Posts by Pastor Bill

A Servant’s Lesson:  Outer victories mean nothing if I do not win the inner battle.  You would think that Chapter 18 of 1 Kings contained the biggest battles of Elijah’s life.  He battled the powerful King Ahab, he battled 450 false prophets!  But in Chapter 19 he faces an even bigger battle, the battle within himself.  He won the battles of Chapter 18 fairly easily, yet almost lost his life in the battle with himself.  In 1 Kings 19 Elijah…

“Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.”  Ephesians 4:26 (NIV) I believe today’s verse should be taken literally. When you go to bed at night, make sure your conscience is clear and there’s no disharmony. Why? God knows how dangerous and destructive anger is to our bodies. The anger gets inside of you and starts to eat you up. Have you ever heard anybody say, “That really burns me up!” They’re speaking the truth.  It…

“Always obey the Lord and you will be happy. If you are stubborn, you will be ruined.” (Proverbs 28:14 GNB) Faith isn’t just something you talk about. It’s something you do. Faith is only activated when we act. We have faith in God when we do what he says. Proverbs 28:14 says, “Always obey the Lord and you will be happy. If you are stubborn, you will be ruined” (GNB). Obedience and stubbornness are two sides of the same coin.…

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Philippians 4:6 (NLT) When faced with the reality of a situation that is overwhelming, the best thing you can do is focus on God. The disciples, in Matthew 8, knew that Jesus could do something about the storm that threatened their lives as they were tossed on the sea. Their answer to the overwhelming storm was to ask Jesus…

“Accept the word planted in you.”  James 1:21 (NIV) If we’re going to be blessed by the Word of God, we need to be receptive. All through Scripture, God’s Word is compared to a seed.  When Jesus told the parable of the sower, he said, “The Word of God is a seed and it’s planted in our hearts” (Luke 8:11-12). Now, why is it possible to take two seeds that are exactly the same, plant them in two different locations,…

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4 (NIV) Each one of us needs other people to watch out for us – to defend us, protect us, and help us stay on track. In the book of Philippians, the apostle Paul tells us that we should look out for each other’s interests, not just our own. What a counterculture verse! In America today, it’s all about me –…

It has been such a joy to see so many of you face to face on Sunday mornings.  Even though we can’t always hug as we would like to, and it has been difficult to avoid shaking hands, it has been such an encouragement that we have forward motion going on! We are excited that we are able to move forward, at the same time, it is our top priority to create a safe environment.  Because of this, we will…

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again rejoice!”  Philippians 4:4 (NLT) This past Sunday I shared this passage of scripture. This time of pandemic disease can be a stressful time.  It is easy to worry about many things. When the Apostle Paul says, “Always be full of joy in the Lord,” he doesn’t say only be joyful in good times. Even when times are tough, The Bible teaches we can be joyful if we follow…

“By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told …. As a result, Noah became intimate with God.” Hebrews 11:7 (The Message) We can have hope for tomorrow because God is worth our trust. Imagine this scene: One day God comes to Noah and says, “I’m disappointed in human beings. In the entire world, no one but you thinks about me. But…

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”                                                              Philippians 4:6 (NLT) When faced with the reality of a situation that is overwhelming, the best thing you can do is focus on God. The disciples, in Matthew 8, knew that Jesus could do something about the storm that threatened their lives as they were tossed on the sea. Their answer to the overwhelming storm was to ask Jesus…

A few years ago, I observed a small but striking act of kindness. I was walking from our house to a drugstore that was a few blocks away. As I came up to a busy intersection I saw a man who was clearly drunk, staggering his way across the street while the traffic was moving. Almost as fast as I saw him, I saw a car stop. The car was a high-end, luxury car. The man who got out was…