On Christmas Eve family and friends gathered in Emmanuel’s auditorium to commemorate the birth of Christ. The room was aglow with a backdrop of festive Christmas trees, there were many hugs and greetings being exchanged, and it was evident that the children and adults alike were brimming with the anticipation of Christmas. With candles lit and held high, the congregation raised their voices togeth...  Read More

Admit it or not, we all like it when we have clear directions no matter the circumstance. You may be on your way to a family vacation or making the last-minute trip to the grocery store for forgotten items. No matter what it is, the worse felling is not being productive in the task at hand. Today's verses we see Pete giving some powerful directions about faith. Petter says the following: “For this...  Read More

There is the old saying “Say what you mean, mean what you say.” It is easy to say you’re going to do something, but it’s a lot tougher to actually carry through and do it. A few years ago, Jennifer and I took a Caribbean cruise. One of the stops was in Belize. One of the great things about cruises is the excursions. Feeling adventurous, we went on the excursion that included rafting in an underwat...  Read More

Before we dive into the scripture for today…. I want to say that this passage of scripture has fascinated me for YEARS. I have researched and researched, because it leaves me with so many questions. If you don’t know this about me, I am what would be considered a cinephile (a lover of the cinema). This passage of scripture fills my mind with such imagery, and has the potential to be a truly great ...  Read More

Sanctification: Another one of those big scary church-words. The reason this word can be daunting or intimidating at first glance, is because it encompasses an entire biblical doctrine in a single word. It’s a word used to define the ebbs and flows, ups and downs, shortcomings and triumphs, the setbacks and progression of an individual Christian’s journey of faith. A comprehensive definition of sa...  Read More

Sometimes in life, you must accept your fate. What does that even mean? Well, it means that life is hard, and your purpose in Christ is going to have bumpy roads attached to it. We just finished 2024, and for every single one of us, there were challenges that we faced. As we enter a new year, one thing is for sure, there will be challenges that we are either going to face with courage or run from ...  Read More