PassageWay Church

On the evening of October 30, 1938 Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre on the Air performed a radio adaptation of War of the Worlds. They converted the 40-year-old novel into fake news bulletins describing a Martian invasion of New Jersey. Many listeners were frightened, mistaking those dramatized bulletins for the real thing. Police precincts, newspapers, and radio stations received a deluge of...

The next message in our Salvation Story series from this week's special guest.

In 1989, a man in Philadelphia purchased an old painting at a flea market for $4. He bought the painting for its frame. So when he got home, he tore the canvas away. Behind it, he found an old, folded document that he recognized as the Declaration of Independence. That was interesting, but he believed it was simply an old copy. He set it aside for a few years until a friend urged him to have it lo...

Anticipation of life after death is a universal human hope. Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs would be buried in their tombs with a ship, believed to carry the deceased ruler’s spirit across the cosmos. Ancient Greeks sometimes placed a coin in the mouth of a corpse to pay the deceased person’s fare across the mystic river of death. Vikings would bury dead warriors with their bows, arrows, and horses; use...

Mark Twain once said, “Never discuss religion or politics in polite company.”  Yet as we read in our salvation story, Jesus’ opponents attempted to drag him into just such a debate by asking if observant Jews should pay taxes to Caesar or not.  The Herodians were pro-Roman, a Jewish political movement that supported the Roman leader, King Herod. They wished to adapt to Roman customs and laws in ex...

From a very early age, we tend to resist authority. A toddler will stubbornly run in the opposite direction when mother calls. A teenager will wear certain clothes or listen to certain music in defiance of the established norms. As adults we don’t like anyone telling us what to do either, whether our boss, spouse, or even a friend. Like Frank Sinatra famously sang, “I did it my way.”  Upon his arr...

On June 15, 1775, George Washington was named the first commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. He then assumed his command on July 3 in Cambridge, MA where the troops were assembled for General Washington’s review. He later publicly commented that what he found was an army in disarray. Dirty, independent, defiant, discipline scattered among regiments depending on individual commanders, and no...

In this bonus episode of our salvation story, we are reposting Pastor Tim's sermon from Palm Sunday 2024 where he jumped ahead to Luke 19:28-40.  Palm Sunday is celebrated by Christians all around the world. It’s significance can hardly be overstated as all four gospel writers record Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem to the people’s chants of praise. However, Luke omits the palm branches...

Dads, kids grow up fast. If you blink you’ll miss it. One minute you’re teaching that little boy how to throw a baseball or cast a spinning reel, playing tea party with that little girl and attending dance recitals. The next thing you know you’re watching them speed off into the sunset on their honeymoon.  We have only a certain amount of time with our kids. Therefore, maximize the moments that yo...

Who do you know that is so far from Jesus you can’t possibly imagine them ever darkening the doorway of a church? It could be an old high school friend who’s belligerent against the very idea of God, or a coworker whose cursing and off-color remarks would make a sailor blush, maybe a gay relative, or perhaps even your spouse. You can’t imagine that person ever getting saved. That is just the kind...

There are a total of eight special telephone short-code numbers established by the Federal Communications Commission. These numbers provide callers quick and simple access to special services. For example, before you dig dial 811 for underground public utility location. 511 provides traffic and road conditions from the Department of Transportation. Though it’s now going out of use, dialing 411 con...

To "bet on something" means to wager something or stake something on the outcome of an uncertain event. Farmers have been out in the fields planting. They’re betting on a good harvest so they can pay for the seed, fertilizer, and equipment with hopefully some money left over to feed their family. You might be betting your retirement income on the stock market going up. Dad would joke wit...

As little 5-year-old Johnny scoots himself away from the dinner table he digs down deep into his trouser pocket, pulls out a crumpled ten-dollar bill, slaps it on the table, and exclaims, “Thanks Mom for the delicious meal!”  His father looks at him quite puzzled and little Johnny, sensing his father’s confusion says, “Don’t worry Dad, I paid my portion of the monthly mortgage yesterday by direct...

