve admitted before that I don’t like to talk about money, but considering the strange circumstances of the past two years, I am overwhelmed by your faithfulness in giving. The facts of the ledger sheet reveal that giving is about $12,000 behind expenses (as of the beginning of October); they also … [Read more…]
I don’t want to be “that guy,” but the holiday season is just about here. Yes, I’m referring to that stretch of celebrations from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. For a lot of folks, the holiday season begins a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, with all the preparations – shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc. – and … [Read more…]
As I have been preaching, teaching, and writing about holiness throughout 2021, I have defined or described holiness as God’s total perfection and purity in all of his attributes and actions. God is holy because God is totally perfect in his power, his authority, his love, his justice, his grace, and in any other characteristic … [Read more…]
When I was a kid, we always looked forward to the night our family went back-to-school shopping. It was usually a Friday night, after Dad got home from work. We would pile into the club cab of the pickup truck and go to the mall, which was about 30 miles away. Sometimes we’d all stay … [Read more…]