Knowing God With Heart and Mind

In the latest series, "Acts," we will look at the Church as it is defined in the Book of Acts of the Apostles. While we allow for the cultural and technological differences between our times and theirs, we will nevertheless strive to understand the kind of people of God we are called to be and what we can do to establish Christ’s Kingdom in our midst.

On Sunday we enjoyed our first onsite visit to the Lord’s Table since last winter. Even as we do so, there will be fewer of us present and we will be observing safe distancing. Holy communion is indented to be a very intimate expression of faith and unity so the Eucharistic liturgy may seem strange. The message from Hebrews 12:1-3 reminds us that we are among a great throng of Christ-followers, ev...

Read Revelation 3:14-22 - See that there is nothing particularly outstanding about Laodicea. The Church there, like the city’s water supply, was compromised. They adjusted their temperament according to the perceived climate; Laodicean Christians did not passionately stand for anything. They attended worship services and other functions out of habit and expected nothing out of the ordinary of thei...

The people of God often gave up their faith in God as they wandered in the wilderness. Sadly, the unfaithful pressured others to adopt their faithless self-determination. Sometimes, they even pressured their leaders to conform. The most glaring example of this situation is the familiar story of the Israelites who melted their jewelry and formed a golden calf while Moses met with God on the mountai...

Sardis was built on a mountain and had a citadel (fortification) that was considered unconquerable. Nevertheless, it was conquered at least five times, twice due to carelessness. The Christians in Sardis seem to have been as apathetic as the city’s defenders. When Jesus said, “I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead” it is like the impressive citadel atop the mo...

Thyatira’s Christians were threatened by a silver-tongued devil whom our Lord likened to Jezebel. The unnamed prophetess and Jezebel were gifted with persuasiveness and fond of attention. Yet, their message was not from God, and their subtle efforts to undermine the body and its leaders were diabolical. How do Christians avoid Satan's traps and fortify themselves against his undermining?

Every time the Israelites in the wilderness were punished by God it was because they tried to fit God into the humanist/pagan worldview of their oppressors. It was true in for Pergamum Christians before and it is still true today. Have you witnessed the blending of humanist culture with Christ’s intended culture in a local church? How were the outcomes similar to those experienced by the Israelite...

What's the biggest difference between the way servants of Christ endure suffering and the way others endure it? Jesus has the answer to that question in his letter to the Church at Smyrna. Join us for worship on Sunday as we learn from our Lord.

Have you ever had your firmly held beliefs challenge by someone's rational arguments against them? What was it like to feel so unsettled? How did you recover? Or, did you change your stance? This Sunday we will talk about the need for retaining our "first love" for Christ and to defend our faith against false teaching, even while we find grace for those who are babes in the Faith.

During times of trial, God offers to lead us ahead, but we must be willing to fight our need for comfort so that we can courageously embrace uncertainty in faith.

We've begun a new sermon series that deals with the peculiar times we are living through as individuals, families, communities, and as the Church. In this series, we will look at our current events through the lens of Israel’s wilderness wanderings. As we wander in our own wilderness time we will see how the people of God routinely gave up their liberty within God’s grace and exchanged it for slav...

We will celebrate Father's Day as we conclude the series, "Men After God's Own Heart" by meeting Joseph of Nazareth, the best stepdad ever. Through him, we see that God uses men (and women) who are humble, slow to anger, and open to the Holy Spirit. Please join me as we celebrate dads and all men who seek God's heart.

We continue our series especially for men called, "Men After God's Own Heart" as we meet the Prophet, Daniel. Did you know that he's the only major character in the Bible who has no notable negative traits? Daniel was handsome, smart, and courageous. Do you think those qualities define a man after God's own heart? Who do you think the Book of Daniel is about? 

In this final episode we learn Lewis' experience is a dream and that much of what we think of as reality is like a dream. What if this life is just a spec of dust in Heaven? To get the most out of this study we recommend that you acquire a copy of the book and study guide. Both are available on Amazon and other retailers. 

Pentecost Sunday. It is a time for remembering that God gave us unlimited access to Heaven by sending the Holy Spirit. The Apostles were Spirit-filled men after God's own heart who birthed the Church in which we are disciples of Jesus Christ. Please join me this week as we recall that we are empowered to be Spirit-filled men (and women) after God's own heart.

Given one last chance at joy, the vain man chooses Hell. What must it be like for God, and those in God's presence to witness this? To get the most out of this study we recommend that you acquire a copy of the book and study guide. Both are available on Amazon and other retailers. 

In this edition of the "Men After God's Own Heart" sermon series we will meet Moses. I could preach a year of sermons about Moses and the Exodus, but this time we will focus upon what made Moses "God's friend." Moses was radically flawed sometimes, but he was a man after God's own heart.

In this episode we meet an amazing saint and an equally amazing (for his vanity) sinner. What happens when our delusions take over our being? To get the most out of this study we recommend that you acquire a copy of the book and study guide. Both are available on Amazon and other retailers. 

We begin a new series of messages that focus on men after God's own heart. The first man we will meet is Abraham. We will see that his faith, integrity, and courage made him the father of countless generations, and the second most frequently mentioned Old Testament character in the New Testament. Can you guess who the first is?

Sometimes our obsessions turn in the false gods. Even motherhood can become a kind of drug that soothes some inner pains. Addictions and self-medication must be given up in Heaven. To get the most out of this study we recommend that you acquire a copy of the book and study guide. Both are available on Amazon and other retailers. 

We wrap up our series of messages celebrating women by meeting an amazing mom, Mary, the mother of Jesus. You'll be surprised by what you hear, as unpack some "hidden in plain sight" gems about her character. 

We carry so much baggage related to our self worth. It often causes us to abuse and oppress others so that we can feel good. What happens when we stand before God and God says, "You are your own God"? To get the most out of this study we recommend that you acquire a copy of the book and study guide. Both are available on Amazon and other retailers. 

Our series celebrating women continues with Naomi and Ruth. It will be comforting to learn that ordinary people who struggle with life's many problems can be found in the bible. Their persevering humanity is part of the fabric of our salvation and they give hope to all women and men who seek the Lord.

In this episode we discuss chapter 9. Lewis receives answers to many of his questions. As we deal with his questions and the answers received we will gain insight into ourselves.  To get the most out of this study we recommend that you acquire a copy of the book and study guide. Both are available on Amazon and other retailers. 

We continue a special series of messages about women in Jesus' family tree. It will culminate with the celebration of mothers on May 10th. This week we will meet Rahab and Bathsheba. One was a prostitute and the other a sexual assault victim and both were ancestors of our Savior. Hard to believe isn't it? I hope you will tune in and join the conversation.