“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.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

     We are in week five of our Lenten sermon series called, “The Seven Last Words,” in which we are walking through Jesus’s seven last sayings on the cross. This week, we are going to look at this saying: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The question becomes, is God turning His back on His Son, Jesus, in His greatest time of need and does God forsake?

     The explanation is quite complicated (come to church this Sunday to hear all about it!) but the answer is

Woman, behold, your son…Behold, your mother!

     In the final moments of Jesus’ life on the cross, the Gospel of John gives us a profound glimpse into the power of relationship. As Jesus suffers, surrounded by a crowd, He turns His attention not just to His mission of salvation, but also to the people He loves, offering them a deep act of care and connection. 

     John 19:25-27 recounts the presence of several women at the foot of the cross, including Jesus’ mother, Mary, and the disciple whom He loved (often under

Today, you will be with me in Paradise

     During this Lenten season, our church will be exploring the profound significance of “the seven last words” of Jesus Christ spoken from the cross. Each week, we will reflect on these final declarations, words of forgiveness, salvation, relationship, distress, abandonment, triumph, and reunion, that reveal the heart of Christ’s sacrifice and the depth of God’s love for humanity. As we journey through Lent, we will draw closer to the cross, allowing Jesus’ words to sha

Keeping The Main Thing The Main Thing: The Church

Do you remember your favorite birthday party you were invited to as a kid? When I was in elementary school, I was invited to a hotel sleepover at the Embassy Suites on Baymeadows Road in Jacksonville, Florida with some of my best seven-year-old friends. It was the first time I had stayed in a hotel without my parents, and it was so awesome. I mean it was truly awesome.  We went to the pool, we took really long, hot showers, we used the nice lotion in the bathrooms and not

Keeping The Main Thing The Main Thing: The Holy Spirit

     For the past five weeks, we as a church family have explored some of the main doctrines of our Christian faith in our sermon series, “Keeping The Main Thing The Main Thing.” One of the main doctrines of our faith is the Trinity, which is the belief that there is one God who exists in three equal persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The word “Trinity” is not necessarily found in the Scriptures but the idea of one God in three persons is found in the very