THE VIEW FROM UP HERE

abide

HOW TO ABIDE

"Abide in me as I abide in you.  Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me." John 15:4   YBH.  I often write in the margins of books as I read.  It's...

flourish

I WANT YOU TO FLOURISH

Last Sunday we kicked off a new series called Flourish. My goal is to help you get beyond survival mode and into the abundant life Jesus promised. Preparing the soil of your heart is the first step. We worked on that through confession, repentance and...

only a week away

ONLY A WEEK AWAY!

I can’t believe Christmas is only a week away! Have you invited anyone to be your guest on Christmas Eve at either 2 or 4 PM? People are more open to an invitation to church at this time of year and it doesn’t hurt to...

where on earth

WHERE ON EARTH IS SAFE?

Part of the Christmas story is hard to talk about.  A cute baby in the manger with the animals looks great in a nativity scene.  A crazy tyrant hunting down little kids? Not so much.  Why did that have to happen?  If God could warn...

dont be afraid

DON’T BE AFRAID

Fear plays a big part in each of the episodes in the Christmas story. Joseph was afraid of what people would think (Mt. 1:20) Herod feared losing his power. (Mt. 2:3) The angels that appeared to Zechariah, Mary, and the shepherds in Luke 2 all...

SOMETHING IS COMING

Something is coming. Can you feel it? Something is always coming. But what? Is that feeling dread or anticipation? Hope or resignation? It depends on what you expect. So what do you expect?   God is coming for you. Do you run to him or run away? It depends what do you expect. Did...

Thank God for Turkey

TIME FOR THANKSGIVING

This year has flown by! I can't believe we are already rounding the corner to 2022! Sunday, we will kick off Thanksgiving week with testimonies, baptisms and giving thanks for all God has done in our midst this year. This is always a highlight the year...

one baptism

ONE BAPTISM?

What is the "one baptism" the Apostle Paul says we have in common in Ephesians 4? Perhaps the answer is found in the first encounter Paul had with the Ephesian disciples recorded in Acts 19.   “While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the...

one faith trust

THE FAITH OF JESUS

Jody mentioned in his amazing message last Sunday an almost offhanded comment that stuck with me. He said we need to move from having faith IN Jesus to having the faith OF Jesus. It was a perfect setup for what I want to talk about...

one lord

WHO IS THE ONE LORD?

  Who is the one Lord Paul refers to in Ephesians 4?   In Greek the word for lord is “kurios” and it means master or supreme authority. Throughout the Roman empire, everyone was required to confess Caesar as lord. Christians would not pledge their allegiance in this...