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Jack Handey, known for his odd sense of humor frequently expressed in an old Saturday Night Live segment titled "Deep Thoughts," wrote an equally odd book entitled Fuzzy Memories . In it Handey relates the story of a bully who demanded his lunch money every day when he was a child. Because Handey was…

We live in a culture where image is everything and substance nothing. We live in a culture where a new beginning is far more attractive than a long follow-through. Images are important. Beginnings are important. But an image without substance is a lie. A beginning without a continuation is a lie. Peterson,…

Were part of a family Yep, as a church we are part of a family that’s been born again. What we do as family members and how we treat one another as family matters. (insert: Family-matters picture here) An illustration I read from Eugene Peterson, it is good, focus on the family not the theology of the…

Questions to consider while preaching/teaching this passage: -What does a sincere heart mean? -Guthrie indicates it means to be genuine, loyal, and real. Martin Rowe, 6 years old, lived on a small farm in rural Georgia. One day while riding on a tractor with his father the unthinkable happened; the tractor…

Bienvenido: Diezmo y Ofrenda (DIEZMA): para: DISCIPLINARTE A TI MISMO . (Celso Cukierkorn): "Una de las grandes diferencias que separa a los judíos de otros grupos culturales es que vemos nuestra riqueza como un medio para asociarnos con Dios, como una forma de traer el reino de Dios a esta tierra, un…

Today we all have gathered for worship and to mark an occasion in my ministry journey. This past Tuesday marked the 30 year anniversary of my ordination as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA). So much has changed since I first answered those ordination questions all…

Illustration: Thank you mom for that meal; it was really good. This is music to a mom’s ears especially after something she spent much time to prepare. This is like the campers at camp saying: “Thank you camp cooks” after each meal. Consider the same scenario in which after the meal the kids began to…

In the book of Proverbs we read: A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed. and just a couple of verses later: All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast. We’re entering the Holiday season, and for some people this is…

Some of the things that Christians identify as faith-goals are actually byproducts; the real faith-goal for Christian identity is much less complicated.

Broken Dreams Have you ever had all your plans laid out, felt convinced you knew exactly what should happen, where it should happen and when it should happen? Then, everything turns out totally different from your plans; maybe exact opposite from your dreams. Last week we saw the announcement to Mary…

Pastoral Prayer One of the things we regularly do is take time on Sunday mornings to hear from and pray for our missionaries we support as a church family. This morning we’re focusing on Gene and Anne Poppino with Cadence International. Gene come on up! Gene Talk - What have you been up to lately? How…

Looking back and grounding in scripture When we had our AGM last year Rebecca and I were fresh into things and didn’t have a lot to report. It feels like we’ve been really active as a parish since then, punching well above our weight. But before we pat ourselves on the back, let’s draw back to scripture.…

(S1) — What does it takes to yield a good crop? Location — Soil — Seeds — Care — Protection There is an expectation of the one who plants, prepares and provides protection of its crop — A fruitful harvest? Series — Isaiah’s Song of the Vineyard Isaiah 5:1a (NIV) I will sing for the one I love a song…

Love never fails. That is how the apostle Paul ends his description of love in 1 Corinthians 13. But why does love never fail, and how does it make a difference that it never fails? It turns out that love's infallibility is a key aspect of love that underpins the universe. To find out how, have a listen as we conclude our series on the "love chapter."

God is the one who brings peace; and he calls us not only to receive his peace, but to participate in sharing peace.

“I don’t know if we’re going to make it,” said the man sitting across from me in my office. “I want us to stay together, but...” his voice trailed off. He and his wife had been married for ten years. They had a young son in the second grade, and another child on the way. He was working on his masters…

Romans 12:9-21

We are continuing our series on Advent. As we saw last week it is unusual for a Baptist Church to celebrate Christmas using the word Advent. But the word advent just simply means the coming of a notable Person, thing or event. And as such we are celebrating the coming of the Lord in the past, present…

I love this time of year. And this year has, for some reason, been extra special. I think the months of planning leading up to the nativity are maybe some of it for me, but I’m not sure. Christmas isn’t my favorite holiday (Thanksgiving all the way), but this Christmas season has been something, even…

In January of 2020, I started preaching through Genesis. My plan was to break it up and preach Genesis in a few different chunks— Genesis 1-11 , 12-25 , 26-50 . So that’s what I started to do. I preached Genesis 1-11 during January, February, and March of 2020. And, right as I was preaching the last…

Welcome back this morning to the second week of our new series we are calling “Satisfied - A journey to Contentment”. Our plan over the next few weeks is to look at this crucial subject and learn how that being grounded in the Gospel leads to contentment. We will see how the scriptures drive home the…

Intro 37 While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. 38 The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. 39 And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you…

For several summers, we have ventured into the Psalms. We jumped around a little in 2015 and 2016, but then we decided to start at Psalm 1 and preach through them consecutively. Last summer, we concluded with Psalm 35 . So today, we pick up the Psalter again, and open to Psalm 36 (this summer we will…