“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 In the final moments before his ascension, Jesus delivers marching...
As I write during the last week of May, I’m reflecting on the one-year anniversary of our first outdoor, parking lot service (May 27) and of our regathering for congregational worship (May 31). After 10 weeks of very little personal interaction and no corporate gatherings last year...
I pray you’re continuing to read through the New Testament with our church family. During the last week of April and the first two weeks of May our schedule brought us 2 Corinthians, which includes a mountain peak of God’s mercy in my life. On more than one occasion in times of...
I have been routinely blessed over the years to see and hear of our church family serving one another sacrificially in practical ways. During the past several weeks, though, the Lord has amplified it in front of me. I’ve watched our members surround grieving families with prayer...
I pray you’ve noticed that we’re hoping to recalibrate ourselves – both individually and as a congregation – as we begin 2021. Not only are we inviting and encouraging each of us to read Scripture and pray in a concerted way, we are also revisiting our shared commitments...
“Glory to God in the highest. . .”Most of you remember the story in Luke 2 very well. On the night Jesus was born, there were shepherds out in a nearby field guarding their flocks. An angel appeared to them announcing the birth of the Messiah and Savior. Then immediately, thousands...
On our recent vacation, we went to the beach in the panhandle of Florida for the 13th consecutive year. Through the generosity of some old friends, we returned to a place we know well and have made lasting memories over the years. But in true 2020 fashion, we experienced some...
Some dangers are, as the book and movie title asserts, clear, and present. We can see them coming from a mile away. A hurricane builds for weeks in the ocean, gathering moisture and swirling into a frenzy. The computer models may disagree about the exact point of landfall, but the gulf coast...
I’m thankful for the reminder and challenge of the Adult Small Group lesson Marshall and Allen wrote for our groups to use on August 30. For many of us, it was a return to a familiar passage without much ‘new material.’ But I pray the review of essential truth and the renewed...
God is gracious to refine and shape his children patiently and persistently throughout their lives. He never gives up. Sometimes this work is imperceptible because the changes are so slight, but he never stops working. He continues tilling the soil of the heart, planting fresh seeds of his word...
