Once a year there is a Sunday where either Matt or I get to teach on whatever we want. The rest of the year is all scheduled out. But on the Sunday after Christmas we get to choose. It’s always hard for me to decide what topic to teach on. I’m not good with unlimited […]
Christmas, of course, is about a lot of nice things. Christmas is about the worship of an invisible God who entered time and space to make himself known. Christmas is about friends and family. Christmas is about giving and caring. It’s about rejoicing because we are part of God’s family forever. It’s about joy and peace. […]
1 John 5:13–21 In families, consistent values are passed down from generation to generation. That’s part of what it means to be a part of a family. However, each generation has to make the family name their own. Sometimes, children are not exactly like their parents (and sometimes grandkids are). In families, there is both […]
When I was seminary, which was about the same time the earth’s crust hardened, like everyone in my particular program I had to take “baby” Greek. After you nail down some of the basics, one of the first books they have you translate is I John. Why is that? Because the Greek in I John […]
As we enter the final chapter of I John it’s quite possible, perhaps even likely, that this is the last apostolic message written to a church. What about 2nd & 3rd John? They were written to individuals. So this week we come to the last chapter of the last letter to a church, from the […]
The world’s thoughts are on God right now. Between the Christmas season, questions surrounding the recent terror attacks, and social media movements like #PrayforParis, the world is searching for God. But how do we know where to find Him? And given the conflicting messages out there about who God is, how do we know what […]
There are times in life when you come to a crossroads. A major decision lies in front of you, and your choice promises to affect your life for years to come. What do we do in those situations? How do we know that we are following God with our choice? This week we are going […]
“Dear Children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18 Several years ago a group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8-year-olds: “What does love mean?” Here’s a sample of some of their answers. “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t […]
Have you ever noticed how fairy tales kind of echo the gospel? Frederick Buechner writes about this. Something inside us believes, or wants to believe, that the world as we know it isn’t the whole story. In fairy tales something usually goes wrong or there’s some injustice or evil introduced. Then there’s a curse and […]
To this point in our Abide series, we have been talking about the importance of believing in Jesus and loving one another. Along with the series, we have been reciting the Nicene Creed every week. It’s been refreshing to me to recite the creed every week—it gives me a sense of solidarity with all of […]
It’s safe to say that actions speak louder than words. We hear these expressions frequently: “Don’t tell me, show me” or “Talk is cheap.” People can say whatever they want, but at the end of the day, how they live their lives speaks volumes more than their words. This Sunday at Believers Fellowship we’ll be […]
Christianity is not rocket science. We believe in the name of Jesus Christ and we love one another. It’s that simple. But sometimes we make it harder than that. We come up with all kinds of rules (written and unwritten) for what it means to know God. Sometimes this can be harmless. But other times, […]
Light: the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible. Dark: the absence of light in a place. The Christian Life: to continue to strive to walk in the light, and to leave darkness behind. This Sunday we talk about walking in the light as we continue our fresh journey through the pages of […]
When you get married and have children, you start making your own traditions and forming your own family identity. Often, this means blending the traditions of your families of origin and creating some things anew. Well, the same is true of our faith—you have to make it your own. God is telling a story in […]
