I once had a hard conversation with someone about a wrong direction they were going in life. I was trying to tell the person what they were doing wasn’t right. This person turned to me and said—“I just think God would want me to be happy.”  We’ve all heard this response at one point or another… and while my knee-jerk reaction was to say that they were dead wrong and become argumentative… I gave so...  Read More

Friday First for October 23, 2020Our goal for our vision in 2020 was to capture the meaning of the victorious faith that brings us to Heaven. Through a year of difficulty, stress and loss we have come to October now in the twilight of this challenging year. October has been all about the one who has given us the faith that allows us to rise to the occasion in times like these. In times of loneline...  Read More

It is on the Mount of Olives, in the garden of Gethsemane, that Jesus triumphs in one of the greatest spiritual battles in history … and the tool he is using is prayer. What is in this text that we can learn so we can inspire our faith?  Read More

Jesus was a master relater. We should understand this on a deep level. He literally came down from the highest height to be with us where we are. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” As such, he could connect extremely high level spiritual concepts to extremely basic ideas. Jesus entire ministry was about laying spiritual truths next to simple earthly truths. His entire ministry is full of ...  Read More

If Jesus’ baptism was a proclamation, then the story shared with us in Matthew 4.1-11 is a demonstration of Jesus’ authority and power over Satan and temptation. Jesus is bold enough to confront Satan by facing the ugliness and disorder he created. Truly, our Savior is unbreakable … even after Satan gave it his best shot.   Read More

Please pray for a vaccine to be developed soon so hopefully we can get back to some semblance of normalcy. Until then be mindful of all those around you and wear your masks properly when in worship together and while interacting before and after. If you have been in contact with anyone who has contracted COVID-19, PLEASE self quarantine for 14 days and tune into the live stream.  Read More

We live in a very blessed culture in 21st century America. We live in a world of options and diverse blessings. Think about this. At the risk of making everyone tune out of worship today in favor of thinking about lunch, fast forward to a post- service lunch decision type conversation. We have options in this regard. For lunch today, you can have food from whatever country you want—sometimes we ge...  Read More

The story of Jesus’ baptism is one that we may take for granted and pass over its tremendous significance. Luke 3.23 reveals that Jesus is around 30 years old as His ministry begins. To this point, He has lived in obscurity. Nothing, at this time, would give any indication to His being the Son of God.Jesus’ baptism marks the beginning of His earthly ministry. When Jesus approaches John to be bapti...  Read More

Every morning at the start of our day, most of us stand square with a mirror. We probably take this moment for granted...but there's an opportunity for us to do a little bit of self reflection. Literally. "Who am I?" Questions of identity and purpose are of great importance to us because we were designed with an inner quest for assurance and confidence.The world says the answer to this appetite  f...  Read More

Another day, another grievous headline. Plagues, natural disasters, injustice on every hand. On top of this, constant division and consternation. Red takes, blue takes, the left says this, but the right says that…its inescapable now a days. It seems like all news is bad news—there’s fear to be had from every angle of every story. …So long as we’re counting on earthly kings to solve our issues, any...  Read More

Your trial is a chance for you to deepen your dependence on God. Trials remind us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Trials often drive us to the point of being desperate for God.  Read More

We have so much to be thankful for. God has given us life. He sustains our basic needs. He provides us with loved ones who bring us companionship throughout life. He has allowed many of us to experience the joy of children and grandchildren. He has filled our life with many pleasant blessings that bring us comfort and peace. And, most importantly, He has brought us salvation through the work of His Son.  Read More