Devotional (Page 17)
Devotionals written by the pastoral team.
Mask or No Mask
I am sure the title of this devotional caught your eye in a way that it wouldn’t have a year ago. You see the way we think about things is affected by our life experiences. A year ago in the month of October, you may have been thinking this title of my devotional was about the upcoming outreach event we are having for this season. Although at this moment in time we have all heard the debates around “mask or…
For the Lord has Spoken
8 He will swallow up death forever. The LORD God will wipe tears from every face; he will remove his people’s disgrace from off the whole earth, for the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 25:8 CEB) This passage comes from the Old Testament Lectionary reading for this week. During the tumultuous days we find ourselves in, this verse stands as a good reminder of God’s role and promises in the big picture. First God “will swallow up death forever.” Modern culture…
A Message From Pastor Bill
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…
Devotional – September 24, 2020
We are going to be privileged this Sunday morning to hear a message from David and Rhonda Ackerman. Their ministry/mission credentials are impressive. David has written several books, including the New Beacon Bible Commentary on the books of 1,2 Timothy and Titus. Rhonda has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Arts in Compassionate Ministries. Bill and I had the privilege to pastor with them in Colorado. Our churches were close together and we found ourselves often…
Clothed with Humility
And everyone, clothe yourselves with humility toward each other. God stands against the proud, but he gives favor to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5b) As I encountered this passage this week, the phrase “God stands against the proud” jumped out at me. I had heard this idea from scripture before. Similar ideas can be found in James 4:6 and Proverbs 3:34. Although a familiar sentiment, this idea seemed jolting this week. It almost seems like the opposite of God’s character…
Anticipation
My family and I just returned from our vacation to Glacier National Park. Usually, I am a planner and I get everything organized down to the last minute as to what we will do during our vacation. This always leads to the “planned anticipation” of what we are going to be doing each day. Well, this year wasn’t like that at all. Honestly, I wasn’t even anticipating the trip. We had just returned from Arizona from grieving my aunt’s death…
Devotional – August 27, 2020
I am convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord: not death or life, not angels or rulers, not present things or future things, not powers or height or depth, or any other thing that is created.” Romans 8:38-39 The book of Romans is the single longest letter in the New Testament. Paul is writing to “God’s beloved in Rome”. In the first chapters of Romans, Paul has laid out a great…
Joy and Peace!
“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy. I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” Philippians 6:15 Isn’t it a great feeling when you have a sense of inner peace, even in the middle of hard times? Things around you may be bad and well on their way to worse, but you feel secure on the inside, confident that God is in control and…
Lament Leads to Praise
16 Rejoice always. 17 Pray continually. 18 Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) This passage, and many other scriptures, call the believer to always be in a frame of mind which leads us to praise God. The problem is that we don’t always feel like praise is on our lips, especially when things don’t go the way we expect. Many of you know that the pastoral team lost a friend last…
The Heavy Heart
Lately, the feeling of a heavy heart has invaded my whole world. I have been walking through this season with my bible in hand and eyes seeking what God has planned for the next steps. Although this last month something has changed. I feel like God has called me to ministry to not just be the person who always has a smile and joy on my face, but also a person who is ok with showing pain at times. The…
Joy in the Morning
Lord, I will give you honor. You brought me out of deep trouble. You didn’t give my enemies the joy of seeing me die. 2 Lord my God, I called out to you for help. And you healed me. 3 Lord, you brought me up from the place of the dead. You kept me from going down into the pit. 4 Sing the praises of the Lord, you who are faithful to him. Praise him, because his name is holy. 5 His anger lasts for only…
Be Thankful In Tough Times
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…