Hopefully this finds you prepared for the holidays! As you might have seen on the Facebook group, a number of families in the church are dealing with COVID right now. Please be praying for them, not only for physical healing, but also for comfort for the disappointment of potentially missing out on family gatherings. But if you're healthy and able, we hope to see you at bo...

Well, it's hard to believe, but this Sunday is the Fourth Sunday in Advent (the last Sunday before Christmas). We'll continue to light the Advent Wreath, sing Christmas Hymns (and hear the Christmas Choir), and spend some time seeing Jesus accomplish some important things over a meal. This Sunday we come to our fourth meal in our Advent series on "Meals with Jesus." We fe...

Wow, we're halfway through Advent and it doesn't quite feel like Christmas yet. Yes, the Christmas lights are starting to fill my neighborhood. Yes, the incessant playing of modern Christmas music, neither hymns, carols, or classics, but songs that are sugary sweet and about as nutritious, has filled the airwaves (does anyone actually like Wham! and why do we have to hear...

Wow, autumn has flown by, and winter is almost here. We've finished with the Book of Philippians, we're about to feast on Thanksgiving turkey, and then, starting this Sunday, we move into the season of Advent. Thus, we're going to start a short Advent series on "Meals with Jesus." And we'll begin in John 2:1-11 with the feast at a wedding in Cana, the scene of Jesus' first...

We're almost done with the Book of Philippians, Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and Advent begins the following week. It's hard to believe we're almost at the end of the year. And it's been quite a year full of trials and testing, relational conflict, and filled with cultural disruption. As someone famous once wrote, "It's been the best of times it's been the wo...

One of the big issues in the evangelical world in recent years has been the phenomenon of "deconstructing the faith" or what we used to call "deconversion." It addresses the situation concerning a former believer, a former member of the church, who has announced that he or she has left the faith. There have been a number of well-known musicians and celebrity pastors who ha...

This Sunday is Reformation Day! It's also the Sunday that we come to the Lord's Table, and it's also the day of the Fall Festival. Lots to pack into a single day, and there's a lot to unpack from our passage this week too. Our passage this week, Philippians 3:1-11, addresses an old issue. Where do we put our confidence for salvation? Do we put our confidence in the flesh? ...

Have you ever asked your kids (or any kids), "What do you want to be when you grow up?" And most kids will answer by telling you what they want to do when they grow up. Of course, very few kids actually end up doing what they said when they were four. Otherwise, our country would be full of cowboys and princesses. We still confuse this question, though. We often mix up wh...

It will be good to be back this Sunday. Joanne and I enjoyed visiting family in Pennsylvania last week and I got to baptize our granddaughter Anne (and yes, she did scream). As much as we enjoyed it, it's not quite the same as being at our church with our church family. So, it's good to be home. This week we're looking at Philippians 2:12-18 and the topic of being (or bec...

The pursuit of glory is often at the core of our motivations. Even if we don't dream of making it big and becoming a celebrity, we still pursue glory. Maybe it's the praise of your co-workers that you covet. Maybe it's the praise of your parents that you crave. Maybe it's a simple recognition that you are capable, competent, and mature. We often see glory and recognition a...