To our Members and Friends,             When time comes to send out the monthly calendar, I pray, “Lord, what shall I say this time?”  Since I am in the process this morning of preparing for our small group study of 1 Thessalonians for tonight’s meeting, let me pass on some of the thoughts for that discussion.  The topic is very relevant to the Christian life, that of “Suffering.”  We tend to think in the West that since we have not been outwardly persecuted for our faith, we have not suffered suffering.  That is not true.  If you are walking with Christ, you...

Read the full post

For those who are reading this blog, but have never visited our church, let me give an example of the sermon notes that appear in the bulletin for the morning worship service.  This particular sermon, taken from a short series on Exodus 32 - 34, fits into the larger theme of authentic Biblical worship compared with the false worship of contemporary idols.  I fully realize that in the dynamic of preaching, people will never immediately digest all the information that might be presented to their minds.  In some sense the most important thing that worshippers can carry away from the service...

Read the full post

 Last evening in our small group we began to study Paul's Thessalonian letters. The historical account of this church's origin is found in the inspired words of Acts 17:1-9.  We know from this story that Paul and his companions enjoyed only a limited stay in this Macedonian capital.  Paul "reasoned, explained and proved" the details of Christ's life for 3 consecutive Sabbaths, after which time the new believers endured the assault of murderously envious enemies, forcing Paul to abruptly depart by night to his next destination. So the great Apostle, in no more than a month's time, witnessed the birth of...

Read the full post

A few months ago in the process of writing the monthly newsletter, I shared the following personal journal entry with the congregation.  I don't write in my journal every day, but do find it regularly helpful to take thoughts of mind and heart, turn them into prayers, and put them on paper. I reflected that a "blog" is in some ways a personal journal made public.  So I am willing to experiment with this mode of communication if it proves helpful to my soul as I write and to others who might want to read. To Our Members and Friends,...

Read the full post