Christmas Gifts. We all get them. They can bring joy or blank looks and empty thanks. Sometimes the gifts don’t come in carefully wrapped packages. Often Christmas gifts cost us. Today we begin to unpack this theme as we consider the question: “What if you could have any gift you wanted?” Solomon got that opportunity and chose wisely. What [...]
Many churches today are stressing more: more money; more attendance; more community; more activity; but is this push for more inclusive of joy? Jesus always connects our relationship with Him to joy. Where is your faith? What is your connection to God’s church all about? What does your giving feel like? The Lord loves a “cheerful heart”.Luke 19:1-10Pastor Phil [...]
To this day people struggle with commitment. What is it about commitment that scares us so much? The benefits of commitment are obvious: deep friendships, strong marriages, and a life of peace with God. Today we consider that God sees the blessing of commitment for our lives and that is why He invites us into a deep relationship with [...]
Whenever the Church talks about stewardship, our thoughts go to money. One of the great excuses that keeps people from the Church is that “They just want my money…” Is that true? Does God just want my money? A careful look at the Bible indicates that money is necessary for the functioning of the institution we call “church”, but [...]
