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During the election, how are you praying: with joy or anxiety?
It's Election week. How are you praying? With anxiety? Or joy? Paul writes in Philippians 1:3 that he always prays “with joy.” That convicts me, because on my good days I can say I pray with gratitude, but most days I pray with anxiety and not with joy. With the...
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Meet the 8 elder & deacon candidates to start in 2024
The First Pres Nominating Committee has presented a slate of leaders to begin three-year terms of service in January 2024. Elders make up the governing body of our church, which is called the Session. They are responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of the church as...
Unleash your boldness: 3 ways to share Jesus with courage
We all know we need to testify about Jesus. But when it comes time to do it, some of us lack courage. Now, you may think that either you’re born with courage or not, but you can actually grow your courage. You can have more courage to testify. Here are three ways....
He denied Jesus. Jesus wouldn’t deny him.
Why do the Gospel writers highlight Peter’s denial, likely the worst day of his life? One reason: to show how faithful Jesus is to his followers, even when they let him down. Peter has just failed Jesus utterly, but Jesus is about to prove him himself utterly...
Even in your worst moment, God sees and loves you
Most of your posts on social media probably point out all your best moments. Rarely do any of us post our worst moments. Given that our instinct is to highlight the best and downplay the worst, we really should see the Gospel-writers inclusion of Peter’s denials of...
We need more silence in our lives
In one of my devotions this week I read this line: “Through silence, solitude and stillness, the sediment of life is settling down, and things are getting clearer.” (Peter Greig, Lectio 365, June 20 morning). Add to this that the practices of silence and solitude were...
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...