In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.' - Acts 20:35 Someone is always left off the Christmas list right? Blame it on inflation, distance, or lack of... Continue Reading →
Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. Obscene and foolish talking... Continue Reading →
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people. For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his. Let us, then, make every effort to enter that rest, so... Continue Reading →
We’re all familiar with pain in various forms; the pain of rejection, the pain of hitting your physical, financial, academic, or emotional limits, the pain of worthlessness, the pain of sin, the pain of scarcity, the pain of abuse, the pain of abandonment. However, we’re often afraid to look underneath the pain to the messages... Continue Reading →
How should safety be pursued? Should it be pursued? Can we pursue safety and glorify God? Throughout the past few years during the pandemic we’ve seen Christians both scoff at the idea of safety for the sake of “risking for Christ”, and value it above all else for the sake of “loving our neighbor”. How... Continue Reading →
Audio From the class on 8/22/21 Click on this link for Care Group CovenantDownload Why Relational Safety? - If people don't feel like they can share than they won't bring things to light and won't grow. 8For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of... Continue Reading →
“Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2 Often we think that renewing our minds simply includes replacing lustful thoughts with pure thoughts, wrong doctrine with right doctrine, or envy... Continue Reading →
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things. Phillipians 4:8 If the past 12 months has taught us anything, it's that life in a fallen world can get tougher, more stressful, and... Continue Reading →
As we've preached our way through Hebrews I've been reflecting on how it applies to us. The author seeks to convince his readers that the New Covenant is better than the old, but we don't want to hang on to the Old Covenant right? How does the call to let the old go apply to... Continue Reading →
During the past 4 weeks on Wednesday nights we’ve been looking to the scriptures to examine what racial reconciliation and justice look like in a few different scripture passages. We’ve considered the Babel narrative of Genesis 11, the implications of us all becoming one in Christ from Galatians 3, and the implications for “the dividing... Continue Reading →
Checking our Vital Signs in Crisis Uncertainty, inconvenience, violence, sickness, and social upheaval are enough to cause anyone to bunker down and just take care of "me, myself, and I". Our impulse during a crisis may be to control, to self-protect, or fight back against things that we don't understand or agree with. When our... Continue Reading →
2020 What a year huh? No doubt this will be a year for the history books. The medical, financial, and psychological implications of the COVID-19 pandemic will be far reaching. The important conversations about racism should be positive for our nation. But without the proper foundation they’re just as likely to suck us deeper into... Continue Reading →
“Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”Amos 5:24 The result of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever. Isaiah 32:17 There have been cries for justice all over the place this past week. Justice to be served for wrongful killings by police, justice to... Continue Reading →
I think would be safe to say that these times have altered our daily lives. As creatures of habit this time has been quite disorienting. When things get turned upside down, what habits do we go back to? I've talked previously here about big picture habits, or cultural liturgies like sports, school, consumerism, and work... Continue Reading →
Failed Coping Mechanisms When we're confronted with our own insanity we tend to play the blame game right? Blame it on COVID-19, cabin fever, my spouse, my kids, my church, my government. All this is a diversion to avoid the painful reality that often our own idols make us crazy. All the things we task... Continue Reading →
The church is one body of Christ, and has one Lord, one faith, and shares one new birth into the family of faith as God's children (Eph 4:5). Based on what I've heard and read recently, you wouldn't think that's true of Christians. As this crisis has lengthened, the church has become more and more... Continue Reading →
The idea that we may experience loneliness is foreign to us, and maybe even appalling. We think that loneliness is experienced by weak people, needy people, or sulking introverted people who have isolated themselves. The possibility that we could experience such a weak and pathetic state of loneliness never crosses our minds, but maybe we're... Continue Reading →
This article is about embracing the present. Pastor Ryan wrote an article helping us think about preparing for the future here... I recently took a personality test in a moment of weakness and I saved one of the quotes because it was so funny and true. "Your natural good humor may deteriorate into sarcasm or... Continue Reading →
"What do you do with the mad that you feel?" It's the opening line to a theologically suspect song crooned by my childhood hero Mr. Rogers (linked only for nostalgic purposes). But we would do well to ask ourselves that question. Many people I talk to during this time have seemed to become more and... Continue Reading →
