Weekly Blog

Faith makes us bold.

As David runs toward Goliath with his sling swinging over his head (1 Samuel 17) he declares that “the Battle belongs to the Lord.” In faith, a teenager armed with only a shepherd’s staff and five smooth stones is running toward a nine-foot-tall killing machine covered with over 150 pounds of armor. The odds aren’t in David’s favor of surviving this encounter – but he is not depending upon his own skills; he is fully trusting his life to the care of Yahweh, the God who gives us life.

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”    -Benjamin Franklin

As we have been learning the lessons from the life of King Saul, we have seen that Saul is really good at making excuses instead of obeying the Lord. As we've studied 1 Samuel 13 and 14, we have seen that Saul is driving on the “Excuse Expressway,” and in this week’s chapter he proves that he has no intention of taking an “exit ramp.”

Preparing for Victory.

When you run a race, it’s common to have a big meal to “carb-load” the night before. People will often eat pasta and make sure their body has plenty of fuel for all the energy they are about to burn.

Prayer life is vital for moving forward through seasons of transition.

Do you ever feel like Jesus is a million miles away?   

All of us have lived through days where we feel like we are walking through the “dark night of the soul.”  Whether our circumstances are filled with trials and challenges or not – we all traverse through “desert seasons”. These times of isolation can cause us to doubt whether God is hearing our prayers or if He is working anywhere around us. 

Well done, good and faithful servant.

Just two Sundays ago I arrived at the church early and went through my normal checklist to prepare for our worship services. Just before 7:30 a.m. I met with Gary Kupp who has faithfully worked on lighting and audio-visual equipment for years. We laughed and joked as he put the slides in the computer and I thanked him as I moved on with my morning preparations. Little did I know that as I walked away saying, “Thank you, Gary,” it would be the last words I would say directly to him.

Reflections and Thoughts about Current Events

So many things have been written and said about the events of last week in Washington D.C.  I pondered what I might add to the conversation that hasn’t already been expressed.  It is important for me to respond prayerfully and carefully to events that happen in these days.  My thoughts have taken me full circle back to my Bible where I know that I can find truth that won’t change.

What. Is. Truth.

When Pontius Pilate is asking Jesus questions about his identity as a king, he simply asks, “What is truth?”  (John 18)  

As a Roman governor over the province of Judea, Pilate was stuck between an emperor who would not tolerate rival kings and Jewish religious leaders who claimed Jesus deserved death for calling himself God.    

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 

How do we choose to rejoice and experience joy as Paul commands us to do in Philippians 4:4?  I spent a lot of time last week thinking and praying on how I could “choose” joy.  It seems akin to having someone tell you, “clean your desk,” perfunctory and necessary, but not spontaneous and organic.   

Joy is an attitude.

A Divine Legacy.

God hears our prayers.

Last Sunday we prayed for five individuals by name who need a miracle because of their health circumstances.   We also prayed together as a church that our shipment of lights for the upcoming Neighborhood Church Christmas Light Show would arrive quickly so that we could kick off presentations this week.   

One of the people we prayed for is my Great Uncle Bruce who has COVID-19. The doctors said he didn’t have much of a chance to live, but they were concentrating on making him comfortable. Uncle Bruce said he was ready to go be with Jesus.