Whispering Pines Church

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.” – Ecclesiastes 4:9 In chapter 4, the author of Ecclesiastes begins to explore ways of coping with all of the meaningless and oppressive things that happen under the sun. He is distraught by the amount of violence, cruelty, and corruption. He goes as far as to say that it would be better to be dead, or to have never been bo...

Dean Cernek has been a pastor and missionary with the Evangelical Free Church for over 42 years. He has been married to Kris for 41 years of those years and has three grown children and eight grandchildren. Although he’s no longer serving as a pastor of a local church, he teams up with two missions’ agencies that train, equip and encourage pastors and leaders internationally 5 weeks out of the yea...

Every time we gather for the church campout – I think of Christ’s first public address – His Sermon on the Mount. The people that day were gathered in a beautiful and life-giving place, surrounded by wildflowers, feeling the breeze off the Sea of Tiberius (Galilee). And the words they heard from Him… Were even more life-giving. They were words of hope. He spoke as One with authority, peeling back...

“To everything, turn, turn, turn There is a season, turn, turn, turn And a time to every purpose under heaven.” - The Byrds, 1965 Chapter 3 is the hinge chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes – on this chapter, everything else turns. As you read your way through the pairs that the author has assembled to begin this chapter, you may notice something. With each pair of opposites; birth and death, plant...

Approaching God in prayer. How should one address an intimate and loving God who is also the creator and sovereign ruler of the universe? This Sunday we will explore what it truly means to approach God, not as “renters” trying to earn His favor, but as beloved sons and daughters welcomed into His family through Christ. We will reflect on the posture of prayer marked by humility, dependence, and ad...

We have grown up believing in the value of pursuing happiness. We’re taught from an early age that this right is God-given, and vital to our lives. Did you know that the founding fathers meant so much more by this phrase than a mere pursuit of pleasure? In the 1700’s, what they meant by “happiness” was much more closely aligned with what we intend by using the word “virtue.” A life of happiness wa...

This week we begin a series that I’ve been looking forward to for quite some time. We’ll look first at Ecclesiastes and then the book of Job. These books are fascinating in that in Ecclesiastes we have an individual who gained everything they wanted, and in Job, an individual who lost it all. They cover the extremes of the human experience, and I will argue – come to similar conclusions about what...

Join us this week as we celebrate Mother’s Day and the significance of the women in our lives who draw us nearer to Christ! Also, this week we’re going to be looking at the mission and purpose of the church. What makes a church ‘successful’? What does success even mean when it comes to the mission and work of the church? In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul is speaking into a church full of dysfunction. The...

How does one move or grow, gain confidence, from the pit of despair? This is where Peter found himself. He had perhaps the furthest fall. From bold and brash to humiliated and small. But Jesus does not allow Him to stay there. In our final week in John – Jesus circles back, seeks Peter out, and begins building back the confidence and character that Peter will need for the rest of his life. So much...

A mercy of God was baked into the Jewish law concerning prisoners at Passover. They had a custom of releasing one prisoner. One individual would be set free, their actions forgiven, their crimes reprieved. The choice was presented to the people again that year. Who do you want to see freed? Jesus, the healer, friend of sinners? Or Barabbas, conspirator – leader of uprisings? And the crowds chose –...

With the remainder of our time in John, I want to highlight a few moments in the final four chapters that need to be understood. Together we will explore Peter’s denials, the release of Barabbas, and the full-circle redemption arc of Peter in John 21. This week, we will be looking at Peter’s denials in John 18. If you have read the gospels, you know Peter. You have probably known a few “Peter type...

This week, we’re going to take a break from John’s gospel, to share a teaching of Christ. In Matthew 7, Jesus offers a parable to those on the hillside with Him. He tells a simple story about two different people who build their homes on very different foundations. Ultimately, it’s a tale about resiliency and how to prepare one’s life for the inevitable trials that come. Resiliency is something we...

