Conformity is mighty. It can be a very beneficial force for us all. But don't oversell this power. For God has transformed us, and we cannot live this transformation without breaking the power of conformity, without refusing to conform to this world. Romans 12:1-8
Memories emphasize what affects us at the time they are formed. Rereading scripture delivers to us anew the crumbs from God's table. Reading again a familiar passage reminds us of things we had forgotten when we read it earlier. Matthew 15:21ff
Walking the journey of faith can be frustrating; we don't always hear God speaking to us. Elijah did mighty deeds in the name of the Lord, but even so, he also got frustrated. And God came to him, not in fire or earthquake, but in the sound of a soft wind. God is not always in the dramatic. 1 Kings 19
There is a difference between attachment and commitment; attachments are easily broken. Our Faith Promise ministry depends not upon guilt, not upon an attachment to the recipients. Instead it relies on a deep commitment to the biblical concept of stewardship (Psalm 24:1). 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
The other two groups (the Varners and Sojourner Peace) we have chosen to support in our Faith Promise ministry, and what faith promise is.
We start talking about our Faith Promise program and the four groups we have selected to support with it. This week is ECFA and Teen Challenge ministries.
Worship is not a sermon. It's not singing hymns, nor is it singing praise choruses. It doesn't have to happen in a church. Worship is reverent honor paid to God. It should happen always, everywhere we are. Romans 12:1-2
We don't like to read directions, or many of us don't, anyway. God gives Abraham directions. They aren't simple, and involve a journey of 600 miles. Yet he does. Genesis 24
Israel is in Babylon, and this psalm remembers the convenant God made, and asks where it is. But even when we don't see Him, He is here, loving. Psalm 89:1-4, 14-18, 49-52
Where is God when things go wrong? Look around you, and see the Triune God at work. John 14:15-21
Jesus ascends to heaven, and what do the Apostles do? Ask for the restoration of the kingdom to Israel. Are we asking God, ruler of all, the right questions? Acts 1:6-14
Life leads us to moments when we have choices to make. How do we prepare the ground for others to make the choice that will come to them? Acts 17:22-32
On Senior Sunday, we ask the question, why is the collective memory of seniors crucial to a living and fruitful congregation? Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. Change is important, but we also need to remember where we came from.
What happens when we experience change in our lives? How do we cope when things get terrible and how do we respond when things get better? 1 Corinthians 15:42-49
Jesus walked by, and called, and men dropped what they were doing, left their lives behind, and followed Him. Why? Matthew 4:18-22
As we go forward we change. We were dead to God, now we are alive. What does that change mean for us? Romans 6:1-11
We celebrate the victory of Christ, but how should we respond to that victory? Faith cannot be separated from action. Matthew 28:1-10
The Holy Week begins with this sermon on how it rather resembles a teeter-totter, how it rises and falls. Tremendous applause, near-complete rejection, death, and ressurection. (Technical difficulties affect the recording quality.) Psalm 118:19-29
We follow the influence of three streams. One is the experience of the Kingdom of God, one is how we relate to the world (and our finances in particular) and one is what God is telling us to do and be. In the parable of talents, the rich man gives his servants immense wealth to manage (one talent is about 20 years' wages) and they receive more based on how they manage what they have been given. What happens if you give your life to Christ? What will He give you? Matthew 25:14-28
Love is a verb. It's an act we do. If we act in love every day we display the Kingdom of God for the rest of the world to see. The promise of eternal life is a promise not only for the future but the present as well. Experience heaven. Love. 1 John 3:16-24
Pastor Nathan Willowby takes a look at Daniel's fast. Daniel fasted in the face of food from the King's court, and prospered. Was it the food, or was it the resolve to stand with God in the face of the temptation of plenty? Daniel 1:3-17
We continue to examine the biblical practice of prayer and fasting. We sacrifice, but we remember it's about God, not about us or our sacrifice. Mark 9:14-29
This begins a 40-day focus upon God. It's a biblical fasting and prayer period we join with other churches in doing. Jesus takes up three of the major practices in the judaism of His day: giving to the poor, prayer, and fasting. What do they mean for us today? Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Can God really spread a table in the wilderness? When doubt converges upon you, when you don't see a way out, remember the Israelites. God provided for them, and still they doubted, still they asked that question. Psalms 78:11-19
Rivalries and disagreements are almost constants in human interaction. How do they play into the Church? Paul, in the text, calls the Corinthians to a unity.Pastor Nathan Willowby talks about divisions in the Church. Do we let small things keep us from seeing we're all one in Christ? 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Corinth was a church with difficulties, a church that resembles in many ways the position we find ourselves in today. (Technical difficulties plague this entires series. Recording issues made many of the sermons completely unpublishable.) 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
The Christmas season is a great time to think about how God moves, how He chooses ordinary people like you and I to accomplish His will.
The Christmas Eve service celebrating the coming of the King
Matthew 1:18-25 There were many expectations for the Messiah. And He wasn't Who was expected.
The third sunday of Advent reminds us of God's timing, that sometimes we just need to wait.