Part 1 HEREPart 2 HERE Is There Anything Good in Fear? We are interesting creatures. The habits we often cultivate in our lives drive us nuts and lead to burnout, yet somehow they're also comfortable because they're familiar. We don't know of any other way to act or live unless we are shown another way.... Continue Reading →
Part 1 Click Here... It would be so nice if we could just see the junk on the surface of our lives and just skim it off and be done right? It’s terrifying to think of how much work there is to do in my life when I peel back the facade on the surface.... Continue Reading →
Over the next few months, almost everyone on the planet will be coming to terms with their own fears. With each new development in the news cycle, some will be triggered with anxiety and immediately feel panic, some will self-righteously "rise above it", and others will be more afraid of what people think of their... Continue Reading →
God has always found a way to dwell with his people, and Jesus is the culmination of that. We read in John 1 that The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Christmas is a celebration of a holy God coming to dwell with his sinful people, inhabiting the creation he spoke into existence, and... Continue Reading →
First off, I do not intend to portray myself as any kind of expert on depression. I have gathered some resources that I find helpful and leaned on a few friends that have more experience than I do. Any helpful insight probably started with me doing work on myself first and being helped by others.... Continue Reading →
You think you’re going to have a good day don’t you? You’re determined to not get angry like you did yesterday, to not fall into that habit of sin that you often struggle with, or to not waste time like you have been recently. These things are all great to desire, but what do you... Continue Reading →
You are what you love, you love what you desire, your desire shapes your habits, your habits shape your worship, your worship shapes your identity, you are what you love... Got all that? Let's break it down backwards just to be clear! First, you are what you love because what we love shapes our identity... Continue Reading →
Where did you learn that? It’s a question we may ask our kids, but we’d be better off asking ourselves first! We often go through life on autopilot, acting and reacting in our set ways. I’m not talking about committing “big sins”, but the little ways and habits that show up as we interact with... Continue Reading →
Despite the predominant notion that we are self-forming autonomous people who can easily choose what we want to and who we want to be, the stark reality is that we are shaped by our habits and the things we consistently submit ourselves to. Habits are notoriously hard to break, and although we’d like to think... Continue Reading →
The ladies at Green Pond Bible Chapel and Highlands Bible Church took part in the first Women's Retreat held at GPBC entitled "The Gospel in Real Life". The title comes from a conviction that we don't need to "move past" the gospel because it has deep implications for everything practical in our lives! Below is... Continue Reading →
If God’s presence is everywhere, is there something special about the gathered body Sunday morning? If we can truly worship God as new covenant people wherever we are, why do we emphasize worshipping together? Given the plethora of great online sermons and YouTube videos of worship songs, why even go to church on Sunday? The... Continue Reading →
Easter is a day where the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is front and center in our prayers, songs, and preaching. This can give a false impression that during the rest of the year we should be emphasizing something else because this is only worth emphasizing once a year. That couldn’t be further from the truth!... Continue Reading →
No, this is not a 30 day miracle meal plan that is guaranteed to drop you 50 pounds or your money back. We do, however, need to be aware of the diet that our souls experience through musical worship. It’s easy to see how a steady diet of accurately and powerfully applied preaching can nourish... Continue Reading →
For Part 1 click HERE. So, if God's holiness necessitates his closeness to us instead of his distance, what does that mean for us? If God's commitment to his own glory drives him to purify ungodly sinners, how does that affect our response to him? Here are a few thoughts... We come boldly to the throne of... Continue Reading →
We all live within a story. It should be within God’s story of redemption where Jesus is king and our identity is in him. More often than not, we live in our own little world where we are king and our identity is comprised of lies and half-truths we hear from the culture, others, or... Continue Reading →
In a shocking turn of the tables, Paul equates idolatry with works righteousness that came from adhering to the Torah. In Galatians in 4:8-11 it sounds like Paul is rebuking them for paganism, but the context of Galatians suggests its for idolatrous law following... (ESV) Gal 4:8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved... Continue Reading →
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Exploring a life of worship in light of the resurrection
Exploring a life of worship in light of the resurrection
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