Posts with the category “articles”
No Separation
December 21st, 2023
Years ago, there was a widely circulated idea that everyone is six or fewer social connections away from each other. It was called “Six Degrees of Separation,” or the “Six Handshake Rule.” It is the i... Read More
Home for the Holidays
December 7th, 2023
Last Sunday, Pastor Jason entitled his Christmas series of messages, “Home for the Holidays.” He reminded us that home is linked with warm relationships. It is usually a comfortable place where we fee... Read More
Making Mud Pies
November 30th, 2023
“Do you remember what it was like to be separated from God?”This question was asked by Pastor Jason on Sunday as he shared the importance of remembering our past.Instantly, my heart was transported to... Read More
For the Body, For the Kingdom
November 23rd, 2023
“The pathway to spiritual maturity is not in becoming an intelligent person, but in becoming an obedient person.” – John Piper, Solid Daily Joys Devotional: November 22ndOn Sunday, Pastor Jason walked... Read More
Arriving at Shiloh
November 16th, 2023
I remember my first bicycle. It was blue and white and had plastic streamers imbedded in the grips on the steering bar. It had one of those cute ringers that you pushed with your thumb. And most of th... Read More
Serve Someone
November 9th, 2023
I am a storyteller and when I find a good one, I love to pass them along. It seems that “many years ago in a small hotel in Philadelphia, USA, an elderly couple, on a business trip from England, appro... Read More
The Rooster
November 2nd, 2023
I love a good story. This one is about a midwestern farmer. Apparently, one night a fierce desert storm struck with rain, hail, and a high wind. At daybreak, feeling sick and fearing what he might fin... Read More
What Are You Doing?
October 26th, 2023
I love this story…the noted English architect, Sir Christopher Wren, was supervising the construction of a magnificent cathedral in London. A journalist thought it would be interesting to interview so... Read More
Fear Not
October 19th, 2023
The very last point of Jason’s insightful message on Israel this past Sunday was for us to not be alarmed. He reminded us that despite the state of world affairs, Jesus is still on His throne.We are f... Read More
Time and Opportunities are Limited
October 12th, 2023
On January 14th, 2020, I had reason to consult an actuarial table concerning my life expectancy. That particular source suggested that I had 4,006 days left here on planet earth. Well, some three year... Read More
Trust the Process
October 4th, 2023
This past week was the Ryder Cup. For those that are not golfing enthusiasts, it a fierce competition between US golfers and players from Europe. I am always amazed by the way these professionals “add... Read More
Keeping Our Vows
September 28th, 2023
As we heard this past Sunday, the Bible makes a big deal about covenants and vows. When our promises are tested, God wants us to take the high road and show grace. He wants us to lean into His promise... Read More
Seeing God's Future
September 21st, 2023
The other day I ordered a box of doughnuts from a speciality gluten free bake shop. The words speciality and gluten free sound expensive right? Unfortunately, they are. But you see, as a gluten free p... Read More
Humility
September 21st, 2023
Pastor Jason’s message on the Seven Don’ts Moving Forward, caused me to do some serious thinking about humility this week. Arrogance is an attitude that holds us back from learning and growing from ou... Read More
Removing the Mask
September 11th, 2023
A few years ago I was sitting in a small group with a bunch of young moms. Our conversation went from cordial to very real and honest as we each admitted to the silent battle with anxiety we faced dai... Read More
A Spiritual Kingdom
September 7th, 2023
Sometimes it can feel hard to relate to the world we see in the Book of Joshua. One full of wars, risky acts of life and death, going to a land that has been “promised” but is full of giants and hosti... Read More
Second Chances
August 31st, 2023
A funny story printed by Sports Illustrated says a lot about the value of a second chance. It seems “a college-football coach was faced with the possibility that his star player might be declared acad... Read More
Copper Nails
August 24th, 2023
I recently read a story that the preacher Dr. F.E. Marsh used to repeat at some of his meetings. It seems that “a young man, a member of the church, came up to him with a troubled countenance. ‘Pastor... Read More
Sin has an Expensive Price Tag
August 17th, 2023
Sin has an Expensive Price TagThe Old Testament uses any number of terms to convey the concept of sin. The term most often used has to do with missing the mark, falling short of a standard or running ... Read More
He Still Moves Mountains
August 9th, 2023
This summer, I once again got to go visit one of my favorite places on earth, Alaska! And I sailed into my favorite spot, Glacier Bay. That national park has some 3.3 million acres of pristine beauty ... Read More
