God Rarely Calls Us To Be Comfortable!

Pastor’s Note:   Comfort

            Comfort is the condition of being safe, undisturbed, and in control, free from pain, risk, or challenge. Really, it is the natural human preference for safety, stability, and satisfaction. Like all the other temptations we have studied so far, our American culture sells us comfort constantly. We have memory foam mattresses and luxury coffee makers. We have heated car seats and even heated steering wheels. We even have a new style of clo

“Faith Isn’t Convenient—And That’s the Point”

Pastor’s Note: Convenience

            Convenience is the state of being able to proceed with something with little effort or difficulty. Sadly, convenience is a core American value. Convenience culture refers to how modern society is increasingly geared towards ease and instant gratification.  America can be described as a "now" culture and we are accustomed to living a convenient lifestyle, where most necessities are easily accessible at all times. We have things like fa

“Worthy Without Comparison: The Freedom Christ Gives”

Pastor Marge’s Note: Comparison

     Have you ever compared yourself to someone else? I know I have! According to some studies, as much as ten percent of our thoughts involve comparisons of some sort. It’s almost like our culture has hard-wired us to constantly compare. We compare ourselves to others all the time, whether it’s our looks, how much we make, how big our houses are, the grades we make in school, how often we go to the gym, etc.  We even compare our religiosity

Trading Control for Confidence in Christ

Pastor’s Note: Control

     We are in our third week of our summer sermon series titled, "The Seven Sins of Suburbia." In this series, we are diving into seven common temptations that face the modern Western Christian. The first week we looked at the temptation of consumerism, which is the belief that that things of this world can fully and finally satisfy us. Last week Pastor Dennis preached on conceit, better known as pride. This week we are going to explore the temptati

True Freedom

Pastor’s Note: True Freedom     

             As we celebrate the Fourth of July this week, we give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy in this country, freedoms hard-won through sacrifice and courage. Yet as followers of Jesus Christ, we know that there is a deeper, eternal freedom that no earthly power can give or take away.

The apostle Paul writes, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1). Through Jesus, we are set free, not only from the chains of si

“Only One Thing Satisfies: A Wake-Up Call from Ecclesiastes”

Pastor's Note:     The Seven Sins of Suburbia: Consumerism

     What does it profit a person to gain the entire world, yet forfeit their soul? Would you really be successful if you gained everything that this world has to offer yet the consequence would be the death of your soul? Our culture’s definition of success and power is very different from God’s definition. Imagine if you woke up every day and were walking in step with the reason why you are here on this Earth, whi

Paul: From Resume to Redemption

Pastor’s Note: Paul

                  For seven weeks, we have studied some amazing heroes in the Bible, both men and women. We have looked at Noah, Esther, Elijah, Deborah, Joshua, Daniel, and the final hero we will look at is the man who wrote half of the New Testament, the apostle Paul. We first meet Paul as Saul of Tarsus and Saul looked more like a religious terrorist than a devout follower of Jesus Christ. For over three decades, Saul tried to systematically wipe out

- Daniel: A Hero Who Refused to Bow

Pastor’s Note: Daniel

We are in our sixth week of our sermon series called, “Heroes,” in which we have been looking at some inspiring heroes in the Bible, both men and women, who faced what seemed like impossible circumstances, yet they found courage, strength, and most importantly faith in God, who helped them conquer whatever mountain they faced. This week we are studying Daniel, who lived a life for God, and he lived it without compromise. Daniel showed us how to live f

Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

Pastor’s Note: Come, Holy Spirit, Come 

Pentecost Sunday occurs fifty days after Easter, and it is the fulfillment of Christ’s promise of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost signals that we as Christ-followers have a new power for ministry and that is the power of the Holy Spirit living and dwelling in us. While the Holy Spirit serves many roles in our lives as believers, including helping us, convicting us, changing us from the inside out, bringing us everlasting peace, and teachi

The Warrior Judge: Deborah’s Legacy in the Bible

Pastor’s Note: Deborah

Everybody loves a great underdog story. Before J.K. Rowling became the first author to earn a net worth of $1 billion, her Harry Potter pitch was rejected twelve times. We are all familiar with the film Rocky, in which Rocky Balboa is a small-time boxer from working-class Philadelphia and gets the opportunity of a lifetime when heavyweight boxing world champion, Apollo Creed, selects Rocky to fight him. Underdog boxer Rocky goes the whole fifteen rou

- The Choice Before Us: Elijah’s Message for Today

Pastor’s Note

Elijah

So far, in our sermon series, “Heroes,” we have looked at the obedience of Noah and the courage of Queen Esther. This week, we will be learning about the incredible faith of the Old Testament prophet, Elijah. Elijah was a person that demonstrated great faith during a time where all the other people of Israel were worshipping false gods, the little “g” gods of this world. God used Elijah to draw a line in the sand with the people of Israel to ultimately

Happy Mother's Day

Pastor’s Note: Mother’s Day

This upcoming Sunday, we are going to celebrate Mother’s Day as a church family. We give thanks to God for the gifts of mothers, for those who raised us, nurtured us, prayed for us, and loved us in countless ways. Whether biological, adoptive, spiritual, or motherly in heart, we honor you and the powerful role you play in shaping lives and faith.

In the same breath, I want to recognize that Mother’s Day can be a hard and even painful day for many

What Is God Telling You To Do?

Pastor’s Note: Noah

            Whenever God tells us to do something in the Bible, we ought to pay attention. Every command of God is for our provision and protection and God’s commands are for us and not against us. We have this really bad misunderstanding of the Bible that God is like this cosmic killjoy who wants to take away all our fun and all of His commands are to keep us from doing what we want to do. However, this is simply not the case. God’s laws, commands, and

Holy Week! -- It is Finally Here

Pastor’s Note

The Journey of Holy Week

Dear Church Family,

It is finally here- Holy Week! Our Lenten journey has led us to the most sacred and powerful days of our Christian faith. This is the week that changed everything-a journey from the shouts of “Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday to the sorrow of the cross on Good Friday, and finally to the joy and victory of Easter morning.

Holy Week invites us to slow down, to reflect deeply on the love of Christ, and to remember the cost of ou

"Awaken My Sight"

A Note from Pastor Marge  

"Awaken My Sight"

Have you ever heard of the phrase, “If it were a snake, it would’ve bit you?” It’s a phrase said humorously when one is looking for something that is right in front of them. This is the phrase I thought of as I was reading through Luke’s account of Palm Sunday. This upcoming Sunday is indeed Palm Sunday, the day that marks the beginning of Holy Week and commemorates Jesus’s arrival in Jerusalem for the Jewish holiday of Passover.