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Honoring a Bright Light: The Story Behind the New Star at First Pres’ Live Nativity
During First Pres’ live nativity last year, Wayne Hannah noticed a missing “character.” The wise men were there, and the shepherds, and of course Mary and Joseph and a baby doll for Jesus. But above them? No star. So Wayne got to work designing one with the help of...
Blog Archive
Do you understand what you’re reading?
I want to consider one of the great evangelism questions we find in scripture. This question comes from Acts 8:30, where Philip asks an Ethiopian eunuch, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The best definition of evangelism is one beggar leading another to food,...
Jesus is compelling. Come to Him and see.
Salvation starts with God. This is what Jesus says in John 6:44: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them.” When you read John in the original Greek, that word there that we translate as “draws,” everyplace else in the New Testament, and most...
Do you want to be well?
In John 5:6 Jesus asks, “Do you want to get well?” It is a great evangelism question because it prompts a bunch more like: · What does it mean to be “well?” · How do you define the “good life?” · Are you living it? · Is it marked by the Fruit of...
What do you want?
"What do you want?” Jesus asks this question of two disciples in John 1:38. It is an intriguing question coming from Jesus when we remember that He is God Almighty and able to do literally anything. So, what do you want from Jesus? Do you take the genie-in-the-bottle...
How Habitat for Humanity is tackling the affordable housing crunch in Harrisonburg and Rockingham
Skyrocketing prices for homes and rent has caused a housing crunch across the country in Harrisonburg, where city leaders are looking for ways to alleviate the need. Habitat for Humanity's central Valley chapter is working on the problem by "putting God's love into...
Where are you?
As many of you know, I’m very Socratic in my thinking and love questions, so when my friend and mentor Jim Singleton mentioned that there are six great “evangelism” questions in scripture, I took notes. One of these questions is in Genesis 3:9, where God asks Adam and...
What baseball taught me about Jesus’ call to ‘go’
We were outmatched. Game after game, we just couldn’t get a win. We’d come close – within a point or two – but the losses had piled up, and we were discouraged. Even though we told the kids that it wasn’t about winning, we coaches knew that a win really would lift...
How you can stay connected to worship when you’re on vacation
It's summer-vacation season, but when it comes to our walk with Jesus, there's no such thing as time off. So, we want to help you stay connected even as you head out of town for a summer trip. Here are some ideas. Tune in to the First Pres livestream We livestream...
In the face of death, Jesus wept, and so should we
Another mass shooting, this time of children, preceded by a racially motivated mass shooting, continued war in Ukraine, and close to home there is cancer and the death of loved ones. I could go on, but I think we all are feeling the crushing weight of grief. This is...
Who put that Bible in your hotel room, and why?
Your first introduction to the Gideons was likely in a hotel room during your travels as you noticed a Bible placed in the room by the international group. We asked Russ Lawrence, a First Pres covenant partner who volunteers with Gideons, to share more about the...