Category: From the Pastor’s Desk

It is a common misconception that the Bible is just a book of rules; of prohibitions and mandates.  This comes from (and leads to) a very wrong view of God as some kind of stern, authoritarian, (and maybe grumpy) king in the sky that sees us a mere pawns on one of His planets.  Nothing could be further from the truth. First, the Bible is actually one connected true-life story, a collection of 66 books written over 1400 years that contain a variety of literature, from history narratives to poetry and even letters.  Far from being a book of rules, …

This week we are pleased to have with us Dr. Tim Bertolet with us from ABWE.  He will be sharing with us from Hebrews 4, encouraging us regarding our gracious high priest, Jesus Christ. Tim Bertolet serves at the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) developing strategies for equipping missionaries,  creating missionary training, and coordination of our worldwide theological educators. He served as a pastor for 16 years before going to ABWE. He is passionate about international theological education, pastoral training, and writing material that will help people grow in their faith. Tim also serves as an adjunct professor …

So much of the turmoil that we experience in life has a single root problem.   The hymnwriter Joseph Scriven wrote in famous hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” these words: “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer!”  He is correct, but that still isn’t the root problem.  The root problem to so many of our issues is that we have a too-small view of God.  Many factors contribute to this; it may be ignorance, it may be disillusionment, it could be a …

The observance of Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is one of two “ordinances” that God gave the church, the second being baptism.  Anyone with a Protestant or Catholic are familiar with both, though they are often looked at different ways.  In the message today, leading up to our observance, we are going to discuss a specific aspect of what is being pictured through this ordinance, the very one it get’s its name from. The word “Communion” is actually a synonym for fellowship.  It refers to sharing in or participating together in something.  In our study we will see that two …

The lynchpin of the Christian faith is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Join us as we walk through Luke 24 in God’s Word and look at the proofs and reactions to Christ’s resurrection on that very first Easter Sunday.  Consider together what it would be like to have the man you considered to be the savior of the world die.  Struggle together with the disciples to believe the good news of the resurrection, then reflect with them on some of the predictions regarding it that Christ gave throughout the Bible.  Process together with us how Christ’s resurrection not only provides …

The Bible says in Hebrews 4:12 “For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”.  Also, in Isaiah 55:11 God says; “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth, it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Our speaker for this service is from Gideon’s International and …

Dull is not usually a positive word.  No one wants to be accused of being dull and we aren’t usually looking to have a boring time.  This message is about how to avoid dullness; not being boring or plain, but rather it discusses our spiritual condition. It is about our minds and hearts when it comes to things of God.  It addresses a very serious topic in a positive way.  I hope you will choose to start your year joining the service, either in person or right here online. Our morning service begins at 10:45.

Why Christmas? Why did Jesus come to earth as a baby?  Why did He die on the cross?  To understand the importance of Christmas and why it even exists, we need to go back to the beginning.  Not the beginning where the angel appears to Mary. Not even the account of John the Baptist’s birth being announced, nor the prophecies of Isaiah.  I am talking about going way back, to the very Beginning, to Genesis, to understand why we needed a Christmas. In this first installment of a 6-part Christmas series, it is my desire that we will all grasp …

What is your natural response to difficult times?  How do react with the going gets tough?  If you are like most of us, your response is not rejoicing!  It is not giving of thanks.  What if I told you, however, that those things are the right response? Now some of you might be thinking of the Bible’s teaching from James 1 where it says “my brothers, count it all joy when you fall into different trials, knowing that the testing of your faith works patience”.  That verse is true, but it might lack the depth of explanation you are looking …