For the New Year

With 2010 just around the corner, I was thinking about how we look at the new year as a fresh start and a chance to renew commitments or challenge ourselves to do the things that we want or need to do. Hopefully this message serves as a jumping-off point for a Christian perspective on the year ahead.

Sermon, December 27

Anticipation

Today's message is really about the difference between our perspective and God's perspective when it comes to doing things. It seems sometimes that God moves very slowly, and it's hard to understand His ways. But, there are reasons, and He does keep His promises. It may not be in our lifetime, or in several lifetimes, but God desires to show people His long-suffering goodness. Christmas, the coming of the Christ-child, is an example of that, and it looks ahead to the time when Jesus will return. Maybe tomorrow, maybe not, but He will return.

Sermon, December 20

And, don't forget to check out the new links to the right!

New Links

I'm trying to add a few helpful elements to the blog, and you can see on the right a new little area with useful links. The top one is a church calendar, where you can see what events are coming up as well as see regularly scheduled items. Also, I threw on a few of my favorite Christian websites, and hope that they will be of value to you.

Feel free to pass the blog along to others if they are interested. And, if you have any questions, please feel free to get a hold of me!

A Poor Christmas

With Christmas right around the corner, I wanted to do some kind of Christmas message. However, I'm pretty non-traditional in some ways, so this isn't exactly a traditional Christmas message. It is a challenge to care for the poor, which we are often insulated from in our middle-class culture. I'm just as guilty of this as anyone, and I'm working to change some ways in which I think about the poor and needy.

When we start to focus on others more and ourselves less, I think we find God's blessings to be greater. And we can find real joy in doing things that may have eternal value, rather than the temporary happiness of the trappings of the season.

Sermon, December 13

How to be Useful

This is a continuation from last weeks message, and explores what we need to do to truly be useful to God. Hopefully it makes sense. :-) It's nothing profound, but definitely some things that I've been thinking about as of late.

Sermon, December 6

Used or Useful?

I'm taking a little break in between Thanksgiving and Christmas from the Thessalonians Series. This message was something brewing in my mind here recently as I reflected on my own life and Christianity. Sometimes we are being used by God, but are we always seeking to be useful, available to Him in whatever capacity He decides? That's what I wanted to try and explain and for the next couple of weeks examine what it means to be useful.

Sermon, November 29