“WHAT ARE YOU CERTAIN OF?” “There will be joy and songs of thanksgiving, and I will multiply my people, not diminish them… You will be my people, and I will be your God.” – Jeremiah 30:19a, 22 A wise Christian once told me, “Pastor, what I am certain of is that everything we have […]
In the comedy movie, “The Blues Brothers,” Jake and Elwood Blues believe they have a divine mission to save their former Catholic school from closing and they end up in all sorts of adventures as they try to accomplish that mission. Whether reassembling their former band or looking for a place to hold their benefit […]
What good news have you shared with somebody else recently? Perhaps you ate at a new restaurant and raved to your friends about how good is was. Perhaps you found a great bargain and couldn’t wait to share the news with your family. Maybe a new child or grandchild (or great grandchild) was born and […]
It’s time to do a new thing! It’s time to share our experience of Christ’s amazing presence with our neighbors and coworkers and friends. It’s time to reproduce the joy and blessing we receive from our times of worship. As a Church, we have a great blessing to offer to those around us: The opportunity […]
My Christmas giving is un-Christian! I might even say it’s “anti-Christ” (against Christ). Ok, now that I have your attention let me explain. What I mean is that when I feed the rampant materialism of our culture by buying lots of “things” for family and friends, I am leading people toward greed and away from […]
To accomplish our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, we have to be focused on the activities that will bear fruit and make a real difference in people’s lives. Here are four key initiatives that I believe God is calling our church to develop in 2015. As we […]
Count your blessings, name them one by one! Count your many blessings, see what God has done! I tend to take so much for granted that I’m glad that we set aside a season each November to reflect on what we are thankful for. It only takes a second for me to realize: I sit […]
I never thought a pumpkin could be a means of transportation until I saw the movie Cinderella. You know the story: Cinderella was left behind by her wicked step-mother and step-sisters. She didn’t have a way to get to the ball. Fortunately, her Fairy Godmother magically created a way by turning a pumpkin into a […]
It might be when you’re standing at the top of a mountain peak looking over God’s amazing Creation. It may happen when you finish running your first marathon. It might be when you hold your first child in your arms. It’s those moments when you feel most fully alive! When does that happen for you? I […]