PassageWay Church

You’ve probably seen a business sign or logo with the abbreviation “Est.” followed by a date, indicating the year a business, organization, or location officially began operations. The date of establishment is often used to convey a sense of history, tradition, stability, and experience. These same signs are often hung in homes, indicating the year of a couple’s marriage, when the family was estab...

Have you ever had to wait? Perhaps you’ve been waiting a long time for a promotion or a pay increase at work. Maybe you’ve been waiting for Mr. Right to finally walk up and introduce himself. You might be desperately waiting until the kids are out of diapers, old enough to attend school, or get their license so they can drive themselves to activities. Maybe you’re waiting on the results from your...

The crowd excitedly counts down—ten, nine, eight—then as the final number is swallowed up in a roar of cheers, the first firework shoots up into the midnight sky. With a sharp crack, it blossoms into a colorful display. The golden embers begin their descent when, suddenly, a flurry of rockets screams upward. The sky, moments ago quiet and black, is now alive, full of light and sound. After several...

Perhaps you’ve recently done some holiday baking. Successful seasonal sweets require strict adherence to the recipe. One missing ingredient, applying incorrect proportions, or poor technique can result in a kitchen catastrophe. And so it is with the making of disciples. This Advent season, we reflected on an ancient Christmas hymn found in Galatians 4:4-5. These two verses form the objective basis...

For both the believer and non-believer alike, surely the most powerful part of the Christmas story is Jesus’ humble estate. Hollywood itself couldn’t invent a more mind-boggling script. The king of the universe leaves his heavenly throne room, counting as nothing all of his divine glory, the eternal majesty, and endless adulation to become a helpless little baby. He wasn’t born into royalty, but i...

Harry Houdini was a world-famous Hungarian-American magician, illusionist, and stunt performer. He specialized in escaping seemingly impossible situations. He was perhaps the most famous illusionist known for escaping straitjackets, even while suspended upside down from a crane. He would use flexibility, a specially designed jacket, and sometimes shoulder dislocation to free his arms and then undo...

Away in a Manger is one of the most beloved Christmas carols for children. Sung softly as a lullaby, the lyrics remind us of Jesus’ humble beginnings. You can imagine Mary rocking the newborn baby Jesus in her arms, then gently laying him in the hay. The second verse continues this peaceful scene of nativity, “The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes…” New...

"Don't settle for just any insurance when there's State Farm.” Perhaps you’ve seen this series of advertisements on television lately. One begins with QB Patrick Mahomes, sitting on a treatment table, nursing his sore muscles after the game, needing medical attention from an athletic trainer. Instead, in walks a different kind of trainer, the pop singer, Megan Trainor. The commercia...

During the Christmas season, we sing many traditional songs that tell of Jesus' birth. Perhaps the most well-known is Silent Night. Other popular hymns include: “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “Joy to the World,” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”  But in the book of Galatians, we find a short passage of Scripture that is perhaps the oldest of all the Christmas hymns. Many scholars believe Galati...

The ending is important to any good story. It resolves the central conflict. It reveals consequences for the characters, whether good or bad, which provides closure. A good ending ties together themes and motifs, thus clarifying the story’s message. If the book is part of a series, the author will plant a hook to set up the sequel. And so it is as we conclude our salvation story. In this final epi...

“Circle of Life,” composed by Elton John, was the title track to the iconic Disney film, The Lion King. The song describes an interconnected, cyclical nature of existence, where birth, growth, death, and rebirth form a continuous loop. These concepts are common in Hinduism, Buddhism, and nature-based spirituality. It can make for heartwarming fiction. But the Bible contains a different explanation...

Can anything be certain in life? Benjamin Franklin famously wrote, “But, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” Yet we go throughout our day with varying degrees of certainty about many things. You’re probably pretty certain that your alarm clock will go off in the morning, so that you can make it to work on time. You’re probably reasonably certain that your car will start and...

Though quickly becoming a thing of the past, supermarket tabloids used to entertain shoppers with sensational headlines like, “Woman Gives Birth to Lizard Baby After Mystery Encounter,” or “Scientists Find Evidence of Atlantis… At the Bottom of Lake Superior,” or “Man Claims His Toaster Can Predict Lottery Numbers.” Today, you no longer have to buy a copy of the National Enquirer to read such head...

