In the Christian Church, we don’t believe in using creeds as a requirement for membership. However, we do have a beautiful statement of faith. Adopted in 1968, the Preamble of the Design reads: “As members of the Christian Church, we confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and proclaim him…
Last week a prominent theologian was asked to offer a two word opinion of the preacher Beth Moore. And in response, he said “Go Home.” This is enough to get me a bit worked up. But Moore responded with compassion and grace, saying her calling is not to man, but to God. We here…
The fact is… we can’t change anyone but ourselves. The Good News, however, is that when we do allow God to transform us – it has a significant impact on the people around us. In something called “Family System Theory,” it’s been shown that when one part of a system gets healthy, ultimately the whole…
Lately, refinishing doors has been my project. I have been sanding to remove varnish but leaving the stain and adding new polyurethane. After sanding the first door, it looked damaged beyond repair. I reluctantly went to my husband to admit my error. He walked out of the room, got a rag and some water, and…
This week, I’m preparing a sermon on a story from Exodus in which God’s people grumble about their circumstances. We’ll be exploring the world’s resistance (and our own) to God’s call to trust and faith. I ran across a funny story about a lawyer, a doctor, and a preacher who went deer hunting together. The…
With thanks I give to our Pastors of our church for all they do on a regular daily basis. Senior Pastor David Turner: We share almost the same date of birth. He is a day older than I! He has a generous heart, he brings the Word every weekend, he is full of grace…
A few years ago, I went to a workshop led by a woman who had done a study of the fastest growing churches in the U.S. What she discovered surprised her. It turned out the primary strength of those churches didn’t have anything to do with size or music style. The one thing those high…
“I used to think God’s gifts were on shelves one above the other; and the taller we grew in Christian character the easier we could reach them. I now find God’s gifts are on shelves one beneath the other. It is not a question of growing taller but of stooping lower; that we have to…
Have you ever been around a hungry new born and their relentless hunger for their mother’s milk. Nothing outside of being fed will satisfy that baby’s desire. Many new Christians experience a similar hunger for the spiritual milk found in the Bible and like a child getting older, some Christians lose their thirst for milk…