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According to my research on the great minds, creative imagination is the presence of the Holy Spirit. If you are here this morning feeling beat up by the storms of life, I have a solution for you: exercise your creative imagination. This world is a sea of suffering, and the only way to stay afloat is your positive imagination. I am not talking about wishful thinking. Creative imagination is a gift from God to navigate this life. It is the very Spirit of Jesus Christ that enabled him to forgive when he was suffering from the worst injustice in human history when he was on the cross. It is his imagination of the bright future that allowed him to endure the cross. Lack of imagination will make you become negative, complainful, and resentful which will make the suffering even worse...

After a couple of weeks of living under the oppression of the pandemic, with statewide lockdown and social distancing, we have a different appreciation of what Palm Sunday was like in the first century Israel. It was a turbulent time in Israel, and they were looking for the Messiah to bring them stability. Jesus had a message for them but he used the greatest art form to deliver the message. We need to learn this art form to make our message impactful. Let's take a look...

Pastor Tom reminds us from the gospel of Mark that our children show us an important lesson about what the kingdom of God is like.

I Can Only Imagine

We’ve been taking a journey through the Gospel of John, and looking at the various encounters that Jesus had with people, and what they reveal to us about the person of Jesus, about humankind, and about ourselves. Last week we were in Chapter 3, and we read of Jesus interaction with Nicodemus, a Pharisee…

Introduction Heaven is not a focus in theology or our lives today. But the early church stressed the reality of heaven and hell as important to how we live today. It was central to their understanding of the Gospel. This subject is often avoided because it has a good side and a bad side. This subject…

Introduction Last week was the introduction to a subject that is both encouraging and difficult to understand. The concept of Heaven is a complicated subject that many Christians don’t truly understand. It’s sad that this subject is so misunderstood, because it’s actually the hope that we have through…

Introduction Heaven and Hell are real places, not just figurative or make believe places. They are real and we will one day be there. The present heaven (Intermediate State) is in the direct presence of God. It is temporary but has many traits that the new heaven and new earth will one day have. The…

Introduction The idea of a new heaven and new earth is explicitly noted in: “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. “As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord , “so will your…

Often in our lives we tackle big projects or long processes which require multiple steps.  And whenever we complete one step, we move on to whatever is up next.

Many people are unwilling to experience the new things God is trying to do in their lives because of the baggage that keeps them longing for the past. When we wonder, "what if" or "if only," we rob ourselves of the fresh work of God within us that can take us places we cannot imagine.

Have you ever wondered how living a godly life can strengthen your faith? Imagine the impact of integrating godliness into your daily routine and experiencing a deeper level of spiritual growth. We will explore the connection between godliness and faith guided by the Bible, helping us cultivate unwavering trust in God. Discover the power of holiness in building your faith in our tenth faith series' installment, "How Godliness Builds Faith."

It is difficult for us to imagine how weird and wonderful that resurrection Sunday morning was for the first disciples. But if we try, then we can perhaps better appreciate the amazing grace that Jesus has worked for us. What we can be sure of: this changes everything!

Forever is a long time.  Sometimes we might have a hard time imagining what eternity will be like.  But what if the eternity of God is not meant to focus our attention on the future? What if the eternity of God has more to do with how we live right now?

In John 13 we find Jesus sitting down to eat his last meal with his disciples. You'd think he'd be taking the opportunity to really relax and enjoy this time. But instead he jumps up and engages in the most demeaning task imaginable (for the time): washing his disciples' feet. Why? What was the point? Join Malcolm as he unpacks why and how this menial task informs one of the core priorities of Jesus' followers.

25 And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. It is hard to imagine. Not really that hard - because we’ve walked this way quite often. But still quite hard. To imagine what it is…

John heard Christ 1.10-11 A. John was worshiping when Christ spoke. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet Far to many people want God to speak to them, but they don’t have the discipline to enter into quality worship of Him! We have seen that in our…

The gifts of the Spirit are many -- and sometimes they're not even what we're expecting to receive. Paul reminds us though, that there is something even more important than any of these gifts -- the gift of love. May we find ways to love, for then the church will be built up in ways that we will not have even imagined.

A Boy and a Tree One of my favorite stories from childhood is “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein. If you know the story, many of the boys fondest memories are tied to the playtime he had on the swing of the tree, climbing it, then using the tree as a resource bit by bit until all that was left was…

We are reminded that God graciously bridged an impossible gap and established His kingdom forever. We are encouraged to echo Mary and say "Let it be to me according to Your word".

Introduction Miguel Amaya Miguel Amaya got called up from the Tennessee Smokies to their Chicago Cubs. His parents, Max and Anny Oro flew up from Panama and saw his MLB debut when they played the Nationals in Washington DC. Then they were able to fly up to watch him play on May 6th at Wrigley Field in…

TEXT: ZECHARIAH 14:1-11 | A FORESHADOW OF THE RETURN INTRO : Over the past couple weeks we have watched as evil has sought to destroy God’s people, Israel. The atrocities and horrors that have taken place and have been broadcast have been overwhelming. We have had a glimpse into the evil potential of…

Tonight I’m going to take a few minutes to consider several different perspectives from the characters we see in our Christmas story. Because chances are you know the story, but I want us to put ourselves in the story and to consider some of the things we don’t always think about. So we’re going to start…