Author: Pastor Kalen Brown We’re obsessed with our phones, I have recently read a new study that has found the heaviest smartphone users click, tap or swipe on their phone 5,427 times a day. That’s the top 10 percent of phone users, so one would expect it to be excessive. However, the rest of us still touch the addictive things 2,617 times a day on average. No small number. Now that’s devotion! Probably the most interesting thing in all this was that the people surveyed completely underestimated their phone touching. While they were initially shocked by the numbers, 41 percent said “it probabl ..read more

Author: Pastor Kalen Brown The Church (people not a building!) is God’s idea! He is the architect and He determined in His own mind the idea and goal for His Church. It is also understood that God has the pattern and blueprint for the Church and He builds it according to His divine plan. God has throughout history had man build temples and tabernacles according to His specific plans. The result was a powerful outpouring of His glorifying presence. If we expect God to fill the Church with all His fullness and His glory, as He did in the Tabernacle of Moses, then we must understand that He is co ..read more

Hello Church! First, I want to thank those of you who participated in our night of prayer a couple of weeks ago. We specifically prayed for the situation in Israel, and I would like us to continue to pray for these three areas: 1) Pray for the Churches and Believers in both the Gaza Strip and Israel for God’s protection and open doors for the gospel. 2) Pray for the conflict to be resolved quickly, for peace and wisdom for Israel and other world leaders as they deal with the terrorist threat to their people including our armed forces and embassy workers in the region. Pray for the safety and c ..read more

Author: Jeff Rodin I grew up in the church. Church was not just a Sunday morning experience; church was around me every day. Being a pastor’s kid meant that church was an integral part of my informative years. I loved being in church and I took church seriously. I made it part of my life - at our little church building, at home, and I carried it with me into my school, workplace, and community. I was not only part of the church, but the church was also part of me. As I have gotten older, I ask myself, when I think about church today, what do I think of when I hear the word “CHURCH”? Do you rem ..read more

Author: Pastor Kalen Brown I have never been as emotionally charged, mentally exhausted and as blatant in my desire to quit ministry as during the trial the Lord put me through beginning in the last half of 2020.  I think a combination of things took place that the Lord used uniquely in this particular season of my life. The upheaval of a pandemic and the unrest it created in the world and in the church. The challenge of how to respond to cultures reaction to injustice and what should be the church’s response to this. A few inter-personal conflicts that weighed heavy on my heart. I also b ..read more

Author: Jaclyn Tobin When I was a kid, I loved catching all kinds of bugs. I searched the leaves of summer plants and scoped out the in-betweens of sidewalks to see what could be snagged. I loved how they felt in my hands. Roly-polies felt like pony beads. Grasshoppers flicked around like popcorn. Earthworms just made a mess. Moths and butterflies were my favorite. It was because of their wings. They flitted and fluttered around in my cupped palms, trying their might to find the best exit. All the while I enjoyed the feel of their wings tickling me.   These experiences only lasted a ..read more

Author: Jodi Gardner “No matter what; we speak life, we give hope.  Sometimes it is easy to lay down the law of do’s and do nots,  but we prefer to live by values not regulations!  The gospel is good news!  Jesus came to give life and hope!  The very reason we can even live for God is by the grace of Jesus who paved the way  and the Holy Spirit who empowers us to accomplish it!  So we remind each other who we are in Christ and encourage each other with the words,  ‘You can do this, God is for you!’” – Church For The City Value “No matter what, we speak ..read more

Author: Jennifer Brown If you are a social media friend of mine, you will undoubtedly be aware that we had the joy of having a family of robins build a nest on our porch light this spring.  I did catch a bit of flack for my obvious obsession—and it’s true.  I was completely mesmerized by the entire process; from the meticulously crafted nest, (How did they transport all that mud up there?  And how many trips must it have taken with all those individual pieces of grass? And how did they make it so perfectly shaped?) to the vibrance and beauty of the tiny blue eggs, and the dutifu ..read more

Author: Sean Kennedy I don’t necessarily think to myself that I need to evangelize, but that I want to share what Jesus gave me. It does say in Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus tells his followers, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” While certainly Jesus is directing us to share the faith, I think why wouldn’t I want to share this awesome gift of everlasting life. I remember before I was ..read more

Author: Pastor Kalen Brown The church is a place of covering and protection of the family of God.  When I was in my early teens, I got into trouble with some older rough, and angry teenage boys that got furious with me and chased me around the neighborhood for what seemed like hours. In my recollection of the events of that day, I am sure that I did not deserve their ire, either way, I was pretty concerned for my safety. I knew my neighborhood very well; where to run, where to hide, and which backyards to navigate to secure my escape; all to no avail. In my last-ditch effort to preserve m ..read more