PASTOR'S BLOG
PRAYER, PRAISE, AND THANKSGIVING
Dear Church family, As we approach the fall holiday season, what runs through my mind is “Wow, another year is almost over!” I am sure many of you have thought the same thing! This coming Sunday morning we will take time in the worship service to praise and express thanks to the Lord. It is clearly much easier
Read MoreUNDERSTANDING YOUR PASTOR’S MINDSET
Church family, Understanding Your Pastor’s Mindset. You probably read that title and say to yourself, “This ought to be interesting! Do I have enough time to read through this?” All my life I have lived in vocational ministry. My father was a pastor. I am a pastor. Some might say that I lived in a ‘fishbowl’. Some
Read MoreNOT ‘SELF-HELP’ BUT SURRENDER
Church family, I came across this video teaching this morning and wanted to share it with you. It is a little over 6 minutes long. It’s worth a listen (definitely, more than once). Why Christians Should Be Cautious About Self-Help Resources So often we look at Christianity as a ‘means to an end.’ “Here’s what you need to
Read MoreWAIT…THEN MAKE DISCIPLES
Church family, Most of us are fully aware of the “Great Commission” passage of scripture found in Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV) And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
Read MoreHOW SHOULD WE RESPOND?
“Earlier this week, the California Senate passed a resolution calling upon all Californians—despite religious beliefs—to embrace LGBTQ lifestyles.” As I read this first sentence of an article on the Christian Headlines website, I paused to reflect on what was being said here. What does it mean for me as a Christian? I read through the rest of
Read MoreGETTING OURSELVES ON MISSION
Church family, Often the subject “making disciples” comes up in conversations I have with folks. I use the phrase “making disciples” because it summarizes what folks are really talking about. Sometimes these phrases are used: “sharing our faith”, “telling people about Jesus”, “inviting others to church”, etc. Sadly, I believe many Christians have the desire to want
Read MoreTHE “NORMAL” LIFE OF EXILES
Church family, Over the past couple of months, our Governing Board has read through and discussed a book by Elliot Clark titled Evangelism as Exiles. Clark writes to give biblical insight from 1 Peter concerning what evangelism looks like for children of God, exiles and strangers in this world. Last evening at our monthly meeting,
Read MorePRAYER – OUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!
Church family, I came upon this quote just moments ago. I had not heard it before, but it caused me some reflection. “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” —Martin Luther A week ago, one of our church members commented to me “This church is definitely
Read MoreTHE AWKWARDNESS OF WEAKNESS
Church family, If you are honest, there are or have been a variety of things that you are not good at, or struggle with. In our culture we are offered many solutions to cover up or deal with our flaws or weaknesses. Some of these solutions actually help improve a situation and often avoid unnecessary embarrassment. Example: I
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