that's what King Jesus was...and is. Can you imagine being evangelized by the Evangel of evangels? That's exactly what happened to an unnamed lady who sought to fill life's void with human relationships. Having requested a draught from the community well - the woman was taken aback by the King's forwardness - "how is it that YOU, being a JEW, ask a drink from ME, a SAMARITAN WOMAN"? Emphasis on the capitalized words explain her shock. Religious first century JEWS discriminated against the Samaritans. Her description of "ME" identifies further strikes. Yep, she was a SAMARITAN alright. But s ..read more

We have often proclaimed ourselves to be a little church with big heart. This month we had the opportunity to act on that with a Thanksgiving Food Drive. We collected 153 pounds of food, including two 15 pound turkeys, 3 large cans of yams, multiple baked goods box mixes, and a carton of ramen cups. We donated enough food for at least two families to have a full Thanksgiving feast (including dessert) this year to The Refuge in Greenwood. Donations began with nonperishables stored at the church. The final amount donated included some frozen and perishable items as well, including a Kroger gift ..read more

is not a thing. -It's a Person. Life demanding? Does it seem to get the best of us? Ever feel like there are more problems and not enough of "me"? Weary? Beaten down? Exhausted? Feel run over? Coffee not doing the trick? Battery need recharging? Spiritually lethargic? Bored? In a rut? Ever feel incarcerated within? Consider the veracity of this proposed philosophical equation. L+C=D1 where "L" = life in all its complexities and tribulations and "C" is our personal capital which, sadly, is naturally defective and deficient. The sum of our defective anemacy plus life's demands equals "D1" - d ..read more

a very controversial question these days. While shots for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio have been exceedingly effective in disease prevention, not all inoculations are so favorable. Inoculation to reality is always detrimental. Drowning ourselves in that which dulls our senses to what is true and actual, or to escape the harshness of life by nefarious means is disabling at best. Alcohol/drug abuse, hedonism, excessive noise, over or inordinate indulgence are just a few of the ways we may seek to cope. Excessive spiritual inoculation has a deadening effect on our capacity for mo ..read more

Got endurance? We're gonna need it! On their feet ten hours a day, unable to sufficiently handle the last two complaints due to time constraints, the phone rings again. Oblivious to the circumstances of the service writer on the receiving end, the customer berates their vehicle, the manufacturer, the dealership, the process, while their service writer quietly sifts through the verbage for intent. Grabbing a pen from the disheveled kiosk, they jot a couple of notes and punch away at their keyboard, while other customers, managers, and technicians stand before them waiting patiently for their qu ..read more

Have we lost a loved one? A job? Kid(s) gone astray? Falsely accused and maligned? Have we suffered some financial setback? Truly victimized? Have we failed? Rejected by a mate? Health gone south? Dealing with mental health issues? Are we weary, beaten up, and sense defeat? Are we tempted to feel sorry for ourselves? Do we hear some inner voice whispering, "woe is me". Invited to a "pity party" of one? Considering throwing in the towel? Any "fight" left? According to 12 year heavyweight champion, Joe Louis, "No one takes a punch like James Braddock". Indeed, in the mid to late 1920s, Braddock ..read more

The world's greatest problem... ...what is it? Great question, wouldn't we say? With all the catastrophes, complexities, brokenness, division, and chaos around us, it shouldn't surprise us that contemplative humans aren't groping for answers. Living on planet earth is anything but utopian. Which one of us desires to live in a constant state of turmoil, anxiety, and fear? Which of us doesn't care about the future of our families, children, grandchildren, neighbors, coworkers, etc.? Many thoughtful, caring, loving people ponder, "the world's greatest problem". But just, what is it? Is it overpop ..read more

Written by: Tracy T. Weeks This morning as I was driving to work, I was captivated by the beautiful full moon shining so brightly. It was right in front of me for most of my drive in. As I got closer to work, some very thick clouds moved in quickly and overtook and completely obscured the moon. I was amazed at how something that had been so big and bright just seconds before was now completely invisible. How frightening it can be when something that was so clear to us just disappears. Sometimes life gets so clouded that it feels like God has disappeared. But He hasn’t. He won’t. Not ever. Even ..read more

That Tuesday in June of 2020 was going to be very exciting! Day Two of the new flooring installation was going to happen and transform the look of our house into something that people could enter and not look with appropriate disgust upon the broken tiles and stained carpets with that funky scent that only 43 year old carpets get after having been trampled by countless dirty children, incontinent pets and clumsy adults. It would actually look like a home and not smell like a truck stop bathroom! At work that day, I followed up with some key opportunities that were coming along, albeit slowly ..read more

,The church vs The Church and which one are we by Randy Middleton 1 The “church” today has been corrupted by “The Church”.  The “church” (small c) was established by Christ.  Man has divided it into “The Church”(es) we have today based on man’s law and rules, and different interpretations of The Scriptures. Whenever two people read the same passage of anything it is possible they will understand it differently based, in part, on their frame of reference or prior learning.  It is difficult to read something, unless it is quite simple and direct, and not let it be couched in ..read more