Christian Life

All of us at some time or another get depressed and discouraged. Sometimes we just want to give up and quit. In the heat of a moment, we’ll say, “That’s it, I’m quitting this job.” Or, “I’m going to leave this town and never look back.” Or even, “I’m done with the church – they’ll never miss me.” How often have we felt that life was seemingly stacked against us? That the harder we try, the worse things get? That…

Someone once said, “Our duty is to be useful, not according to our desires, but according to our capacities.”  We can all see the truth in that statement when it comes to serving the Lord. When God told Jonah to go and preach in the city of Nineveh, Jonah did not care to go. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, hated enemies of Israel; he did not want those people to repent!  So he decided quite literally to travel in…

On the first day of the week before the Passover, Jesus arrived in Jerusalem in what has come to be known as the Triumphal Entry. He was greeted by crowds of people shouting Hosanna to the son of David – essentially, “God save the King” – and waving palm branches (Matt 21:8-9). In other words, he was greeted as a ruler. That did not sit well with the Jewish elites. The situation intensified when Jesus entered the Temple and drove…

On Friday evening, a memorial service was held for Ronnie Rubit in this building. I never had the pleasure of meeting Ronnie. But I know that many of you were close to him, and, not only in the church but out in the community, numerous people have told me what an inspirational figure he was. It reminds me again that we have experienced a great deal of loss recently in this church. It’s difficult sometimes in such situations to know…

Baptism is a tremendously significant event. In baptism, God promises to extend his grace to the penitent believer, and we appropriate all the blessings associated with the saving work of Jesus Christ. We have had 3 baptisms in recent weeks. We rejoice that these young people made the commitment to follow Jesus, had their sins washed away, and were added to his church. Now, baptism is more than just experiencing any sort of rite involving water. For one thing, the…

We are just into the beginning of another football season. NFL teams play their third game today, and most high schools and colleges are 3 or 4 games into their seasons, so the shape of most teams is starting to come into focus. Depending on your level of fandom, and what team(s) you follow, you are either eagerly anticipating the next few months or bracing yourself for a long season. You won’t find many bigger football fans than me. I…

I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.  Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. (Proverbs 24:30-34) Tomorrow is Labor Day. Scripture has a great…

If you have listened to enough sermons over the years, you might have realized that you often hear different preachers using the same illustrations. My dad has always referred to those as “Preaching 101” stories. One of them concerns a church building in a certain community that was on fire. Naturally, that kind of news spreads fast, and the entire community rushed out to see the excitement and watch as the firemen fought the flames. Among those drawn to the…