Powell Butte Christian Church

If only - one of the most powerful emotions to experience - regret. Man - if only I had know….fill in the blank… then I wouldn;’t have gotten into that situation, I wouldn’t have bought that car, that house, I wouldn’t have … whatever. OR if only I had known I WOULD HAVE done something. I WOULD HAVE visited my dad, would have studied harder. Today, as we continue to study the book of Luke, Jesus i...

Last week we observed Jesus as he was preparing to make himself known to the people as their promised Messiah. But he was coming, not to set up an earthly kingdom, but a spiritual one. And, while the crowd was very excited - willing to hail him as King - they really didn’t totally understand what that would mean for Jesus; and what it would ultimately mean for themselves. Here’s the point for this...

Have you ever been in a situation where you really needed some help? A situation just got out of hand. It was too difficult, too painful, you were trapped and there was nothing you could do about it. You really needed someone who could come into your situation and make things right. Now imagine a situation when help DOES come - but you don’t recognize the help! I’m SURE you’ve heard the story of a...

Today is all about priorities. We all have priorities, and sometimes our priorities reflect wisdom, and sometimes…not so much. Last week we saw what it meant in our lives - especially when it comes to our resources - to be under new ownership. We saw how all the things we have in this life were entrusted to us by the REAL owner - the Lord Almighty - and we get to accept the position of manager of...

Perhaps you’ve gone into a place of business - one that you had been familiar with for a long period of time - but all of a sudden, this time as you walk in things it was apparent something had changed? The carpet is new, the layout is different. If it’s a restaurant, the menu has changed - both in what it looks like and what it is offering for your meal choices. Maybe the server is new, the greet...

This morning we’re kicking off a brand new message series based on many passages in the Gospel of Luke where Jesus teaches about one of the most important subjects we could ever understand as we follow his lead in living in the Kingdom of God. It’s a 4 week series that I have entitled: “Money Matters.”  So I have a question: Hearing that title, “Money Matters,” how does that make you feel? What’s...

Happy New Year - new plans - new visions - new outcomes, prayerfully. 2022 was good. What’s this next year going to look like? Some feel like we’re getting close to the final days of the last days. And, like my dad would always say whenever anyone asked him about his views on the end times, he’d say, “Well, I know that we’re closer today than we ever have been!” And that’s true. 2023 MAY be the ye...

Today we conclude our Advent series, Heav’n and Nature Sing, by looking at one of the most well-known of all Christmas songs - though, as you will see, though it definitely could fit in with the message of Christmas, it wasn’t actually written to be a Christmas song. The song is “Joy to the World.” The author of the hymn was a pastor born in the late 17th century by the name of Isaac Watts. Watts...

We’ve been focusing this year’s Advent Sundays on the songs of Christmas - Heav’n and Nature Sing! And more than just the tune and the harmony, we are focusing on the deep theology found in some of the most beloved Christmas songs we sing during this time of year. We looked at the anticipation and hope for the coming Messiah as we lit the prophecy candle and studied O Come, o Come Emmanuel. Then l...

Today we continue our Christmas series entitled Heav’n and Nature Sing! Each Sunday we will be taking one well known Christmas Hymn and looking at the meaning behind the words. You may have heard the saying: “Familiarity breeds contempt.” It means that sometimes we can hear something so many times that we no longer hear what is being said. Today I want to take the time to break down the words of t...

While the Christmas countdown clock has already started ticking away for many of us, we actually have four whole weeks laid out ahead of us, which gives us plenty of time to stop and ponder the wonder, the miracle of Jesus’ first coming into this world. As an adult, with all that goes on in our day and age, Christmas always seems to speed by - this season goes by  in a snap. But I remember as a ki...

 “I was gonna…” Never gave me a leg to stand on! In the 18th Century James Boswell said, "Hell is paved with good intentions."  Today we are studying a passage we looked at last year at this same time - the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I find it pretty amazing that this is where our study in the Gospel of Luke naturally leads us to. This is literally the next passage after the passage we...

Why do we get offended? As I look back at my life, I get embarrassed at how often it was those LITTLE things that made me offended. Like there was a DEFCON meter for my offense when I’d go to the movies… Or the elderly gentleman who was mentoring me in my mid-20s whose ONE VOTE I blamed a particular presidency on… I look back and realize that every time I’m offended, my anger is involved. And I ha...

You have to keep the worms warm. One of the most difficult to understand parables of Jesus is a parable of the dishonest manager found in Luke 16. Some misinterpret this parable to imply that Jesus is actually commending the dishonesty of the servant of a certain rich man. And at face value, the parable can be quite confusing - especially in the lens of our modern Western mindset. Before we attemp...

The Bridger Wilderness just south of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming was designated in 1964 and memorializes the famous Jim Bridger. This Wilderness lies within the Wind River Mountains and offers 428,000 acres and over 600 miles of trails for the adventurous of spirit to explore over a lifetime. Extending 80 miles along the Continental Divide and holding the headwaters of the Green River, Br...

Things overheard at the dinner table: Say the blessing. Don’t know what to say. Just say what you hear mommy say: Dear Lord, why did I invite so many people to dinner? OR. Older man telling about the great restaurant he and his wife had visited - forgot the name; what’s the name of the flower with the thorns and smells nice? Rose. That’s it! Rose - what’s the name of the restaurant we went to the...

1 Timothy 4:1 “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will [a]fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons (NASB)” Demonic doctrine (doctrine, meaning the teaching of a set of beliefs). What is THAT about? Sounds out there…UNTIL you realize that there’s this new trend on Social Media called ex-vangelism (people who are leaving the faith f...

The last couple of weeks have been pretty stark when it comes to the messages we find in the Gospel of Luke. And today is no different. There is a clear warning to us in Jesus’ teaching in Luke 12. BUT - there is always a flip side. As some may hear the message and fear, it is my opinion that those who are true disciples of Jesus will find encouragement. This message is about the end - a hotly deb...

Demons - are they real?  Charles Baudelaire said “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn’t exist.” Imagine a scenario where something IS real - and dangerous - but is not taken seriously. Today’s passage talks about the reality of a spiritual world that - unfortunately - too many people living in the modern western world either doesn’t know exists OR is woef...

I’m going to give you a list of items - can you figure out what category they all fall into? TV Remote, Cell Phone, Keys, Socks, Wallet, Pen, Passwords / Usernames Things you lose more often than you should! For me, I have to count to a certain number each day to make sure I have all the things I need before starting my day… because while there are certain things you can lose and life will go on -...

 I want to begin today by talking about being prepared. The motto of the Boy Scouts, right? Be Prepared. Even the worst case scenario can be at the very least minimized when you have taken the time to prepare. But the sad thing is that many people realize the importance of preparation only when it is already too late. The parable we are going to look at today is really about delaying to the point...

We’re talking about money today. And yes, I get it. Churches throughout history have at times shot themselves in the foot due to corruption or greed or what not. People are wary when a preacher starts preaching about money because we know of high profile preachers who have abused the trust of their congregation, and have manipulated people to get more money out of them. This isn’t new, by the way....