Family friends recently buried a loved one at Arlington National Cemetery. Such a ceremony follows a respectful and solemn protocol. Mourners participate in a formal procession, seated in designated areas according to relation and then rank. Next, a military honor guard will carefully and ceremoniously fold the flag, which is then presented to the next of kin. Finally, a gun detail fires off three...

What are some symbols of strength? There is the iconic Atlas from Greek mythology holding up the earth. There is the bull on Wall Street that symbolizes financial optimism, prosperity, and a strong economy. The eagle has symbolized strength, courage, freedom, and authority across various cultures, including here in America, as well as ancient Rome.  The cross is the most precious symbol in the Chr...

Humans are often terrible judges of what we truly want, frequently prioritizing immediate gratification over long-term well-being. Our choices are often guided by intuition and external influences rather than rational thought. In contrast, Jesus has a fundamentally different approach to power, which isn't about control or self-promotion, but about the ability to transform people through self-...

This week, the Major League Baseball playoffs began with a series between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports. These teams have a long shared history, passionate fans, and geographic proximity that fuel an us vs them mentality. Rivalries don’t just exist in sports. There are sibling rivalries that sometimes produce feelings of jealousy and ch...

We're all trying to impress someone. A young boy might want to impress his dad. A teenager might want to impress her friends. A young man looks to impress a girl he’s attracted to. I’ve tried to keep a nice lawn this year to impress my neighbors. We try to impress people because we want their approval. Yet, this can be a dangerous game to play. People’s opinions are pretty fickle. As we conti...

Chiaroscuro is an Italian term that describes an artistic technique, popularized by Renaissance painters like Leonardo DaVinci, and perhaps most famously, Caravaggio. Chiaroscuro uses bold contrasts between light and dark tones that add depth and drama, creating tension, mood, and emotion within a composition.  As we continue to read in our salvation story, our author Luke paints a very dark pictu...

Pastor and theologian John Piper writes, “Prayer is a walkie-talkie for warfare, not a domestic intercom for increasing our conveniences.” In the previous episode of our salvation story, Jesus warned his disciples about the hardships that they would face. Despite the privilege of being called apostles, who would one day rule and reign with Jesus, they were called to sacrificially serve. Despite Pe...

Mean Joe Green was the backbone of Pittsburgh’s steel curtain defense that led the Steeler dynasty to four Super Bowl titles. Dan Marino is regarded as the greatest pure passer the NFL has ever seen. Dick Butkus was a Chicago Bears legend who struck fear into opposing offenses with his ferocious tackling. Jerry Rice is still the career leader in receiving yards with 22,895, 5000 more than the next...

On the first Monday each September, we celebrate Labor Day. Common traditions include parades, picnics, and barbecues. While most people enjoy the long weekend, many may not know the holiday’s origin or why it is observed. So it is with the Lord’s Supper. Everyone has undoubtedly seen, and most people have likely participated in, this sacred ritual that Christians have observed for more than 2000...

“The Devil made me do it.” In 1981, Arne Johnson of Brookefield, CT was charged with first-degree manslaughter for killing his landlord. In the first case of its kind, Johnson’s lawyer argued that he was not responsible for his actions due to demonic possession. Continuing in our salvation story, we begin to read about the events leading up to history’s most heinous crime, the murder of Jesus. The...

Last Saturday morning at 5:29, residents of Blair were suddenly awakened to an emergency alert issued by the National Weather Service. If anyone was still enjoying their final stages of sleep, the shrill alarm jolted them back into consciousness. The pelting of rain mixed with hail upon the house and howling winds cutting through the trees was no dream. A severe thunderstorm and its effects were v...

Float fishing is an angling technique that utilizes a float, also called a bobber. Float fishing requires that you watch your bobber, which provides visual feedback on the activity of the fish. You can see if the bobber is bobbing, moving side to side, or going under the water, all of which indicate a fish is interested in your bait.  Perhaps you’ve been float fishing with a young child. There is...