Church guide

Thought for the week of 7/15/2019: Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) Until we come to Jesus, we will not receive our rest. Why then are anxiety, conflict, and worry still present in the lives of some believers? Not feeling God's rest doesn't mean our salvation is at risk. Rather it means that we have an opportunity available to us: we can stop striving and start trusting. In order to experience God's rest, we must rest from our own work just as God rested from His. Instead of taking things into our own hands, we leave them in His. When we trust God in this way, we will experience rest! To stop striving is to trust God's equipping. He is the one who works in us and through us. As we surrender to His indwelling Spirit, we find perfect rest! See you Tuesday, if not before!

Thought for the week of 7/8/2019: "Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days Jesus ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. And the devil said to Jesus, "If You are the Son of God. command this stone to become bread." (Luke 4:1-3) Look at Satan's strategies. First, Satan comes after us when we are alone. Second, we must realize that our enemy attacks when we are depleted. Then he tries to undermine our identity. He wants us to question our relationship with God. When we realize how Satan attacks, then we can develop our own strategy to fight back. Jesus is always with us to fight the temptations of Satan. We are never alone! Don't wait to realize that Jesus is all we need until Jesus is all we have! See you Tuesday, if not before!

Thought for the week of 7/1/2019: "The Lord has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all." (Psalms 103:19) Since eternity past and throughout history, almighty God has ruled with supreme authority. Nothing is hidden from His knowledge or beyond the scope of His control. Because of His sovereignty, we who by faith in Jesus Christ are part of His family can live with assurance that God works for our good. We can be assured that God protects us every day and that God has control over our future. Resting in the Lord's sovereignty will free us from fear and anxiety. Thank you Lord! See you Tuesday, if not before!

Thought for the week of 6/24/2019: "And when they were come to the place called Calvary, where they crucified Jesus, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:33-34) Look at "who" Jesus is praying for in His last moments. Those that wished evil on Him. Those that physically assaulted Him. Those that robbed Him of His life. True enemies. Yet Jesus shows His love by interceding for them with the Father. This same Jesus rose again from the dead and now, by His Spirit, indwells us if we are believers. So guess what? Jesus can love this way through us, too, if we let Him. So let's surrender to Him, so He can express Himself through us! See you Tuesday, if not before!

Thought for the week of 6/17/2019: "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none who understands, there is none who seek after God." (Romans 3:10-11) Apart from the Lord, no one is righteous--not a single person has done enough good to earn a place in heaven. But the Father loves us and wants us to live with Him eternally. So, before the creation of the world, He planned a solution. The rescue plan was simple--a perfect sacrifice had to be made for mankind's sin so that everyone could be blameless before a holy God. The sacrifice was Jesus Christ, who died on the cross, bearing all our sin. When we trust Him as Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to make our hearts new so we can find joy in obeying God. We are rescued and set free! See you Tuesday, if not before!

Thought for the week of 6/10/2019: "For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:17) Too often people drowning in the world's fast-moving current refuse to grab onto the spiritual life preserver--Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross for all humanity, but individuals have the responsibility to recognize their own helplessness and acknowledge the need for Christ. Each person has to believe that there is no other way to be rescued. We cannot save ourselves! When we call out to Jesus to rescue us from sin, He is faithful to answer by saving us and making us blameless before Him! Thank you Jesus! See you Tuesday if not before!

Thought for the week of 6/3/2019: "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7) Until you have peace with God, you will never experience inner serenity at all. But this real peace isn't possible unless there is nothing between us and God--and the only way the barrier of sin and self can be removed is by means of the cross of Jesus Christ. If we will simply bring our struggles and needs to the foot of the cross, we will find an abundant source of peace. Don't waste your life looking for peace in all the wrong places--always remember, the Prince of Peace is its only true source! See you Tuesday, if not before!

"WE ARE FOREVER INDEBTED TO THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES THAT WE MIGHT BE FREE." (Ronald Reagan)

Thought for the week of 5/20/2019: "Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them." (Hebrews 13:9) Strange teachings pull us toward law and away from Jesus, taking our focus off of Him and instead directing our attention toward a specific activity or ritual. The Gospel is enough all by its lonesome--we need not be ashamed of it, or add to it, or modify it. But Jesus--who is the same yesterday, today, and forever--indwells us! His unwavering presence will help us stand strong and resist the pressure to change His Good News. May we always proclaim the simple, pure Gospel of grace at all ages! See you Tuesday, if not before!

Thought for the week of 5/15/2019: "But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:22-23) This is the good news and it never gets old! What God has done for us through the person of Jesus Christ is nothing short of remarkable! It's the gift we receive once, but it keeps on giving every breath of every day until we take our last breath and step into eternity with Him forever. We can rest in in the completeness of God's forgiveness and the presence of the Holy Spirit in us! See you Tuesday, if not before!

