Before we even get going here, I want to say that my heart is pained and crushed when I even begin to think of the suffering and devastation that is being experienced by those who are living in and around Israel right now.  The violent, Islamist extremist terror group called Hamas, which operates and governs the Palestinian city of Gaza, the tiny strip of land just Southwest of Jerusalem, is wreaking havoc on the people of Israel, killing, kidnapping and doing all sorts of evil acts against them in the name of their god. In no way am I minimizing this tragedy. I say this because the subj ..read more

What does it mean to put something ‘first’ in your life? Well, you'll be thinking about that first thing often, if not constantly. You'll make sacrifices for that first thing. You'll give up everything else that conflicts or gets in the way of that first thing. All other things in your life are not first, they come after. Whatever may be 'first place' in your life, this also will be something you would not let go of easily. As a matter of fact, if this something in your life were to be threatened or taken away, you may even lay your own life down to get it back. The saying goes, ‘find somethi ..read more

I don’t know about you, but I could not survive without reminders. I have about ten reminders on my phone. I have them set for two, three, sometimes even four times a day. I use them for all different types of occasions. Often a reminder goes off and I’ll open it up and say to myself, ‘What is this supposed to remind me to do? Why did I set this?' If it’s a phone call to make, or an appointment to get to, I'll usually remember. But if the task isn’t something I do regularly, without that reminder, I’d probably forget.  Well, in Nehemiah 8:13-18, our text in this sermon, the people of Isr ..read more

Intentions, what are they? I suppose a good comparison would be our aims, goals or plans regarding a particular path we desire to take. Intentions can be good or bad. However, unless the intention is completed, it becomes pretty ineffective. You can intend on achieving good physical health, but unless you take specific action steps towards that goal, that intention becomes worthless, even detrimental. One of the biggest misconceptions about becoming, or even being a follower of Christ, is that it has to do with our intentions. Jesus said in John 3:3, that unless one is born again he cannot se ..read more

If you’ve ever competed against someone in sports, a contest, a game, or, had an argument with a rival or adversary, you understand the concept of having an opponent. In stories, the opponent is often called the ‘antagonist’. The antagonist tries to defeat, stop, overcome or foil the goal of the protagonist (who is usually the main character). Sometimes he’s a good guy and the antagonist is the bad guy or villain. Other times, the antagonist and the protagonist are both either 'good' or 'bad'. But the one thing that all protagonists and antagonists have in common, is they want the same thing ..read more

To Tell The Truth is a classic game show where a celebrity panel is presented with three people, all who claim to be the same person with the same unique talent, job or achievement. Only one of them is sworn to tell the truth while the two others are not. The object of the game is to try to fool the celebrities into voting for one of the two impostors. Some of the contestants were the fastest jumper in America, another was a descendant of Alexander Hamilton and even a professional cuddlist has been on the show. Regardless, the two imposters and the person telling the truth, are to convince th ..read more

When we take a look at our world, at the atrocities against innocent people, the sufferings, those starving for food, the abuse of power and corruption by leaders, individual sins, etc., one can often get pretty discouraged.  It’s impossible to get away from it. We receive these inputs from our eyes, ears and personal experiences on a daily basis. Putting God first and believing He is redeeming this world through the life, death, resurrection and ascension of His Son is laughable to the average person in our culture. Our world seems to reject God, the Gospel, and the real Jesus by d ..read more

The word translated 'doctrine' in the scriptures means instruction, especially as it applies to lifestyle application. Doctrines are a set of core beliefs that guide our interpretation and application of scripture. There are many doctrines in the bible. The are several major doctrines such as Bibliology (the doctrine of the Bible), Eschatology (the doctrine of last things), Christology (the doctrine of Christ), and Ecclesiology (the doctrine of the Church) to name a few. The doctrine of Soteriology deals with salvation. How, when, where and why were we saved. Often times people shy away from ..read more

One of the reasons I don’t enjoy 'handy work' is I don’t have a variety of tools. Trying to do a home improvement job without the correct tools usually results in frustration. You're either are unable to properly fix what you’re working on, or you end up making things worse. When you use the wrong tool, something usually breaks. Either the incorrect tool or the item you’re working on. It’s also much more difficult to get the result you want with the wrong tool. Maybe you have a large, rusted bolt you’re trying to loosen. Instead of using a socket set, because you don’t have the right size, yo ..read more

Wouldn't it be great if each time we gathered for worship, the Lord descended down upon our church building visibly for all to see? If we gathered during the morning service, He descended in a cloud. If we gathered in the evening, He came down as a pillar of fire. I say it would be fascinating, but in all reality, it would probably be pretty terrifying. When Moses met with God on Mount Sinai, there was not only a cloud of smoke, but thunder and lightning. We read in Exodus chapter 19 that God told Moses to warn the people 'so that they do not break through to the LORD to stare, and many of th ..read more