God is Wild About Us
August 2nd, 2023
Our service this week was built around our Vacation Bible School that we call “Camp@Coast.” Its theme was “Wild about God.” And it sure looked like the kids and all the adult helpers had a blast. They... Read More
Standing on Holy Ground
July 13th, 2023
This week my kids went to a camp where they learned magic tricks. At the end of the camp, the entire class performed for the parents, and we were all just beaming with pride as our little ones overcam... Read More
Spiritual Circumcision
July 6th, 2023
The first verse in Joshua chapter 5 seems to report that the enemies of Israel “sat up and took notice” that the children of God were something special. They had crossed the river Jordan on dry land a... Read More
Personal Ebenezer Stones
July 6th, 2023
But we have short attention spans and easily get distracted. In our next trial or battle, we might forget exactly how the Lord led us through the last one. We might be inclined to be fearful and anxio... Read More
Follow Our Leader
June 22nd, 2023
People are either born with a great sense of direction, or not! I am one of those who grew up reading maps for fun. So, I came to the GPS cheering squad rather late in life. Just give me a good, updat... Read More
The Nobodies Who Became Somebodies
June 15th, 2023
As we are making our way across the pages of the book of Joshua, we have come to meet a prostitute named Rahab. She is the one who hid the two spies that Joshua sent to check out the fortifications ar... Read More
People of Faith
June 8th, 2023
Our message this week focused on PEOPLE OF FAITH. As Pastor Jason mentioned, people of faith speak by faith from God’s Word. The Bible is important to them. Those folks also get prepared for God’s pur... Read More
Want to Be Prosperous and Successful?
June 1st, 2023
Imagine walking into a huge stadium with 50,000 people in attendance. Grab the microphone and ask this simple question, “Who wants to be prosperous and successful?” I am confident that every single ha... Read More
Getting Ready for Tomorrow
May 25th, 2023
Our study in Joshua this week spoke of the need to be ready for the opportunities that the Lord may send our way. Moses had died, but Joshua was ready because he prepared ahead of time. Being ready to... Read More
You are the One
May 18th, 2023
I had never really seen myself as a Kid’s Ministry type...It was summer of 2015. I was entering my senior year of high school and had signed up to be a Vacation Bible School (VBS) leader for kindergar... Read More
Vulnerability
May 11th, 2023
Stop a moment and come with me into the scene of Isaiah 6. At a certain point and place in time (the year King Uzziah died), the prophet Isaiah was allowed into the throne room of God. As he entered t... Read More
Precious Space
May 4th, 2023
“The extreme greatness of Christianity lies in the fact that it does not seek a supernatural remedy for suffering but a supernatural use for it” (Simone Weil, philosopher). Pain is an incredible tool ... Read More
Conversations with Ourselves
April 27th, 2023
Truthfully, most of us lack patience with both circumstances and people. The apostle James refers to both kinds of patience in his epistle. In chapter one, verse four, he says, “Let perseverance (pati... Read More
James Gave us a Warning
April 19th, 2023
He is making a case that serving the Lord reveals a much better way of life. Rather than live in luxury and self-indulgence, he is urging the first century believers (and all of us), to see the reason... Read More
Living in the Shadow of the Cross and the Light of the Empty Tomb
April 12th, 2023
If the cross was the end of Christ’s journey, the shadow of the cross would always be seen as dark and foreboding. It was a horrific death, a dark stain on humanity that would have blocked the light o... Read More
The Coronation of Jesus
April 6th, 2023
Coronations are cool events. Great Britain is gearing up for one this fall. Charles the III has followed his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and was declared King right after his mom’s death. But his coro... Read More
Humility
March 30th, 2023
There is a very practical story in Luke 14 about a gathering at a wedding. Jesus shared some important advice, “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a perso... Read More
Thinking About the Babies
March 22nd, 2023
Our study in the book of James has arrived at a key question in chapter four, verse one. He asks, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?”... Read More
Ask for Wisdom
March 16th, 2023
One of my favorite Disney movies is Aladdin (especially the first one). If you know the story, the hero is given the opportunity to ask for three wishes to be granted. His first wish is, “Make me a pr... Read More
Holy to the Lord
March 7th, 2023
But the one that particularly caught my eye is in Exodus 39:30. The high priestly family is getting details about their garments. Their tunics were to be of fine linen, the headbands and undergarments... Read More
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