Join us on Easter Sunday morning at 9 a.m. for our Easter Brunch. We will enjoy a potluck breakfast and fellowship, and then gather for our Easter Sunday Service at 10:30 a.m. as we remember the reason for our hope – Christ’s resurrection. Please see these services as opportunities to invite friends and neighbors – as we spend intentional time together in worship and prayer – sharing our hope in C...

This week for Palm Sunday we look at a story that is timely and vital to understand today – Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey in Mark 11 and John 12. At a time when frustrations were boiling over with their Roman oppressors, the people of Israel were prepared to put all the weight of their expectations into one man. So, they threw down their palm branches. They threw down th...

John 17 is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus in the Gospels. Here, He prays for Himself as He faces the cross, for His disciples, and the unity of future believers (us!). It is often called the “High Priestly Prayer” because as Christ was preparing to face the cross and to bear the sins of the world, He paused to intercede on our behalf – just as the High Priests interceded for Israel in the Ol...

In this week’s study of the book of John, Jesus gives further instruction concerning two important topics. First, He expands upon what He has said earlier in this gospel about the role of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says in verse 7, “Very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away.” Jesus expressed that it was good news that He was departing and sending His Spirit to us. We will explore...

In John 15, Jesus offers His seventh and final “I Am” (ego eimi ) statement: I am the Vine. He is the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Gate, the Good Shepherd, the Resurrection and the Life, the Way the Truth and the Life, and now – The Vine. There is a lot of beauty and practical thoughts for living wrapped up into this simple metaphor. Jesus makes it clear that apart from Him – we can...

After a tumultuous and challenging chapter 13, Jesus comforts His disciples in a variety of ways in chapter 14 as He prepares them, and Himself, for His crucifixion. Jesus assures us that He will go to prepare a place for us, promises the Holy Spirit to help and guide His followers, and affirms that He is the way to the Father. This is critical to catch – Jesus does not show us the way to the Fath...

This Sunday we are going to be exploring 1 Samuel 7, and the invitation God gives us to join His plan of salvation and redemption in the world. Samuel’s call for the Israelites to return to the Lord gives us a clear picture of repentance and reminds us of God’s faithfulness in all circumstances - no matter how near or far we may feel from His presence in our current season. Consider how victory an...

From chapter 12 to chapter 13 of John’s Gospel, we move into the second half of this book. The first 12 chapters of John all concern Jesus’ public ministry, where He sought out a wide range of men and women who would believe. As we move into chapter 13, we shift our attention to Jesus’ private ministry. For the next five chapters, Jesus is alone with His disciples, before Jesus’ final glorificatio...

A candid discussion of the space between life-affirming care and pro-choice culture, and how Alternatives responds by engaging people where decisions are actually made, not where slogans live. James Everett grew up in Colorado Springs and came to faith in Christ at age 19 while stationed at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. He served as a Sergeant at Colorado Department of Correction. He also has s...

In this next chapter of John’s gospel, we come across what is perhaps the most extravagant love ever expressed toward Jesus in His time on earth. Mary – a friend of Jesus – pours an expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet and wipes His feet with her hair. While this story is shockingly similar to a story recorded in Luke 7, scholars agree these are separate incidents. Here we are confronted by what it me...

In John 11, we meet Jesus addressing a very human concern – death. His friend Lazarus has died, and facing an opportunity to confront our most raw vulnerability, our own personal fate – Jesus shows His power over even death. In Luke 16, Jesus told the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the crescendo of that parable being when the rich man shares his deepest desire for his brothers to be saved fr...

In John 10 we find Jesus going into detail to describe for us, through a metaphor people of His day would have felt and understood, the way He thinks of our relationship. He described Himself as a good shepherd, one who cares well for His sheep. And what we find here, has the power to change us, and to change the way we see Jesus. We find in the metaphor of John 10, a nearly equal number of things...

For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. - Psalm 100:5 ESV Thanks for letting us come to share what God is doing in Uganda. --Scott Brookins