Yom Kippur

Last night at sundown began one of the most observed days on the Jewish calendar.  Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement.  It is a day heavy with importance.  For the past few weeks, Pastor Nick has been walking us through the Tabernacle as described in the Old Testament.  Once per year, on the Day...

Being Needy

"They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, Hosanna to the Son of...

When It is Not Well with Your Soul

This has just been one of those seasons where it has been one thing after another. With each challenge that has presented itself, I have been able to hand it over to God and trust.....mostly. There is still that little part of me that has found it easy to trust because I have mentally assessed...

Peace Like a River

Have you ever looked at a river? I mean really looked at one…its nature, its flow, its changeability yet still remaining the same?  Rivers overflow, meander peacefully, rush down in white water rapids, pool deeply, wear mighty boulders down to pebbles, while gently feeding tremendous trees, providing a wonderfully nourishing environment for plants and wildlife....

Spending Ourselves

The Parable of the Talents  “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he...

Choosing Sides

I made the decision to follow Christ 30 years ago this month. I was 9 years old at the time. I wasn't forced. It wasn't shoved down my throat. I wasn't scared into it. It happened as I was being read the story of the crucifixion of Christ. There came a point that I just...

Scars

  We have scars physically and emotionally. The scars heal on our body, some we remember what happened and some we don’t.  Some are deeper and some are shallow.  Emotional scars are similar.  Some are very deep and some aren’t.  Some we caused and some were caused by others.  We all have a story.  Here...

Burdens Become Blessings

Many times, I have asked “Why God,” and I haven’t received an answer.  There are seasons in my life where I felt completely isolated from everyone.  While I have never struggled with believing the love of Christ, I have still had times where I found it difficult not to question God’s sovereignty. I have several...

Hope for the Helpless

Struggles and suffering are a part of life; they offer learning opportunities for both endurance and building new neural pathways for problem solving.  We now know that our brains are much more plastic, malleable, able to be molded and changed than we ever knew was possible before, even at advanced ages.  God spoke to me...