Reflection

"You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you."  ~ Nehemiah 9:6

Yesterday was such a beautiful day... today looks to be another.  Spring like weather can set the heart on fire.  It might be a good day to take your Bible outside... sit down and spend some time meditating on Nehemiah chap

Fine Tuning

"May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer". ~ Psalm 19:14

When I was younger the car stereo was, well let's just say different than today.  I remember trying to find a station... very carefully and slowly turning that dial.  it would go from static to reception to static... then I'd finally find a station... careful finely tuning that dial...  

Today, my kids just say, "Do you have an 'Aux' cord" - p

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

"Love your neighbor as yourself" ~ Mark 12:31

 Most of us have wondered at one point or another -- "What is the will of God for me in this situation?" 

If you were to sit down and talk with Jesus... His answer would be to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.  So, if you and I are going to filter our life through this verse -- If we are make this our starting point for every dilemma.  The real question we are left with isn'

Lost and Found

"For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost"  ~ Luke 19:10

One of my daughters found a set of AirPods.  She came home and told us about her discovery.  Of course being parents we told her to turn them in to the lost and found... that's the right thing to do, right.   Well, as it turns out the lady that lost them... she lost them 3 years ago... that's right, three years ago. 

I'm sure that she thought they'd never to be found.  LOST!  This just goes to show t

Disciple or Not?

"Whoever doesn't not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple" ~ Luke 14:27

In the Bible - the word Christian is used 3 times and the word disciple is used roughly 275 times.  This simple fact is enough for me think about these words...  I hope it makes you think about it as well...

Jesus said if a person does not bear his own cross and follow Him - That person cannot be His disciple.  This can be complicated if we make it so but hang with me because it's

Restored!

"There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."  

Romans 8:1

I have always thought it would be cool to find an old car and fix it up... maybe a 1969 model... a restored 1969 Ford F-250 or a 1969 Ford Bronco.  Oh, wait a minute a 1969 Ford Fairlane... I can just imagine it (I don't know a thing about cars... so it'll have to be left to my imagination).... Yup... Sarah and I slow poking around in a restored gem from 1969...  A Sunday drive sitting close on a

Try Something New

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know  the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people."  ~ Ephesians 1:18

Don't get me wrong... I don't think that you don't want to know or that you haven't been made aware of the "hope".  It's simply that I think that you are a lot like me and I forget some things and others I just become familiar with and they don't seem so spectacular anymore (if I

Stay Focused... God's Got This!

We are only days away from a very important election that has extreme consequences for our country and those all around the world.  Each day I receive text messages, phone calls, e-mails, postcards, and advertisements on social media, television and radio.  It seems there is no escape from the topic or the inevitable consequences that this election brings.  People are preparing for a meltdown of sort as if we as American citizens have forgotten how to get along, communicat

Come Together Not Apart!

 I believe one of Satan’s greatest tactics during this time is to cause us division.  The enemy wants us to think that people are the problem and we begin to attack people instead of the enemy.  Causing great division is the plan… division among all people… even church folk.  Think about this:

 The enemy takes these unusual situations and turns us against one another.  Instead of being for one another and wit

Hand Sanitizer Culture

We live in a hand sanitizer culture in which everything is expected to be germ-free. I can understand why people want to avoid germs, but I sometimes wonder if this hasn't made us a little soft in other areas of life... especially in our walk with Jesus.

We live in a pampered culture. It's okay, I'm. okay, you're okay. But just look around... I can't help but to think that we are a little pampered now. We're a little soft in certain areas of life, specifically in our w

Re-Entry Next Steps Update

This morning I met with the deacons & trustees to work on ministry planning. I had previously asked you to be in prayer concerning this meeting and I thank you for doing so. I really believe that we made some forward progress for the church. We all agreed that for the most part that people are anxious to gather and about gathering. We looked at the different phases of re-entering the church building and what that looks like. I’ll spare you the minute details now, but I d

People Get Ready

Psalm 122:1, "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go to the house of the Lord".

As a church member and pastor this verse rings in my heart with truth! The past couple of months with the quarantine and shutdown have been difficult to say the least. I enjoy meeting with other Christians at church... after all that's part of being a Christ follower. I miss the choir, handshakes, laughter, songs... well... I miss just about everything that happens on a typical Sunday

Next Sunday and beyond

We are all thinking about life after Corona... What will life and ministry be like when we step back into the church building. I read a terrific article written by Carey Nieuwhof that outlined some things we need to avoid as we get back to normal... and I would like to share my thoughts on that subject. He mentioned and I agree that the big reunion that we are all waiting and hoping for might not be what we envisioned.

The biggest mistake many churches will make: they'll

What To Do During A Change?

Acts chapter 1 records a really big change... really big events that changed the world! 1) The ascension of Jesus from earth to heaven. 2) The coming of the Holy Spirit. I would say that these were really big events, wouldn't you? They are bigger than any person can imagine! The disciples were in a waiting period for ten days in-between these two life changing events.

We are in a waiting period right now... waiting for the Corona Virus to die down, waiting for life to g

Can We get Back To Normal?

If we can just get back to normal, back to the way it was, back in the building... will church ever be like it used to be?

The toothpaste is out of the tube and we cannot put it back in. We no longer swing by Blockbuster to rent a VHS tape. Toys-R-Us is not next to Kmart any more. Amazon and the digital age have pushed those into the history file. Will the church be the same after Corona Covid-19 has left?

I think that in some ways it will be the same but some ways the