Pastor’s Message (Page 8)
Dearly Beloved, Finished or unfinished? We all know what it is like: A half-read book A half-done project An abandoned diet The unreturned phone call The almost sent email We all, like sheep, have gone astray and have unfinished things cluttering up the highway of life. However, some are more serious: The job we quit…
The “Old African Blasphemer.” This is how John Newton often referred to himself later in life. Though he grew up in a Christian home, Newton lived a life far from God as “libertine and infidel”, and the captain of his own slaving ship. In 1748, Newton was caught in a terrible storm at sea and…
On April 26, 2003, during a solo descent of Bluejohn Canyon in southeastern Utah, Aron Ralston dislodged a boulder, pinning his right wrist to the side of the canyon wall. After five days, he knew he could not live much longer without food and water, yet it seemed impossible to free his arm. Since he…
Dear Friends, It has been a while since I have written a “weekly” – eight weeks to be exact if my memory serves me correctly. Although my memory is not functioning as I am in partial “brain fog” after traveling for two solid days getting home from Zimbabwe with our Vacation Bible School Team. Despite…
Hey Family, I had a good time at the missions potluck last Sunday after the service. Three of our partners shared, Steve and Allison, Paul and Susan Condie, and Brandon and Heather Young. Brandon and Heather talked about their ministry in Papua New Guinea. They live in the town of Wewak and their role is…
I don’t know where it started, probably very early in our married life… We began long trips away from home with two things: 1. Our trip checklist. 2. Our prayer. The checklist has all those things you forget otherwise – you know, phone charger, band-aids, and an extra set of earplugs. Once all of those…
At one critical point in our dating relationship, Valorie and I were going to spend a significant amount of time apart. She was going to Northern Brazil for the dedication of the Bible into the Canela language, the culmination of her parents’ lifework in translating. I was headed to Argentina, leading a team of college…
Earlier today I was using a chainsaw when it began to malfunction. It stopped cutting the fallen tree I was working on and began to smoke to an alarming degree. I checked to see if it had gas. Check! Oil? Check! Motor running? Check! Chain sharp and on the right direction? Check! What was the…
Hey Church Family, A few weeks ago Steve Noble reminded us in staff meeting that May 28 is Pentecost Sunday. That got us whirling around (“What should we do?”) And what’s more, our John passage for Sunday mentions the Holy Spirit. Listen to what Jesus said to his “on the run with him” disciples who…
Hey Church Family, This Sunday we’re reentering the gold mine that is the Gospel of John. There’s no richer book! Let’s meet and celebrate our treasure, Jesus, the architect and landlord of the cosmos. He owns us (we’re his treasure) — and every rock, tree, river and mountain. Who haven’t you seen in a while…