Thought for the week of 5/8/2019: "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." (Colossians 2:8) There are hundreds of deceptive philosophies and false doctrines competing for our attention. With very little exception, these will distract us from the grace of God and lure us into religious self-effort based on human tradition. It is Satan's favorite ploy, particularly when he can mix in some religion! The solution to this isn't difficult: God has called His Word and His teaching the only true philosophy in existence. If we put our trust in Jesus Christ and structure our life and thoughts around His instruction in the Bible, we will be headed down the right path! See you Tuesday, if not before!

Stormy night 5TH Tuesday food, fun, and fellowship. We sure have some good cooks!

Thought for the week of 4/29/2019: "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2) Why do we fix our eyes on Jesus? Because as the author and finisher of faith, He is the source of our faith. And if we aren't focused on Jesus--we'll find ourselves distracted. The race will feel impossible. Does this sound like your Christian life? If so, stop running with your own energy. Trust Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, to run the race through you! See you Tuesday, if not before!

Thought for the week of 4/22/2019: "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24-25) Gathering together isn't optional. I know we live in a society of options-- there are a dozen ways to spend a Sunday morning. But if your life is too full for relationships with other believers, then you're missing it. We need each other as we provoke one another in the way of love. The essence of the new covenant is intimate relationship. It's a way of resting in the indwelling Spirit and allowing Him to live and love through us. Draw near, hold on, and invest in each other! See you Tuesday, if not before!

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!!!

It's Friday. Jesus is praying. Peter is sleeping. Judas is betraying. But Sunday's coming. It's Friday. Peter is struggling. The council is conspiring. The crowd is vilifying. They don't know that Sunday is coming. It's Friday. The disciples are running like sheep without a shepherd. Mary is crying. Peter is denying. But they don't know that Sunday is coming. It's Friday. The Romans beat my Jesus. They robe Him in scarlet. They crown Him with thorns. But they don't know that Sunday is coming. It's Friday. Jesus is walking to Calvary. His blood is dripping. His body stumbling. And His spirit is burdened. But, you see, it's only Friday. Sunday is coming. It's Friday. The soldiers nail my Savior's hands to the cross. They nail my my Savior's feet to the cross. And they raise Him up next to criminals. It's Friday. But let me tell you--Sunday is coming. It's Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross. Feeling forsaken by His Father. Left alone and and dying. It's Friday, but Sunday is coming. It's Friday. The earth trembles. The sky grows dark. My King yields his spirit. It's Friday. Hope is lost. Death has won. Sin has conquered. Satan is just a laughing. It's Friday. Jesus is buried. A soldier stands guard. A rock is rolled into place. But it's Friday. It is only Friday. Sunday is coming! TO BE CONTINUED...............

Thought for the week of 4/15/2019: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) What reward are we promised? Something bigger? Something better? JESUS! The reward is Jesus now, and Jesus forever! When we know that Jesus is our ultimate gift, all the difficulties of saying yes become worth it. In return, we know our "yes" delights Him completely! Jesus is our prize now and for all eternity! See you Tuesday, if not before!

Thought for the week of 4/8/2019: "Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." The "many" will insist they have experienced Christianity, yet Jesus will consider them spiritually dead. Why/ Because choosing to experience Christianity without choosing Christ is the same as rejecting Him. So this really comes down to a decision: Do you believe Jesus is the singular Way of salvation? Do you recognize that going to church, while very good, is not what saves you? If you want God to know you, you first must know Jesus Christ! Is it time to jump into a commitment with Jesus? See you Tuesday, if not before!

Thought for the week of 4/1/2019: "For by one offering Jesus has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." (Hebrews 10:14) The righteous sacrifice of Jesus consumes all our unrighteousness. We have been made perfect and have uninterrupted access to God. We need to share with Him how we feel! We need to invite the Holy Spirit to help us grow away from sin. We need to allow others to come alongside us as encouragement in our permanent position in Jesus Christ. Then we can surrender our ambition and watch our acts of service develop a new nature--one of love that also draws others toward intimacy with God! See you Tuesday, if not before!

Thought for the week of 3/25/2019: "So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation." (Hebrews 9:28) It is enough! The blood is enough! We can depend upon the blood of Jesus, the once-and-for-all sacrifice. His blood is enough to save us from all acts leading to death--past, present, and future--exchanging our death for His life. Jesus shed His blood for us and is never going to do it again--it's done! So if we are in Christ, we are totally, absolutely, irrevocably, and thoroughly forgiven. We, the temple of the indwelling Spirit, are made perfectly clean by the blood of Jesus! See you Tuesday, if not before!

Christmas Eve 2016

A little "Beulah Land" this morning