This Week Whose plans? Is God really in charge of all things, or do my choices matter? Or is it 50/50 my choices and God’s choices? 60/40? 80/20? The book of Proverbs addresses the subject of wisdom: the ability to make wise choices. May the Spirit use these words he inspired to guide you in…

This Week A kind of Real that only comes through suffering “Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.” “Does it hurt?” asked the…

This Week Poetry in the Bible Many parts of the Bible, including some entire books, were written in poetic style. Over the next few months, we have the privilege of studying God’s wisdom through selected portions of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. Join us in worship Thursday night at 7:00 or Sunday…

This Week The end What would you write at the end of a letter to loved ones? This weekend we come to the end of Paul’s second letter to the little church in Thessaloniki. His final subjects might surprise you, but they make perfect sense. His final words aren’t surprising at all, but they are so…

This Week Stand firm Scripture presents two seemingly irreconcilable truths: (1) we can be confident of our salvation in Christ and (2) we can reject our faith and fall away. Therefore, Paul’s encouragement in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 is to stand firm and hold onto the truth of Scripture. Join us Thursday night at 7 or…

This Week A secret power The thought of it conjures up images of espionage, intrigue, and shadowy conniving. But when Paul warns the Thessalonians about a secret power, he’s not referring to James Bond. He lays out for us a mystery that we can’t completely unravel, but what we can is immensely helpful. Let’s be…

This Week What do you marvel at? To marvel at something is so much more than just to admire it. It’s more than just being impressed. You marvel at things that radically exceed your expectations—whether it’s the way someone treats you or a view you never expected. Or Judgment Day? This weekend, let the apostle Paul…

This Week Your favorite Bible doctrine Ask the people around church to tell you their favorite Bible doctrine and what do you think you’ll hear? Heaven? Forgiveness? Prayer? Baptism? Here’s one I don’t think you’d hear: Judgment Day and fire from heaven. Nope, that’s not going to make it into anyone’s top ten list of…

This Week Better worshipers of the living God What do you think about when you’re not doing anything else? Where does your mind go? God has given us so much in this world; there’s no shortage of options. We don’t have to go so far as to say that where our minds go is what…

This Week Kindness to everyone A long time ago, the Holy Spirit inspired the apostle Paul to write a letter to a church in a Greek city called Thessaloniki. Even though it was specific to their situation, much of it applies to us, including Paul’s closing exhortations. A good summary of these is kindness to…