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Familiar story, differing interpretations Mary good, Martha bad -> we should pray, not work. I’ve seen the fruit of the Spirit at work in kitchens as much as I have in study groups Related to grace vs works. Something else going on? Competition for Jesus’ affection, Jesus chooses Mary. Belittles sisters,…

Two very familiar stories that we might not see as connected… matter of fact I never saw them as connected as clearly as I did this week. In fact I had planned to preach just from this first story and the other story next week. Don’t get me wrong, each story has a powerful lesson we need to learn, but…

Welcome & Announcements Welcome - candle of hope is already lit... Land Acknowledgment - during Advent, we wait Announcements: Christmas Events: Christmas Tales Christmas Dinner Christmas Eve Two options: Outdoor Children’s Service Indoor Christmas Eve Service Hampers Benevolence Call to Worship - a…

That may Some things to notice: The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Most of us read this verse and we probably don’t think much about what we read. But if you were a Jew, the word LORD would spark all sorts…

Sunflowers Thursday night, sunflowers I was there for about an hour, must have been at least 20 other people who came and went during that time. Sun behind a great big cloud. Had to wait for the light Only a few seconds at a time When it did, it was like a revelation Sunflowers are amazing plants Heliotropic…

Finally! An easy one! Zacchaeus - the pantomime villain rich, corrupt, short Scurrying ahead, pulling up his skirts and climbing a tree All the ingredients are there for the “baddy” to get his comeuppance. The people in the crowd must be holding their breath, giddy with excitement. They know who Zacchaeus…

In the light of Lazarus’ resurrection John 11:47-57 The miraculous work of Jesus is now getting very real There is no denying what He has done, and the influence He is having on people How far did His power extend? Lazarus, dead four days, would have been in the spirit world Body would have begun to…

The blessed life is an uncomfortable one: living in dependence on God, longing for restoration, speaking for Jesus and yet rejected. It's uncomfortable but in the end it's worth it.

The bible definitely makes a differentiation between the non-believer and the believer..between the non-believer and the unfaithful or faithless. 1 My son, keep my words, And lay up my commandments with thee. 2 Keep my commandments, and live; And my law as the apple of thine eye. 3 Bind them upon thy…

God’s got my attention in two ways this week. One way has to do with power; and the other with what it means to take hands, to be in relationship with one another. First up, power. I have this thing that I’ve noticed which I think might be one of the way God gets my attention. I’ll often have songs in…

Series Intro The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Advent) Advent The ecclesiastical season immediately before *Christmas. Four Sundays in Advent always precede Christmas Day. And the solemn character of the season is marked by the liturgical use of purple. The season is observed as a time of…

This is a spin-off movie – where the main character, Jacob, is lying low. Joseph’s not one of the ‘founding fathers’ of Israel. Continuation from Jacob story – the narrative of the people of Israel. An explanation of why the Israelites ended up in Egypt. Three weeks to divide up the story. Many of us…

In the movie Liar, Liar, Max Reede is having maybe his 10th birthday party... but he’s waiting very nervously for his Dad to show up. His father is both a compulsive liar and successful lawyer, and he has promised... promised that he will not miss Max’s birthday. But Max has heard all of this before.…

Receive Members I. Membership A. It is a privilege to welcome new members into the church! 1. I have had opportunity to do so many, many times over the 13 years that I have been pastor here. 2. Praise God! B. Normally I would not be doing this with an Annual Business Meeting coming up next week. ARTICLE…

We have the joy and the privilege of welcoming 2 new members into our family today. As we think about Church membership, we realize it is more than Voting at Business Meetings. It is the applicants’ declaration that they want to be a part of the family on New Life. They want to contribute to it accomplishing…

The Power of Prayer Rev. Thomas A West, Sr March 6, 2022 James 5:17-18 Opening Illustration: Introduction: I don’t have an illustration for you today, because it is in my heart to speak only the theme, the Power Of Prayer . There is a general recognition that these are ominous days. The great increase…

So here's something that we all have in common. This isn't like a religious thing or a Christian thing, or non-Christian thing, this is just a thing thing, this is just a human thing. We all have this in common, our worst decisions, my worst decisions for sure, Our worst decisions, were fueled by a nudge…

Gratitude is enabled by and a response to God's grace.

Have you ever noticed how distance changes our perspective of something? Think about it. You see someone waving in the distance and they seem to be waving right at you. But when you begin to look around you realize they are waving at the person behind you. And many times, as they are moving closer to…

2019 was all about Level Up! God’s desire was for us to level up in our faith, finances, relationships, attitudes, careers, education, service, witness and walk. It was all about next level living. Building rich relationships. Hearing God’s voice. I am a Church Member. It’s not about me. It’s all about…

Tuning In Last week we talked about being spiritually minded. We asked ourselves, “ what thoughts and motives are in my mind? ” We looked at some practical tips and advice from Pastor John Piper that would help us to be more spiritually minded. James wrote to other Christ followers telling them that…

Before Corona I pointed out an old abandoned building to my kids the other day. “Guys, that’s what they used to call a school. Kids would go there and do their ‘school-work’ and then come home when they were done.” They laughed and laughed. Or rolled their eyes, I forget. Let’s talk about the glory days.…

Between Genesis 16 and Genesis 17 , thirteen years have passed. Abram was 86 years old when last we read about him; today as we read about Abram, he’s 99 years old. As we’ve seen already in this study through the life of Abram, God is in no hurry. I argue this is cause for assurance , though some would…