Posts with the category “articles”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our tongue gets us in trouble. No, I am not talking about those eight muscles that manipulate food for swallowing and help form words for speaking. No, I am talking about the analogies that James give...  Read More

A British writer and former member of Parliament, Gyles Brandreth, wanted to answer the question, “How many words do we say in our lifetime?” After some research, he suggested that the average person ...  Read More

In the recently released “Top Gun: Maverick” movie, Maverick is tasked with teaching a select group of young, “hot shot” aviators how to fly an impossible route and blow up an important military targe...  Read More

A student wanted to prove the point that what we believe (really believe) in our hearts and minds makes a difference in our behavior. He decided to use a pendulum to prove his case......  Read More

A few years back, my optometrist discovered cataracts in both my eyes. So, we scheduled the appropriate surgery. Part of the preparation was the choosing of the right lens to implant. Those intraocul...  Read More

As a little girl I went on a mission’s trip with my family to Israel. We spent time in the fields of Boaz and watched people get baptized in the Jordan River. It was surreal, and as an adult I wish I ...  Read More

When an enraged teenager reaches the end of their truncated patience, he or she will often spit out a single word of severe frustration. They yell, “Whatever!” In that situation, that term comes heavi...  Read More

The Apostle Paul had several younger pastors that he was mentoring. In 2 Timothy 2:21, Paul told his protégé that if he wanted to be useful for the Master, he needed to be prepared for every good work...  Read More

The part I did not like was the posting of the roster. About a week before every season was slated to begin, the coach would post a single, white sheet of paper on the athletic bulletin board. It simp...  Read More

If you live in the Aliso Viejo area, you may look outside this week and see a bright, shining light coming from the top of a hill. This light on a hill is reminiscent of what happened just a couple th...  Read More

In general, most of us are poor listeners. Here’s a good story to prove my point. It seems that Franklin Roosevelt didn’t really enjoy long receiving lines. He complained that no one really paid any a...  Read More