Perhaps you’re familiar with those TV courtroom dramas like Hot Bench or Judge Judy. Maybe you remember The People’s Court that started it all. Real-life litigants would agree to have their small claims disputes settled by the Honorable Judge Joseph Wapner. Each party pleaded its case, insisting on the rightness of their cause before a binding judgment was rendered. As we continue reading in our s...

A study has revealed that 48% of Americans pray at least once a day. Most people pray for their own needs and even more pray for friends and family. Some people say they’ve prayed for a parking spot (7 percent), others for their favorite sports team to win a game (13 percent). Perhaps surprisingly, 21 percent of respondents in this study admitted they’ve prayed to win the lottery. Most people beli...

"Fake it till you make it” means to project confidence and competence, even if you don't feel it, to achieve a goal or become someone you aspire to be. It's the idea that by acting as though you have the skills or qualities you desire, you can eventually acquire them through experience and practice. Yet this can be a tiring, even dangerous game to play. In his letter to the Christia...

In the summer of 2017 Amee and I took what we anticipated would be our last family vacation with all the kids. Our oldest child was in college, the next was entering his senior year of high school and we were headed back to the mission field. We wanted to make it memorable. So, we decided to take a road trip to Washington, DC. That’s 1603 miles of family bonding; site-seeing and picnicking along t...

In our salvation story we’ve read that Jesus was on a journey. He had left the northern region of Galilee and was headed south toward Jerusalem. He was determined to go to Jerusalem because he knew that it was there where he would suffer and die according to the predetermined plan of God in order to offer himself up as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of the world.  In his letter to the Ph...

Who are some of the most famous monarchs to have ever lived? Alexander the Great, the Grecian ruler was renowned for his military exploits. Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, oversaw the golden age of French art and culture. Cleopatra was the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, maybe most famous for her love affair with Julius Caesar and later Mark Anthony. There was the British monarch, King George III...

Perhaps you’ve taken a job just for the benefits. Maybe you’re a new mom who’d prefer to stay home with the baby but you get health coverage through your work. So, you put in part-time hours to keep that benefit. Maybe you're ready to retire but you keep working until fully vested in the company’s pension plan. You hang on for the benefits. Sometimes we maintain personal relationships just fo...

To be vigilant means to be carefully observant and attentive, especially to potential danger or trouble. Like a mom watching her kids play at the city pool, she remains vigilant. She's vigilant about protecting them from the harmful rays of the sun, applying generous amounts of sun screen on all their exposed skin. She's vigilant about their safety while playing in and around the water....

Recent Pew Research indicates that 71% of Americans believe in the existence of heaven. 64% of those who believe in heaven think they’ll go there. On the other hand, 61% of Americans believe in hell. Only 1% think they’ll end up there. Evidently, most people believe that hell is for other people. As we continue reading in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells a disturbing story. The parable of the rich man a...

Playing basketball in eighth grade PE there was always that one kid who would stay down on the offensive end of the court positioned under his own goal just waiting for the ball so he could easily score. We had a name for that guy. He was a cherry picker. He wouldn’t do the hard work of hustling back on defense, yet he’d get all the fun of scoring baskets.  Cherry picking is choosing and taking on...

In 1985, Steve Jobs was ousted from the company he had cofounded, Apple Computer. 11 years later he was invited back to rescue the struggling business. If you had invested $1,000 in Apple stock on Feb. 4, 1997, the day that Jobs returned as CEO, today, you would have over $1.3 million. Just for perspective, a similar $1,000 investment in an index fund that replicates the S&P 500 would be worth...

A scandal is a circumstance or action that offends propriety or established moral norms. In 1919, members of the Chicago White Sox accepted money from professional gamblers to effectively throw the World Series. This was the infamous Black Sox scandal. In 1995, President Bill Clinton, began an illicit sexual relationship with a 22 year old intern inside the oval office. It was all so scandalous. O...