The Central Moment

Courage can be ours because the Lord promises to be with us when we take steps of faith in obedience to him. God’s Spirit gives us both the boldness to serve him and the faith to not back down when opposition comes.

Are you a spiritually confident person? Not arrogant or presuming, but humbly confident in your standing as a child of God; not hesitating or doubtful, but confident in who you are in Christ.

The final period on human history will be Jesus himself! Our future on earth is not open ended -- Jesus will come again, just has he promised. He came the first time to sacrifice his life for us but he is coming a second time to rule with us at his side!

Many of God’s promises are conditionally linked to how we care for the poor and advocate for those who have no voice. That set of promises motivates us to draw closer to the compassionate heart of God and to work out our faith with tangible actions.

Prayer reminds us that God is including us in his purposes. In this unique partnership, we pray according to what he wills, and he responds. In doing so we are being prepared to rule and reign with him for all eternity!

Week of Prayer- Praying Psalm 103: Healing and Strength

Week of Prayer- Praying Psalm 91: Refuge and Protection

Week of Prayer- Praying Psalm 90: Family and Work

Week of Prayer- Praying Psalm 51: Repentance and Restoration

Week of Prayer- Praying Psalm 20: Blessings and Provision

Many influential and powerful quotations are attributed to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, an anti-Nazi theologian and pastor during World War II, and author of the Christian classic, The Cost of Discipleship . One of those quotations: God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises, leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself. Yes, every single promise in the Book is...

Okay, a pop-up survey: do you traditionally open Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve, or Christmas morning?!? Either way, the giving of gifts at Christmas time follows the pattern set by the eastern magi, bringing gifts to the infant Jesus. Exchanging gifts remains a key tradition of Christmas each year. In Jesus, we receive far more than we give!

Blaise Pascal, French physicist and philosopher, wrote: There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ. His advent, coupled with our faith, fills in the empty vacuum with God’s planned fullness of intentions for our lives!

Dr. Randy Woodley, author and teacher, has said: Jesus, properly understood as shalom, coming into the world from the shalom community of the Trinity, is the intention of God’s once for-all mission. That is, the mission of birthing and restoring shalom to the world is in Christ, by Christ, and for the honor of Christ. That first Christmas marked the arrival of the Prince of Peace! Each subsequent...

Brother Lawrence, 17th century Carmelite friar and author of Practicing the Presence of God wrote: The most holy and necessary practice in our spiritual life is the presence of God. That means finding constant pleasure in His divine company, speaking humbly and lovingly with him in all seasons, at every moment, without limiting the conversation in any way. Presence, one of the lasting results of C...

Today, we wrap up our study on the descriptive names of the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6 by looking at Jesus as the Prince of Peace and how we can participate in and experience His peace in our lives in this Christmas season and beyond.

The name Everlasting Father in Isaiah 9:6 can be translated as “Father of All Eternity.” Today Pastor Carter looks at the significance of this statement through a mathematical lens.

Isaiah 9:6 declares the coming king is the Mighty God. What is significant about the language in that name and how does that impact our understanding of Jesus now?

 Isaiah 9:6 says the child born at Christmas would be our Wonderful Counselor. What did this phrase mean to Isaiah’s audience and what does it mean for us today to say that Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor.

The Old Testament contains several prophecies that foretell the birth of Jesus the Messiah. This week leading up to Christmas, we will focus on a well-known prophetic passage in Isaiah 9 and take a close look at the original context it was written in as well as at the descriptive names for Jesus found in it.

It is an extremely elusive commodity in contemporary culture, but the Christmas story confronts us with the possibility of ‘great joy’ in spite of stress, depression, anxiety, and fear. This is a miracle purchased by Christ and enacted by the Holy Spirit.

The Christmas story is for “all the people.” That “ALL” is intergenerational, interracial, and intercultural. No matter who you are, however, be sure you are forgiven and saved!

 The hymn Come Thou Long Long Expected Jesus points both to the long anticipated waiting season before Christ came to Earth and the hopeful arrival to our eventual eternal home. 

A gift of encouragement. God knows you completely.

A look at generosity through the life of Good King Wenceslas.