In 2003 the Christian band “Casting Crowns” released the hit single, “If We Are The Body”. The song tells a story and asks an important series of questions in light of 1st Corinthians chapter 12. The story begins with that of a lonely woman fading into the faces of a church service. Perhaps she made her way to church reluctantly, carrying the baggage of her past, weighed down with all of the hurt ...  Read More

Urgency is a thing. Every time my daughters leave to go back to college, I am reminded of how fast time passes. I am now in my early 50s; I am an “empty nester.” When I see all of the many kids running around our church campuses, it causes the memories to flood back into my mind. It seems like yesterday that my three kids were that small. Now, I may seem as if I am depressed over this reality, but...  Read More

Main Point and Overview:  You are needed. The fact is that the church is all about “participation over performance.” It is the people who do the work through the Spirit of God speaking the Word of God (Romans 10:14). In the American church, so many people come to receive, but few come to give. That was the farthest thing from the 1st century church. In fact, both Paul and Peter taught that every p...  Read More

This week has not been a favorite of mine. So far, three days of it have been spent mostly horizontal on the couch; sipping hot tea, missing work, canceling plans, and feeling so ineffective and powerless for the Kingdom of God. But, at the same time it’s been the most exciting week. No, being sick is not exciting, but what a joy it’s been reading through each devotion and taking a deep dive with ...  Read More

“And lead us not into temptation.” In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus shows us how to pray. Temptation is something every one of us faces, multiple times throughout the course of the day. As you pray, pray for discernment and wisdom when you face temptation, and the strength to not allow yourself to give into it. We will fail if we rely on ourselves. It is only through the Holy Spirit that we can walk a...  Read More

Colossians 3:13“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” I think I speak for us all when I say we are beyond thankful that God forgave us of our sins when we called upon Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior! We are so quick to speak about God’s forgiveness for us, but we struggle with forgiving those who have wrong...  Read More