Anderson Hills

Esther left the comfort and safety of the palace to save her fellow Israelites. She did not allow the culture to undermine her faith and she risked her life in the unfolding of God’s plan of redemption. God continually calls us out of our comfort zone into the faith zone. For over 200 years, generations of faithful followers have continually risen up to serve Jesus and spread the gospel. Now it’s...

Many of us dislike confrontation and conflict, but we often find it unavoidable. Sometimes a conflict may result in separation. How we part ways with others in a relationship, a business agreement, or even a church, matters and also shows our true character. In the Book of Acts we read about a situation between Paul and Barnabas that resulted in separation, a separation that led to an opportunity...

Many of us dislike confrontation and conflict, but we often find it unavoidable. Sometimes a conflict may result in separation. How we part ways with others in a relationship, a business agreement, or even a church, matters and also shows our true character. In the Book of Acts we read about a situation between Paul and Barnabas that resulted in separation, a separation that led to an opportunity...

Loyalty is a key component of unity and it’s difficult to achieve without sacrificing one’s own preferences and desires. It requires putting aside selfishness, greed, and ambition, and instead focusing on a greater purpose. The story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz portrays love and loyalty at its best. Ruth’s devotion to Naomi caused her to cast aside all concern for her future and security, and to even...

Loyalty is a key component of unity and it’s difficult to achieve without sacrificing one’s own preferences and desires. It requires putting aside selfishness, greed, and ambition, and instead focusing on a greater purpose. The story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz portrays love and loyalty at its best. Ruth’s devotion to Naomi caused her to cast aside all concern for her future and security, and to even...

How we respond to others when we feel we have been wronged reveals our heart condition. Some common responses include expressing anger, seeking retaliation and holding grudges. While understandable, these are not the behaviors Jesus would encourage. He spoke of and modeled the importance of being peacemakers and peacekeepers. King David once found himself in a tense situation involving Nabal, a se...

How we respond to others when we feel we have been wronged reveals our heart condition. Some common responses include expressing anger, seeking retaliation and holding grudges. While understandable, these are not the behaviors Jesus would encourage. He spoke of and modeled the importance of being peacemakers and peacekeepers. King David once found himself in a tense situation involving Nabal, a se...

Forgiveness may be the hardest thing many of us do in our lifetimes, but because none of us is without sin, forgiveness is essential if we want to love and be loved in this life. Unforgiveness is one of the deadliest forces in the world; it causes much pain and suffering and creates division. Forgiveness is even more powerful—not just as a response to the cross, a witness to the world, and a means...

Forgiveness may be the hardest thing many of us do in our lifetimes, but because none of us is without sin, forgiveness is essential if we want to love and be loved in this life. Unforgiveness is one of the deadliest forces in the world; it causes much pain and suffering and creates division. Forgiveness is even more powerful—not just as a response to the cross, a witness to the world, and a means...

Pastor Jon Ferguson

Pastor Jonathan Kollmann

Solomon spends a lot of time describing the fool. In fact, the words fool and foolish appear in the Book of Proverbs close to 80 times. Solomon states numerous ways that we can make fools of ourselves: be self-reliant, don’t seek counsel, don’t consult God for guidance; don’t learn from your mistakes; make sure others know you are always right; be sure to keep your eyes on the world; blame God for...

Solomon spends a lot of time describing the fool. In fact, the words fool and foolish appear in the Book of Proverbs close to 80 times. Solomon states numerous ways that we can make fools of ourselves: be self-reliant, don’t seek counsel, don’t consult God for guidance; don’t learn from your mistakes; make sure others know you are always right; be sure to keep your eyes on the world; blame God for...

Anger is a natural emotion. We all get angry! And while everyone gets angry, we don’t all get angry in the same way. We learn our preferred method of anger from our parents, from television, from a friend, or someone else. We usually learn to express anger in the way that it was most often demonstrated toward us. Scripture has a lot to say about anger, how it affects us and those to whom we expres...

Anger is a natural emotion. We all get angry! And while everyone gets angry, we don’t all get angry in the same way. We learn our preferred method of anger from our parents, from television, from a friend, or someone else. We usually learn to express anger in the way that it was most often demonstrated toward us. Scripture has a lot to say about anger, how it affects us and those to whom we expres...

No one typically wakes up and says, I think I’ll commit adultery today. It is really a slow process of taking baby steps toward it. Affairs happen because people are not serious about avoiding the risk factors. Allowing yourself to fall into compromising situations and rationalizing your actions is a quick way to commit adultery. We need to follow God’s wisdom and do whatever it takes to be pure i...

No one typically wakes up and says, I think I’ll commit adultery today. It is really a slow process of taking baby steps toward it. Affairs happen because people are not serious about avoiding the risk factors. Allowing yourself to fall into compromising situations and rationalizing your actions is a quick way to commit adultery. We need to follow God’s wisdom and do whatever it takes to be pure i...

When you rely on yourself to fight a secret pull toward a worldly desire, you’re on the fast track to addiction. An addiction to anything other than God Himself is wrong. God is the only One who can (and should) habitually satisfy and meet our needs. To do so with anything else draws us away from Him and displeases Him. He alone is worthy of our complete attention, love, and service. To offer thes...

When you rely on yourself to fight a secret pull toward a worldly desire, you’re on the fast track to addiction. An addiction to anything other than God Himself is wrong. God is the only One who can (and should) habitually satisfy and meet our needs. To do so with anything else draws us away from Him and displeases Him. He alone is worthy of our complete attention, love, and service. To offer thes...

Was there a time when you were closer to Jesus than you are today? If so, what happened? It is easy to drift away from God. It can be a subtle process that people may not even realize is happening. The primary reason is busyness. But other reasons, including temptation, circumstances, bad influences, and neglecting to spend time with God, can cause us to drift from Him. We need to acknowledge the...

Was there a time when you were closer to Jesus than you are today? If so, what happened? It is easy to drift away from God. It can be a subtle process that people may not even realize is happening. The primary reason is busyness. But other reasons, including temptation, circumstances, bad influences, and neglecting to spend time with God, can cause us to drift from Him. We need to acknowledge the...

On a weekly basis, your “work” is a big part of your life. It can also be a major cause of stress. God created us with a need for responsibility and for work to be enjoyable, not difficult. But sin entered the world consequently changing the work experience. To go from stress to rest in our work, we need the right work perspective. Work is necessary and important, but work is not everything. We ca...

On a weekly basis, your “work” is a big part of your life. It can also be a major cause of stress. God created us with a need for responsibility and for work to be enjoyable, not difficult. But sin entered the world consequently changing the work experience. To go from stress to rest in our work, we need the right work perspective. Work is necessary and important, but work is not everything. We ca...

We can’t escape the fact that money is a source of stress in our lives. With the economy, inflation, career concerns and debt, it’s no wonder two out of three Americans feel anxious about their finances. Whether you have a little or a lot by our societal standards, you must learn to manage money and handle financial pressure. Money cannot be the source of our hope and trust. Following God’s princi...

We can’t escape the fact that money is a source of stress in our lives. With the economy, inflation, career concerns and debt, it’s no wonder two out of three Americans feel anxious about their finances. Whether you have a little or a lot by our societal standards, you must learn to manage money and handle financial pressure. Money cannot be the source of our hope and trust. Following God’s princi...