Blog
Featured Article
3 books that can help you love the Bible more
We know that the Bible is God's word to us and that we need to read it, but sometimes it's a challenge. Our newly renovated church library features some books that can help. Here are three. Read It, See It, Say It, Sing It: Knowing and Loving the Bible In Hunter...
Blog Archive
Jesus prayed. What can we learn from his prayers?
Jesus prayed, and if he depended on prayer, don’t you think we should, too? I mean, we know the difference that prayer makes. But let me ask you this: How’s your prayer life? I think if we’re honest, all of us would admit it could use some improvement. Even if you’re...
My prayer for the high school Class of 2023
On Sunday, we prayed for our seniors. Here is what Pastor Jon prayed for them. Lord, thank you that you have been with these students through all these years of school. And Lord, I pray that you would be with them all the days of their life, that they would walk with...
3 ways you can make room to be filled by the Spirit
When the Bible says you can be filled with the Spirit, we often think it’s something that happens passively. In other words, we feel like we have no control over being full of the Spirit, that being filled comes randomly. But we can do things that make room for the...
Cry out to Jesus. He hears you.
Orphanages can be shockingly quiet. Infants and toddlers won’t cry if no one ever responds to their cries. I learned this from a story about how an adoptive father spent a week with the young children he and his wife were adopting but needed to leave for a few weeks...
How can I connect to Jesus?
Jesus says that if we want to grow in our spiritual life, we have to abide, or remain, in him. With so much competing for our attention and affections, how do we do it? The good news is God has shown us how. Here are a few, and while it’ll take time and space to use...
God’s love endures forever
If the Bible says something more than once, we should pay attention. How about if it says something 17 times in the span of just one chapter? This is what happens in Psalm 136, where God’s people basically tell the story of God’s care and redemption. Then, between...
Easter’s not over yet
Easter isn’t over. According to the Church calendar, Easter Sunday actually began a whole 50-day season of Easter. Just as for the 40 days of Lent we mourned, repented and fasted, for the season of Easter we are supposed to rejoice, celebrate and feast. You would...
How can the church reach young people?
The numbers don’t paint a promising picture of Christianity in America, especially when it comes to young people. Consider these stats that Andy Jung shared on Sunday during his session, “Growing Young,” about how churches like First Pres can be more welcoming to...
Everything sad will be undone
“Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself. Is everything sad going to come untrue? What's happened to the world?" This line, spoken by the Hobbit Sam in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Return of the King, so captures Easter Weekend. On Good Friday...
God’s love compels us to love
Love compels us. That’s what Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians. But what does it compel us to do? Well, it compels us to love God and to love neighbor. And the best way to do both of them is to tell people about Jesus. And Paul actually shows us the way one...