4-24-2024 Big Bold Prayers It’s been awhile back, but someone said this in a sermon (actually, it might have been a testimony), “If I had realized all along that my prayers would be answered, I would have prayed better prayers.” He was being facetious, a little. But there is also some truth to what he said. We have a tendency to pray safe prayers, small prayers, never presuming to ask for too much. And we’re careful to include the qualifier, “If it be thy will,” just in case nothing happens. Of course, praying within the boundaries of God’s will is a fundamental element of prayer; we know this ..read more

Stay In The Game Baseball season is here. Maybe baseball isn’t your thing, but let me invite you to continue reading for a moment if you will. I enjoy going to see the I-Cubs play once in awhile, and I’ve seen a couple of professional games, but the truth is, I’ve never been a huge baseball fan. Nonetheless, I became fascinated by Cal Ripken as he approached the game that broke the record for most consecutive games played. Ripken played his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles. He was a 19-time All-Star and was twice named American League Most Valuable Player. Ripken holds the record for c ..read more

Whether you’re looking at the claims of Hollywood or professional sports or politicians or thinking about the price of groceries and gas…..there are a lot of outrageous things in our culture. But “outrageous” isn’t something new. In fact, many of the things that Jesus said and did were considered totally outrageous when He was on earth. In this series we will consider some of the outrageous things that Jesus said and did, starting with His resurrection from the dead. He said He’d die and then rise again? Seriously? Yep! And He pulled it off! When someone tells you they’re going to die and th ..read more

3/25/2024 There are hundreds of religions in this world. You read that right, hundreds. I’m sure you’re aware of many of the larger, more prominent ones, but there are hundreds of smaller organizations as well. All of these religions, with the exception of Christianity, have one thing in common. Regardless of what they believe, how big or small they are, where they exist…..the all believe in “do”. They all believe that they have to earn their way into paradise (or whatever they refer to eternity as). The difference Christianity? The difference is, Christianity believes in “done”……as in, the wo ..read more

3-21-2024 To Honk! Honk! If you’ve been paying attention over the past few weeks, you’ve probably noticed more birds in the trees, along with more and more geese returning from their winter away. As you are probably aware, geese typically travel long distances together in a V formation, with one flying in front of the rest, designated as the leader. This formation serves to minimize wind resistance, making it possible for the flock to conserve energy. Since the one in front is prone to tire from the burden of facing the wind alone, the group will rotate flight leaders from time to time. After ..read more

2-23-2024 This past weekend we talked about overcoming bitterness, and I said that the only way to truly overcome is to extend forgiveness to those who hurt you. I also said that forgiveness can be a process. We prayed together on Sunday for many of you as you asked God to do a deep work in your heart and to help you extend forgiveness. But before we left, I also prayed that you would be able to forgive on Sunday, then again on Monday and Tuesday and…..well……you get the picture. I’m not going to ride this horse into the ground, but it’s Wednesday, so just one more mention. The Apostle Paul tel ..read more

2-17-2024 Our generation desperately needs to rediscover the difference between praying for and praying through. There are certainly circumstances where praying for something will get the job done. Short prayers before meals are great because, quite frankly, I believe in eating food while it’s still hot. But there are also situations where you need to get alone with God and refuse to let go until He answers. Maybe you’ve never heard the term, “praying through”. Praying through requires consistency. It’s circling Jericho so many times it makes you dizzy. Like the story Jesus told about the pers ..read more

1-30-2024 There’s a story about an evangelist who was preaching in a city in California and a gentleman walked up to him and said, “I would love to debate you.” The evangelist, recognizing the man as a well known atheist, said “Fine, but I have one condition”.  The atheist said “What’s that?” He replies, “You go find one person who has lost everything. They lost their family and all that they valued. They’re in the deepest, darkest despair because of  drugs, alcohol, gambling or some other addiction. Find that person whom I’ve just described, who turned it all around when they found ..read more

We live in a world that has been described by many as a time of overwhelming situations, overwhelming concern. A lot of people today are overwhelmed with problems and situations beyond their control. Policymakers seem to be confused and at a loss. Watching the news is a frustrating, confusing thing and switching channels doesn’t help. Commentators, TV personalities join in this chorus of overwhelming confusion, and it isn’t just our global world, it’s our personal world. We all know the troubles of the world have a way of seeping into our lives, even as Christians, and sometimes we get overw ..read more

1-17-2024 Pastor Chuck Swindoll tells the story of the great violinist Niccolo Paganini, who was performing one evening before a packed concert hall, surrounded by a full orchestra. As he began the final piece, one of the strings on his violin snapped. In his genius, Paganini was able to continue playing the piece on the remaining three strings. A moment later, a second string snapped. Paganini continued, playing the concerto on the remaining two strings. And then a third string snapped, but still Paganini continued. He finished the piece, note for note, with one string on his violin. When the ..read more