Church News (Page 8)
The Lord’s Return
When will the Lord return? Will it be soon? Will I be ready? As a child, I remember watching the Christian movie, “Thief in the night,” where I saw dramatized the vanishing of Christians and the horrible predicament of those who were not ready, who missed the rapture and now would have to face the persecution of the tribulation. I understood that the Lord could come back at any moment, and I had better be ready… or else. At some…
A Changed Life
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father — to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. REVELATION 1:5 – 6 I’d like to share with you about a gentleman I’ve known for more than 20 years. I’ve seen him at his lowest. I’ve seen him when his life was falling apart, when he…
The Verse that Almost Was
At the start of the academic year at seminary where I taught, faculty gathered together, and the president would share our theme verse or passage for the year. In my last year there, the president said he considered sharing Ezek. 36:20-23 but decided on a passage in John. Being the curious type I had to check out the “almost” verses. This is what I found: Ezek. 36:20-23 – 20 ”And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy…
The Light
For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light. For the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Ephesians 5:8,9 Do you ever have a day, week, month where you feel like you are in the fog? Searching for the light, it is there but hard to see. There are so many reasons in life where we as Christians…
Holy Listening
Then the Lord came and stood there, calling just as before, “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel said, “Speak. Your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10, CEB) I admit in my life I have spent a lot of time thinking about the ideas surrounding a person’s calling. And of all the descriptions I’ve found, I love author Parker Palmer as he describes “This is something I can’t not do, for reasons I’m unable to explain to anyone else and don’t fully understand myself…
SFNAZ Newsletter – June 2023
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PASTORAL DEVOTIONAL SFNAZ ANNOUNCEMENTS SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK Second Harvest foodbank has a program that provides a 25-35 lb. food box once a month to those over 60 years old, who meet low-income guidelines. A flyer and further information may be obtained at the church office Tuesday through Thursday 10am-2pm. GRADUATION SUNDAY ~ June 4th We will be honoring our 2023 graduates on June 5th. We will have a moment during the service to recognize…
WE HONOR OUR OWN
It was a busy, fun, sad kind of weekend. I received pictures from my cousins who live in Kansas. They visit our families who have passed and put flowers on all the graves. One particular gravesite sticks out for me. I had an older brother who lived 8 hours. After all my parents passed and most of my siblings, I find out that my brother who passed had an actual gravesite. I was able to see it when we made…
Waiting on the Lord
Have you ever had to wait on the Lord? Two months ago, I injured my hip and knee falling on a flow rider (surf simulator) and since then I have been doing a lot of sitting and waiting… waiting for my body to heal and not being able to do the things that I want. Sometimes the same is true in our spiritual lives. Sometimes we find ourselves in a season of waiting on the Lord and not being able…
Getting Our Attention
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. PSALM 18:16 Three major events lead to the fall of 2015 being one of the most challenging times of my life. Due to an errant business decision, we were forced to file bankruptcy. My grandmother’s boyfriend of more than a decade lost his life in a car accident just days before Christmas and I was denied bereavement leave because he “wasn’t family.” …
Wait
Isaiah 40:31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. “Just a minute!” a dad replies, scrolling through his YouTube feed while one of his kids pleads for some attention. How often does that sixty second request turn into more, leaving a child confused as to the actual span of a minute. It’s so easy…
SFNAZ Newsletter – May 2023
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PASTORAL DEVOTIONAL SFNAZ ANNOUNCEMENTS SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK Second Harvest foodbank has a program that provides a 25-35 lb. food box once a month to those over 60 years old, who meet low-income guidelines. A flyer and further information may be obtained at the church office Tuesday through Thursday 10am-2pm. GRADUATION SUNDAY ~ June 4th We will be honoring our 2023 graduates on June 5th. We will have a moment during the service to recognize…
Make Disciples
The only verb in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) is matheteuo – “make disciples.” The rest of the verse modifies this verb—or tells us how to make disciples. It is that last thing Christ told us to do before he returned to the Father. So how are we doing at that? On my 21st birthday I went to a Billy Graham Crusade in San Diego. When the invitation came, I went forward, as I wanted to see what happened when…