To describe the complete cleansing that takes place when one is baptized, it is sometimes stated that one arises from the waters of baptism “as clean as a newborn baby.”  And that is so true, not pertaining to an outward cleansing but to a soul cleansing.  Consider how the Bible portrays this. In baptism, a cleansing takes place. The love of Jesus…

Emoticons are those facial expressions that you make in your texts, emails, Facebook statuses and Tweets using letters and symbols. They reflect the mood or emotion of the writer. The most popular emoticon (or “emoji” as they are commonly referred to) is the smiley face :-). There are also the upgraded versions in full color. Emojis are becoming so popular that there…

One of the most remarkable aspects of the nature of the Almighty God is one thing which He cannot do! Think of His power to speak the world into existence and it immediately happened. Think of that same power when His voice will roar from heaven and the entire universe will cease to be. Yet there is one thing He cannot do—He…

One of the hardest things to deal with as a Christian is when a “brother sins against you.”  In a perfect church, no one would mistreat or sin against a brother, but the church is made up of humans who make mistakes in thoughts, actions and words.  So, how much should I be willing to forgive? In Matthew 18, Jesus dealt with…

It was completely dark on the island. The generators had gone out, and Easter Island was plunged into darkness. With no nearby city lights and only the moon and stars overhead, I lit a candle in my small room. It reminded me of World War 2 and the “Blackout Regulations.” This was a general mandate—that all windows should be prepared with heavy…

The challenge of Mission Sunday lies before each of us. We all know that we are living in hard times and daily expenses seem to always be increasing, but we cannot lose sight of that which is the most important thing in our lives. We need to keep in focus that all the material things on this earth are temporary. However, there…

I would like to write a short note to you and welcome you to our worship services.  I am so glad that you are here!  I truly mean that, and I trust that you will indeed find a warm welcome from this church while you are with us. There are some things that you probably noticed about this church as soon as…

“Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!” When Mrs. Julia Johnston penned this hymn in 1911, she might have had in mind her sins and guilt. When we sing this song, perhaps we ponder our own inadequacies.  Whatever your reflections may be, this song points to an unwavering truth—our need for God’s grace. This is not…