Paul spoke, in Galatians 2.20, about surrendering to Christ. What does that mean in everyday life? The answer is found in Galatians 5.16, where the natural result of surrender is walking by the Spirit. When we walk by the Spirit our attitude will be transformed. We’ll fight against the desires of the flesh, 5.16b-17. We’ll be freed from the condemnation of the law, 5.18. We’ll reject the lusts of ...  Read More

Does the church matter? If so, what for? Acts 20.28 tells us that Jesus purchased the church with his own blood. What is that church though? What makes Jesus’ church what it is?Well, we know the church is Christ’s ekklesia, or his called out ones. The church is composed of people who have been redeemed and are being rebuilt each day into the glorious image of the Son, the head of the church. (Colo...  Read More

A few months ago I visited an Arkansas cemetery. At the back part were graves going back before statehood, almost 200 years ago. Some of the headstones were completely bare as the toll of weather and time had taken its price. As my mom and I walked around I wondered about who they were, their families, what brought them to the edge of Indian Territory, and how they died. Today, there is no one ali...  Read More

The disciple Peter had a massive gut check on the Sea of Galilee. After having ministered to a large crowd and fed thousands, Jesus sent the disciples away to take their ship to dock at the western shore of the sea of Galilee on the “other side.” Christ had stayed back by himself to pray in isolation. A storm came to the disciples as they crossed the sea. The waves that once were calm waters rocke...  Read More

Friday First - Second Chances GodWho needs a second chance? We all do. We all have mistakes, sore spots, bumps and bruises. So many of them are self inflicted. Life is no doubt full of joy, but it's also full of missteps. In one way or another and at some points in time, we've all turned away from God. Not one of us are perfectly holy. Our entire lives are a gift from God, but we don't always reme...  Read More

Sin always leads to brokenness and despair. Its impact is all around. We see it in broken relationships, addiction, and secret sin. How do we cope with it? Today many ignore it or choose to relegate it to an obscure corner of their life. Others live a lie, hoping to make others believe they have things all together, while others fall prey to an addiction that began as a coping mechanism. If you th...  Read More

 "I have been following you since Nov of last year. You have been more of a blessing than you will ever know. I feel like a part of the congregation. Thank the good Lord for helping me find you after giving up hope that this is what a church should be. Bless you."When we as a church get comments like these, we think they are really special, and they remind us a few things.We may never know how wha...  Read More

The gospel is for all. No matter what you deal with, Jesus has the power to make you new. No matter how much you’ve sinned, you can be forgiven. When Jesus says in Mark 2.17 that He came to heal the sick and call sinners, He was referring to all of us. Every saved person came to Christ the same way — in sin, broken, and enslaved in bondage — desperate and in need of redemption. The amazing news is that there is hope. There is a way out. Help is here.  Read More

Earlier last month, a group of people on an internet forum centered around the stock market conspired together to invest in a throw-away stock in a gaming company called Gamestop, against giant hedge funds who had “shorted” the stock. “Shorting” essentially meaning they had bet against the growth the stock, in hopes it would continue to sink in value. Since so many common people from that internet...  Read More

During March we’ll be focusing on the first aspect … Jesus makes all things new. He does this by going to battle with Satan and winning. He is our King who, with love and compassion, does what we cannot do for ourselves. Our Savior … fights for us.  Read More

Can You Imagine What He Felt?Can you imagine what it must have been like for God to walk around His creation after the fall of man? John 1.14 describes the “word become flesh.” We sometimes fly past passages like this as “something we already understand.” Let’s not gloss over that truth this time. There is a great deal more to be gleaned from the text in John 1.14 than a factual statement about wh...  Read More

Friday First: Carry OnWhat could we possibly learn about following Jesus from an insect? Quite a lot, actually, especially if you look at the life of a leaf-cutting ant. Leaf-cuttings ants are specialized ants that make their entire lives about cutting and carrying leaves. Sometimes their leaves are up to twenty times their body weight. They carry a lot, but they make it look easy.In Matthew 16.24...  Read More