The Rat Race Risk“Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to  the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.”  Ecclesiastes 9:11Here we have the idea of the “rat race” mentioned in Ecclesiastes; we are told that life is not about being the fastest or the strongest or th...  Read More

Who I am in ChristI am God’s child (John 1:12)I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15)I have been justified (Romans 5:1)I am united with the Lord and one with him in spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17)I have been bought with a price, and I belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:20)I am a member of Christ’s body (1 Corinthians 12:27)I am a saint (Ephesians 1:1)I have been adopted as God’s child (Ephesians 1:5)I have dire...  Read More

Child-like HumilityO LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.       Psalm 131The shape of this psalm is deeply rooted in ...  Read More

An Animated Tour of PhilippiansThe Bible Project is a great resource for studying God’s Word. It is a collection of videos that provide simple yet visually engaging ways to interact with the Bible. Below is a link to their overview of Philippians. It’s less than 10 minutes and will give you a great background for this letter we are jumping into over the next several weeks. Enjoy!...  Read More

Discovering Spiritual GiftsHow to discover one’s spiritual gifts is always a popular topic, one filled with a lot of interest and questions. So, here’s a few reminders from a sermon on spiritual gifts last year: Spiritual gifts are intended to express both unity and diversity in the body of Christ, unity through the common source of the Holy Spirit, and diversity through the variety of expressions...  Read More

As we approach the prayer service, we have decided to write a song from a psalm with the purpose of praising our God for the blessings he has given our church this year. Psalm 33 is the psalm I chose for its powerful words in describing how the Lord cares for his children and how he displays his glory. Our intention is for the congregation to do exactly as the psalm says, sing a new song of praise...  Read More