“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” Romans 12:9 Hating people who commit sin and hating sin are not the same thing. It can become very difficult to see the fine line that separates this. People who think differently than you are not your enemy. Other Christians are not…
WHY DO YOU SERVE GOD?
“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Job 1:9 Job is a fascinating book, a favorite for many. We read and we immediately sympathize with Job’s tragedy. We see ourselves in his suffering. We listen to the bad advice he receives from his friends. They assume, like so many, that there must be some reason why…
Every Season
“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.” James 5:7 Life is much more like a garden than a buffet line. We prefer the buffet line because it bypasses the waiting. The…
IS CHURCH STILL RELEVANT?
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40 I love the church. It is an imperfect mixture of a people struggling with sins that have found life and hope in the grace of Jesus Christ. People are complex….
SINGLED OUT: Is the Church Welcoming to the Unmarried?
“But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.” 1 Corinthians 7:7b I’ve always been a little different. Growing up an “old soul” I looked at relationships differently than most of my peers. I felt God calling me to ministry when I was…
SUFFERING IS NOT SIN
“Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered” Hebrews 5:8 We live in a broken humanity. It can be seen and felt everywhere. None are immune to the frailties and vulnerabilities of being human. Yet, there is an unspoken shame that is felt by those who are dealing with various…
The Strongest Voice You Have Never Heard
I am sitting in the hallway waiting area as my wife is in surgery. Few people realize just what a towering person she is. The doctors and staff see another patient. She stands barely 5ft 1inch and weighs little more than a hundred pounds. She is one of the most soft-spoken…
American “Nones”
How can a young person maintain a pure life? Psalms 119:9 The last few years have shown that there is a shifting landscape on the horizon in America. Though still in the minority the number of “nones” (those who identify themselves as having no religious affiliation) continues to be on the rise. The Pew…
Depression and Faith
“Elijah was a person just like us” James 5:17 I was only in my second year of preaching when I first encountered the serious reality of depression within the church. One of the members was dealing with feelings that she could not control. It was more than sorrow. It was depression. She could not…
Election
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight in love. Ephesians 1:4 It’s 2016, and here in America each day draws us little bit closer to our presidential election. Each day brings new news about the latest campaign polls, sound bites, and…
Blessed Assurance
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 1 Peter 1:3 One of the most uncomfortable things about the future is the uncertainty that it brings. We…
Believe in Forgiveness
“And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” Matthew 6:12 Forgiveness is where the rubber meets the road on our faith journey. It is here that the hunt for God’s Love, Covenant, Grace, and Church come home. Just as love is where we begin, the circle cannot be completed without embracing the…
CROSS WORDS 