PassageWay Church

E Pluribus Unum is a Latin phrase that translates to “Out of many, one." It was the first unofficial motto of the United States and, by law, is still placed on all U.S. coins minted today. E Pluribus Unum symbolizes how thirteen separate colonies banded together to form a single, united nation. Two hundred and fifty years later, we are certainly many, a melting pot. But are we one? Unity is d...

Forty-eight nations are currently participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup at stadiums throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. It’s an expanded field this year that includes first-time participants like Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan. In order to qualify, teams had to advance out of their respective regional tournaments across the 6 continental confederations. There’s a lot...

In Sicilian dialect, buddaci refers to the painted comber, a common fish species found in the Strait of Messina. It’s a type of sea bass with a small body and disproportionately large mouth. Buddaci is also a denigrating nickname used to describe the people of Messina. Like the fish with a small body but big mouth, it refers to someone who talks a lot, often making big claims but taking very littl...

John Newton was an overt atheist and slave trader. But after his dramatic conversion, he became a leader in the British abolitionist movement and penned the beloved hymn, Amazing Grace. Before his dramatic conversion, Augustine was a womanizer and an intellectually arrogant philosopher. Yet, he would go on to become the most influential theologian in the history of the church. But the most signifi...

John Newton was born in east London in 1725. As a young man, he joined the navy and worked on merchant ships. Like most sailors of his time, he was well-known to be given to blasphemy, gambling, and alcohol. Newton was an outspoken atheist and would often attempt to persuade others to abandon their faith in God.  For several years, he worked in the slave trade and commandeered his own slave ship....

A special message from a special guest this week. Passageway Church welcomed back Lincoln Murdoch of Step Up To Life (https://www.stepuptolife.com), a friend and mentor to many at Passageway Church. Though not a continuation of our walk through Acts, his message this week fits with the current To The Ends of the Earth series. Few understand both ends of the relationship between a Sending Church an...

Have you ever had a divine appointment? A divine appointment refers to an unexpected, meaningful encounter with another person specifically orchestrated by God. The timing, purpose, and outcome of the experience are more than simply random chance or coincidence.  One of the most well-known New Testament examples of a divine appointment is described in Acts 8. The Lord led Philip to an unlikely pla...

Jesus once compared the kingdom of God to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?” He s...

Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. Perhaps you never intended to be in your current career field. Maybe you never envisioned yourself as the mother of 3 young children or living in a small midwestern town. Most often, life’s circumstances are the result of our own choices, both good and bad. However, you might find yourself in a certain situation because of someone else’s actions. How do...

According to the organization, Open Doors International, 315 million Christians worldwide are living right now under extreme or very high levels of persecution. This past year alone, 4849 Christians have been murdered for their faith. 4712 imprisoned. The most dangerous countries to be a Christian are North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, and Sudan. In North Korea, persecution is the result of dictatorial...

How confident are you in sharing your faith with others? Would you be able to explain the gospel to someone who asks? In a culture that pushes back against the exclusive claims of Christianity, are you prepared to respond? In Acts 7, we read that Stephen stood before the Sanhedrin and mounted a compelling defense in response to the charges of blasphemy leveled against him. Utilizing hellenistic rh...

What makes for a good pitchman? One of the most iconic in recent memory was the actor Dennis Haysbert, who advertised for Allstate Insurance. His most famous role was probably President Palmer on the television series, 24, which lended gravitas and authority to his persona. His distinctive looks and deep voice were calm and reassuring. A good pitchman should be knowledgeable, articulate, credible,...

On my desk is a wild assortment of documents, books, and important hand written notes scribbled on seemingly random pieces of paper. While some might view a messy desk as a net negative, it often signals high creativity, flexibility, and a focus on urgent, big-picture tasks. If you’re like me, perhaps you feel that bringing order to the chaos just crimps your style.  However, as we continue in the...

Confidence is an inner feeling or attitude of certainty. It’s an important quality that we seek to nurture in our children, a quality that we expect in professionals, like an attorney or a heart surgeon. A lack of confidence can be debilitating. No confidence will keep you from initiating conversation with that guy or girl you’re interested in. If you walk into a job interview shaking and stammeri...

The celebratory shouts of deliverance just days earlier had turned into derision. His body, beaten and bloodied by Roman executioners, now hung upon a cross between two common thieves as onlookers hurled insults. In unfathomable agony Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  It’s understandable why Judas the betrayer should be gone. He’d always been more interested in the mone...

There are certain moments when it's not only appropriate, but expected, to celebrate. Like Kool & the Gang we celebrate good times. We celebrate our favorite sports teams when they win a championship. Next Monday one college basketball team will be cutting down the nets while confetti falls from the rafters of the arena. It will be a celebration. We celebrate birthdays. You might throw a...

What is the public’s perception of the church? Recent research shows that overall favorability and trust has fallen compared with past decades. That could be due to the moral failure of high profile pastors. Some suggest it’s because of alignment with one political party, whether real or perceived. Media narratives might have something to do with it. People rate local pastors and congregations mor...

Are you whistling past the graveyard? Whistling past the graveyard is an idiom that suggests a conscious effort to ignore or downplay the seriousness of a threatening circumstance. It implies a false sense of security in situations where acknowledging reality would be more appropriate. Just outside of Jerusalem was a burial ground that contained the bodies of a husband and wife, Ananias and Sapphi...

A wallet chain is a fashion accessory with a clasp or hook on each end; one fastens to a wallet’s grommet and the other to a belt loop on your pants. It was originally used by bikers to keep wallets from falling out while riding. But did you know there is an invisible chain that attaches your wallet to your heart? Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” When a daughter...

Honey is an incredible substance, but it comes at a cost. And for good reason. It’s labor intensive, not only for the beekeeper, but for the bees. A single bee will only produce about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. A single pound of finished honey from a hive requires the bees to make about 2 million flower visits. Talk about labor intensive! But finished honey has anti-bacterial, an...

On October 30, 2001 President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch for game 3 of the World Series. This wasn’t just any ceremonial first pitch. The entire nation was still reeling from 9/11, New York City was at the epicenter of those devastating attacks, and remarkably, the Yankees had won the American League pennant.  The president declined to throw out the first pitch in game 1, which took...

How do they do that? Perhaps you’ve asked yourself this question while watching freestyle skiers at the winter Olympics. Freestyle skiing is considered the most dangerous of all the events, with injury rates reaching 28%. Competitors perform dangerous tricks, such as the switch triple cork 1980, which consists of three flips and 5½ rotations. How do they do that?  At the beginning of Acts 3, we re...

When my boys and I used to shoot around the basketball, we would play a game called Horse. Perhaps you’re familiar with the game. Each player takes a turn shooting the ball. If the person before you makes a basket, you must replicate that same shot. If you miss, you get a letter. When a player accumulates all the letters, he’s out. But we had a rule. If you missed your shot on the last letter, you...

What do you look for in a church? Do you know a good one when you see it? Many Christians look for a church that fits their preferences: their preferred style of preaching, their preferred style of music, or their preferred demographic (age, stage of life, ethnicity, or culture). You might look for a thriving youth group or engaging activities for the kids. Perhaps you prefer a church of a certain...

We live in a complicated era of human communication. On one hand, people will listen to an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience that lasts well over two hours. On the other hand, TikTok videos and Instagram reels typically run 30 to 60 seconds. And then there are preachers who’ve been presenting 3 points and a poem for centuries.  What makes for a good sermon? Is it the length? Choosing a topic of...