Romans 5:1-2We just finished celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ as well as the start of the new year. If your family is anything like our family, it is celebrated with lots of food and time spent with family, full of laughter and naps. (Nothing wrong with a post-celebration nap.) Although sometimes I think we can take for granted celebrations, it's awesome to celebrate accomplishments such as g...  Read More

Romans 3:24-26 “Whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood”- ESVPropitiation- oh-no! That is a big church word that pastors like to flex to sound smart. When we come across it in the Bible, it is easy to read over it and move on without exploring the deeper and richer meaning it has for us. In today’s modern, frenzied, and chaotic world, we have lost the patience to slow down and investig...  Read More

Romans 3:10-23If you want to watch me at my worst, it’s usually when I either played sports or watched one of my favorite teams. I always struggle to respond with patience and kindness because, by nature, I am a very competitive person. Over the years, I have had to create boundaries so that I wouldn’t harm a relationship or lose my testimony. I have watched guys get into fights, say inappropriate...  Read More

Main Point and Overview:   What you don’t need is “self-help” or a “YMCA community center” or “religious clichés” or anything else out there that has religious overtones without life-change. At Emmanuel, we are desperate to connect you to the only one who can bring peace and purpose to your life – the Lord Jesus Christ! It begins with a true understanding of our hopeless, helpless, and hapless con...  Read More

1 Peter 1:6-9This week’s devotions are central to the theme of “making the most of our circumstances”. A very relevant topic for sure, as I don’t know anyone who could say that they’ve made it this far in life without experiencing a challenging or painful circumstance. Peter penned a letter to Christian believers who were scattered across the Roman Empire to remind them of the wonderful joy ahead,...  Read More

James 1:2-4, 12Perseverance. It’s a trait that’s needed and applicable to every facet of everyday life: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Physical endurance comes through healthy living. We achieve that through diet and exercise. Granted, as we get older (and I resemble that remark), we might not have the endurance we had when we were twenty, but nonetheless, eating right and keeping act...  Read More