The Bible says in Genesis 2.18, “It’s not good for the Man to be alone; I’ll make him a helper, a companion” (MSG). We were made for relationships. We were…
The intellectual as a spiritual temperament reminds us of the high calling of loving God with our mind. Our culture doesn’t always think of the mind when it thinks of…
Enthusiasm—it’s one of the greatest words in the English language! It is a word that is built deeply into the victorious spirit of humanity. The word enthusiasm is derived from…
Pablo Casals, the great Spanish cellist, said “The capacity to care is the thing which gives life its deepest meaning and significance.” By caring for others we pull ourselves out…
“There is only one kind of person who can fight the Lord’s battles in anywhere near a proper way, and that is the person who by nature is unbelligerent. A…
“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders” (Deut. 33:12). “Resting between…
There's an old hymn that I love to sing; most of you will will recall it: "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder." It speaks to a family reunion... "when…
Some people, as they have discovered their soul's best path to God, value solitude, simplicity, and strictness. This Sacred Pathway, as Gary Thomas calls it, is the "Ascetic Path." Susanna Wesley,…
Ritual. Tradition. Symbol. Religion. Rote. Meaningless. That’s how many people think about rituals or formalities in the context of worship where the order of events is pre-determined. If it‘s not spontaneous or…
Cleta Crisman, as our guest speaker, led us in taking a look at Paul's letter to the Roman church (Romans 12:1-2) as a metaphor that describes the normal stages of the spiritual…
Jesus taught outside most of the time (see the "Sermon on the Mount") and drew imagery from nature (e.g. the “sparrows God cares for” and the “lily of the field…
Just as we have different personalities and temperaments, we each gravitate toward unique ways to connect with God and refresh ourselves spiritually. One of the greatest benefits of knowing our…
No matter how long you have known God or known about Him, it is common for us to have a yearning to know Him more. As with any relationship, in…
Big Idea: Removing the seeds of murder… how to deal with the sword. Today we are going to take a look at the 6th Commandment... “Do not commit murder.” Of…
Big Idea: A command with a promise... honor parents and live a good life! It’s interesting to me that, in general, there is nothing in the 10 Commandments about “respecting…
Marilyn Antrim and Nadine Miller bring a special message that includes things they’ve learned and/or observed from the fathers in their lives – their own daddies as well as their…
Big Idea: God gives the day not because He is tired but rather as a gift of rest for His created. Christ Himself was the fulfillment of the Sabbath, and…
Big Idea: A time to reflect; a day of rejoicing. Why do we have such a hard time keeping the Sabbath? If a Christian regularly broke the 6th Commandment (Do…
Big Idea: One way we can take the name of the Lord in vain is by false swearing or “making oaths.” This is the issue the scriptures speak of the…
Big Idea: When we use God’s name casually, either by word or deed, we could be making God look bad. How many of you when you were kids were told about…
Young Timothy, as described in our Scripture text, had the advantage of a Godly heritage. Both his mother and his grandmother were women of sincere faith and their legacy was…
Big Idea: Your image of God is a very big deal! What is your image of God? Is He harsh, cold & distant? Then you don’t understand the love and…
Big Idea: Your image of God determines so much about who you are and what you value. Many years ago, J. B. Phillips wrote a little book called “Your God…
Big Idea: We really cannot pretend ignorance or indifference to the reality of the Creator God. In Acts 17, while in Athens, Paul sees the idols to the many gods—there…