Teaching without compromise.
Loving without exception.
While Thanksgiving may be (for most people--including most of us) an occasion for traveling, gathering, and eating, for God's people, the season is also a great opportunity for worship and as a reminder of the grateful posture we should have all year long....
As horrific and heartbreaking images flow from the Middle East, images of terrorism, war, and the profound human suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians, many within the Church have rightly been driven to prayer. But such difficult times also generate conversations among believers about the people and places involved in today's news headlines, and specifically how all of this is connected to God's word and work....
Some key quotes from Message #1 in our "The Work of Ministry" series, along with some helpful quotes from others on this foundational topic. We pray these are an encouragement to you!...
During the pandemic, I noticed that local Jehovah's Witnesses had begun sending outreach letters to local residents in lieu of door-to-door or public book stalls. Post-pandemic, this practice has continued. My household has received a number of these letters over the past three years. Maybe you have as well. A recent letter from a Witness neighbor gave me the chance to put down and send some thoughts...
The story in 1 Kings 3:16-28 of Solomon and the two mothers (in fact, "two prostitutes") has always bothered me. The reaction of the second mother in verse 26, her willingness to put the child to death and accept half his corpse, just seemed unbelievable....
So pleased to report that we had a wonderful time again hosting our PrayWay Booth at the Buckeye Air Fair. A huge thanks to all those who served, and praise and thanks to God for the opportunities he provided for us. In addition to handing out tracts, Bibles, and cards about our upcoming “Community Sunday”, here are some of the highlights in terms of those God brought our way...
Love alerts us to what is dangerous. And it's dangerous to believe that our belief has placed us on the inside with God, when in reality, we are on the outside, ignoring the only "door" (John 10:9) that can give us access into that wonderful place, forever. ...
"Heavenly Father, as our nations think and talks about election day, we come to you as a pilgrim people; as "sojourners and exiles" (I Peter 2:11) in a world that is "passing away along with its desires" (I John 2:17)"...
No, this is not a tirade. No, I will not be pointing a finger of condemnation at those who celebrate Halloween in one way or another. I simply want to offer some thoughts for you to chew on. Almost every year I talk with my children (one in particular) about why we don't celebrate Halloween. Our most recent conversation on this subject led me to write some of these thoughts down. Maybe they're helpful to you. Maybe they're not. I'll let you decide....
“I think many who are unfamiliar with the Bible might find it surprising that only three chapters into the first book of the Old Testament, one of the characters is a talking snake. If you were helping a person like this make sense of the story we find in Genesis 3 (a person whose only experience with talking snakes was from a children's storybook or a Disney movie), how would you explain this unusual character?"...
Behind that question is one that's been asked for millennia. It's often referred to as 'the problem of evil'. Why does God's plan include the rescue of some and not others, the severe suffering of some and not others? Frankly, there are no easy answers to such questions. But the assumptions behind our questions can be helpful. Your piece assumed the value of all human life...
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Resurrection apart from death is not resurrection. It is reconfiguration. It is reinterpretation. It is renovation and remodeling. But it isn't resurrection....
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Many people today are looking for answers. Pandemics, like most crises, have a way of driving us in that direction. But many seem hungry for more than just health advice, social guidelines, and up-to-date statistics... I would offer up that these people are looking for what we might call spiritual answers. That collection of ancient scriptures we call the Bible is (and for...
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At a time when sickness is on the minds of so many, the 'benefits package' offered by the often-termed 'prosperity gospel' might seem especially appealing. What is the prosperity gospel? It's the belief (popular in many Charismatic and Pentecostal circles) that Jesus came, not simply to save you from sin and self, but from disease and debt as well... But is this really wha...
Keep ReadingWelcome, Gents! On this regularly-updated post (every Monday) you will find a thought or two about true manliness in light of God's word. These thoughts will be drawn from the previous week's New Testament readings (from our "5-on-5" Bible Reading Plan). I hope you will... 1. Prayerfully read with us through the New Testament in 2020. 2. Prayerfully consider the current...
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We're excited for the opportunity to bring a Christmas blessing to the community on Monday evening, December 23rd at Sundance Park. Our hope for this "Christmas in the Park" event is to host a kind of informal Christmas Eve service, under the stars from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. But to pull this off WE NEED YOUR HELP!...
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For many, painful circumstances drive us toward one of three, general stress responses: fight, flight, or freeze...But what if we added “faith” to that list? It was C.S. Lewis...who said: “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”...
Keep ReadingJoin us for a new six-week study on the how and why of sharing Jesus with others....
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Youth and Youth Parents! Our second Youth Camp fundraiser is coming up on Saturday, June 15th atApplebee's restaurant in Goodyear. Our Youth will be your servers for an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast! Here's how you can help: 1.Register Your Student Server!Enter your students name in the comment section below (FYI, comments don't appear right away), and downlo...
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Ever wanted the "big picture" of the Bible? Eager to know the whole story of Scripture, and how all the pieces fit together? Join us for "The Story of Life" workshop....
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