PassageWay Church

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...

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...